Chapter 140
The surroundings were silent. Koi stood frozen, just staring at Nelson. All of a sudden, he felt like he had been dragged right back to that time when he was nothing but pitiful and small. The young, terrified version of himself—who used to cower at the sight of Nelson—suddenly resurfaced. He had thought he had long forgotten, but clearly, he hadn’t. His mouth went dry, and his throat burned—he couldn’t make a sound.
It felt like a nightmare that should never have been possible. Koi couldn’t move; he just stood there, stuck in place. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly.
It was Nelson who finally broke the silence. Even though it was already nearly evening, he looked like he had just woken up from sleep, yawning lazily with a disheveled face, then stepped aside.
“Come on in.”
He muttered in a lazy, drawling tone, yawning again while scratching his head. Koi snapped out of it at last. He hurried inside, where a luxurious interior came into view. He had already seen from outside that the mansion was large, but the inside was just as stunning—so wide and extravagant it momentarily made him pause. Quickly pulling himself together, Koi spoke.
“Uh, where’s the area that’s broken?”
Afraid his voice might tremble, he kept it low. Nelson didn’t really react—just staggered away in one direction. The staircase split to the left and right, joined at the center, and then split again. Koi silently followed behind him, trying to calm his pounding heart.
He had never imagined he’d see Nelson again. Back before graduation, Nelson had gotten into trouble and left school. No one had seen him since. Yet here he was, on the East Coast. And judging by the mansion, he was clearly loaded. The massive house, with marble floors and gold trimming everywhere, practically screamed wealth.
But to Koi, there was something far more important.
Looks like he didn’t recognize me.
Nelson’s reaction had been completely ordinary. Just the kind of response you’d expect from a homeowner greeting a technician—nothing more, nothing less.
Well, Elle did say I’d changed a lot.