Chapter 584 It's Has Nothing to Do With Me
"He came to see me," Elara said, back to her usual bubbly self, her eyes sparkling.
Richard got it right away. "Jesse?"
Elara nodded. "Yeah."
"You can't go," Richard said, protective as ever.
Elara stopped packing, looking puzzled. "Why not?"
"Remember how he treated you when he turned you down?" Richard didn't care about Jesse's reasons; he just knew Elara shouldn't be so easily swayed. "He rejected you, so you left. Now he wants to see you, and you just go? Does that make any sense?"
"That was..." Elara started to explain.
"I don't care why he did it. He ignored your feelings, and that was wrong," Richard's voice was calm but firm. "Even if he thought it was for your own good, that's just his assumption."
Elara thought back to what had happened and realized Richard had a point.
"But I already promised him," she said, still thinking about Jesse.
"A promise can be broken," Richard said, eyeing her suitcase. "You need to take control."
"But..." Elara didn't want to break her word.
"No buts," Richard said firmly. He didn't have many people he was close to, and Elara was one of them.
Richard hoped Elara's love life wouldn't be too chaotic. If she always put the other person first, he worried she'd get hurt.
"Jesse is the person Daphne trusts the most. If you can't trust him, can't you trust Daphne's judgment?" Elara tried to convince Richard. "If it were someone else, I might agree with you, but Jesse is different."
Jesse always did whatever Elara asked.
"Life and love are separate," Richard said bluntly. "Even if he's reliable with Daphne, that doesn't mean he's reliable in love."
Elara looked down, unsure of what to do.
Just then, Brian walked over. Seeing the tension, he asked, "What's going on with you two?"
"She's going to see her first love," Richard said casually.
"Let her go," Brian said, knowing who he meant.
Richard shot him a dangerous look.
Elara's eyes lit up. "You think I should go?"
"Of course. It's just a meeting, not a wedding," Brian said, nudging Richard. "Don't be mad."
Richard didn't say anything, but his disapproval was clear.
"Why are you going to see him?" Brian asked.
Elara explained the agreement she had with Jesse and the phone call they just had.
After she finished, the room was quiet for a moment.
"You can't make her break her promise," Brian said to Richard, then turned to Elara. "When you go, don't show your feelings too much. Even if he says he wants to marry you and you want to be with him, play it cool."
"I know," Elara said with a smile. She didn't plan to jump back into things with Jesse.
Jesse had made her angry and sad for too long; he needed to work for it. If he didn't, she'd make sure he regretted it.
"Go ahead," Brian said, giving his approval.
Richard knew he couldn't stop her, so he turned and headed upstairs.
Brian followed. "What's up with you?"
Richard stayed silent.
A moment later, Richard packed up Brian's stuff and tossed it at him. His attitude had turned icy. "She left, so you don't need to stay here either."
"Don't be so cold. I've helped out a bit these past few days," Brian said, clutching his bag and heading upstairs. "Are you just tossing me aside now?"
Brian leaned in closer. "Can I stay a few more days?"
"No," Richard's refusal was firm.
"Come on, let me stay," Brian said, trying to be playful. "I'll do anything, even sleep with you."
Richard's whole body tensed, his calm eyes turning frosty.
He looked at Brian's face, which hadn't changed much since they were young. "Sleep with me?"
"Yeah!" Brian still hadn't caught on to the shift in mood.
"Didn't you say it was disgusting?" Richard didn't want to get tangled up with Brian anymore. "Well, now I find it disgusting too."
That simple sentence brought back memories from years ago.
A deep guilt appeared in Brian's eyes. He spoke slowly, "I only said that to gain my parents' trust. You know I didn't mean it."
"It doesn't matter," Richard said, not wanting to hear anymore.
Brian tried to continue, "Richard."
Richard cut him off, "Please leave my house."
"I'm not going," Brian said, sitting down on the floor. "I'm staying right here."
"If you don't leave, I'll call the cops," Richard said bluntly.
"Go ahead. You'd better have them lock me up forever," Brian shot back, his eyes showing a stubborn glint. "Otherwise, I'll bug you every day, and you'll never get rid of me."
For a moment, Richard really wanted to call the police to take Brian away.
But he couldn't do it. Despite his refusal, he had to admit that Brian held a special place in his heart. Maybe that was why Brian kept pushing his way back in.
"I know you care about what happened back then and you'll never forget the pain," Brian said, opening up for the first time. "But I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Even if you don't accept me, I'll stay with you forever."
"Not necessary," Richard said, still refusing.
"It's necessary," Brian said, now being shameless. "Without you, I'll die."
Richard started walking downstairs, his words cutting like knives. "Then go die."
"If that's what you want, I agree," Brian said, suddenly serious.
Richard's whole body stiffened. He instinctively turned around, but Brian was no longer at the stairs.
He was about to go find Brian but stopped himself, forcing down his emotions, and continued walking downstairs.
Seeing Richard ignore him, Brian ran out and chased after him. "Why didn't you come to find me? Aren't you afraid I'll really die?"
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