Delayed Passion: Miss Lynch's Unrequited Love-Chapter 57: Long Time No See

Thea Lynch looked at Sean Bell in surprise, her eyes shifting as she tried to discern the truth in Sean Bell’s words.

His way of speaking always left one guessing which words were true and which were false.

"Just ask anyone in the circle, they all know." As soon as her eyes shifted, Sean Bell knew what she was thinking.

He curled his lips into a mysterious smile, "Why don’t we make a guess, this heartthrob...

Could be, who?"

He emphasized each word, each one landing heavily on her heart, attempting to stir up a storm.

Sean Bell was just that kind of person, he never shied away from stirring up excitement.

In a daze, someone approached. Thea Lynch, like a startled lamb, fluttered her long eyelashes.

Opposite, Ian Preston suddenly appeared behind Sean Bell with a cold face. He grabbed Sean Bell’s collar with one hand and gave it a strong shake.

Sean Bell, long prepared, leaned against the wall and easily steadied himself. He did it on purpose, even after causing trouble he didn’t forget to provoke Ian Preston with a smile.

This smile carried a hint of inviting a beating.

However, he was sensible enough to stop while he was ahead, "What a timely arrival, Third Brother. I’ll leave you to it, I’ll go find Silas Cheney."

After he left, the atmosphere didn’t improve much. Thea Lynch belatedly realized that she was indeed a bit too close to Sean Bell earlier.

He was clearly doing it on purpose.

Judging by Ian Preston’s look, he seemed to have misunderstood something.

Then again...what does it have to do with her?

She couldn’t be bothered to change excuses, and mimicked Sean Bell, "I’ll go find Silas Cheney too."

"Do you not remember what I told you this morning?" Ian Preston didn’t move aside, his shadow casting over her.

Thea Lynch knew exactly what he was referring to.

Sighing, she avoided talking about what had just happened and instead started maneuvering him.

"Third Brother, how about we play a game?"

She pulled a coin from her coat, "I flip to heads, you promise me something. Tails, I promise you something."

"Just one round, want to play?"

Ian Preston looked into her eyes, those dark eyes seemingly able to see through everything.

Thea Lynch: "Then I’ll take it as you agreed."

With that, the coin was tossed high, eventually landing in her palm. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The next second, she opened her hand and smiled at the result: "It’s heads."

"Then could I trouble Third Brother to tell the grandfathers when they sober up that whatever was said today doesn’t count?"

Ian Preston: "Reason."

"It’s up to Third Brother."

"Alright." He agreed with ease.

Thea Lynch put away the coin, offering a disingenuous smile: "Thank you, Third Brother."

This matter, Ian Preston could completely dismiss it. He could single-handedly manage both grandfathers.

For him, it wasn’t a problem. Just a matter of saying a word.

If she were to say it, there wouldn’t be an issue with Grandpa Qin, but Grandpa White would be a bit troublesome.

Having Ian Preston do it, surely the elders would completely drop the idea.

Once the coin was back in her pocket, it was impossible to hide the joy on Thea Lynch’s face.

Perhaps because she was so pleased, Ian Preston "kindheartedly" reminded her:

"Next time you lie, remember to keep your hand movements smaller. Not everyone is as willing to play along as I am."

The moment she caught the coin, it was trapped in her palm; her fingers kept feeling for heads or tails. Actually, the result was tails, but she had secretly flipped it with her fingers.

"Got it!" The feeling of being exposed was no less humiliating than being embarrassed in front of everyone.

"Behaving like this, Third Brother, you’re bound to lose friends easily."

"Do you think I need them?" Some proudly retorted.

"..." True, he didn’t need any friends at all. Even if he did, just a wave of his hand would bring countless people eager to serve him.

——

On Friday, Silas Cheney specifically called Thea Lynch, saying there was a gathering Saturday at noon, but Thea didn’t agree.

"I’m busy tomorrow."

"I checked, you’re not working tomorrow. Don’t try to fool me with overtime. Last time, when you weren’t invited for dinner, Grandpa found out and scolded me for half an hour. Do me a favor, won’t you? I’ll personally pick you up tomorrow as a show of my respect."

"I really don’t have time. I have other plans tomorrow."

"What could you possibly be busy with? Going back to Westmere?"

"No." Thea didn’t say, "Anyway, you guys enjoy."

On Saturday, Silas Cheney was still persistent and personally came over to her place.

He was really met with a closed door. After checking with the security guard at the entrance, he learned that Thea had left early in the morning, just at dawn.

"Alone? Didn’t bring anything? Like luggage." She had a history of leaving suddenly, and Silas was already scarred by it.

"Yes, it was just Miss Lynch. Looked like she only carried a small bag, which seemed quite light. She waited at the door for a bit, then got into a cab."

——

Back in the car, Silas glanced at Ian Preston in the passenger seat and shrugged helplessly, "The girl really had something to do, it wasn’t an excuse."

Sean Bell, sitting in the back, put away his phone at the sound, "Leaving at this time, what legitimate thing could she be up to?"

Despite being a native of Coronet, there weren’t many places Thea Lynch could go. If something was worth her leaving so early, it either had to be back to Westmere or the old compound.

But now, it was neither.

Silas: "Could the girl be meeting someone?"

Sean Bell: "It’s more likely she’s going to see Uncle Lynch."

"At the cemetery? Going so early?"

Silas and Sean engaged in analysis.

They each had their own opinion.

"North of the city."

"Huh?" Silas and Sean simultaneously looked at the passenger seat.

Ian Preston, who had remained silent, lowered his eyes, his gaze complicated but his tone very certain: "She went to find Big Brother."

——

North of the city, the Martyrs’ Cemetery.

Thea Lynch stood at the entrance, as if being punished, not moving from her spot.

Estimating that an hour had passed, she took a deep breath, clutching the item in her hand tightly, and stepped through the entrance.

At this hour, the cemetery was cold and deserted. Not a single soul was around.

Even though she hadn’t visited for many years, the location etched in her memory guided her, and before she knew it, she was standing on the familiar steps.

At the end of this side was her destination.

Though only a few steps remained, just as she was about to reach it, her legs went weak, and all strength seemed to drain away.

After a long while, a gentle breeze swept by, seemingly urging Thea to move forward.

Only then did she drag her numb body to the end.

Crouching down, Thea hesitated to raise her head, instead busying herself with arranging the items in her hands, setting them up one by one.

"Brother, long time no see."

"I’m Thea Lynch, your sister. Your real sister."

"You should remember, right? You wouldn’t refuse to recognize me just because we haven’t met in years, would you?"

"I’ve been back for some time, and I meant to come see you right away. I once even reached the entrance here, but didn’t dare go in."

"Initially, I wanted to find another ’excuse’ to accompany me here. But now I’ve come alone. I still prefer to talk to you by myself."