Chapter 178 - Everything Will Be Alright, Son.

"Where is that punk?!" 

Lewis and Derek turned their gaze at the door. There, Marshall Qin huffed as he looked around before marching angrily inside. 

"Good evening, Chairman Qin." Derek bowed when Marshall stood beside him. The latter glanced at him and scoffed, but said nothing as he set his focus on Lewis. 

"Grandpa," Lewis called coldly, studying Marshall's fuming mood in silence. "Get your hands off of the tax evasion case. Stop meddling with my business."

"You punk!" Marshall slammed his palm against the surface of the desk while grinding his teeth. "What do you think you are doing to my angel?!" 

Lewis's back instantly stiffed as his jaw clenched. "She will be fine."

Again, Marshall slammed his palms against the desk, making some documents fall to the floor. He had asked about Devon's condition and Lewis, his grandson, told him the same thing. Only now has he heard about Devon's actual condition. Hence, he immediately stormed in here despite being in the middle of his meeting with the top ten best lawyers in the country who would handle his case. 

"How can you disrespect my angel like this?!" Marshall harrumphed as his voice thundered, echoing across the entire floor of the building. "How can you lie to me about my angel's condition, ha?!"

"Chairman Qin, please calm down. Your health..."

SLAM!

"Qin Lewis!" Marshall ignored Derek's reminder as he slammed his hands against the desk once again, staring at his grandson fiercely. "This is not how I raised you! You know, more than anyone, when to let go and how long to hold on. You are just prolonging her pain and everybody else! You are not the only one who is grieving for her death! Don't be selfish!" 

"She's not dead!" this time, Lewis couldn't hold it in anymore as he raised his voice as well. "Devon!! How can you people say she's dead when she is not!"

"She's only breathing through life support!" 

"Even so!" Lewis choked as he sprung to his seat, grinding his teeth angrily. He never lost his cool the way he lost it now. Even Derek couldn't believe what he was witnessing. He had served Lewis for a very long time, but never in the time of his service Lewis had raised his voice to his grandfather. 

"If life support is the thing she needed, I will provide the best medical attention until she can breathe on her own. She is fighting for her life. How can I give up on her?"

Marshall's complexion turned pale as his heart broke at seeing his grandson's eyes swelter. "Son... she is not fighting anymore. The machines were simply forcing her organs to function, but without them, she is just a corpse."

"No!" this time around, Lewis was the one who slammed his hand against the desk. He shook his head while hanging his head low, swallowing down the frustrating tension down his throat. 

Lewis wasn't stupid, but he couldn't help but be stubborn. He couldn't give up on her. He wasn't ready, and he would never be ready. His vision blurred as tears soon dripped down onto the documents on the desk. 

"Son," Marshall's voice grew gentler before walking around to Lewis's side. His lips parted, but then closed them again as he patted Lewis's back. 

"How can I... I promised to protect her, but... she... right in front of me." Lewis crumpled the paper underneath his hand. He couldn't stop the tears streaming down his eyes because Marshall had finally broken his defenses. 

Derek felt bad for sighing in relief, but it was better for Lewis to let it all out instead of keeping it all in. He wanted to respect the two, so he bowed and wordlessly left the office. Marshall glanced at him but said nothing, keeping his silence as Lewis let out his frustration.

"I should've moved faster. If only I did, she wouldn't be..." Lewis hiccuped as he pounded his fist against the desk. His knuckles instantly reddened, but he was too numb to feel the pain. 

"Grandpa... how can I... accept that she's dead?"

"Son." Marshall's eyes teared up as his pats grew slower. He only met Devon once, but she already occupied a part of his heart. If he was hurting, he knew Lewis was in more excruciating pain, for Devon had occupied Lewis's entire heart. What more? The culprit behind this pain was Julian, the brother Lewis' trusted the most.

As the man who raised Lewis, he knew this grandson of his was head over heels of Devon. He saw it in Lewis' eyes how they soften and filled with love whenever he looked at her. Lewis had always been cold and temperamental, as if someone who wouldn't even bat an eye even if the world burn right in front of him. 

To see him bawl his eyes and grieve, Marshall's heart broke for him. Lewis lost his parents in a car accident, so for him to lose the love of his life almost the same way, Marshall couldn't help but mock the world. Such coincidence... life surely hated them. 

"Come here, son." The old man embraced Lewis while the latter broke down in tears. Lewis could only rest his forehead on Marshall's shoulder, grinding his teeth at the pain in his heart.

Marshall said nothing and let Lewis cry his heart out. He only patted his grandson's back to comfort him. They both knew this was just the beginning of their long grief, but Marshall was glad that Lewis had finally opened up. 

"Everything will be alright, son. I'm sure our angel will be sad if she sees us like this." his eyes softened and creased, choking as he didn't expect to speak such painful words so soon. "You know her. She will be sad if she knows that she is causing you pain."

******

Meanwhile, Derek, who returned to his post, checked his phone. He checked the message that he just received.

[ From : Mister De Luca

I only want to be there during her last moments. That is my request for doing you a favor. ]

Derek didn't reply as he slid his phone back to his pocket suit. Earlier today, Quentin called him and asked for Marshall's contact number. He knew what Quentin planned to do, so he sent Marshall's phone number since he also wanted Lewis to let her go.

"Ahh..." he sat down, leaning back as he let out a deep exhale. Derek ran his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes before opening them again to see the ceiling. 

"Miss Lin... I hope you don't blame me for doing this. I know you hate seeing the young master lose his mind." His eyes that had been emotionless and compose flickered with bitterness.. "I hope you find your peace."