Chapter 76: My Greatest Desire

< Dylan >
"You are so annoying, Sienna. I hate you," I growled, getting up from my bed. Sienna was standing in front of me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"You are so whipped, Dylie." She ruffled my hair, and I shot her a death glare.
"No, I am not," I retorted and swatted her hand away.
"And I thought you changed. Oh, the anguish!" She let out a fake disappointed sigh.
"Shut up," I muttered and picked up the scattered pages around my bedroom.
"But I would still say, you are whipped, my son." She giggled, motioning at the research materials.
"Sienna, do me a favor. Please shut the hell up," I grunted.
"I mean, take a look at your room," she said in awe.
I didn't have to look around to know how messy my room was. There were scattered papers from my office files, and all my electronic devices were turned on. I was only trying to arrange the perfect date for Shirley, but it got me so riled up that I ended up rejecting most of the plans and decided to go along with something easier.
"Whatever. I'm starving," I let out and walked out of my room with Sienna trailing behind.
"But you know, Dylie, I am happy for you. You smile and laugh so often now. I don't think I have ever seen you this happy after Karen's death." She smiled while we were walking through the corridor.
I always wanted to say this to her, but I never got the courage. Strangely, I felt like all the poison that was brewing inside me till now had been turned into something beautiful by the touch of love. "Thanks for everything you have done for me, Sienna."
Sienna halted, making me look back at her. There were tears in her eyes. "That was sudden... In these fifteen years, you never ever thanked me for anything. It just makes me so happy," she cried with a smile gracing her lips.
"I am sorry for all the troubles I caused you." I wiped her tears and smiled at her softly. "Okay, enough with the waterworks. Dinner must be getting cold."
We went to the dining hall to find Xavier and Riley talking to each other.
"Woah, I thought you were never going to be staying here again," Xavier chimed.
"Yeah, he found his new home," Riley added. He looked exhausted as heck. He had bags under his eyes and his brown hair was messy.
"You look very tired, Riley," I said and took my seat.
"Oh, do I? I totally didn't know that. Who gets tired after doing all of their so-called boss' work?" he retorted.
"Eh?" My confused reaction seemed to have broken his last chain of patience.
"For God's sake, I am not the goddamn CEO. Why should I do your damn work? I am the freaking COO. For the last ten days, who do you think has been doing your work?"
Shoot! I totally forgot I had a company to handle.
"Yes, you are too negligent. Since I am your under-boss, I have been doing your dirty work," Xavier added.
And I also forgot that I rule an entire gang.
"Don't even get me started on that. And Xavier, you did what? You did absolutely nothing, except killing off precious witnesses," Riley snapped at Xavier.
"Hey, that's all that the boss does. I did the same," Xavier murmured innocently.
"Excuse me? That's all I do? You gotta be kidding me. Unlike you, I use my brain—" While we were arguing, we had forgotten there was someone else on the dining table too.
Sienna slammed her palm on the table, shutting us up. "Can you guys knock it off? What are you? Elementary kids? You...." Sienna's lecture went on forever.
We finished our dinner in silence afterward, unless we wanted Sienna to snap our necks. Everyone feared her, after all.
"Dylan, I want to talk to you about something important. Come to my cabin," said Riley after the dinner ended.
I nodded and followed Riley.
After closing the door of his cabin, he sat down on his chair and I took the seat in front of him. The air in the room was getting thicker with every passing second.
"So..." I trailed off.
"Are you serious about Shirley?" he questioned.
"Of course, I am." I didn't understand the reason he was interrogating me.
"Are you willing to take another risk? And you know it very well who she is."
"My life itself is a risk. I don't care about her identity. I love her, and this time, I won't let anyone die. No matter what. I swear it," I said with full determination.
"Determination is good, but the people we fight aren't your average people." Riley clasped his hands and gave me a challenging look.
"That's why I will put an end to all of it. I will make sure things don't get messed up. I won't let her get killed. Within the next ten days, I promise to end this game for good," I stated, a faint smirk tugging on my lips.
"I know what you are thinking. What if it doesn't turn out as you expect?" He arched an eyebrow.
"At least, I can guarantee her safety."
"What about yours?" Riley inquired.
My safety didn't matter to me. If I could manage to ensure a good future for Shirley, that would be enough for me, though I wish to stay with her forever. Given our situation, it was probably not possible.
"That doesn't matter. I won't let anything happen to Shirley. That's all I care about."
I will do everything in my reach to protect her precious life.
———
It was around six in the morning when I heard my cell phone ringing on the nightstand. With my eyes closed, I tried reaching out to it. I ended up pushing off the alarm clock in the process but managed to grab my phone.
In a groggy tone, I mumbled, "Hello?"
"Good morning, Dylan."
My jolted open when I heard Shirley's trembling voice. "What's wrong, love?" I inquired, sitting up.
"N—nothing. I was just missing you," Shirley said. My heart dropped at her weak voice. I knew she was hiding something. She probably had another nightmare and didn't want to bother me by telling it. She probably contemplated a thousand times before finally giving me a call.
"I miss you too, love. What are you doing right now?" I asked, trying to keep her distracted while putting on my clothes. I just wiped my face with a wet towel and gurgled my mouth before heading out with my car keys.
"I was just watching a few racing videos you recommended earlier. Maybe I am too nervous about the tournament," Shirley mumbled.
"Are your friends still there?" I got in my car and connected the Bluetooth to the car, getting her voice on the car speaker, before I started driving.
"Yes, they stayed the night. I feel bad for not telling them anything, but I'm glad I'm not alone," she said. I could hear the sound of a light breeze from where she was. She was probably at the terrace so that she wouldn't disturb her friends' sleep.
"What did you guys talk about last night?" I inquired to keep the conversation going.
I kept talking to her until I reached her apartment building. Once I parked the car in the garage, I took the elevator to the terrace and flowed her sitting on the thick railings, her dark brown hair blowing along with the wind. Her back seemed so small as she was crouched, her shoulders slumped. She seemed so very down—very unlike my Shirley.
I knew that she was guilty of getting me hurt, for not telling me about her stalker. I knew that she thought she didn't deserve me when the case was the other way around. I was the one who didn't deserve someone so pure and naive. I was so twisted, so very toxic for her. Yet, I was selfish enough to not let go of her.
It was true that I didn't want to fall for her. But once I did, I knew there was no going back. She became my greatest desire. Unknowingly, I started wanting her more than my revenge.
I took slow steps towards her. When I got closer, I saw tear marks on her cheek and eyes filled with tears that she was trying to hold back.
She was blabbering when I spoke up, "I love you."
"Is it just me or does your voice sound closer?" Shirley joked.
"Why don't you check by looking behind?" I said, making her eyes go wide.
Shirley immediately turned her head, a surprised look crossed her face. She was about to jump to me when I stopped her and helped her get down carefully. When she placed her feet down, she wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her face within my chest.
I didn't say anything, just letting her find comfort within me. When she was ready, she would say it herself. For now, all I could was provide her some comfort and love.