Chapter 158 - Are You Happy?

"You."

Devon forced a smile on her face, which appeared awkward. After staring into his eyes longer, she was certain he was not Quentin. He may look like him, but the soul was different. Meeting Julian helped her distinguish the aura of someone; this man in front of her didn't give her the goosebumps Julian gave her.

"I... uh," Quentin cleared his throat, trying to get his voice back.

"Why don't you take a seat?" she asked, pointing at the seat across from her. She knew this man was Ghost Lin's previous lover. Although the ghost had slandered him, Devon had noticed that there was something in the ghost's eyes that she couldn't say in words.. 

"Uh, really?" he awkwardly raised his brows, and she nodded with closed lips. He didn't refuse her offer and perched on the chair across from her. 

Once he was seated, they looked at each other awkwardly. He had many things to tell her, but he didn't know where to start. This only showed that he wasn't as prepared as he thought he was now that she was right in front of him. 

"Uhm," Devon cleared her throat, snapping her eyes as she gazed at the table. "I will clean this up."

A short chuckle escaped her mouth, gazing up at him. Quentin pressed his lips together and watched her pick up the books. As he did, he noticed the ring around her finger. 

"That..." he paused, feeling his chest tighten, but kept his expression in check. 

Devon's brows rose and gazed at her hand. A subtle smile resurfaced on her face, which Quentin saw.

"My lover proposed to me," she admitted, trying not to sound she was bragging. She had been trying to show it off to Dion, but the man just wouldn't notice it.

Bitterness flickered across his eyes but still forced a smile. "Is that so?"

Even though he was trying not to sound unhappy, Devon still picked up on his tone. Part of her felt sorry for him, as he seemed he wasn't as bad as what Ghost Lin said. Considering the personality of the ghost, it wouldn't be a surprise if she exaggerated some parts.

"Mhm," she hummed softly, retrieving her hands close to her after piling up the books. She looked at him, and he was still gazing down.

"Is he... kind?" he inquired after a moment of silence. 

"He is."

"Does he love you?" he slowly raised his head and looked at her straight in the eye. She hadn't replied yet, but he already got the answer just by looking at her.

"Yes."

"Are you happy?" these questions weren't what he had thought he would ask her after reuniting with her. However, he figured that whatever he had in mind was unnecessary. She had moved, and he was only part of her past. 

"I am." Devon nodded, giving him her honest answer. Her guilt continued to increase the longer she looked at his pair of melancholic and sincere eyes. This gaze he was giving her wasn't for her, but for the real Devon. 

She hid her hand under the table and clenched it on her lap. "I'm sorry."

"Hah... why would you be?" he chuckled softly while shaking his head. "I'm happy for you, Dev."

'He is kind, Ghost Lin...' Her grip tightened, feeling even more sorry for him. He was far from the Quentin she knew in her previous life. The Quentin she knew would never be happy for anyone; he was a selfish man who do things for his self-gain.

"Anyway, I will head out first. It's really nice to see you." Quentin took a deep breath and stretched his lips to a wide smile. He didn't idle for a long time as he assisted himself up. 

"Wait." Devon perked up in urgency, making him look back at her. "I... uh, it's nothing. I hope you will do well."

A subtle smile resurfaced on his lips, extending his arm towards her. Before she could react, his large palm already landed on her head. Her brows furrowed, gazing up at him.

"You changed," he said, as the Devon he knew would surely brag about moving on. 

There was no way she would act this modest and tell him he would do well. If anything, the Devon he knew would curse him to do bad. He didn't think out of the box, though. Quentin simply thought she had matured and met someone who changed her to be a normal human.

"I'm relieved that you are happy. I will do well. You don't have to tell me that." He ruffled her hair lightly before retrieving his hand and he walked away.

Her gaze followed him. A shallow breath slipped past her lips.

"I feel sorry for him. He seemed he truly loved Ghost Lin," she murmured, peeling her eyes away from him. Devon slumped in her seat in a gloomy mood. She couldn't believe she was scared of such a harmless man, whose only sin was to wear Quentin's face. 

"I wonder where Ghost Lin was."

******

As Quentin walked away, he could hear his heart shattering with every step. He had already considered that Devon would be with someone else now. However, he kept denying it. And because of constant denial, he now found himself heartbroken.

'She seemed very happy,' he whispered internally, recalling how her eyes softened and smiled when he pointed at her ring. 'That cruel woman.'

Of course, he was happy for her, but he couldn't deny that he was also disheartened. He promised her that he'd be a better man. So, he didn't want to meddle with her life and let her go. 

'Being a better man... is so damn hard.'

There was a voice in the back of his head that didn't want to do that. But he was listening to his heart. Devon would surely hate him if he kept holding on to her. 

'I just hope he will not hurt her, just like I did,' Quentin's thoughts were cut off when he bumped into someone. "Ah, sorry."

"Damn... why do I keep bumping into people?" Dion gasped in distress as this man suddenly came out of the coffee shop. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."

He trailed off as he gazed up, meeting a familiar pair of blue eyes. A sense of dread crept up into his spine, seeing the uncannily similar scene earlier with a foreign woman. 

"Third Young Master Qin," Quentin greeted while raising both his brows. "I didn't know I'd bump into you in here."

'I didn't think that as well. I thought she transformed into a man.' Dion cleared his throat and took a side step.

"Me too, Mister De Luca." He smiled and gestured him the way. "It's nice seeing you."

Quentin nodded, as he had nothing to say to Lewis' brother. Although he was constantly in dispute with Lewis, Dion had nothing to do with it. If it was Julian, the second young master of the Qin, Quentin would use this as an excuse to cause trouble. Julian was more irksome than Lewis, after all. 

"Thank you." Quentin then resumed in his tracks while Dion entered the shop. Out of instinct, he looked back and stared at Dion through the transparent wall. 

What would the third young master of the Qin do here? Was he on a date? 

To his surprise, Dion suddenly tiptoed as he headed to Devon's table. He stopped behind her seat, only to surprise her. It didn't seem she was surprised, though. But the grin on Dion's face was too bright not to notice.

"Is he the..." Quentin trailed off as he averted his eyes away. 

Months ago, Quentin had heard the news about Dion's secret marriage. The rumors spread like wildfire that even reach his radar, but it died down the next day. It was obvious it was the Qin Empire's doing, but now that he thought about it, Lewis wouldn't bring down a politician for such a simple rumor.

Dion could just do a public press and clarify the rumors, but he didn't. People just forgot about it since the news the next day was more important. 

"Hah..." A deep exhale slipped past his lips as his jaw tightened. "What a world."

For him, the rumors circulating about Dion months ago were true. And that woman in those rumors was Devon — she was already wearing a ring, after all.  The Qin Empire's cover-up proved that they were protecting Dion's privacy. 

"It seems like life is toying with me.". 

The Qin and the De Luca were still business partners. In the future, there would be events where both families would attend, and he would surely see her again. The worst part was, he was not her partner. Just the thought of it brought inexplicable bitterness into his heart.

"Brother!" 

Just then, Gabriella's voice reached his ear. When he turned to her, she furrowed her brows and slowed down.

"Brother, is there something wrong?" she inquired, noticing the sadness in her brother's eyes.

Quentin just shook his head. "It's nothing. Do you want to grab a drink?"

Her lips pursed at his sudden proposal. It had been a while since her brother asked her to have a drink with him, and those times, was when he was heartbroken over his previous relationship.

"Sure," she answered in a soft voice. Gabriella didn't pry and skipped her step, hooking her arm around his. 

"Thank you," he whispered, appreciating that she didn't press on the matter anymore. 

Both siblings walked away, and Quentin looked back at the coffee shop for the last time. He caught Dion cupping his cheek while grinning at her. He could imagine Devon smiling lovingly at him. 

He was wrong, though. Devon's expression was a poker face.