Delayed Passion: Miss Lynch's Unrequited Love-Chapter 37: The One Always in My Heart

Silas Cheney couldn’t sit still, using mouth shapes and gestures, directing Foreman Chandler to ask Thea Lynch about the situation over there.

"That’s it, I’ll have to trouble you these two days, I’ll return to work the day after tomorrow." Saying this, Thea Lynch was about to hang up the phone. After understanding Silas Cheney’s gesture, Foreman Chandler stammered:

"Ah, wait, wait, Foreman Lynch!"

"Okay, go ahead." Thea Lynch replied calmly, softly: "Is there a problem at work?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Foreman Chandler said no, "What’s going on over there? Are you encountering some trouble? Or is there a new issue at Valiant?"

"No, it’s not work-related. I twisted my ankle last night, and today I found it a bit swollen, so I plan to return tomorrow."

She only managed to get a high-speed rail ticket for tomorrow afternoon, which would get her to Coronet very late, so she could only go back to work the day after tomorrow.

Hearing this, Foreman Chandler looked again at Silas Cheney.

He seemed like a robot, only operable under the owner’s orders, completely forgetting that he could respond on his own.

Silas Cheney was exasperated, signaling him to say a few words of comfort before hanging up.

Foreman Chandler nodded obediently and did as he was told.

After hanging up the call, Silas Cheney put his hands on his hips, unable to help but mock: "I’ve realized, you top students seem to lose your sharpness once out of your field, huh."

Is this the common flaw of geniuses?

Foreman Chandler: "..."

The meeting ended early.

Silas Cheney, holding a phone and making a call, left the R&D department.

"Hey, Third Brother, I heard that Thea baobei twisted her ankle? What happened last night?"

He chose to ask Ian Preston mainly because he wasn’t sure if Ian Preston knew. If he didn’t, he could take this opportunity to pass on the information.

Meanwhile, Ian Preston was coming out of the elevator, with his assistant bringing a female doctor carrying a medical kit right behind him.

"I’ll take someone to check on her first."

Thea Lynch had requested ice and spray from the hotel, and according to the staff, it seemed like a right ankle sprain. She refused to go to the hospital, saying it wasn’t serious. But he was still concerned.

Hearing Ian Preston say this, Silas Cheney felt at ease, exchanging a couple of casual words before hastily hanging up the call.

A knock on the door sounded, and Thea Lynch, sitting on the sofa, looked towards the door with annoyance.

That morning, she had told the hotel she didn’t want to be disturbed, so why was someone knocking?

In her current condition, she didn’t want to get up at all.

The person outside seemed to sense her reluctance to answer the door. Following a soft "beep," the door was pushed open from the outside.

"..." Thea Lynch instantly sat up straight, thinking about how she would file a complaint.

Until she saw Ian Preston striding in.

Her mouth twitched hard, her expression even more speechless than before.

She didn’t need to guess why he was here. She simply ignored him, slumping back onto the sofa and pretending not to see him, continuing to watch TV.

The man stood a meter away from her, neither speaking to her first nor approaching, only giving his assistant a meaningful look.

The assistant nodded, brought the female doctor forward, and then stepped back behind Ian Preston, lowering his head, looking down in submission.

The doctor squatted down to check Thea Lynch’s ankle, asking softly.

Her attitude towards the doctor was still quite good.

Taking advantage of the doctor applying ointment, Thea Lynch sneakily glanced at the man beside her out of the corner of her eye.

He stood there quietly, his right hand tucked into his pants pocket, revealing a wrist. Before she could move her gaze away, he caught her.

Realizing she’d been caught, Thea Lynch no longer hid her actions and boldly scrutinized him.

The man lowered his eyes, looking at her intently, very concerned about her condition. His dark eyes shimmered with a deep light, understanding everything. But contradictory to this, his posture was lazy, as if standing aside, detached from all.

A wave of pain came from her ankle, causing Thea Lynch to suck in a sharp breath.

Ian Preston furrowed his brow, instinctively wanting to step forward, but reason prevailed, and he stayed in place.

"It’s alright, the injury isn’t severe, the bone is fine. Apply the ointment on time, and it’ll heal in about two weeks. Just take extra care these two weeks; you can walk, but try not to put weight on your right foot."

Thea Lynch exhaled slowly, "Okay, thank you."

The assistant led the doctor out, leaving only Thea Lynch and Ian Preston in the living room.

She glanced sideways at him, meeting his pitch-black eyes.

By this point, ignoring him no longer seemed appropriate.

"Weren’t you doing just fine when you returned last night?" Seeing her hesitating to speak, Ian Preston spoke first.

Speaking of this, Thea Lynch gave him a reproachful look, "Isn’t it because of you?"

"Me?" Ian Preston was stunned.

She had left earlier last night, returning to the hotel an hour before him. They hadn’t met afterward. He asked the hotel to send sobering soup, and heard she was fine at that time, and she hadn’t gone out afterward either.

How could it be related to him?

She murmured her complaint softly, "Wasn’t it because of you having someone send something up last night? I was half-asleep when I went to open the door and twisted my ankle."

"..."

Ian Preston had no idea there was such a story.

A moment later, he nodded, talking to himself, "Alright, my fault. As compensation, I’ll personally take care of you for the next two weeks."

"???" Thea Lynch’s eyes widened, "What?"

"Since it’s my problem, taking responsibility for you is only right."

"No, that’s not what I meant..." Thea Lynch struggled to get up, she didn’t need him to take responsibility; what did he mean by personally taking care of her? This wasn’t compensation; it was punishment.

However, he gave her no chance to refuse, "Just stay put, I’ll go back with you on the high-speed rail tomorrow morning."

He mentioned having a video conference to attend to, and soon left. Thea Lynch remained seated on the sofa, taken aback for a good while.

The next day, Thea Lynch got up particularly early, packed her luggage, and hobbled downstairs.

After checking out, the staff helped carry her luggage and assisted her towards the door.

The hotel said they had called a car for her, and as soon as she stepped outside, she saw it. The driver stowed her luggage, and the attendant helped her to the car.

The car door opened automatically, and Thea Lynch was still hesitating on how to get in when suddenly a hand stretched out from the car and grasped her wrist, "Lean on me, come in slowly."

Thea Lynch: "..."

Ten minutes later, sitting in the car, Thea Lynch couldn’t help but ask, "Third Brother came early to catch me?"

She thought Ian Preston would block her at her room door, but he was waiting right at the entrance.

He somehow knew she would leave early!

The man’s gaze swept over her face, chuckling softly, "Pretty much, I knew you wouldn’t be honest."

Thea Lynch found herself speechless, able only to dryly reply, "Heh, Third Brother really knows me well."

Ian Preston: "You’ve always been in my heart, isn’t understanding you the least I could do?"

[Author’s Note: Something came up at home these couple of days, so updates will be irregular, likely in the afternoon and evening. Double updates will resume tomorrow.]