Chapter 218 Breaking the Impasse
?Veyra followed Dorian closely down the long flight of stairs, her footsteps making barely any sound against the floor. Her heart was beating hard and fast against her ribs, her palms felt sticky with nervous sweat, and her mind was spinning in a dozen different directions at once.
?She figured the matriarch was probably sitting right down there in the main living room, waiting, watching, and ready to demand clear answers about what was going on.
?She had been given a strict mission to find out why Dorian had been in such a terrible mood lately, and the family had given her only one day to do it. But that deadline had already come and gone.
?By every measure possible, she had completely failed her task.
?She lifted her gaze to look at Dorian’s back as he walked ahead of her.
?He moved with steady, calm steps. His broad shoulders were completely relaxed, and he held his head high.
?He did not look like a man who was struggling with a foul mood or carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Instead, he looked like a man who had finally enjoyed a full night of uninterrupted sleep and completely bounced back.
?A sudden thought crossed her mind. Did he actually know what was going on?
?Did he know about the matriarch’s hidden instructions? Did he know about the tight deadline or the mission she had been handed?
?She strongly suspected that he did know. That was probably the real reason why he had insisted she come downstairs with him right now. He wanted to back her into a corner and catch her completely off guard.
?Without warning, Dorian stopped walking and turned around to face her.
?"You look completely distracted," he observed, his voice cutting through the quiet hallway.
?Veyra blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
?"You are thinking about a million things at once. Your eyes are looking miles away, and your steps are dragging behind."
?She quickly forced a tight, polite smile onto her face. "I am fine, really."
?"No, you are not fine at all," he said, stepping a little closer to study her expression. "Tell me, what is actually wrong?"
?She hesitated for a second, weighing her options carefully.
?She could easily lie to him. She could tell him she was just feeling sleepy, or claim she was worrying about the upcoming opening of her new shop.
?But she desperately needed answers of her own. She needed to figure something out so she could report back and satisfy the family.
?"Have you been feeling down lately?" she asked, blurting it out before she could second-guess herself.
?Dorian’s facial expression flickered with surprise. "What did you just ask?"
?"I asked if you have been feeling down, or sad, or upset," she continued, holding her ground. "Have you been feeling that way for the past few days?"
?He stayed totally quiet for a moment, letting the question hang in the air. Then he gave a careless shrug.
?"It is just work stress."
?She decided to push a little further instead of letting him brush it off.
?"Is work really that difficult right now?"
?He tilted his head to the side, looking curious. "Why are you suddenly asking me this?"
?"I am just... curious about it."
?"Curious?"
?"Yes."
?He studied every single detail of her face, his dark eyes probing and searching for the hidden truth.
?"Are you actually sitting there feeling concerned about me?"
?Veyra instantly froze in her tracks.
?Her mind went blank, and she had no idea how to answer a direct question like that.
?If she came out and said yes, he would immediately assume she was developing romantic feelings for him. He would think she was crossing the strict boundary line they had drawn, and he would probably put his walls right back up and push her away again.
?On the other hand, if she said no, he would think she did not care about him at all. He would feel dismissed, and he might get hurt or angry.
?She was trapped between two bad choices.
?She hesitated, letting the silence stretch out far too long between them.
?As the quiet lingered, Dorian’s face slowly changed. The tiny flicker of hope that had been sitting in his eyes vanished entirely, and the warm look he gave her cooled down into something distant.
?"I see," he said quietly.
?He spun around on his heel and started walking again, picking up his pace. His steps were sharp, quick, and deliberate.
?He was actively putting physical distance between them once more.
?Veyra hurried forward to catch up with his fast stride.
?In her rush, she stumbled slightly over her own feet and bumped right into him, her shoulder hitting squarely against his back.
?"I am so sorry," she blurted out quickly, feeling flustered. "I did not mean to crash into you like that—"
?He stopped moving and turned back around to look down at her.
?The heavy distance between them was still there. The guarded look in his eyes and the invisible wall he always kept around himself had not gone anywhere.
?He was the one who broke the silence this time.
?"Are you still mad at me?" he asked, his voice unexpectedly soft.
?Veyra blinked in pure confusion. "What are you talking about?"
?"Are you still angry about the milk tea incident? Or the essential oil? Or the harsh way I treated you back then?"
?She did not say a word, just looking down at the floor.
?"I know I was completely in the wrong," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I know I hurt your feelings, and I know I snapped at you for no good reason."
?She took in a slow breath, gathering her courage.
?"I was really angry," she confessed honestly. "At the very beginning, yes."
?"And how do you feel now?"
?"Now... I am not nearly as mad as I was."
?He studied her facial expression again, his gaze sharp and searching.
?"Why did your attitude change?"
?She hesitated, biting her lower lip. "Because I actually took the time to think about it. I thought about why you acted that way."
?Dorian’s jaw tightened instantly, a muscle ticking along his cheek.
?He could sense a distinct shift in her tone. There was a sudden hint of real understanding hiding behind her words.
?His voice dropped to a low, cautious murmur. "What do you mean by that?"
?"I mean... I finally understand your side of reason."
?"Understand what, exactly?"
?She looked away from him, keeping her mouth shut tight.
?He stepped closer, closing the small gap between them, and lowered his voice even further.
?"Veyra, tell me the truth. What do you mean when you say you have a reason?"