Chapter 182 - 181: Take Responsibility

Yvonne Lowell’s hand, holding the pen, paused. Her expression grew a little strange.

"You did what to... Did I hear you right?"

"That’s right, you heard me. It’s exactly what you think! I forced myself on Silas Lynch last night!!!"

Nina Jennings’s voice was quiet, but it was clear she was extremely agitated. She was probably hiding in a bathroom to make the call.

Yvonne Lowell subconsciously glanced over at Leo Grant, only to see him calmly playing with her fingers.

When he noticed her gaze, he silently mouthed, "What’s wrong?"

Yvonne Lowell shook her head and spoke into the phone, "What happened exactly? Tell me everything."

Nina Jennings sounded utterly dejected.

"So yesterday, I asked him to dinner, and he rejected me again. I got mad, of course, so I went to a bar and hired ten male models to drink with me. But none of them were as good-looking as Silas Lynch, and they were shamelessly trying to mooch drinks off me. I kicked them all out and started drinking alone, and then..."

"Get to the point. You can skip the backstory," Yvonne Lowell interrupted.

"Hey, I’m getting to it! I got wasted and started bombarding him with texts and calls, and I even cussed him out. He just waited quietly until I was done yelling, then asked for my address. When he showed up, he didn’t say a word and just tried to take me home.

I was so furious, I cursed at him the entire car ride and even threw up in his car. When we got back to Tidalview, I had some liquid courage, and in the heat of the moment, I just... forced him. Now he’s still asleep in my bed, completely naked. I woke up and my mind just went blank..."

Yvonne Lowell pressed her temples. From this moment on, her native language was "speechless."

"So what are you thinking now?"

"That’s why I’m calling you, I don’t know what to do... I’ve been chasing him for so long, and he never said yes. Now I’ve gone and forced him. He’s definitely going to hate my guts when he wakes up, and then there’s really no chance for us."

Nina Jennings sounded crestfallen. "Him hating me would be one of the better outcomes. What I’m most afraid of is that he’ll suddenly say he has to take responsibility for me. That he’ll be with me out of obligation because of you and your man, all while secretly despising me."

Yvonne Lowell couldn’t help but twitch her lips. ’Does alcohol affect your IQ these days?’ For a moment, she wasn’t sure whether to feel sorry for her friend or... feel sorry for her friend.

’How could a man who’s six-foot-one, strong, skilled in combat, and perfectly sober and free to move be forced by a drunk girl?’

Besides, the way Silas Lynch looked at her was clearly different. He definitely had feelings for her; she just didn’t know what was holding him back.

Yvonne Lowell composed herself and didn’t voice her suspicions. She just said softly,

"I think you two should talk first. Find out what he’s thinking. The worst that can happen is you go your separate ways and never see each other again."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "You’re right. If he hates me, I’ll just go back to Continent N and never see him again! I’m young and beautiful; it’s not like he’s the only man in the world. I’m hanging up. I’m going to drag him out of bed and demand an explanation. Why should I be the one to wake up with an aching back and an emotional breakdown while he’s still snoozing away!"

Staring at the disconnected call, Yvonne Lowell could feel imaginary worry lines forming on her forehead. ’Why can’t she be this decisive all the time??’

Seeing her fall silent after hanging up, Leo Grant squeezed her hand worriedly. "What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

Yvonne Lowell shook her head, her gaze complex as she looked at him. "Nothing for now. But I don’t know about the future."

’I don’t know if our families are about to get closer, or if Moonshadow and The Shadow Pavilion are about to cut ties.’

’I don’t know if I’m about to gain a brother-in-law, or a true Sea Queen for a best friend.’

Leo Grant raised an eyebrow. "It seems to have something to do with me?"

Yvonne Lowell took the opportunity to lean into his embrace, saying lazily, "Not really. Just a little friction between Silas Lynch and Nina."

Yvonne Lowell didn’t tell him the specifics of what happened.

"Then let them solve it themselves. They’re nearly half a century old combined, what can’t they figure out?" Leo Grant’s tone was filled with disdain.

’And here he was, racking his brain trying to figure out if he’d done something to upset his treasure. Those two useless idiots, good for nothing!’

Yvonne Lowell yawned. "Yes, that’s what I was thinking too."

As outsiders, they could see the situation more clearly, but ultimately, the two of them had to resolve it themselves.

Oh well. She wasn’t going to worry about it. They would have to make their own way.

...

「Kingsland, Tidalview.」

Silas Lynch had been awake since Nina Jennings got out of bed. He let her remove his arm from around her waist as she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and went into the bathroom.

Only after the bathroom door closed did he sit up and lean against the headboard.

His peripheral vision caught the crimson stain on the sheets. Recalling the previous night, a genuine, satisfied smile spread across his face.

’Nina... is his now.’

But he waited in bed for nearly half an hour, and there was still no sound from the bathroom.

Silas Lynch’s brow furrowed slightly. ’That girl didn’t jump out the window and run away, did she? No, that can’t be...’

With that thought, he got up and walked to the bathroom.

Just as he was about to knock, the door opened from the inside.

When Nina Jennings saw him, her pupils constricted. She quickly raised a hand to cover her face. "Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?"

Silas Lynch was so exasperated he had to laugh. "If you weren’t peeking through such wide gaps between your fingers, I might actually believe you were shy. You threw up all over my clothes, what am I supposed to wear? Besides, I’m wearing a towel."

"Oh. Well, go ahead and be naked then." Nina Jennings obediently lowered her hand.

’The person in question isn’t flustered, so why should she be?’

"Done with the bathroom?" Silas Lynch raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it’s all yours." Nina Jennings stepped to the side.

But Silas Lynch just turned and walked away. "If you’re done, then come out. We need to talk."

When she saw the scratch marks on his arms, chest, and back, Nina Jennings suddenly felt a pang of guilt and could only follow him obediently.

She walked up to him and stopped, her head bowed. "Um... last night was my fault. I have some medicine here, it’s really good for external injuries. I’ll give it to you to take with you. If you’re still angry, you can hit me. I promise I’ll disappear from your life after this."

The moment she finished speaking, she felt an icy chill radiating from the man in front of her.

But she didn’t dare look up and could only continue to play meek.

Silas Lynch spoke abruptly, his voice cold. "So you’re planning on being a heartless woman? You’re not going to take responsibility for me?"

"What?!" Nina Jennings snapped her head up, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Silas Lynch sighed. "It’s my fault. I have low self-esteem. I always felt like I wasn’t good enough for you, so I deliberately kept my distance."

Nina Jennings was stunned for a moment, then she punched him right in the chest. "You mean you like me too?! Holy crap! Silas Lynch, you’re a freaking idiot! You made me overthink this whole thing all morning!"

"Yes, I like you too. I have for a long time. It’s my fault. You can hit me or curse me out, but can you please take responsibility first? Give me a proper title?" Silas Lynch looked at her pitifully.

’Having spent so much time with his Family Head, playing pitiful had become second nature to him.’

Nina Jennings scoffed. "Too late. You made me chase you for so long, and you always had that cold look on your face. I need to think about it now. You can go back to wherever you came from."

’You can’t spoil a dog of a man.’

"Then take your time thinking. From now on, it’s my turn to chase you." Silas Lynch swept her up into his arms and started walking toward the bed. "I came from the bed, and now I’m going back to the bed. Let’s get some more sleep first."

"Holy crap! You dog!"

...