Love Across the Light Years -The Devil CEO Indulges My Lies.-Chapter 73: Are you asking me to stay for the night?

Dylan’s hands stilled for a fraction of a second.

Adelyn noticed it immediately, her gaze darting toward him in quiet confusion.

Yet his demeanor appeared unchanged —calm, composed, not a trace out of place.

His gaze lowered to the plate before lifting again ... steady as ever.

But not quite the same.

If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she might have missed it entirely.

But fortunately, she has always been keen-eyed.

Cautious, she asked slowly, "Mr. Warren, is something wrong?"

Dylan didn’t respond right away.

Instead, his gaze lingered on her face —studying, deliberate —as if noting every subtle flutter of her lashes before he finally spoke.

"Nothing. I was just curious about your friend."

His eyes flicked briefly toward the dishes on the table.

"Given how much he cares for you ... you must be quite close to him."

Adelyn followed his gaze to the food.

His words sounded harmless, yet something beneath them told a different story.

"Yes," she replied, her guard firmly in place. "We have known each other for years. Our friendship has only grown deeper ... to the point where we both consider each other family."

Dylan’s gaze never left hers.

When she finished, he gave a small nod.

The intensity in his eyes eased, and the subtle weight in the air seemed to lift —restoring back the fragile sense of calm.

"Friends and family are both important." With an unhurried voice, he said evenly. "As long as one knows where each belongs ..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Adelyn almost nodded in agreement.

But then she stilled.

And then it came to her —

Friend.

Family.

The distinction he had drawn was not some passing philosophy.

It was deliberate.

He wasn’t just defining the difference —

He was placing himself within it.

Adelyn fell silent.

Wasn’t he ... easing his way into her life a little too smoothly? A little too fast?

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

Just then, he looked up at her, one brow lifting ever so slightly.

"Is the food not to your liking?" he asked, his gaze flicking briefly to her untouched plate before returning to her.

Adelyn snapped back to reality.

Shaking her head, she replied quickly, "No, I was just thinking about something."

Not waiting any longer, she picked up her fork and knife and began to eat.

Dylan watched her for a long second before resuming his meal as well.

Adelyn might not have been particularly experienced with children, yet somehow, she found herself tending to Eira from time to time.

Halfway through the dinner, a sudden thunderclap made her pause.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she turned toward the window, catching a flash of lightning reflected against the glass.

"The weather isn’t great," she murmured. "The rain might get worse later."

She turned back to Dylan —only to find him already looking at her.

His expression remained composed, almost different, as though this was something he had anticipated all along.

Dylan read her thoughts with ease.

"The forecast mentioned it earlier," he said.

"Oh," Adelyn said lightly.

Then, realizing something, she added quickly, "Then we shouldn’t delay. Let’s finish the dinner soon so you and Little Eira can leave before it gets worse."

With that, she resumed her meal —not hurried, but clearly intent on finishing as soon as possible.

However, despite her efforts, nature didn’t seem to favor her.

Within minutes, the rain intensified, doubling in force.

By the time they finished the dinner, Adelyn knew the best moment to send them off had passed. The pitter-patter of the rain was loud enough to make her frown.

"The rain isn’t stopping anytime soon," Dylan said, rising to his feet, checking the time on his watch.

Adelyn stood as well, her gaze drifting toward the window where the downpour had only grown harsher.

"That doesn’t seem very safe," she said, her brows knitting slightly. "With the way it’s raining, some routes might already be blocked."

She had wanted them to leave all this while —but now, she wasn’t sure that was the right decision.

Dylan glanced at her, his gaze deepening ever so slightly.

"Are you asking me to stay for the night?"

Adelyn’s eyes widened at once.

She clearly hadn’t meant that.

Caught off guard, she shook her head immediately.

"No, that’s not what I meant."

She turned toward Eira, who sat quietly on the sofa, looking up at her.

"What I meant is ... leaving in this kind of weather with her could be dangerous. You might get stuck somewhere on the way."

Eira looked up at her, already saddened by the passing moment. With every second, the time to leave felt closer. But she had to leave eventually, she knew.

She contained her tears, not letting them fall ... soothing herself internally, saying that she could visit another day again.

"It will be dangerous," Dylan agreed.

Relief washed over Adelyn. Otherwise, just now, she almost saw another misunderstanding stirring up.

"Yes, exactly. That’s what I meant." She then paused and suggested.

"Since the weather is like this already, you can wait a little longer," she said. "Maybe, in a while, the rain will ease."

She hoped it would.

"It won’t," Dylan replied calmly, slipping a hand into his pocket. "And if we stay any longer, it won’t be much different from staying overnight."

Her gaze darted to the clock.

22:45

It was late.

"If you’re concerned about Eira," Dylan continued, "you can let her stay here for the night. I’ll have someone pick her up tomorrow."

Adelyn turned back to him, slightly startled.

"And you?" she asked almost immediately —almost instinctively.

Dylan stared into her eyes and held her gaze.

"If my presence makes you uncomfortable," he said slowly, "it’s better that I leave."

With that, he picked up his jacket and then turned to Eira.

"Are you willing to stay here?" he asked.

Eira blinked at him but didn’t respond right away.

Instead, she turned to Adelyn and gently tugged at her arm.

"Aunt Ade-lyn ... can Eira stay with you for the night?"