Delayed Passion: Miss Lynch's Unrequited Love-Chapter 20: What Should I Do? I Like Her Too

Thea Lynch: "So, for now, I don’t plan on dating."

"..." Norbert Rhodes stood there in a daze, gazing into Thea Lynch’s eyes without uttering a word.

Be it love at first sight or an impulsive attraction, he genuinely liked Thea Lynch; he wasn’t joking.

In fact, that blind date wasn’t the first time he saw Thea Lynch.

When he was a teenager, he visited the Lynch Family with his parents. That afternoon, Thea Lynch returned from outside, drenched. Her gaze lingered on him for less than a second before she went back to her room. That was their first meeting.

In the following years, he kept paying attention to Thea Lynch’s whereabouts.

He had lied. That day, the blind date wasn’t interrupted by work. He was tricked into going there initially. It was halfway there when he realized it was a matchmaking event, and he immediately ran off. Only on his way home did his mother call, telling him the other person was Thea Lynch.

Thus, he changed his mind and went over...

Thea Lynch ignored his forlorn gaze, "It’s getting late, you should head back."

She had stated her intention clearly. Usually, guys trying to hit on her would have given up by now. Who would have thought, Norbert Rhodes smiled, looking completely unfazed, "No, it’s okay. Can we be friends?"

Afraid she’d refuse, Norbert Rhodes hurriedly shoved the items into her hands, "This is from my mom to you. Please take it. I’ll be going now, see you some other time!"

"Hey..." Thea Lynch, somewhat tipsy, stumbled in her high heels, could only watch as Norbert Rhodes drove away.

——

At the community entrance, Norbert Rhodes lightly pressed the accelerator and let out a long sigh.

Just about to turn onto the main road, a black Bentley that had been lurking suddenly slid in front of his car, startling him into hitting the brakes.

The tires screeched harshly against the road.

Breathing heavily with relief, Norbert Rhodes looked up. Thankfully, he had been driving slowly; otherwise, a crash would have been unavoidable!

The Bentley opposite remained unmoving for quite a while. Unbuckling his seatbelt, an angry Norbert Rhodes pushed open his car door.

"Hey!" He knocked on the driver’s window, but the driver inside ignored him.

"What kind of driving is this?! Are you blind..." Before he could finish, the rear window suddenly rolled down a notch, drawing Norbert Rhodes’ attention to the back seat.

Recognizing the figure inside, he stammered in fright, "T-Third Brother?"

"Oh, it’s you, I didn’t notice the license plate, hahaha." Norbert Rhodes laughed dryly, nervous to the point where his face turned pale.

He wasn’t particularly familiar with Ian Preston. Over the years, they hadn’t met more than a handful of times. But from childhood, Ian Preston had been a shadow over their generation, especially now.

Coronet could roughly be divided into three factions: Ian Preston at the helm of the elite circles, ordinary wealthy second generations and officials’ kids, and some outside businesses. In terms of status, it was Ian Preston, with his noble background, that stood out.

His family had only the previous generation who could chat with Ian Preston. As for him, there was no chance at all.

Norbert Rhodes bent down voluntarily to talk to Ian Preston: "Third Brother, this late, where are you headed?"

Inside the car, the man frowned deeply, squinting as he finally spared a glance, "I haven’t asked you yet, what are you doing here so late?"

"Ah, I... I just delivered something to Thea Lynch."

Feeling a sudden chill, Norbert Rhodes nervously rubbed his hands together, "Is Third Brother here to see Thea Lynch too?"

Ian Preston’s voice turned icy, as if a layer of frost covered it, "Last time, didn’t I make myself clear enough?"

"Ah?"

Last time? What did he say last time?

Norbert Rhodes’ brain raced; the last time he saw Ian Preston seemed to be the day of that blind date with Thea Lynch. Ian Preston had said only one thing to him that day...

The blind date doesn’t count!

Realizing this, Norbert Rhodes suddenly understood.

As Thea Lynch’s "brother," it wasn’t unreasonable for Ian Preston to say this. He must have misunderstood him.

"Third Brother, I’m serious about Thea Lynch. You really don’t need to worry. I haven’t dated anyone before, and my social circle is quite clean!"

Someone like him was rare among his peers. Otherwise, his parents wouldn’t have been so eager to set him up on blind dates.

"And whether it’s work or personal, we have some common topics."

In terms of profession, though he and Thea Lynch specialized in different areas, they were both engineers from prestigious schools. By rough calculation, they were colleagues!

Norbert Rhodes maintained his bent-over position, feeling a bit stiff. He didn’t know how long it took before the person inside the car finally responded.

Ian Preston’s gaze was as sharp as a knife, piercing his face, "You like her, huh?"

Norbert Rhodes had never learned to read the room well, suffering many losses because of it while growing up. So much so, after graduation, his mom had to pull strings to get him a job.

If it were anyone else, upon hearing Ian Preston’s question, they definitely wouldn’t have answered truthfully. But only Norbert Rhodes foolishly nodded vigorously, thinking Ian Preston had agreed.

Hearing this, a smirk of amusement crept onto Ian Preston’s usually stoic face.

He lazily leaned back, fingers tapping rhythmically on his knee. Half of his face was shrouded in darkness, adding a veil of mystery.

From Norbert Rhodes’s angle, he could only see Ian Preston gradually retract his smile. When he spoke again, his tone was overwhelmingly dominant:

"Well, what to do? I like her too."

——

Back at the apartment, Thea Lynch casually placed the things Norbert Rhodes gave on the coffee table; she wouldn’t drink the soup. She planned to have her aunt return Mrs. Rhodes’s gift another day.

In any case, she couldn’t accept it.

Lying down on the sofa, she groggily replied to Foreman Chandler’s message in the group, then tossed her phone aside.

Initially, she wasn’t that drunk, just a few beers. But someone drank too much, lost control, and poured her hard liquor mixed with the beer.

Only after drinking did she realize something was wrong.

Fortunately, she wasn’t drunk to oblivion; her mind remained clear, albeit a bit sluggish, with a slightly aching head.

But the only good thing was, she could finally have a good night’s sleep tonight.

When the doorbell rang, Thea Lynch was sprawled on the sofa, sleepily. It took a while before she realized the sound came from the door.

She thought she was dreaming.

Getting up, she glanced at the clock on the wall. At this time, who could be visiting?

Since moving here, no one had really come to visit.

Had Norbert Rhodes returned?

Thinking of this, Thea Lynch picked up the things on the table and walked toward the door.

Before opening it, she checked the door monitor.

There was indeed a man outside, but it wasn’t Norbert Rhodes.

Judging by the figure...

The doorbell automatically cut off, and the person outside waited for a few seconds, then pounded heavily on the door panel.

"Thea Lynch." Hearing the familiar voice, Thea Lynch’s shoulders trembled, instantly roused from her sleepiness. Before she could think, her body acted on its own to open the door.

Leaning half her body on the door, she stabilized herself while peering out, staring blankly at Ian Preston.

"You..." Ian Preston started to speak but abruptly stopped, taking a step forward while frowning, and sniffed lightly beside her face, "Have you been drinking?"