Love Across the Light Years -The Devil CEO Indulges My Lies.-Chapter 11: An adorable pair of doe eyes.

When did she leave Ashvale?

The memory flashed back, resurfacing all over again.

Although six whole years had passed, what happened back then still remained painfully clear in her mind.

Not because she hadn’t tried to forget it —

But because, no matter how hard she forced herself, she could never truly shut it out.

It haunted her.

Every day.

Every night.

How could it not?

After all, the betrayal she had received was not simple.

It had been intricately woven —so intricately that she had been made to believe what was never true in the first place.

The love.

The family.

Everything she had once taken pride in —everything she had believed in —had been nothing but a lie.

She realized it late, but she did realize it.

"Adelyn!"

The call snapped her out of her thoughts.

She blinked and looked up at Freya and Amelia, who were watching her with faint confusion etched between their brows.

"Oh —sorry. I spaced out," Adelyn apologized quickly, only to make Amelia purse her lips.

"You did? Really?" Amelia said. "Don’t tell me you are already missing your life abroad. If you are, we will reluctantly have to let you go."

Adelyn rested her elbow on the table and lazily placed her cheek against her palm. "Amelia," she said softly, "you are already so sweet to me. How could I bear to leave you behind?"

Amelia blinked, feeling the hair on the back of her neck rise.

"Ehh ..." She rubbed her arms. "You’d better restrain yourself. Words like that from you feel more scary than death threats."

"Is that so?" Adelyn nodded thoughtfully. "Then next time, you’d better not ask."

"You —"

Adelyn ignored her teasingly and turned to Freya instead.

"I left Ashvale seven years ago."

"Seven years," Freya repeated, slightly surprised. "That’s a long time. Were you finishing your studies?"

Adelyn nodded. "I completed my graduation six months ago."

"Six months?" Amelia blinked, then burst out laughing.

Freya shot her a disapproving look, but Amelia only shrugged.

"Don’t look at me like that," Amelia said. "It took her seven years to finish a four-year course. Can she be any more amazing a student? A reaction to her achievement should be a must."

"I was an amazing student and have received a lot of praise," Adelyn said calmly. "My university was a difficult one, and if not for an important project, I would have graduated on time."

"Yeah, sure," Amelia nodded, "Just like how a dog always eats my homework."

"It’s fine," Freya intervened. "The entertainment industry doesn’t need top scholars. Degrees are just accessories here."

She turned to Adelyn with a small smile. "Don’t mind her. She hasn’t fully recovered from her fighting mood."

"I —" Adelyn thought to speak and explain better, but just then she was interrupted by a waiter, who approached them to take their order.

"Hello, good evening, ma’am," he said, turning to give a polite smile to all three. "May I take your order now?"

Freya exchanged a glance with the two and nodded.

They kept the order simple, and soon the waiter left their table.

"You were saying something earlier," Freya asked Adelyn again, not forgetting that before the waiter arrived, she was cut off.

Amelia cleared her throat. "Yes —she was about to explain how the dog ate her homework."

"Amelia!" Freya warned, this time a little seriously.

Amelia immediately stiffened. Avoiding her gaze, she reached to grab the glass and sipped her water.

Adelyn glanced at her before turning back to Freya.

"I was just agreeing with you," she said. "I don’t need to be Einstein to succeed in this industry. My average academic record isn’t much of a disadvantage."

Freya nodded.

Amelia wanted to argue, but she didn’t. She simply sipped her tea, trying her best to keep calm.

Soon after, their dinner arrived.

As they served themselves, they talked about lighter topics.

Adelyn didn’t speak much about herself, and neither Freya nor Amelia probed. Since Adelyn had mentioned being an orphan, they already understood that the Scotts were a sensitive subject and conveniently avoided mentioning them at all.

"You and Amelia are almost the same age," Freya said suddenly. Then, nodding approvingly, she continued, "And that’s actually good. You will be able to get along better."

"I am three years older than her." Before Adelyn could comment, Amelia corrected immediately. "Which means she should respect me more —which she clearly doesn’t."

Freya closed her eyes briefly. She understood —she couldn’t deal with them easily.

Just an hour, and it already feels like I am managing two kids now, she thought to herself, shaking her head internally.

Adelyn pulled her lips into a deliberate smile. Then, looking at Amelia, she nodded. "Understood, Sister Amelia. I will be more respectful to you henceforth."

Something about the way Adelyn said it felt off to Amelia.

When she looked at her, Adelyn was waiting —watching her reaction.

"Anything wrong, Sister Amelia?" Adelyn asked innocently, which was evidently not innocent at all, yet one couldn’t actually place what was actually wrong in it.

"No," Amelia said quickly. "You don’t need to call me that."

"But didn’t you —"

"I said you should respect me, given that I am older than you. There is no need to exaggerate and use honorifics."

"Are you sure, Sister Amelia?" Adelyn blinked.

"Of course!" Amelia snapped, feeling her nerves ache already.

"Fine. As long as it pleases you."

Freya smiled faintly. She felt like she was finally beginning to understand Adelyn a little.

And that little understanding of her only made her feel more likeable.

"Let’s eat," she said.

Adelyn nodded, but just as she was about to begin, she paused.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed something.

When she looked up, her gaze froze on a small figure across the room,

She couldn’t look away.

She didn’t know why —but something seemed to pull at her.

Perhaps it was the eyes that had been watching her for a while now.

An adorable pair of doe eyes.