The more he spoke in that soft, gentle voice, the harder it beca to hold back my tears. Why did he have to be so kind? So warm? If he kept treating like this, I was afraid I’d completely fall apart.
"Can I ... can I hug you?" I asked hesitantly, my voice trembling. "Just for a minute."
Back then, no matter how much I cried, I never had anyone to lean on, and no one to hold or comfort . That was why I’d always wondered what it felt like to be in soone’s arms, even just for a minute.
Lando didn’t say a word. Instead, he reached out and gently pulled toward him. Before I even realized what was happening, I was already in his embrace.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling my whole body finally relax against him. I rested my head on his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat as his arms wrapped around .
The night air was growing colder, but for so reason, his embrace felt so warm. It was like standing under the sun in the middle of winter.
[Lando’s favorability has increased by 3%]
Penny’s notification made flinch for a second, but I quickly ignored it.
How could sothing as simple as a hug feel this comforting? It was warr than any blanket, softer than any bed, and for a mont, it made forget that the world outside was cruel.
A mont later, I felt his palm gently pat my back. He was hesitant at first, almost unsure if he should. He probably wasn’t used to comforting people like this, and I knew he wasn’t used to being comforted by anyone either.
Maybe, in his own quiet way, he needed that warmth too.
So I wrapped my arms around him and patted his back in return, matching his gentle rhythm. It wasn’t just seeking comfort anymore, but it was both of us, silently holding on to sothing we didn’t even realize we needed.
[Lando’s favorability has increased by 3%]
Oh, I guess a hug really was sothing he wanted! We should definitely hug more often after this because this felt even better than counting stars together.
"I think it’s been more than a minute," I whispered, trying to pull away from our embrace. But to my surprise, Lando tightened his arms around , as if he didn’t want to let go just yet.
"We can hug for ... more than one minute," he murmured. "Maybe five."
Was the Young Master getting addicted to hugging? Well ... that was fine by . I didn’t mind at all. Honestly, even if ti stopped for a hundred years, I wouldn’t mind staying in his arms like this.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay hugging in the cold night forever. I was afraid he might catch a cold, and I didn’t want him to hurt his knees from kneeling too long either.
"We should go back," I said gently.
"We should," he replied, though he didn’t move an inch. It was like his body refused to listen, as if he’d been rooted to the spot.
"Henry’s probably getting worried," I added with a small smile.
He humd. "Yeah," he said softly. "He probably is."
Now I couldn’t tell if he was actually agreeing with or just repeating my words without really listening. Maybe his mind was sowhere else, or maybe he simply didn’t want to let go yet.
"We should talk about how we’re going to investigate the people who hurt Helena," I said quietly. "Maybe ... if we look deeper into that website, we could find more clues about what really happened."
This ti, Lando finally let go of our embrace, and his expression turned serious. "You don’t have to look at that site again," he said. "I’ll have my people dig into it, and into whoever’s behind it. Just tell , do you know who offered her that job?"
I hesitated, biting the inside of my cheek before whispering, "If I rember correctly ... it was her forr manager. The one from DN Entertainnt."
I couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing now, and whether he was still working at DN Entertainnt.
Was he still living his life like nothing happened? Still smiling, still managing new artists, while Helena’s na was buried under lies and scandal?
"His na is Jason Cole," I said. "At least, if I rember correctly."
The mont those words left my lips, Lando’s expression darkened. If he really had followed my work back then, he must’ve already known that DN Entertainnt was the agency that managed .
"I always felt so guilty toward Helena," I continued with a little lie, "because the agency that refused to help her—the one everyone called evil—belonged to my family."
"They never treated you like family," Lando corrected firmly. "They were just people who happened to live under the sa roof as you."
"You’re right." I smiled faintly, though my chest ached with a sadness I couldn’t na. I didn’t even know if I was mourning Helcia’s fate or my own. "They weren’t my family. But it’s okay, because ... I finally have one now."
Lando raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled at first. But when I t his eyes and whispered, "You’re my family now," his confusion softened into sothing warr.
"You are," he murmured softly as his hand brushed against my cheek. "We’re a family now."
I smiled at him, my heart swelling with gratitude that I had soone like him by my side in this lifeti.
After we talked a little more about Helena’s case—or rather, my own—we finally decided to head back to the manor. Lando called Henry and asked him to pick us up with the golf cart.
"Holy crap! This is so cool!" I gasped, circling the golf cart twice like an overexcited kid the mont Henry arrived. "Can I drive it? Please?"
On the other side, Lando looked a little startled. Just a few minutes ago, I’d been crying in his arms, and now I was bouncing with energy like nothing had happened. But honestly, how could my mood stay gloomy when sothing this cool was right in front of ?
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