Delayed Passion: Miss Lynch's Unrequited Love-Chapter 103: Visiting Ian Preston

No one knew when Thea Lynch would return to the country, or if she ever would.

But Ian Preston was fully prepared for it.

Clothing, food, shelter, transportation—he had prepared everything he could think of.

And then he silently waited for Thea for seven years.

That’s why Silas Cheney used to tease him as being a "doormat." Who would have thought that one day, Ian would go to such lengths for a woman.

This was truly love ingrained in his bones.

Even he couldn’t help but be moved by what Ian did. So how about Thea...

Could she really remain unfazed? Could she truly turn a blind eye?

According to what he knew about Thea... impossible.

Thea’s aloof exterior was just a protective shell; inside, she was softer and more sensitive than anyone.

But even after saying so much, Thea was still indifferent. She didn’t say anything and just stared at him blankly.

"Forget it." Silas raised his hand and patted her head, "Fourth brother just wanted you to know that third brother is serious. What he’s done was worth you knowing."

"As for the rest... it depends on your own plans."

He withdrew his hand, tilted his chin, and smiled at her, "Go on up."

The feeling of being caught in the middle and unable to please anyone was truly unpleasant. The balance in Silas’s heart swung wildly back and forth.

He hoped Thea would have some response to third brother after hearing these words, but he was also afraid that she truly had no feelings for him and that these words would seem like coercion.

"Fourth brother."

Hearing a voice behind him, Silas was slightly surprised and turned to look at her.

Just when he thought Thea was about to show some emotion, he saw her smile at him and politely say, "Be careful on the road."

"..."

She really didn’t like him. Silas suppressed all his emotions, waved his hand at her, "Understood. You should head up."

——

Back home, Thea placed her suitcase aside, with no intention to unpack.

She sat on the sofa, opened WeChat, and briefly explained the current situation to Foreman Chandler.

She then called Manager Wang of the Valiant R&D department.

This time, the call wasn’t rejected.

"Hello, Manager Wang. This is Thea Lynch from Stratus."

"Ah, it’s Leader Lynch. Sorry, I’ve been busy all day and was just wondering about the missed calls, and haven’t had the chance to get back to you."

"No worries." No one would believe such words, but it’s also not polite to expose it. Just give each other a way out.

Thea smiled and discussed business with him, "Manager Wang, did you receive an anonymous email this morning?"

"About that, don’t worry, Leader Lynch. President Shen personally called and explained it to me. I understand it was a misunderstanding."

"That’s good." Thea said, "I originally wanted to explain to you face to face, but there was an emergency at home, so I had to return to Coronet first."

Manager Wang remained courteous, "It’s not a big deal, Leader Lynch, you don’t need to worry."

Even though he said so, Thea couldn’t take it at face value.

"I was afraid of miscommunication, so I thought it would be better to call and explain personally."

"Our Foreman Chandler wasn’t aware of the actual situation at the time since my family matters have kept me busy recently, and he didn’t understand why I needed to be sent on a business trip, so he complained a bit. The other party took things out of context and didn’t capture our later conversation. Foreman Chandler and I have no objections to this collaboration."

"We have always held the Valiant R&D department in high regard, as senior figures in the industry, and harbor no discontent."

"Here, I apologize to all the seniors in the Valiant R&D department."

Thea was genuinely sincere.

Manager Wang was silent for two seconds, then let out a dry laugh, "Leader Lynch, you’re too kind. It’s just a minor misunderstanding; no one here takes it seriously."

"Work is naturally busy, and it’s normal for people to vent privately."

"The fact that you made an effort to call demonstrates how seriously you take this."

"Yes." Thea responded, "Actually, when I first learned about this, I went to the company to find you directly. Unfortunately, I couldn’t meet you. Otherwise, I would have explained and apologized to you in person."

"As long as Manager Wang is not upset."

"Not upset, not upset." Manager Wang replied, "How could I be upset? It’s completely understandable. The person who sent the screenshots is certainly ill-intentioned, and we mustn’t fall for their scheme."

"Manager Wang is right."

Since it was clear now, there was no issue left. Thea decided to leave it at that, "It’s late, so I won’t disturb you any longer. If there’s anything in the future, Manager Wang can contact me directly. This is my number; you can save it."

Manager Wang, "Alright, alright."

——

Tossing her phone aside, Thea collapsed on the sofa with a heavy sigh.

It was already ten o’clock at night.

Yet, she was wide awake, unusually alert.

The reason, only she knew.

Silas’s words still lingered in her ears.

Thea didn’t want to think about these things, but now that there was nothing to do, once everything was quiet, her mind uncontrollably drifted to Ian. She had thought she was clever, believing she knew enough.

But after hearing Silas’s words, she realized that what she had thought she cleverly assumed before was just a tiny fraction of the reality.

Over the years, Ian had done more for her than she had imagined.

She waited until eleven, then tiredly closed her eyes.

The next moment, as if making a firm decision, she opened her eyes, grabbed the coat beside her, and stood up.

——

Late night, Coronet Private Hospital.

"Which room is Ian Preston in?"

At the nurses’ station, the night-shift nurse woke up from her drowsiness upon hearing that name.

She gave Thea, on the opposite side, a once-over and frowned, "We don’t have a patient by that name here."

Ian must have informed them in advance.

Thea didn’t know how to explain her identity to the nurse, so she called Silas.

"Hmm, what’s up, little sister?" Silas was just about ready to rest.

His voice sounded a little blurry, like he was about to fall asleep.

"I’m over at the hospital. Could you inform them that I want to see third brother?"

"Ah??!" On the other side, Silas’s eyes snapped open, and he was instantly awake. "You’re at third brother’s place?"

"Yes, at the nurses’ station," Thea said truthfully.

"Ah, then wait a moment. I’ll make a call. Stay put, okay? I’ll be quick!"

Silas was afraid that if he delayed, she might change her mind and slip away.

Within three minutes, the internal line at the nurses’ station rang. The nurse on duty, after picking it up, looked at Thea with some surprise and then led her inside.

At this hour, Ian was already resting.

The room was dark. Thea pushed the door open and, using the light from the hallway, barely made out the path.

After entering, the nurse switched on a night light for her and then left.

Staring at the sleeping figure on the bed for a while, Thea sighed and sat down on a chair beside the bed.