Delayed Passion: Miss Lynch's Unrequited Love-Chapter 59: The Bet

"Do you have a screw loose in your head?" Silas Cheney extinguished his cigarette and turned away to argue with him, "Ian doesn’t have any interest in Thea."

"It doesn’t matter, as long as she likes him."

"Why do you think Thea likes Ian?"

"I’m just observing her attitude. At least, she seems more at ease around Ian."

Silas: "..."

"Aaron is your own brother."

"What’s the necessary connection between the two?" Sean Bell adjusted his glasses, "I’m considering her personal feelings. As for my brother... what does that have to do with me?"

Silas frowned, "Do you really think nobody knows about your little schemes?"

A glint flashed in Sean’s eyes beneath his lenses, "Sorry, whether you know or not doesn’t matter to me."

"Let’s each take our own side and not interfere with each other."

——

When Thea Lynch got back into the car, the smell of smoke inside had already dissipated.

Through the rearview mirror, Silas cautiously observed her. Her eyes were still slightly red, and she leaned back in the seat, looking tired and gloomy.

He thought for a moment and swallowed the words he was about to say, remaining silent.

In this matter, Sean surprisingly had a rare moment of understanding with him.

Silas drove directly to the agreed-upon restaurant. Thea had declined yesterday, thinking she wouldn’t have to eat with them, but in the end, she couldn’t avoid it.

During the meal, noticing her decent appetite, Silas slowly started a conversation to liven up the atmosphere. Sean cooperatively chimed in occasionally.

No one mentioned anything about what had just occurred, carefully avoiding the topic.

Thea remained silent throughout, eating quietly with her head down.

Ian barely touched his chopsticks, his eyes wandering unintentionally towards her.

Compared to her current state, Ian preferred the time when she used to provoke him with her sharp words, even if they were a bit harsh.

This quiet version of Thea was all too familiar to him.

When he had just returned from abroad, Thea was like this.

Like an angel with broken wings, she curled up in a corner that made her feel safer every day, unwilling to talk, refusing to communicate.

He had always been a person who enjoyed peace and disliked any sort of liveliness. Yet ironically, the people around him, especially Silas and Sean, were lively and active, particularly Silas, who talked a lot.

Logically, he should have liked Thea’s state back then. But he later realized that being too quiet wasn’t a good thing either.

Back then, once Thea got to know him better, she would sometimes get angry and throw little tantrums, clearly capable of responding to him but just unwilling to speak.

It was at that time he never imagined that an overly quiet atmosphere would bring him a sense of panic he had never experienced before.

After dinner, Silas grabbed onto Thea, not letting her go back and insisted on taking her out for some fun.

He and Sean played good cop and bad cop, one persuading her with words while the other nudged her into the car.

Ian, though he didn’t express an opinion, sat in the back seat, blocking her escape on the other side.

"I’m tired," Thea replied weakly.

This wasn’t an excuse.

She hadn’t decided to visit her brother on a whim, so all night, she had been bouncing between excitement and nervous anxiety, barely getting any sleep.

And having cried a bit earlier, she was really drained of energy now.

Silas: "Ah, once we get there, you won’t feel tired anymore."

"..."

It didn’t take long before Silas reached their destination.

"What’s this place?" Thea didn’t recall anything familiar about the surroundings; she was sure she hadn’t been there before.

"It’s Aaron’s ranch, but he gave it to me not long ago."

Silas’s tone couldn’t hide his pride as he spoke of it. Next to him, Sean smiled ambiguously.

Thea was equally surprised.

Ian gestured for her to get out of the car, "Come on, let’s go for a walk."

"Oh." Thea had learned horseback riding when she was a child, taught by her brother.

Aaron had learned many things from a young age; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him versatile. In contrast, her focus was solely on academics with no particular hobbies or notable skills.

Horse riding, if it weren’t for her brother insisting on teaching her back then, she wouldn’t have been interested in learning.

"You guys go ahead and have fun; I’m good just watching." She was genuinely feeling a bit worn out today.

Silas’s intention was to bring her out, help her relax, and shift her focus. Seeing her disinterest, he also lost the mood for playing.

Just as he was considering maybe going somewhere else, Sean suddenly took off his glasses and asked him, "Since we’re here already, why don’t you and Aaron go for a round? Thea and I can place a bet, that would be more fun."

He casually gestured a number to Thea, "This amount, want to play?"

Sean, who disliked animals, was the only one here who couldn’t ride a horse. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Sure."

Horse racing seemed interesting; she didn’t want to participate but could be a spectator. Without a second thought, Thea said, "I’ll bet on Silas. If I win, I’ll buy dinner tonight."

Receiving her look, Sean nodded, "Alright, I’ll take advantage and bet on Aaron."

"I have no problem with it..." Silas said, entirely doing it to humor Thea; whatever made her happy was fine by him, he didn’t care otherwise.

However, Aaron’s side was uncertain as it wasn’t clear how he would react.

Getting Aaron to play along, well, only Sean wouldn’t be afraid to bring it up at the risk of getting beaten.

But, to cheer Thea up, Aaron probably wouldn’t have limits.

As for the outcome, it was, of course, as he expected.

Seeing Ian turning towards the changing room, Silas sighed, not one bit surprised.

——

"A thoroughbred." Seeing Ian’s horse, Thea finally had a smile on her face.

Sean gave a casual glance and then lowered his head to continue polishing his glasses, responding without much enthusiasm, "Looks like I’m going to win."

"Doesn’t matter. The amount you mentioned is alright, not enough for me to lose everything I have."

The race outcome didn’t really matter to the two of them who placed the bet.

"If Aaron wins, you pay for dinner tonight, and I’ll cover the bill."

Upon hearing this, Sean teased, "Looks like Silas didn’t skimp on your salary."

The friendly race officially began, and Thea leaned back on the couch, propping her chin up with her hand, her eyes fixed on the field.

Sean waved his hand to dismiss the waiter.

"I suddenly have a new idea."

"What?" Thea was puzzled.

He said, "How about raising the stakes?"

"Are you short on cash lately? How much are you planning to take me for?"

"Talking about money hurts feelings. Let’s play something else. After all, it’s still uncertain who will win or lose now, so we have a fifty-fifty chance."

"If Aaron wins, you help me with something."

"You actually need my help with something?" Thea felt things weren’t that simple; what could she possibly do to help Sean?

"There’s a banquet next week, and I need a female companion." He smiled, eyes full of scheming.

Thea raised an eyebrow, "And if Silas wins? I don’t need your help with anything, so what would you bet with?"

Sean was evidently prepared, "Simple. If Silas wins, I’ll tell you another secret."

"About Ian."