Chapter 196 - 195: Do Me a Favor

"Are they... sort of in the same line of work as us?" Yvonne Lowell asked after a moment of thought.

"I call them Auntie Dahlia and Uncle Stark. I don’t know their real names. One is a master of the greatsword, and the other is a sharpshooter.

From what I remember, they were incredible—practically omnipotent. At least a third of the skills I have, I learned from them.

I think the greatest pain in their lives was the child they lost, who died young. They set up a grave for him and visit it every year to pay their respects."

William Lynch’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. It was unclear what he was thinking.

Seeing him remain silent, Yvonne Lowell waved her hand dismissively and said in a comforting tone,

"Alright, don’t overthink it. We’ll know the results soon enough anyway. If you’re worried you’ll let your mind run wild, I can ask your boss to give you more work. You know, to distract you?"

William Lynch’s lip twitched. ’Is this how you comfort someone?! Seriously!!’

He could only say with a pained expression, "No need, Miss Lowell. I already have more than enough work."

Yvonne Lowell coughed, a little unnaturally. "Alright then. You can get back to it."

’Ah, well,’ she thought. ’A worker’s life is a life, too.’

"Yes. Goodbye, Miss Lowell."

William Lynch walked away, looking back every few steps. ’Why isn’t Miss Lowell mentioning the job offer anymore?’

’Could it be that the boss can’t bear to let me go, but didn’t want to say so to my face? So behind the scenes, he’s been shamelessly begging and pleading with Miss Lowell not to bring it up again?’

William Lynch felt he must have hit upon the truth this time. ’Waaah, the boss really does care about me! I’m so touched!!’

His conscience had finally eked out a small win.

Leo Grant: ’...Damn it. You shameless bastard, just go and die already ^_^’

...

「As evening fell, The Shadow Pavilion HQ gradually settled into silence.」

Aside from those on duty, the common areas were completely empty. Everyone had eaten their fill and was tucked into bed.

’The ancients were right. The darkest hour is just before quitting time, and only an idiot volunteers for overtime.’

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Come in."

Leo Grant pushed the door open and walked in.

Yvonne Lowell, sitting cross-legged on the bed, didn’t move. She just raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? All finished with work?"

Leo Grant walked over and gave her a light peck. "Mhm, just finished. I came to take a shower."

’And to see what my chances are of successfully climbing into her bed tonight.’

Yvonne Lowell’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him suspiciously. "A shower? Doesn’t the room next door have a bathroom?"

"It has a bathroom, but all my clothes are in here. I didn’t bring any over. Besides, I’m used to the bathroom in this room."

Leo Grant said without a blush or a racing heart, "Girlfriend, could you do me a favor?"

"Go ahead. It’s your room, after all." Yvonne Lowell jutted her chin toward the bathroom.

’Does he take me for an idiot?’ she thought. ’I’d like to see what tricks this old fox has up his sleeve.’

"Great. I’ll be right back."

A glint flashed in Leo Grant’s eyes. He gave her another kiss and turned toward the bathroom.

Watching his back, Yvonne Lowell’s lips curled into a teasing smile. ’A shower... and he’s not taking anything with him?’

’Completely empty-handed? Why do I seem to recall there aren’t any of his clean clothes in the bathroom?’

...

Hearing the door open, Yvonne Lowell instinctively looked up and saw the man walking out of the bathroom.

Leo Grant was bare-chested, a towel draped around his neck, another wrapped loosely around his waist.

His slightly damp, tousled hair lay obediently on his forehead, softening his features and making him look less sharp than he did during the day.

Droplets of water slid from his hair down the sharp contours of his face, over his fair, elegant neck, to his well-defined collarbones and broad, solid chest, finally tracing a path down his abs and V-line before disappearing beneath the towel.

The sight made Yvonne Lowell’s blood run hot, so much so that she even forgot she was on the phone.

’Damn, isn’t this a perfect live-action shot of a beautiful man emerging from a bath?!’

’I was wondering what this sly fox was plotting. So this is what he was waiting for.’

A hint of a smirk, one of a successful scheme, flashed through Leo Grant’s deep eyes. He walked over, sat down beside her, and began drying his hair as if no one else was there.

They were so close that Yvonne Lowell could smell the fresh scent of shower gel wafting off him—the same one she had used tonight.

Her eyes fell on the two dimples on his lower back, and her hand unconsciously reached out to cover them, caressing them gently.

’This damned man’s back dimples are so damn sexy,’ she mused. ’They’re even more defined than mine.’

"Yvonne? Yvonne? Are you there?! Did the call drop? No, it’s still connected... Can you hear me?!"

The voice on the other end of the line snapped Yvonne Lowell back to reality.

She pulled her hand back, a little unnaturally, and cleared her throat. "Got it. I’ll let him know."

With that, she hung up the phone.

Leo Grant casually tossed the towel onto the bed, leaned in slightly, and nuzzled his nose against hers. "Why’d you stop touching me? Who were you on the phone with?"

"Stop being a flirt. You’re dripping water on me." Yvonne Lowell, with a deadpan expression, pushed him away. "It was Old Man Jennings. She wants you to give Silas Lynch more work—preferably send him on a business trip."

’Sly fox. He just had to go and mess with my focus. Now, even chanting the Heart Clarity Spell won’t work.’

Leo Grant raised an eyebrow. "What’s going on? Has her love turned to hate? Is she giving up on chasing him?"

Yvonne Lowell rolled her eyes in annoyance. "No, they’re already dating."

"Since that time at Moonshadow, after she called you? Then why...?"

Leo Grant naturally recalled the last time Nina Jennings had called her.

"Mhm, they probably got into another fight."

Yvonne Lowell looked speechless. Nina Jennings had told her that Silas Lynch had been clinging to her after work these past few days, and she was worried her back would give out before they even got married.

’I can’t tell if this woman is here to show off, or to show off.’

’Am I the only one in the world who can see and touch, but not eat?’

Leo Grant was stunned for a moment. "But didn’t you just say last time that they were having a bit of friction?"

’It’s only been a few days, and they’re fighting again? Since when was Silas so talkative?’

Yvonne Lowell’s lips twitched. "Nothing wrong with that description. The ’little friction’ was her getting wasted and forcing herself on a completely sober, able-bodied, and highly skilled Silas Lynch. Afterward, she was considering whether to burn the bridge and run."

A vein throbbed on Leo Grant’s temple. ’How did I not know this subordinate of mine had such ’weak’ self-defense skills?’

’Looks like I’ll have to schedule some extra training for Silas Lynch. It’s for his own good, after all.’

’Lest one day Silas Lynch can’t even protect himself. How could he protect me then?’

"But I’m not around, and my dad loves to slack off. Silas Lynch needs to stay in Kingsland to hold down the fort."

The implication was clear: ’Whatever. They can fight it out for all I care. I’m not getting involved.’

"Don’t worry about it. She’s just complaining. She has plenty of places she could go, but she hasn’t left, has she?"

Yvonne Lowell tossed the nearby towel at him. "Go get dressed. I’ve spoiled you."