Chapter 449: Thank You, Mr. Heston 2

No wonder Nancy Hughes was so resistant to the idea of a relationship.

“I’m so sorry, too.” Thinking of Zane Lennox filled her with guilt.

It had been almost a year since the incident, yet she still hadn’t come forward to accuse Theo Heston to the police.

Sometimes, she’d have nightmares and dream of Zane Lennox.

Suddenly, she felt a warmth on the back of her hand. She looked up and saw Zachary Stone’s hand covering hers. “Nancy, you have to look forward. You can’t stay stuck in one place.”

“I know!”

For a moment, she wanted to pull her hand away. But after seeing the look in Zachary’s eyes, she didn’t move, letting him hold it.

Throughout dinner, Nancy was on edge. She had no appetite and just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

After they finished their meal, Zachary suggested, “Would you like to go for a walk?”

“Sure!” she replied.

The restaurant was right in the city center, just a few minutes’ walk from the pedestrian street.

She hadn’t been out for a stroll like this in a long time. The street was bustling with people.

“Nancy!”

Nancy was walking ahead when she heard the man behind her call her name. She turned around, looking puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I hold your hand?” Zachary asked seriously. Her face flushed. ‘He wants to hold my hand?’

But if she wasn’t mistaken, Zachary seemed even shier than she was. His face looked pretty red, too.

‘We have to get closer eventually,’ she thought. ‘From holding hands to hugging, then moving on to more intimate things step by step… that process sounds nice.’

She nodded, her blush deepening.

Zachary gave her a gentle smile, walked over, and smoothly took her hand. “Let’s go.”

“Okay!”

Zachary’s palm was warm, and he seemed nervous, too. His grip was quite firm, which Nancy found a little reassuring.

Later, they finally let go when Riley Caldwell called her.

“Sis, where are you? Why aren’t you back yet?” Riley Caldwell asked casually from the other end of the line.

Nancy mouthed “It’s my brother” to Zachary, then whispered into the phone, “I’m out. What’s up?”

“Does there have to be something? Can’t I just care about you?” Riley said, disgruntled. “Sis, I know you’re seeing someone now, but until you marry the guy, you have to come home early!”

“…” Nancy’s expression darkened. ‘What is he babbling on about?!’

“Alright, I get it!”

“Then hurry back now. Have you even looked at the time?”

“It’s still early. Besides, why are you telling me what to do?”

“I’m your little brother! Get back here now! If I don’t see you in half an hour, I’m coming to find you!”

Utterly speechless, Nancy hung up. She then said apologetically, “Um, I have to head back now.”

“What’s wrong? Is there trouble at home?”

“Sort of. It’s something with my brother.”

“I’ll take you home.”

“Thank you!”

She rushed home only to find the apartment dark and empty. That kid Riley Caldwell wasn’t home at all.

And here she was, out of breath from running all the way up.

Furious, she called him. “Hey, where the hell are you, you little brat!”

“I’m at school!” Riley sounded completely innocent. “Sis, are you home?”

“Obviously! And you’re not!” She had thought he was at home, which was why she’d rushed back so frantically.

“I never said I was home!”

“Wait, if you weren’t home, how did you know I wasn’t home either?”

“I just called to ask on a whim. Who knew you’d actually be out?” Riley said. “By the way, Sis, from now on, you need to come home earlier. Curfew is ten… no, wait, you have to be home by nine!”

“Since when do I need you to tell me what time I get home?” If he were standing in front of her right now, she would definitely rush over and give him a good smack.

“Sis, I’m just looking out for you! I’m worried you’ll get tricked by some creep!”

“Give me a break. Just worry about yourself!”

“Sis, I still don’t think this blind date thing is reliable. You should stop seeing that guy. He’s definitely not a good person!”

“Get lost!”

Nancy angrily ended the call. Riley stared at his phone, speechless.

‘How is my sister getting more and more irritable?’

After her shower, she noticed her phone screen flashing. She picked it up and saw a text from Zachary Stone.

There were also a few missed calls from an unknown number. ‘Who could that be?’

She replied to Zachary’s text, tossed her phone aside, and picked up the hair dryer to dry her hair.

Thankfully, tomorrow was the weekend. No work, so she could get some proper rest.

Late at night, unable to sleep, she decided to watch a movie.

Curled up in bed, she scrolled and scrolled but couldn’t find a good movie, so she randomly clicked on a horror film.

She turned off the lights, leaned back against the headboard, and put in her earbuds. Huddled under the covers, she was completely engrossed, terrified by the plot and the scary effects.

She was a little scared but also desperately wanted to keep watching.

Just as the female lead in the movie walked into a dark little house, a different sound suddenly broke the silence. It didn’t seem to be from the movie.

‘Maybe I’m just so scared I’m hearing things.’ She hit pause, but she heard the sound from outside again. ‘No, that sounds real.’

Her mind was filled with scenes from the movie, and she was terrified a ghost or a zombie would pop out.

She got out of bed, turned on the light, and went outside her room.

She stood quietly at the front door for a moment, listening. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. It sounded like someone was at the door.

She instinctively glanced at the wall clock. ‘It’s so late. Who could possibly be knocking?’

‘Could it be a burglar?’

Just in case, she found a baseball bat, gripped it tightly, and swallowed hard. “Who is it?!”

“Sis, it’s me!” Riley’s voice came from outside.

Hearing a familiar voice, she immediately relaxed and opened the door.

“Sis, I’ve been knocking forever! What took you so long to open the door?” Riley was soaked from head to toe, looking as pathetic as a drowned rat.

“Don’t you have a key?” she asked, dropping the baseball bat.

“Didn’t you take my key from me last time at school? Where’s my key?!” Riley grabbed a towel from the bathroom and started drying his hair.

“Stop drying your hair and just go take a shower!” Nancy said with a look of disdain. “Is it raining outside?”

“The rain is coming down so hard, you didn’t hear it?” Riley snorted. “Don’t tell me you were dead to the world.”

“I was not! I was watching a movie!”

She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. “What are you doing here so late?”

“Weren’t you worried you’d have nothing to eat tomorrow? I came to be your personal nanny!” Riley joked. “I’m going to shower first. This rain is freezing!”

It was almost October. Of course the rain would be cold.

But Riley was a healthy kid who exercised regularly. Getting caught in the rain didn’t even give him a cold; he was as energetic as ever the next day.

For once, Nancy didn’t sleep in. She got up early to do some chores.

“By the way, Sis, you actually look a little feminine like this!” Riley said, wiggling his eyebrows at her as he came out of the kitchen.

Nancy really wanted to throw a dishcloth in his face. “Go make your lunch!”

“The soup is still simmering on the stove. It’ll be ready in a bit!”

At the dining table, Riley took a flurry of pictures of the lunch he had made and sent them to his darling girlfriend.

“Am I allowed to eat now?” she said, her face devoid of expression.

This kid was always showing off his relationship in front of her. He wouldn’t even let her eat in peace. She’d really had enough.

“You can, go ahead and eat!” Riley put down his phone, then suddenly remembered something. “Oh yeah, Sis, how many days do you have off for the Singles’ Day holiday?”

“Seven days, I think. Why?”

“Cecilia and I are planning a trip for the holiday. Do you want to come with us?”

“…To watch you two be all lovey-dovey?” She frowned. She could barely stand it now as it was.

‘I really don’t see what’s so sweet about the two of them.’

“No! It’s a rare vacation, a perfect time to travel. Besides, you don’t have anything to do at home anyway.”

“I’m not going!”

“Come on, Sis, please come with us!”

That kid Riley was persistent. He pestered Nancy for over a week and even brought Cecilia Lynch over to help persuade her. Left with no choice, she finally agreed to go.

“Where are we going?”

“To Sylva!”

“Sylva is too crowded, and it’s so hot there!”

“I don’t care, you already promised!” Riley hummed a little tune, in a good mood. “Besides, I’ve already booked the hotel. How can you not go now?”

“…”

Nancy’s expression darkened. The little brat hadn’t had any intention of asking for her opinion at all.

‘Fine, I’ll go. It’s boring staying at home all the time anyway.’

Besides, she’d been under a lot of stress this past week, walking on eggshells at the office every day.

She really didn’t know what Dylan Heston was thinking, showing up at the company on time every day like a regular office worker.

Even though he sat in a separate office, her heart still pounded. She found it hard to breathe, especially when they accidentally ran into each other.

The day before the holiday, the company was quite considerate and let everyone off at noon.

Unfortunately, a sudden downpour started outside, the rain coming down in sheets.

‘That’s strange. The weather was so clear this morning, and the sun was so bright. How did it change so suddenly?’

And, of course, she hadn’t brought an umbrella.

She rested her head on her desk. ‘I’ll just wait a bit. A storm like this should pass quickly.’

She hadn’t slept well last night, and now, resting on her desk, she started to feel drowsy.

She drifted off to sleep without realizing it. When she woke up, she found a man’s suit jacket draped over her shoulders.

The lingering scent on the jacket was familiar. She sat up and looked around, but he was nowhere in sight.

‘Could he be in his office?’

Clutching the jacket, she walked hesitantly to his office door, hesitating again and again before knocking.

But there was no answer from inside. Mustering her courage, she opened the door and found the office empty as well.

“Standing in the doorway, are you trying to steal company secrets?”

A deep, magnetic voice came from behind her. Nancy flinched in fright, leaning back against the doorframe. It took her a long moment to process his words. “Wh-what?”