Chapter 98

98 A Gift For My Beloved

What was he so dissatisfied about?

Lucien did not even know where to begin.

The fact that his peaceful life in South Bedford City ended the moment he met Ronan again?

The fact that Ronan needed to be told to stay away again and again but he kept coming back to ruin Lucien’s plans?

Or was it his own treacherous heart that grew fonder and fonder of Ronan every time their paths crossed?

After Landon ran rampant and almost murdered Kinnon, Lucien was stuck in a critical predicament. He was struggling to do damage control. And then Ronan came and did the exact opposite.

So what was Lucien dissatisfied about, again?

Everything!

“Ronan, I just want you to stop bugging into my life. Can’t you just leave?”

.....

The words that came out were harsher than Lucien’s original intention. Ronan’s grip on Lucien’s wrist slackened instantly before the former let go.

An empty “Oh” was heard behind Lucien. Ronan’s voice sounded so hollow. So sad.

Lucien clenched his jaw and cursed inside his heart. It was not a fair thing to say. Ronan was just trying to help. Lucien quickly turned around to face Ronan.

“Ronan, that was not what I...”

“ORANGES FOR SALE, ORANGES FOR SALE! 1 KG FOR 2 DOLLARS, 2 KG FOR 3 DOLLARS!!! COME COME COME AND BUY NOW!”

“HANDSOME MAN, COME AND BUY FLOWERS FOR YOUR BELOVED!”

Both Ronan and Lucien were stumped. How did they end up in the middle of a traditional market? Left and right of them, eager vendors stood in front of their goods and merchandise. There were fruit stalls, flower stalls, accessories stalls, clothing stalls, etc..

Some young men and women walked back and forth with various goods in baskets that dangled from their arms. Their goal was to sell to prospective buyers that were too shy or lazy to approach the stalls.

When Lucien and Ronan walked between the rows, they quickly attracted the attention of the vendors and the visitors alike.

Some were attracted by Lucien’s otherworldly beauty and Ronan’s domineering masculinity, but most of them only cared about one thing : money.

Lucien did not look like a rich CEO, no. Ronan on the other side with his expensive watch, bespoke suit, and shiny shoes screamed young millionaire to their faces.

Lucien was quickly pushed aside by a bunch of street vendors who then proceeded to surround Ronan like hungry hyenas. They pushed forward with their baskets, intent on squeezing the Alpha dry.

“Esteemed Young Master, you look so gloomy. Did your girlfriend refuse to take a walk with you? Buy her some flowers to soften her heart!”

“Flowers are outdated. Buy her a box of chocolate instead! Look, I have here the latest, most popular product that just came out last week!”

“Pah, you say that every week!” A jewelry vendor broke into laughter. “Handsome man, everyone knows that diamonds are women’s best friends! As soon as your wife looks at this diamond bracelet, she will be nothing but molten wax in your palm!”

Ronan gave Lucien an exasperated look. The latter just stood aside with a nonchalant expression on his face. Lucien did not intend to help Ronan at all. Instead, he was watching the show with great amusement.

Ronan reached out and picked a white rose from the flower vendor’s basket. A white ribbon with a little card was tied to its stem. The young woman almost cried from joy.

“A white rose symbolizes loyalty, purity, and innocence! What a great choice!”

The enchanting white rose was extended toward Lucien, who was still staring at Ronan as if the latter was part of a circus attraction.

The vendors and visitors fell into a choir of “Ooooooooh”s when they realized who the rich man’s lover was. No wonder they were walking together. The husband was chasing his wife!

Lucien’s gaze drifted from the white rose to Ronan. Instead of taking the rose, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and pursed his lips.

Truly, this ice statue was not easy to melt.

Ronan sighed.

“I am sorry for not discussing this with you first prior to making the decision. I did not mean to hurt you. I just don’t want to give you a chance to reject me.”

A round of “Awwwwwwwwww”s went through the crowd. What a poor man! How could his lover be so unforgiving???

“Please take the rose, my heart is breaking here,” an elder woman clutched at her chest, tears welling in her eyes.

“Young man, look here, this man loves you so much. He is practically declaring his endless love to you in public. Why would you not accept his wholehearted apology?”

The vendors were pushing for Lucien to take the rose.

“Come on, just take it!”

“Look at how sincere he is!”

Ronan gave Lucien an innocent smile.

Lucien stared at Ronan in disbelief. Was he really using the crowd to force Lucien into accepting his apology?

Why was it that random strangers automatically sided with Ronan? They did not even know the whole story! It was as if the latter had a mysterious charm that made people trust him unconditionally. Or was it because Lucien exuded such negative, villainous energy?

Sick of the whining and crying spectators, Lucien finally accepted the rose under the gleeful cheers of vendors and visitors alike.

“Good for you!”

“Oh, I am so happy I can die now!” Someone in the crowd sobbed.

Lucien twirled the white rose in his hand and looked at the three words that were written inside the card.

“I love you,” it said, written in a dark pink script font with colorful hearts as a backdrop.

And then the flower-selling young woman turned to Ronan and politely asked, “Mister? It costs two dollars.”

An awkward silence settled in the crowd when Ronan reached neither into his suit nor his pants pockets for a wallet. He instead cleared his throat and flashed his lover a shameless grin.

“Lucien, lend me two dollars.”