Chapter 126 - The People I Will Bury Alive

'That's… me.'

Devon whispered, eyes on the woman. Even though all she saw was her side profile, she knew that face which she had condemned all her life. That face… was the face she had worn in her previous life. She knew it in a glance. Before Devon knew it, she had started walking towards her.

"Dev?" Bella furrowed her brows, watching her friend get up from her seat and walk away. "Where are you… going?"

"You…" came out a muffled call, reaching her hand to the woman as Devon approached. "Kas —"

"Gabby!" a man's voice suddenly reached Devon's ears, making her turn her head in his direction. The woman she was trying to approach also perked up, smiling as she rushed to her brother.

"No…" Devon's heart sank, taking a step back as she recognized that man's face. That face who had made her life a living hell, the man who had stolen everything from her and left her with none.

Quentin. 

"How… is he alive?" she murmured as she broke out in a cold sweat, turning around to hide from him. "No, I should… leave. He will kill me." 

Devon wasn't able to think straight, as all the memories in her previous life clouded her mind. She just walked away in a hurry, forgetting about Lewis, Bella, or just the world she existed in. All she could think about was to get away as far as she could because Quentin would have her head for sure.

"Far… go as far away as possible…" Devon bumped into something solid, and a hand grabbed her shoulders, making her jump in horror.

"Love, where are you…" Lewis trailed off as he furrowed his brows, studying her pale and distraught expression as soon as she raised her head. "What happened?"

"Lu." A sigh of relief slipped past her lips as Devon suddenly clutched his chest. "He will kill me, Lu. He is here… he will have my head… and yours, too. No, I can't let that happen… I —"

"Dev." Lewis shook her shoulders as Devon just mumbled things while her body trembled in fear. Pain flickered across his eyes as she seemed… broken. 

What happened to her while he was gone? Did Bella leave her alone? Those types of questions hovered over his head. But more than that, his priority was to calm her down. 

"Mister Qin?" suddenly, the answers to his questions came right away as a familiar voice caught his attention.

Lewis's eyes darkened as he raised his gaze over her head. His eyes immediately caught Quentin approaching them with a woman beside him. 

"It is really you, Mister Qin!" Quentin exclaimed, pleased by this coincidence. He and his sister stopped several steps away from them. His eyes fell on the woman's back, facing Lewis. 

"Oh? Is this…?" Quentin raised his brow as he studied the woman's back, seeing some familiarity with someone he knew. However, he didn't hop into a conclusion again as that was 'impossible', knowing 'her'.

"I will appreciate it if you leave us now, Mister De Luca." Lewis's tone came out cold and deep; one could tell it was a warning. "My fiance and I are discussing an important matter. If you want to discuss something with me, contact my assistant and request an official appointment."

Quentin and Gabriella raised their brows and looked at each other in surprise. Lewis seemed he was irked and was very clear about being unavailable to socialize.

"It seems we had met at the wrong time." Quentin sported a polite smile, understanding that Lewis was someone who hated disclosing personal matters to others. "It was nice seeing you, Mister Qin. My sister and I will have to excuse ourselves." 

He bowed his head lightly, a gesture of respect, and then he tugged his sister's shoulder with him. Gabriella was displeased, complaining as her brother dragged her away. While they walk away, Quentin looked back only to see Lewis pulling the woman in his embrace.

'So it was true that he had a woman.' He thought, studying the woman's back but didn't dwell on it. 'I think they were fighting. Man… a woman being able to argue with that man. There are truly a lot of fearless people in this world and that reminds me of her.' 

*

Lewis' jaw tightened as Devon just stood frozen, stunned when Quentin and his sister approached them. He could instantly tell the origin of her fear and his suspicion that the Quentin she called that night was the same Quentin he was in negotiation with.

"It's alright now, Love," he whispered, taking a step as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's fine. I am here with you."

He tried to soothe her by rubbing her back, but each time she trembled under his grip brought pain in his heart. This fear wasn't just any simple fear, it was trauma. He had his own trauma, so he could understand her reaction.

'But the worst feeling of all is there is nothing I can do to take it away right this instant.' Lewis suppressed the building up fury in his heart. If only he could absorb her pain, he had absorbed it already because seeing her in pain made him feel helpless.

"Lu…" Devon called when she found her voice once again. "… I'm scared."

"Mhm, I know. I am here now, and no one will hurt you… never." He remarked, trying to find the correct words, as he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to make her feel that he was undermining her trauma, or he couldn't understand. 

It was a tricky situation. So, he could only hope that she would realize that she had him now. 

"I will protect you, Dev. I will always do." And he would be the baddest villain if that was the only way to protect her.

Devon winced, clutching his back tightly. "Thank you."

Although her heart was racing rapidly, having someone to lean on helped her calm down. His sincere warmth gradually soothed her as she breathed in and out, finding the strength to organize her muddled thoughts.

*****

Since the situation turned out like that, Lewis and Devon returned to their room. He helped her calm down until she fell asleep, and even with that, Lewis could only be by her side without raising questions or giving uncalled advice.

He looked at her lovingly, caressing her sleeping face. "If only I know they'd be here, we would've gone home."

A sigh slipped past his lips and stared at her for several minutes. When he heard a knock on the door, Lewis smacked his lips and raised the sheet over her shoulder.

"I will kill him," he whispered, having all these sorts of conclusions about what Quentin did to Devon in the past. Whatever it was, he would accept her regardless. However, he would never forgive him for breaking her like this.

When Lewis exited the room, Derek raised his head and furrowed his brows. Just one look and he knew someone had finally angered Lewis. The man rarely got furious, after all. 

"Young Master…" Derek trailed off as his tongue rolled back, figuring out his report right now held no importance to Lewis.

"Derek, call Grandpa and tell him to forget about the deal with the De Luca," Lewis ordered without batting an eye, walking towards the balcony while Derek followed him from behind.

Derek studied Lewis back, sizing him up to see if there was room for negotiation, but there was none. Lewis had decided and, knowing his boss, he would shoulder all responsibility that would come after.

"Is that all, Young Master?" asked Derek in a solemn tone.

Lewis remained silent for a second, placing his palm on the railings, and hung his head. Once he gazed up, a ridiculing smirk turned up on his lips.

"Stop the investigation regarding Devon and Quentin." He added, and Derek nodded in understanding, taking notes in his head. "Is there a way so that person will get banned from entering the country?" 

"Apparently, that is out of the Qin's influence." 

"So, he can come and go in here whenever he feels like it?" 

Derek pursed his lips. "Yes, unless he is a felon."

Lewis stayed silent for a moment, taking deep breaths. He had believed that this world was vast, but it was also very small. Just like today, there were so many hotels, but it just so happened that Quentin was staying in the same hotel they stayed in.

"Unless he is a felon… aren't the De Luca a previous underground clan?" his brow raised, eyes glinting menacingly.

"Young Master…" Derek sighed helplessly, figuring out that Lewis had decided to mess with the De Luca. "Please calm down. The De Luca had established their name and business through legal means. They were also clear of suspicion about any association from the underground."

"And you believe that?" Lewis cocked his head back.

Derek's reaction was stiff, staring straight into his boss's dark eyes. "What I believe or don't is not important. If that is what the Intelligence says, then digging up dirt on them will be close to impossible."

"The least we can do is to stop any negotiation with the De Luca, and stop their trades with people who are associated with the Qin Empire." Derek continued, his tone growing more solemn. "But, young master, the De Luca's are not the type of people who don't retaliate. They are the people that you and the Chairman chose, after all."

"And they are the people I will bury alive." Lewis' eyes glinted. "This world is only small if he stands on the same ground as mine. I'll send them several floors down so I'll never see him again."

Derek pressed his lips together and bowed. "Yes, young master. I will contact the legal team right away." He left to execute the order.

While Lewis stayed on his standpoint, his grip around the railings tightened.. "Someone like him… shouldn't be walking around freely."