Chapter 836 Tolerance
Austin hung out in the dark room for a bit, letting his eyes get used to the gloom. Once he could see, he strolled out to the balcony off the living room. Leaning his tall frame against the glass window, he whipped out his phone and called Hannah.
Hannah was munching on some barbecue skewers when she saw Austin's name pop up on her screen, and a wave of panic hit her.
She'd promised Austin earlier that day she wouldn't hang out with Charles alone.
But here she was, having a late-night snack with Charles, just the two of them.
Even though she didn't think it was a big deal, she had made a promise to Austin first.
If he found out she broke it, he'd definitely blow a fuse.
Hannah said, "Mr. Watson, hang on a sec. I gotta take this call!"
Charles glanced at her phone and gave a nod.
Hannah walked over to the side of the road, just far enough from Charles so he couldn't hear her but could still see her.
Before picking up, she shot a quick look at Charles.
Once she was sure he wasn't paying attention, she answered and put the phone to her ear. "Austin, it's so late. Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Austin asked, "Are you still at the office? When are you wrapping up? I can come get you!"
His voice was calm, no hint of emotion. But his fingers were nervously fidgeting with the phone.
Hannah didn't want him to overthink or get the wrong idea, so she quickly said, "No need, I don't know how long I'll be here! You don't need to pick me up! Besides, my apartment's just a few minutes' walk from the office. If you come, it’d just be a waste of time."
Her words made Austin's heart ache.
Austin asked, "So, you're still at the office?"
He asked again, not ready to give up.
Feeling guilty, Hannah instinctively replied, "Yeah! I'm still at the office! There's a ton of work, so I don't know how late I'll be! You should go to bed first! I'll text you when I get home."
Austin's grip on the phone tightened.
No one knew how nervous he was right then.
He didn't want Hannah to lie to him.
Even if the truth hurt, he didn't want her to lie.
Lying meant she felt guilty.
Not lying at least meant she was being honest and that her thing with Charles was innocent.
But he was still let down.
Hannah said, "Yeah! I'm still at the office!"
Austin was crushed, his handsome face tense.
Austin replied, "Alright! Finish up and get home early. Text me when you get home so I can relax."
A few days ago, he might've been mad or demanded she come back right away.
But now he couldn't. He couldn't run into Charles. He couldn't be mad at Hannah.
Fighting with her wouldn't fix anything and would only make her scared of him.
Seeing he didn't push further, Hannah let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay! You should get some rest too."
Austin replied, "You too!"
After a quick rundown of things to be careful about, they hung up.
Austin stood in front of the glass window, his dark eyes locked on the night view outside. He almost crushed his phone in his hand.
Hannah put her phone back in her pocket, finally letting her tense nerves relax.
Luckily, Austin didn't find out.
Otherwise, he would've blown up again.
Back in the day, even though he had this strong need to control stuff, he never lost his cool with her. He'd always gently talk her through things, laying out the pros and cons.
But ever since she started her internship at IntelliMerge Technologies, it was the first time he really lost it.
She hated seeing him mad. It left her feeling all confused and unsure.
After calming herself down and making sure Charles wouldn't notice anything off, Hannah went back to her seat.
Charles casually asked, "You seem to be getting a lot of calls lately."
Hannah smiled, "Not really! I don't have many friends, and usually, it's just family calling me."
Charles nodded lightly.
Family, huh! Maybe he was just overthinking things.
After reassuring Austin, Hannah felt totally relaxed and happily grabbed another skewer to munch on.
Charles thoughtfully refilled her glass with juice.
As they ate and chatted, the gap between them seemed to shrink a lot.
By the time they were stuffed, it was already midnight.
The restaurant wasn't far from Hannah's place, so Charles suggested, "Are you full? How about I walk you home to help digest?"
Hannah shook her head and refused, "Then you'd have to come back alone to get your car? No way, that's too dangerous!"
Charles chuckled, "I'm a guy. What's dangerous about that! Plus, I've been learning self-defense since I was a kid. Not to brag, but even ten guys couldn't get close to me."
Hannah's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"
Was he really that badass?
As they walked towards Hannah's apartment, Charles said, "I was kidnapped when I was five, and I almost died! My mom almost got hurt trying to find me! Since then, I've been practicing self-defense. I need to protect myself so my parents don't worry about me."
A five-year-old, kidnapped. And almost died?
Hannah's surprise turned to sympathy. Trying to lighten the mood, she joked, "So impressive! If I ever get into trouble, you could protect me too?"
Charles, who no longer saw it as a serious matter, agreed, "Of course! I'm very skilled; even the best boxers can't beat me."
Hannah covered her mouth and laughed, "Alright, I get it! I know you're amazing. I believe whatever you say!"
Charles looked down at her face.
Caught up in her mood, he couldn't help but laugh too.
The white moonlight wrapped around them, casting long shadows.
Charles walked Hannah to her door and instinctively reached out to ruffle her hair.
Charles said gently, "Get some rest!"
The sudden intimate gesture made Hannah freeze.
Before she could think too much, Charles urged, "Hurry inside! You worked late tonight, so you can sleep in a bit tomorrow and go to the office later."
Hannah shook her head, "No! I was already late once today. I can't be late again tomorrow! Otherwise, everyone will think I'm incompetent."
Charles smiled and agreed, "Alright!"
Hannah waved at him, "I'm back! You should get some rest too! Text me when you get home."
Charles smiled, "Okay! I'll watch you go in before I leave."
Hannah nodded, entered the code, and went inside.
Charles waited until she was inside and the door was closed before reluctantly leaving.
When Hannah got home, Austin was already gone.
It was like he had never been there, leaving no trace behind.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
