L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 154

"Good morning, Mr. Miller."

As always, the security guard greeted the man who stepped out of the van with a cheerful tone. The man, with his striking platinum-blond hair, stood tall with an imposing physique that made his mere presence feel intimidating. Even though he saw him almost every day, the guard tensed up reflexively and forced a strained smile—yet the man only gave a curt nod in response, expressionless.

His face was unrealistically well-defined, with delicate, striking features, but he showed no emotion. The lack of expression gave him an unsettling air. After handing his car keys to the valet, the man walked off without a word toward the elevator.

Once he boarded the private elevator and began his ascent to the office floor, the guard quickly picked up the phone at the reception desk and called the secretary’s office.

"Yes, understood."

Having received word of her superior’s arrival, the secretary promptly checked over the office, then returned to her desk and straightened her posture as she faced the door.

"Good morning, Mr. Miller."

Just like always, the punctual appearance of her superior prompted her formal greeting. At that very moment, a dry lightning bolt cracked across the overcast sky. As light briefly streaked across the gray sky beyond the full-length window, a chill ran down her spine.

The man passed her without a word and entered his office. Once the door shut behind him, the secretary hurried to the break room. The coffee she’d set to brew by schedule should be ready by now. She busily gathered documents and prepared the tray—but then, suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Who could that be at this hour?

Frowning slightly, she looked up—and then her expression turned even more uneasy upon seeing who had entered.

*

Knock knock. A quiet knock came at the door. Ashley, who had just lit a cigarette, waiting for his secretary to bring in coffee, glanced over. As expected, she entered—but surprisingly, she carried neither coffee nor documents.

"Um, Mr. Miller."

Wearing an uncharacteristically troubled expression, the secretary began,

"This wasn’t scheduled for this morning, but... a guest suddenly arrived asking to see you."

"A guest? Now?"

Frowning, Ashley checked his wristwatch, and the secretary quickly replied.

"It’s 9:10. I did tell her it was difficult to see you without an appointment, but she insisted that if you just heard who she was, you'd agree to see her."

Ashley stared at her with a chilly gaze, saying nothing, and the secretary added,

"It’s a woman. She said she’s a high school classmate and only asked for a brief moment of your time—ten minutes, tops."

Ashley let out a sharp, irritated sigh as soon as he heard the name.

"Send her away."

He spoke as though the matter wasn’t even worth considering. But unlike usual, the secretary didn’t move right away. As if she’d anticipated that exact reaction, she cautiously continued.

"She... said it was about 'Koi.'"

It lasted only a few seconds, but the secretary could clearly tell—her boss had frozen. She had never seen him react this way before, but there was no time to dwell on it. Ashley slowly °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° turned his head and glared at her with a terrifying expression she'd never seen from him.

"Why didn’t you start with that?"

"U-Um..."

She stammered without meaning to, then quickly gathered her composure and tried to steady her tone, though her voice still held a faint tremor.

"Miss Abbott said... that if you refused to meet her, I should mention Koi’s name."

"...Ha."

This time, he sighed out loud in disbelief. The sharp gaze Ashley shot across the desk made the secretary squirm with discomfort.

I should’ve just sent her away.

Regret hit her too late. More than anything, she felt ashamed of how easily she’d been cowed by the woman’s sheer confidence and force of presence.

Unable to hide her discomfort, she looked at her boss, but Ashley was no longer paying her any attention. He inhaled his cigarette deeply—so deeply it hollowed his cheek—then exhaled slowly and remained silent for a while before finally speaking.

"...Let her in. I don’t need tea."

The secretary, barely recognizing the low, hoarse voice, quickly responded with a "Yes, sir," and turned on her heel.

Soon after she left the office, the door opened again, and the unwelcome guest made her appearance.

"Hi, Ash. It’s been sooooo long. Looks like you’ve been doing well."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The vibrant, energetic voice that had once shouted nonstop cheer routines over ten years ago rang out just as boldly now. Ariel, with the same lively smile she’d always worn, looked straight at Ashley, who didn’t flinch.

If it were the Ashley of the past, he would’ve smiled back and greeted her. But not now. His expression remained cold, and his stare betrayed clear annoyance. Ariel hadn’t expected a warm welcome anyway, so she wasn’t hurt. In fact, his displeasure amused her. Smiling even more, she glanced around the office. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Wow. My whole apartment could probably fit in here. I can’t believe you get to use a space this big all to yourself. You must really be doing well. I bet you raked in a massive fee from your last trial, huh? Is that plant over there worth about that much?"

Her words were laced with sarcasm, but Ashley, unfazed, remained indifferent. No surprise. A man like him probably endured worse insults daily. This level of provocation was nothing.

Ariel accepted that easily and moved deeper into the room.

She plopped down on the sofa without hesitation, crossed her long legs out of habit, and leaned comfortably into the backrest. Ashley, watching her, deliberately checked his watch. He didn’t intend to give her even one second beyond the ten minutes she mentioned. Three minutes had already passed while she postured and boasted.

As Ashley lowered his gaze from the watch, Ariel finally spoke.

"Do you think our old friends ever imagined you'd end up in a place like this? Squeezing money out of poor people while obsessing over five or ten minutes of your time?"

Her tone was mocking, but Ashley openly sneered at her.

"You didn’t come here this early to talk about the past, did you?"

"Of course not. You’ve still got sharp instincts, huh? I guess some things don’t change."

Ariel replied smoothly, then narrowed her eyes.

"But seriously, you don’t even offer guests tea anymore? With all the money you’re making? Stingy, much?"

"Six minutes and two seconds."

Ashley said flatly, noting the time remaining. Ariel chuckled instead of reacting, finally getting to the point.

"I heard you met with Koi."

Ashley didn’t respond. He only stared at her, his eyes locked on her face. Ariel continued.

"You bought him clothes and even gave him dating advice? He was going out with someone else. What happened to the Ashley who used to lose it over Bill getting a smudge of sauce on his mouth?"

Ashley furrowed his brow and corrected her with an air of grave seriousness.

"It was his jaw."

Ariel looked at him, dumbfounded, but Ashley’s expression remained unchanged. She let it go with a sigh.

"Right. His jaw. Still, that’s not the point, is it?"

She gave a sweet smile, then narrowed her gaze with sudden sharpness.

"Let’s not pretend. Be honest, Ash. What the hell are you planning? Don’t give me that crap about wanting Koi to be happy. I don’t buy it for a second. Koi might still trust you—but I don’t."

Her tone shifted, harder than before. But Ashley, oddly calm, answered with ease.

"How cruel of you, doubting my sincerity. Even if I’ve changed from who I used to be—"

"No, you haven’t changed in that way."

Ariel cut him off, her voice unwavering. She met his eyes with certainty.

"Koi was special to you. So special that even after over a year of dating, the most you ever did was kiss."

A heavy silence, different from anything before, settled between them.