A debt must be repaid sooner or later, whether one faces it or avoids it.
It’s just a slap, endure it and it will pass.
Thea Lynch kept comforting herself.
After passing security, Thea Lynch leaned against him, feeling gloomy.
"Why don’t you hit back now? Waiting is too tornting, might as well get it over with."
"When did I say I would hit you?"
"You didn’t say it directly, but that’s roughly what you ant."
"Aren’t you always burying yourself in work every day?"
"What do you an?" The topic shifted awkwardly, and Thea Lynch couldn’t keep up with his rhythm.
Soon after, she heard Ian Preston leisurely add, "How do you even have ti to think about all these useless things? Isn’t it tiring?"
Thea Lynch: "..."
When she was little, Thea Lynch wasn’t like this; she grew up being cherished and was bright like the sunshine. Later misfortunes made her develop a sensitive and suspicious nature. Even though her body had healed over the years, that part hadn’t changed.
At a loss, Ian Preston gave her reassurance, "Stop overthinking; all these years, the only one hitting has been you. When have I ever hit you back?"
"I only hit you once, didn’t I? Besides, you deserved that slap back then."
Ian Preston: "Mm, you hit well." His words were devoid of emotion, with a hint of sarcasm.
Thea Lynch avoided his gaze and said nothing more.
Today, there were lots of people inside the train station, and Ian Preston drew quite a bit of attention carrying Thea Lynch in. Fortunately, they were both occupied with their thoughts and didn’t care much.
In the VIP lounge, when placed on a seat, Thea Lynch let out a sigh of relief.
Before she could adjust her posture, a shadow fell beside her as soone sat down.
"I’m not angry with you, Thea Lynch. I hold grudges, but you had every right to lay hands on , both then and now. And even in the future, feel free to act wild with ."
The man’s voice was deep, each word striking her heart heavily.
Ian Preston likes to control everything, like now. Just when he had given her a mont of reprieve, thoughtfully not bringing up those embarrassing topics, he suddenly pulled back, throwing her back into confusion.
He really is bad, his words stirring up turmoil in her heart.
——
After boarding, Thea Lynch adjusted her seat, habitually reclining to "play dead". Ian Preston was on the other side, divided by an aisle. This distance gave her a sense of security.
Back in Coronet, Ian Preston took her to her apartnt, "I’ve spoken with Silas Cheney; don’t go to the company these days."
Upon hearing this, Thea Lynch frowned but didn’t say anything.
Anyway, she wouldn’t listen to him; why waste ti arguing now only to end up losing?
Distracted, her injured ankle was suddenly grasped.
The chill from the air-conditioning made her calf to ankle skin cold, and the warmth from the man’s palm sent a searing heat through her, causing her to flinch.
She tried to pull her foot away from Ian Preston’s hands, "Don’t move, I’ll help apply the dicine."
To avoid hurting her, the man controlled his strength and didn’t apply too much force. To prevent her from moving too much, he tapped her leg lightly with his finger.
It was clearly a simple action, yet when Ian Preston did it, it carried a peculiar hint of implications.
Thea Lynch pursed her lips, silently watching him.
Opposite, Ian Preston knelt on one knee, resting her foot gently on his thigh, then stood to grab dicine from the table, rubbing it warm in his palms before carefully applying it to her ankle.
"Tell if it hurts." He gently massaged, cautiously controlling the pressure to avoid causing pain.
"Hmm."
Thea Lynch responded sullenly.
It was just applying dicine, but Ian Preston was extraordinarily focused and serious. Once as a child, she fell and hurt her leg, her brother stood afar and didn’t see, thinking she was acting spoiled again, telling her to get up herself.
Back then, she was spoiled too, with a bit of a princess syndro. So her brother was strict; she couldn’t gain any favor from him.
But that ti she was really hurt, her knee scraped with visible blood. She dared not move because of the pain. Despite crying bitterly, her brother did not care.
She was aggrieved enough to want to cry, until the person accompanying her brother stood up: "Let take a look."
That day, he walked over, cold-faced as he crouched down before her.
When he approached, she was even more scared to cry, tears hanging precariously on her lashes, pitifully.
She rembers he said nothing, only lifted her as he stood.
Princess carry.
She huddled, too scared to move.
That day, he took her directly to get treatnt.
Perhaps noticing her fear, he rcifully said, "Cry if you want, big brother’s not here."
She pouted but remained silent.
Until the doctor cleaned her wound with iodine, she couldn’t hold back anymore and cried loudly in his arms. Dazedly, she rembers he still said nothing comforting.
But while she cried, he didn’t disdainfully walk away, lightly patting her back. In the end, even when a corner of his shirt got wet, he didn’t hold it against her.
Compared to that incident, the injury on her foot now wasn’t painful because he was extrely gentle, even gentler than she herself would be applying it.
"Don’t shower tonight, keep your steps small. I’ll co over tomorrow morning."
"Ah?" Thea Lynch snapped out of her mories; Ian Preston had already stood up. "You won’t go to the company?"
The man slowly wiped his fingers with a wet towel, replying softly, "I’m not busy."
"..." But she’s busy!!!
"I won’t go anywhere tomorrow, there’s no need for you to co over. When I need you when I go out, I’ll contact you."
Hearing this, Ian Preston seed to hear a joke, bending slightly.
They maintained a level gaze.
His voice was clear, lazy, and ended with a smile: "Do you believe that yourself when you say it?"
Thea Lynch: "..."
She self-destructively said, "I have very important work, and the company is just across the street. I’ll call soone to pick up, so I won’t even have to take a few steps."
"Let’s talk about it tomorrow morning." Ian Preston didn’t directly reject, leaving her so hope.
But Thea Lynch was not satisfied with that, arguing with him: "If you don’t let go to the company, once you leave, I’ll go straight to stay at the office myself."
That pretty much was a threat; Ian Preston raised his brows, approaching, with warm breath mingling with hers, "If you insist, then during this ti I’ll just take you to stay at my place."
Thea Lynch: "?"
[Author’s note: Resuming midnight dual updates]
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