As soon as she saw Ian Preston, Thea Lynch felt unsettled.
The irritation between her brows was unmistakable, "Are you two in this together?"
At this moment, she wouldn't believe for a second that Silas Cheney didn't plan this.
Ian Preston pushed the door open, swung his long legs out, and got out of the car. "He just asked in the group chat who was available, and I happened to be free."
Probably to help her move, he drove a different car today and brought an assistant along. The assistant nodded at her with a smile and stepped forward to take her suitcase.
Before Thea could say anything, her vision was blocked by Ian's frame, casting a shadow over her.
He suddenly moved closer, prompting her to instinctively hold her breath. Once she came to her senses, a faint scent of perfume invaded her nostrils. It wasn't a masculine fragrance but rather a rose scent that women would like.
But not hers...
Ian was known to be discreet, never getting too close to women. His attire today clearly indicated he hadn't come from home. So, for him to carry a perfume scent...
Not quite sure how she felt, she stepped back, wanting to distance herself from him. Behind her was a step, and Ian, worried she might fall, reached out to steady her.
His fingertips were slightly cool, trying to grasp her fair wrist through a smooth, round bracelet. Just as he was about to tighten his grip, Thea, with a panicked expression, shook off his hand. "Don't touch me!"
Her movement was too vigorous, and the bracelet on her wrist flew off, landing heavily on the ground.
Ian's face suddenly darkened. Ignoring her resistance, he grabbed her arm with one hand and pulled her into his embrace with the other, wrapping it around her waist.
Thea hadn't regained her balance and was about to fall backward, but now she fell right onto him.
"You!"
Releasing her hand, he moved his large palm to grip her face, holding her chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look up at him.
He tore away the fake facade of the past few days, his voice hardened, "What are you making a fuss about, hmm?"
Thea glared at him with her shimmering eyes, her red lips tightly pressed together.
"It's been a few years, and your temper has indeed grown," he scolded, then indulged her, "You're usually so gentle with Silas and the others, but you seem to reserve this special treatment to bully only me?"
Thea said nothing.
How had she not realized before that Ian had this audacity? Years ago, he trampled on her sincerity, and now he's twisting the truth.
In this situation, who was really bullying whom!
Thea didn't want to engage with him, pushing against his shoulder.
The man didn't budge an inch, but his hand on her waist tightened subtly, "Speak."
"Who in Coronet would have the nerve to bully you, the Third Master," Thea said, forcing a smile and almost gritting her teeth.
"I think you're quite bold."
"Third Master, you're falsely accusing me. Seeing you, I wish nothing more than to avoid you!" It was the truth.
Incensed by her words, a cold glint flashed in Ian's eyes, an ominous vibe emanating from him. His thumb pressed down on her lower lip, leaving a red mark.
"Ian Preston!" she yelled, both first and last name, in anger.
Meeting her fiery gaze, the chill in Ian's eyes dissipated, the corners of his lips lifting into a slow smile. "Not calling me Third Master anymore?"
Thea was stunned.
During the time when she temporarily lost her speech, it was Ian who had always been there, trying to get her to speak again.
At the start, he only taught her two words—Ian Preston.
Each time, she would falteringly join him in saying that name.
Among the younger generation close to him, calling Ian the Third Master was a must, while those not familiar were more reserved with "Mr. Preston" or "Master Preston." Ian's background in Coronet compared him to a "Crown Prince." Aside from family elders, no one else called him by his first name.
But during that period, it was as if she had been granted a privilege, a favored status. Each time she called his name, instead of anger, he would smile, praising her voice and even gifting her a reward each time.
Oddly enough, thinking about it made Thea's nose tingle and her voice waver, "Let go of me first!"
Afraid she might start crying, Ian obediently let go.
Once freed from his restraint, Thea quickly escaped from his side. This time Ian didn't get upset; he turned and walked to the other side.
The man's tall and lean frame, only a silhouette, could stir the hearts of many women. Thea kept her eyes on him, a wary look within them. Not until she saw the upright man bend down slowly to pick up the bracelet from the ground did she lower her gaze.
She suddenly looked down.
Today she wore a puff-sleeve dress, her wrists so slender that the cuffs kept slipping, loosely resting on her forearms, revealing a stretch of fair arm skin. Her wrist, now empty, showed no trace of the precious agarwood bracelet.
She hadn't noticed when she dropped it, her attention had been solely on Ian earlier. Looking back at him, she found that Ian's left wrist was adorned with a similar bracelet.
It looked just like hers.
Seeing this, Thea felt a lump in her throat. Others might not know, but she knew the bracelet on Ian's wrist was merely a replica, and the original was the one she had just lost.
Her bracelet had a story because Ian had worn it from his teen years, rarely parting with it. It was said that when Ian was born, he was in poor health, and Grandpa Preston had specially acquired it, even blessing it.
Ordinarily, it shouldn't have been given away, until that year—
In the evening, outside the school gate, Ian sat in the driver's seat, leaning over to adjust her hearing aid.
"What are you looking at?"
She was staring at his bracelet in a daze. In her trance, she felt a light tap on her forehead, followed by him shaking his wrist in front of her eyes, "This one?"
He leaned in closer, and the scent of agarwood wafted toward her. Whenever she smelled it, she quickly found calm and her spirits lifted.
She nodded vigorously at Ian.
Noticing her liking for the bracelet, Ian lowered his gaze to meet hers, coaxing gently, "Have you forgotten what I taught you?"
"Xixi, if you want something, you have to say it out loud."
"As long as you say it, anything is possible."
She hesitated to speak, and he wasn't in a hurry, patiently waiting.
She didn't know how much time passed before she finally got her wish. Ian lowered his eyes, smiling as he removed the bracelet, holding her hand, and put it on her wrist.
"With this, I believe Xixi will get better soon."
"Mm!"
Later she learned about the bracelet's origin and regretted wanting to return it.
His face didn't look too good at the time, "It's not that serious, you're so young, why overthink things."
"Since it's been given to you, it's yours. Keep it safe, and don't lose it."
——
Across from her, Ian had already gotten up and returned, walking slowly, head down, seriously wiping the recovered bracelet with a handkerchief.
When Thea came back to her senses and looked down, she saw Ian take her hand and return the bracelet to its original place, his voice overlapping with the one from her memory:
"Keep it safe and don't lose it again."