Chapter 123 - Gabriella De Luca

"Hey, you punk! How can you taint the angel, ah?! Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?!"

Dion let out a deep sigh as he reluctantly put the phone in front of his ear. His grandfather fumed, continuing to berate him for soiling an angel.

"Grandpa, you know I didn't mean to do it to an angel, right?" he sighed once again, hoping his guardian angel would help him today.

"What do you mean you didn't mean to, huh?! Where are you now, you brat! I will send you to a temple!"

"Grandpa!" Dion gasped in disbelief. "Her face is not shown in the articles! I will go live in a few days and speak up! Why would you send your innocent baby grandson to the temple?"

"If not for your brother, the angel's face is already everywhere! Also, how dare you hog her all for yourself?! Your brother doesn't even want me to see her…!"

Dion's face twitched the more he listened to the old man's grumbling. What he understood after a brief analysis, Marshall Qin was jealous that Dion got to spend time with Devon, but he couldn't.

"Grandpa, do you want to see sis so bad?" he asked, diverting Marshall's focus as the latter suddenly went silent. "If Ge doesn't want to, I can ask him."

He coughed loudly, imagining Lewis' death glare if he asked him about it. Actually, Dion already had a plan in mind. Just needed to mention it to Devon. For sure, she would agree because… she was an 'angel'.

"You will take her here?" asked Marshall, making Dion's brows furrow.

"I mean…"

"Take her into the old residence!" Marshall cut him off by ordering Dion where to meet. "It will be good if I can meet her as soon as possible! Your brother's temperament is too short, so his family should make up for that! She needs to know she will be in a good family!" 

"Uh, Grandpa?"

"Tell me what she likes. I will prepare a buffet for her, or where does your brother usually take her? I will buy their chef!"

"You mean you want to hire the chef?"

"Yes, hire." Marshall nodded in agreement, although in his vocabulary, they meant the same. "Anyway, send me a list of what she likes to eat and everything. Our Qin Family will prepare."

"Grandpa…" Dion called helplessly, as this wasn't what he meant by that. "At this rate, it will only overwhelm Sis if you overdo it. That is overkill."

"Hmph! What do you brats know? Your brother even said he will get married, but that punk always acts arrogant but was actually a coward! He can't even propose."

"Grandpa, you don't have to pick on big brother like that. We are dealing with an angel."

Marshall remained silent as he pondered over Dion's words. "You're right."

"Grandpa, why don't you take it easy for now, eh? I will convince big brother to take Sister to the main residence. You don't know yet, but my sister-in-law really likes me like a baby brother. She pampers me and…"

Dion trailed off as Marshall suddenly hung up. Marshall just said whatever he wanted, and when it was Dion's time to brag, he just ended the line.

"Did he just call me for the reason he wants to vent and not scold me?" he murmured, staring at his phone. "Come to think of it, Grandpa never actually bothered about any news about me because Ge always deals with them."

As realization struck him, his nose scrunched up. Marshall just found an opportunity to vent and used this chance so Dion could say anything stupid. 

"Grandpa is scary." Dion felt a shiver down his spine as he didn't know that he just fell into Marshall's trap. 

"Anyway, it's not like big brother wouldn't let sis meet our family. I'm sure Grandpa won't bother me for now." He shrugged away any other thoughts and continued what he was doing before the call.

Little did he know, this call was just the beginning of Marshall's daily calls at random times, asking him the same thing.

*****

Lewis brushed her hair as she fell asleep in his arms. He didn't know how long had it been, but even before they became official, he often find himself watching her sleep.

"Who would have thought…" he whispered, caressing her cheek as his eyes softened. "... that I'd be in a position that I just don't want to sleep."

Tonight, after the article was released, and Lewis had read the article, the comments, a plethora of emotions surged in his heart. If not for his years of practice of keeping his emotions, Dion would've been dealt with accordingly. 

'You are my calm, Dev.' Lewis whispered in his head, staring at her peaceful, sleeping face. 

It reminded him of how her eyes brightened up the second she laid her eyes on him. Those same eyes, glinted with determination when she asked him to take her. He could've agreed — he wanted to, but…

"I prefer doing it because you love me," He whispered with his eyes gentle. "Not because you want to prove something to yourself."

Sometimes, he hoped he wasn't the type of person who notices those simple details. Although he knew she was sincere, he preferred it if it was purely out of love — out of maddening desires. But it wasn't as pure as what it seemed, because the emotions in her eyes were mixed with something else.

'Quentin.' That name suddenly hovered in his head and the memory of her fright that night flashed before his eyes. 

Was it a trauma? What did he do to her? Those kinds of questions were always at the back of his head. But no matter how they investigate, this type of information needed time to uncover.

"It doesn't matter." He let out a deep sigh, lifting the sheet over her shoulder before he snuck out of the bed. Lewis stared at her as he stood on the side of the bed, balling his hand into a fist before walking away.

*****

Lewis checked the time, only to see it was already past midnight. Still, that didn't stop him from heading to Dion's room, knocking on it, as he wanted to say a few words to him.

It didn't take long as the door opened up from the inside, revealing Dion, who was still wide awake. Dion gazed up at him, furrowing his brows, puzzled by what Lewis wanted.

"Ge?"

"Did you kiss her?" his abrupt question was akin to a punch in the gut as Dion coughed loudly. "She told me about what happened. Never drink on her glass again."

"Ge! I just checked her drink because I didn't think Mike will --"

"Dion, just because your circle of friends is alright with something doesn't mean it is alright to others." Lewis' tone was low and cold, staring straight into Dion's eyes. "Not just to Devon, but be more sensitive of your actions. You're a public figure and no matter what you are in person, there were people who looked up to you."

"Ge…" Dion frowned as he gaze down. This type of scolding was even worse than being grounded.

"Devon had a trauma," Lewis said, making Dion raise his head in surprise. "She is not exaggerating if she avoids people's touches. You don't know that, yes. Just like how you don't know other people's silent battles and they don't know yours. So, be sensitive just like how a decent human being should be."

Dion pressed his lips together, like a child being scolded by his father. Lewis rarely scold them, or rather, he didn't have the time to do that. Well, they were all raised by their grandfather, who believed he was the king of the world.

"I might be busy tomorrow, so I only have time tonight." Lewis shoved his hands inside his pocket, taking a step back. "Don't worry about the article, we will handle accordingly it. No one will follow you around as well."

With those being said, Lewis turned his back against Dion and started walking away. He stopped when Dion suddenly called him in a weak voice.

"Ge." Dion stared at Lewis's broad back, but the latter didn't even turn his head back. "Thank you for protecting me again and sorry."

Lewis said nothing and just resumed in his strides. That was all he could do for them as the big brother. Using his influence and power to shield them from those types of people because… they were his family. Biological or not, it didn't matter to him. They were his brothers.

*****

Meanwhile, in the same hotel…

"Brother, why are you still awake?" asked a woman, making Quentin turn his head in her direction.

"I can't sleep." Quentin shrugged, raising a glass of wine. "How about you? Why are you still up?"

The woman walked around the bar counter, opening up a bottle of wine, and poured herself a glass. She tucked her golden hair behind her ear as she picked up the glass of wine and leaned against the counter.

"You shouldn't drink, Gabriella." Quentin shook his head, sighing. "Father will kill me if he hears about it."

Gabriella, his sister, chuckled mischievously. "He will know if you tell him about it."

"My… why did I even agree for you to tag along?" 

"Not my fault!" she giggled.

"Yeah... it's my fault."

"By the way, brother." Gabriella's eyes glimmered with excitement, leaning forward with a wide smile on her face.. "When will we see Lewis Qin together? I heard he is quite a man."