Chapter 38 - Derek Wang

Lewis went back to the living area after his brief call with Derek. He leaned his arms on the headrest of the couch, standing behind it.

'This is another drama,' He muttered internally, shaking his head as he set his eyes on her.

"Oh no," she whispered, raising her hand in front of her lips. Her eyes flickered with worry as her chest moved in and out deeply.

Lewis lightly tapped his fingers against his elbow. His eyes fixed on her side as the corner of his lips curled into a subtle smile.

"I'm here," he whispered under his breath, lost in the moment. "The only attention I want…"

Lewis trailed off, seeing some hair strands cover her side as she rocked herself forth. He slowly raised his hand, reaching towards her. 

His long and slender fingertips brushed her hair back, tucking it carefully behind her ear. Devon flinched as she slowly turned her head in his direction, meeting his soft gaze.

"You finally noticed?" The side of his lips curled up into a gentle smile as he withdrew his hand.

Devon stared at him, stunned, her heart skipping a beat. His gentle, dark orbs meant to soothe her, but her heart was racing frantically.

"Let's take a stroll before the sun sets," He suggested as he smacked his lips lightly. "It's good than staying here all day, right?"

"Yes." Devon hung her head low, feeling the heat on her cheek increase. She had been feeling these strange emotions whenever he was acting gently towards her.

Her heart would skip a beat and beat faster than usual. 'Not that she had anything to be embarrassed about,' were her thoughts.

"Heh." Lewis let out a quick chuckle as he smiled. "My assistant will come in here. Is that okay with you?"

"Assistant…?" Devon pursed her lips, casting him a brief glance awkwardly. 

"My right-hand man," He explained as he looked away, setting his eyes at the television. His eyes slowly widened, stunned at what was unfolding before his eyes.

"Ohh. My, of course." Devon nodded, shooting him a brief glance before shifting it back to the television.

As soon as Devon set her eyes on the screen, her face dyed with red. The leading actors in the drama stared at each other intensely, breathing in each other breaths as they leaned closer to each other. 

"I love you," whispered the male lead, cupping her cheek as if holding the most precious thing in the world.

"I…" the female lead whispered back, closing her eyes as a tear rolled down from the corner of her eye. "… love you."

"Oh, my," Devon muttered, covering her lips with her hand. She bit her lower lip, wanting to shut her eyes to respect the actors' 'privacy', but couldn't.

She had experienced almost the same thing; she was forced to. However, it wasn't as beautiful and sweet as what she was witnessing.

Lewis pursed his lips, hanging his head low as he massaged his nape. His ears burning as his throat suddenly felt parched.

He had seen people kissing or being intimate with each other, but it never affected him. He wouldn't even flinch.

But seeing this with her brought forth strange thoughts and emotions. 

"This is depressing," He mumbled through his gritted teeth, resting his forehead on his forearms. "Just, why?"

****

The two of them planned to leave one hour before six. Lewis had informed Derek to wait outside the premises, as they would come out, anyway.

"My friend, let's make haste before the night falls," Devon called out as she waited in front of the main entrance.

Lewis dragged his feet towards her, holding a black head cap. On his arm clung a hooded jacket which Devon didn't pay attention to.

"Even if night falls, we can just eat out." He muttered tonelessly as he started changing footwear.

A dark aura exuded from him. The kissing scene had lingered in his head, tormenting his poor soul. But Devon's mood was the complete opposite of him.

"Are we really allowed to stay out until night falls?" Devon glided to his side as her eyes brimmed excitedly.

"Mhm," Lewis only hummed as they both departed the apartment, closing it without locking it as it automatically locked on its own.

"Really?" She excitedly perked up, hooking her hands on his arm. Well, she never went out without official business as a reason.

"Really," He answered in disinterest, keeping his eyes ahead. "But don't strain yourself too much. You just recovered."

"Yes!" 

The two of them took the lift and soon arrived on the ground floor. As soon as the door opened, Lewis eyes immediately caught Derek's sharp eyes behind his eyeglasses.

"Young Master, Miss Lin." Derek beckoned with a slight bow, his tone sounding more solemn than on the phone.

"Greetings," Devon greeted, doing a curtsy by clipping her fingers on either side of her sweatpants.

Derek furrowed his brows briefly before sporting his usual stoic expression. He had heard about Devon's condition, but he believed Lewis was exaggerating. Derek shifted his baffled gaze to Lewis, but the latter only shook his head.

"This is Assistant Wang, Derek Wang." Lewis raised his hand, introducing Derek as they stopped in front of him. 

"I'm Gab — Lin Devon. Heh." Devon bit her tongue as he smiled awkwardly. She nearly had a slip of the tongue, as this was the first time Lewis introduced her to others.

'That was close,' she thought, feeling her heart pound against her ribcage.

"I'm glad to see you doing fine, Miss Lin." Derek offered a faint smile, glancing at Lewis.

"Alright." Lewis cleared his throat as he looked away. "We'll talk as we walk."

With that being said, the three of them headed out of the premises. The vicinity of the apartment was private. Hence, there were barely any people jogging.

When they passed by the playground, Devon's eyes brightened up. There were a few kids with either their mother or nannies playing around.

"My friend!" Devon called out as she turned to Lewis. She clipped her fingers on the jacket, clinging on his arm as she perked up to Lewis.

"Can I go?" She asked, pointing at the playground. "Can I?"

Lewis stared at her twinkling eyes full of enthusiasm. He nodded helplessly, agreeing to her request since he also needed to talk to Derek.

"But don't stray away too far." He reminded her as he raised his finger.

"Alright!" Devon didn't waste a second as she skipped her way towards the playground. Lewis let out another helpless sigh as he watched her.

"Young Master," Derek called out from his side, noticing Lewis and Devon's shocking change. "I understand Miss Lin's drastic change. But your change is a little unsettling. Do you want me to arrange an appointment to get you examined?"

"Derek, not today, please." Lewis snorted as he glanced at Derek, clicking his tongue while shaking his head. "I'm perfectly fine, I guess."

Lewis let out a sigh as he almost agreed with Derek's suggestion. He shifted his gaze towards Devon. She was looking around excitedly, confused about which ride in the playground to try first.

"How cute," He chuckled, tilting his head as he crossed his arm.

"Please, don't smile like that, young master." Derek bowed as he nearly got traumatized by the sight of Lewis' smile.

Lewis ignored it, used at his assistant's bluntness. "Say, Derek. Do you think Miss Lin had feelings for me before the incident?"

Derek remained silent as he slowly raised his head. There was no trace of emotions in his eyes as he stared at his boss's side profile.

"Please, don't insult Miss Lin, young master.." He politely advised.