L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 176

"Good evening, Mr. Miller."

The doorman who opened the door greeted him with a smile. Ashley gave a brief nod without saying a word and brushed past him. Carrying a few shopping bags on his arm and a small potted plant in his hand, Ashley crossed the lobby but paused before pressing the button for the private elevator. Standing in front of the elevator, which had stopped at the top floor, he spoke.

"Benjamin, did someone come by?"

"Sir? Oh."

The doorman quickly came over and stood beside him, replying.

"The guest who came with you yesterday stepped out for a bit and returned. Since it was someone I recognized from yesterday, I let them up..."

His voice trailed off as he glanced at Ashley, gauging his reaction. Ashley said nothing, simply pressed the button. As the elevator made its way down, he pulled out his wallet from his coat pocket and took out a bill with one hand, offering it. The doorman, both flustered and delighted, received the $100 note.

"Thank you, Mr. Miller."

Soon, the elevator doors opened, and Ashley stepped in.

"Sir."

As Ashley stood inside the elevator, the doorman called out hesitantly. Unsure whether he should be saying this, he carefully began.

"Actually, um, the guest who came with you... he got a little hurt..."

Ashley’s face turned cold as he stared at the doorman.

*

As Koi applied the last band-aid he’d bought from the pharmacy, the sound of the elevator echoed. He hurried to sweep the scattered medical supplies into a bag and tidy up the area, but heavy, fast footsteps began thudding across the wide lobby. Koi tried to get up quickly but winced despite himself.

The sound of a door opening, closing, then opening again followed. It sounded like Ashley was looking for him. Koi took a deep breath, opened the bathroom door, and stepped out. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Ash, you're back?"

He deliberately greeted him in a bright voice. Ashley, who had been walking toward the next room, flinched at the sound. As their eyes met, Koi gave an awkward smile. Ashley’s face, on the other hand, drained of all color.

Ashley stormed toward Koi and, without warning, grabbed his arm and shouted fiercely.

"What happened? Who did this to you?"

Koi blinked in surprise at the reaction, far more intense than he’d expected. He figured Ashley would be shocked, but not to this extent. Feeling strangely guilty, Koi hurried to explain.

"I-it's fine. It’s not that bad, it just looks worse than it is..."

"Who did this to you? Tell me!"

He looked genuinely insane. His violet eyes glinted gold, and his cold face was twisted with rage. If the culprit were in front of him right now, he’d probably strangle them to death. Koi, afraid things might really get out of hand, tried desperately to calm him down.

"A-Ash, Ash. I’m okay. Really. It just looks bad, that’s all. Don’t get angry. Please calm down..."

Please. Koi looked up at him with pleading eyes. The golden shimmer in Ashley’s eyes slowly faded. When his eyes returned to their usual violet hue, he finally spoke—in a quiet, restrained voice.

"Tell me what happened."

Koi hesitated, then forced a smile.

"Can we sit and talk?"

Instead of answering, Ashley suddenly scooped Koi up. Startled, Koi instinctively wrapped his arms around Ashley’s neck. He tried to protest with a "Wait—" but Ashley said nothing, striding into one of the rooms. It looked like a lounge, with a minibar lining one wall filled with liquor, and several cozy pieces of furniture arranged throughout the space. Ashley set Koi down on a gently curved lounge chair that looked perfect for reclining.

He said he wanted to sit and talk...

For a second, Koi felt like a patient at a therapy session. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Ashley stood.

"Do you need anything else?"

His quiet tone made Koi think his anger had subsided a little. Relieved, he shook his head, and Ashley asked again.

"A drink? Want something?"

"Um..."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Koi glanced at the fully stocked bar and answered.

"Could you... maybe give me a ginger ale with a splash of whiskey?"

Feeling oddly self-conscious under Ashley’s gaze, he quickly added,

"Bill made it for me once before and it was really good. B-but you don’t have to, if it’s a hassle—"

Before he could finish, Ashley turned around and walked over to the bar. Koi lay there, watching him move.

"Here."

"Thanks."

Koi took the glass gratefully and brought it to his lips right away. Just as the drink was about to touch his tongue, Ashley’s voice cut across the room.

"I left out the whiskey. Don’t drink alcohol for a while."

It was a split second too late. The drink—just plain ginger ale—hit his tongue. Disappointed, Koi set the glass down. He caught sight of Ashley draining whiskey straight from a glass, neat, without ice. Koi wanted to ask, Why can you drink and I can’t?—but he knew it wasn’t the right time. Even someone as oblivious as Koi could sense that much.

"Koi."

Ashley set his empty glass on the tea table and spoke again.

"Now talk. Everything."

Sitting on the couch a few steps away, Ashley looked expressionless as he continued.

"Why didn’t you keep your promise? I told you to stay /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ home. Why did you go out on your own? What’s with those injuries?"

It felt like he was being interrogated. Koi held the half-full glass with both hands on his stomach and finally spoke.

"Um, well..."

Recalling Ashley’s questions one by one, he tried to piece together the right order.

"I guess I did break the promise, but I had a reason... I had no choice..."

Ashley didn’t push him further—just stared. Pressured by the silence, Koi continued hesitantly.

"T-the manager contacted me. Remember when we ran into each other again for the first time? Back when I was at the police station...?"

As Koi awkwardly explained what happened, Ashley quietly listened. After giving a short summary, Koi fast-forwarded to the present.

"But apparently, the car hadn’t been picked up yet. The manager said since I left it there, I should go get it. Otherwise, he’d deduct the cost from my paycheck..."

Koi paused, lips pressed shut. Only then did Ashley ask,

"So you went to Nelson’s house? How?"

He was asking about transportation. Koi answered honestly.

"I took the subway, and the bus... and hitchhiked too."

Ashley didn’t respond. He just stared at Koi, then asked quietly,

"Nothing happened?"

"Huh? Oh. No, nothing happened. I got hurt for another reason..."

Finally, it was time to get to the main point. Ashley looked like he already had an idea of what was coming, but Koi felt he needed to say it himself.

"I had a bit of a fight at Nelson’s house. That’s how I got hurt. But it’s fine. I found the car, returned the truck, and even got the check. That’s all."

Koi opened his mouth to smile like everything was resolved—but winced and let out a quiet ow. His split lip throbbed. He instinctively touched it, only to find blood staining his fingertips. Startled, he froze. Ashley immediately got up, pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket.

"Th-thanks..."

Koi assumed Ashley would hand it to him, but instead, Ashley sat down on the edge of the lounge chair and gently pressed the cloth to Koi’s lips himself. Koi awkwardly lowered his frozen hand. As Ashley applied firm pressure to stop the bleeding, he spoke.

"I get that you were trying to handle it on your own."

His voice was calm, emotionless. Koi held his breath, wondering what Ashley was thinking—half curious, half nervous. Ashley continued, still composed.

"Koi, if you could smell it, you’d know just how furious I am right now."

Koi flinched, blinking rapidly. He had assumed Ashley had calmed down—but apparently not. In reality, thick pheromones were radiating from Ashley’s body, but Koi hadn’t noticed at all. Only the faint golden shimmer in Ashley’s violet eyes hinted at his rage.

"What did I say? I told you never to hide anything from your lawyer, didn’t I?"