Chapter 152: Exposed
"My grandfather isn’t doing well, so he’s living in a nursing home now. I’m all alone at home, and it’s always so quiet and empty when I go back, so..."
"If you’re busy, go on and do what you need to do. Don’t worry about me. I’ll just walk around for a bit and find a place to eat." Archer Rhys forced a bitter smile, his expression turning thoroughly dejected as he finished.
Grace Winslow felt a pang of sympathy. After a moment’s thought, she said, "Anyway, I promised to treat you to a meal last time and never did. Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner later?"
"Really? Can I?" Archer Rhys’s eyes were filled with anticipation.
Before Grace Winslow could answer, Irene Lynch walked out of the store.
Her eyes lit up when she saw Archer Rhys, her face beaming with delight. "Archer, is that you? When did you get back? I haven’t seen you in ages! Oh, that’s right, your family is in Coronet. What are you doing over here? Are you here to see our Grace?"
"Hello, Auntie Irene. I was just passing through the area," Archer Rhys replied with a smile.
Irene Lynch gave him a knowing look.
’Last time, he just so happened to be passing by our house. This time, he just so happens to be passing by our store. There’s no such thing as that many coincidences. Someone’s clearly doing this on purpose.’
’She had seen through Archer Rhys’s feelings for Grace a long time ago. It was only that silly girl Grace who was still completely oblivious.’
But Irene Lynch was a little conflicted.
’She quite liked that young man, Sean York, as well. He was a genuinely good person, after all, and had helped her out a lot.’
’But Archer Rhys... she had watched him grow up. She knew him inside and out, you could say. His relationship with Sutherlyn was good, too. If he really did get together with Grace, she could rest easy.’
Grace Winslow had no idea her mother was internally debating which man to pick as a son-in-law. She spoke up, "Mom, he’s coming over for dinner later. If there’s nothing else to do here, we should head back."
"By the way, is Dad not coming home again this week? How come he’s been so busy since he came to Coronet?"
Irene Lynch shook her head. "How would I know? They say your dad is in a confidential department now, and he really is very busy. He’s on some kind of assignment recently and isn’t even in Coronet. He told me it might be two or three months before he can come back."
Grace Winslow grew pensive. "Oh."
’If it’s confidential work, there’s no way for me to ask about it.’
When Archer Rhys heard that Gregory Winslow was in a confidential department, however, his curiosity was piqued. He couldn’t help but ask, "Auntie Irene, what kind of confidential department did Uncle Gregory join?"
"I honestly have no idea. His old superior recommended him for the position. He was originally just a junior clerk, since he was transferred from the countryside, after all. But after only a month or so on the job, he was suddenly transferred to a different department."
"I think... I think it’s called the Inspection Division, or something like that. I don’t really understand what they do specifically."
Hearing the words "Inspection Division," Archer Rhys’s brow twitched. "Is that so? What a coincidence. I happen to have a relative in the Inspection Division. I’ll ask around for you when I get a chance."
"Really? That would be wonderful! Thank you so much, Archer. Come on, let’s go home. I’ll make you a few of my signature dishes. You used to love eating at our house when you were little." Irene Lynch was all smiles.
The people she worried about most were her kids and her husband.
’After coming to Coronet, she and Gregory Winslow spent more time apart than together. They barely saw each other more than a few times a month.’
’This time, he hadn’t been home for a whole month. She didn’t say anything, but she was worried sick.’
The three of them walked home together.
Along the way, Irene Lynch asked Archer Rhys plenty of questions.
Archer Rhys answered every one of them.
Watching them chat and laugh, getting along so splendidly, Grace Winslow started to feel like she was the outsider.
Just as they arrived home, they saw Sean York riding up on his bicycle.
He froze when he saw Archer Rhys, blurting out subconsciously, "Archer? What are you..."
Realizing his slip of the tongue, he quickly shut his mouth.
Grace Winslow looked from Sean York to Archer Rhys. "You two know each other?"
"We don’t."
"We do."
The two of them spoke at almost the exact same time.
The corner of Grace Winslow’s mouth twitched. She looked at the two of them with amusement. "So? Do you know each other or not?"
"We do."
"We don’t."
Once again, their timing was impeccable, and this time they had swapped their answers.
Grace Winslow smiled. "It seems Archer Rhys and Sean York here are pretty close, huh? You two, out with it. Tell me the truth."
"I... I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!" Sean York was the first to raise his hands in surrender. "I’ve known Archer for a long time. We grew up in the same housing compound. He was the leader of our little gang of kids, but then he moved to the countryside with his grandfather, and we didn’t see each other for years."
"A while ago, he came back from the military and suddenly told me that he had a crush on someone studying at Crestwood University. He said she might need to buy a house and asked me to help out."
"I had Andrew Aldridge stake out the entrance to Crestwood University for over half a month before we finally spotted you."
"Then you mentioned you wanted to buy a storefront, so I started running all over the place trying to find one for you."
"It was Archer who told me to do everything. He wouldn’t let me tell you because he was afraid it would put too much pressure on you."
"All those times I was helping your mom, that was him, too. He didn’t think it was right for him to show up directly. He said he didn’t want to pressure you or make you feel like he was doing it just to get something in return."
"That’s everything I know."
Sean York blurted it all out in one breath, looking so guilty he didn’t dare to even glance at Archer Rhys.
Archer Rhys’s face was grim as he remained silent.
Grace Winslow never imagined there was such a story behind it all.
’No wonder Sean York had been so overly enthusiastic toward her.’
’They had only just met, after all.’
’At first, she’d just assumed Sean York was a naturally friendly person with a great personality. But it turned out someone had been pulling the strings behind the scenes all along.’
Irene Lynch’s mouth fell open. "Sean, is all that true? It was Archer who sent you?"
"Auntie Irene, I’m sorry. Archer was the one who sent me. He was worried that since you’re new to Coronet and don’t know many people, you might get swindled. That’s why he asked me to look out for you all."
"But we didn’t mean any harm by it, it’s just... it’s just..."
He stole a glance at Grace Winslow.
Grace Winslow shot him an exasperated look. "Just what?"
"Archer really, really likes you. When he came back before, he was seriously injured. He was in a coma for half a month, and the very first thing he did when he woke up was tell me to come and look after you."
"His injuries still haven’t completely healed, otherwise he’d be showing up in front of you every single day." Fearing Archer would shut him up if he waited any longer, Sean York hurriedly let out everything he’d been holding back.
Only after he’d said it all did he finally feel a sense of relief.
"I’ve said everything! Uh, Archer, since you’re here, I’ll head out. Auntie Irene, I’ll come by the store this afternoon to help!" With that, Sean York turned his bicycle around and practically fled.
Archer Rhys instinctively turned to leave as well, but Grace Winslow called out to him. "Archer Rhys, don’t you have anything you want to say to me?"
Archer Rhys guiltily rubbed the tip of his nose. He could remain perfectly calm in the face of the enemy, but when it came to Grace Winslow, he always lost his composure.