Chapter 219 The Reason Why
?Dorian kept his dark eyes completely fixed on her face, waiting for her to finish her thought.
?"What do you actually mean by ’reason’?" he asked, his voice dropping to a low, serious tone.
?Veyra felt her heart pounding hard against her ribs. Her throat suddenly felt dry and tight, and her mind raced rapidly trying to find the right words.
?She knew she could not tell him the actual truth. She could not admit that she knew all about Iris, nor could she let on that she understood he was in love with a complete ghost from his past.
?She had given Wesley her word. She had promised to keep those secrets locked away.
?"I just mean..." She paused for a second, swallowing hard. "I understand that you have your own heavy burdens to carry."
?Dorian’s facial expression flickered with surprise at her words.
?"Burdens?"
?"Yes," she nodded slowly. "Things that you are dealing with behind the scenes. Things that you do not want to talk about with anyone else."
?She met his gaze directly, her voice staying calm and steady.
?"I know you had your reasons for doing what you did. For throwing away my milk tea. For tossing out the essential oil. And for the harsh way you treated me back then."
?She paused, taking a breath.
?"I might not know what those exact reasons are, but I know they are real. And more importantly, I know they never had anything to do with me."
?Dorian stayed completely silent for a long moment, letting her words sink deep into his mind.
?The visible tension in his broad shoulders eased up just a fraction. The tight, angry line around his mouth softened into something much more neutral.
?"So you are not angry with me anymore?" he asked quietly.
?"I was really mad at first, yes," she admitted. "But I am not anymore."
?"Why did you change your mind?"
?"Because I know what it feels like to carry things you are not allowed to share with people. To have hidden secrets, and to feel like you cannot explain yourself even when you want to."
?Dorian studied every line of her face with a softer expression.
?He could clearly see the total sincerity shining in her eyes. He heard the genuine calm in her voice, and he appreciated the fact that she was not pushing him, demanding answers, or sitting in judgment.
?Right then, he felt something shift deep inside his chest. The thick wall he had built around his emotions over the years, and the cold distance he always kept between them, finally started to crumble. Just a little bit.
?"Thank you," he said softly.
?Veyra blinked in confusion. "What are you thanking me for?"
?"For actually trying to understand."
?They stood there facing each other in the quiet hallway for a moment.
?The tense atmosphere between them had finally eased up. The long, frustrating cold war they had been fighting had thawed away, at least a little bit.
?Yet, neither of them was brave enough to address the huge elephant sitting right in the middle of the room.
?They did not mention the kiss.
?They did not talk about the way he had pinned her down to the mattress, the way his hands had touched her skin, or the panicked moment she had kicked him away onto the floor.
?He genuinely could not remember any of it, and she certainly had no desire to bring it up and remind him.
?So they just stood there in awkward silence, neither one willing to speak first.
?Suddenly, the quiet was broken as Dorian’s phone buzzed sharply in his pocket.
?He reached down, pulled the device out, and looked down at the bright screen. The moment his eyes scanned the text, his entire facial expression shifted dramatically.
?"What is wrong?" Veyra asked, noticing the quick change.
?He did not answer her question right away. He just kept staring at the message while his jaw tightened into a hard knot.
?"It is Kaelen," he muttered.
?"What does he want?"
?He lifted his head to look at her, but his eyes looked completely distant and ice-cold now.
?"I have to leave right now."
?He turned on his heel without another word and started walking fast toward the front door.
?Veyra took a few steps after him. "Dorian, wait—"
?He did not slow down, and he did not look back over his shoulder. He just picked up his pace.
?She stopped walking near the doorway and watched him go.
?He pushed the front door open, stepped outside, and climbed straight into the waiting car. The engine roared to life with a low growl, and the vehicle quickly pulled away from the curb and sped down the drive.
?She stood there by herself in the quiet entryway, feeling completely alone and utterly confused.
?Meanwhile, Dorian sat rigidly in the back seat of the moving car.
?His smartphone was still gripped tightly in his hand, and Kaelen’s text message stayed lit up on the screen in front of him.
?Movement spotted near the Black Triangle’s known operations area. Suspicious activity reported. Possible fresh lead on the mercenaries.
?His blood ran ice-cold in his veins.
?The Black Triangle. Those were the exact people who had murdered Percy. Those were the ones responsible for Lydia’s death. And they were the very same monsters who had tried to assassinate him years ago.
?He had been waiting for this moment, hunting for any scrap of information, for years.
?He quickly tapped out a reply on the glass screen. I am on my way right now. Do not make a move or do anything until I get there.
?He slammed his thumb down on the send button.
?He leaned his head back against the leather headrest and stared blankly out the side window as the buildings of the city blurred past in a rush of concrete and glass.
?His jaw remained locked tight, and his hands were clenched into hard fists on his lap.
?He was going to find them. He was going to make every single one of them pay for what they did.
?He was finally going to get full revenge for his brother, his sister-in-law, and his entire ruined family.
?The car sped furiously through the busy streets, cutting through traffic.
?In that rush of adrenaline, Dorian did not think about Veyra at all. He completely forgot about the complicated kiss in the middle of the night, and he pushed the lingering awkwardness of their cold war completely out of his mind.
?His brain was entirely consumed by one single thought. The Black Triangle.
?He could only think about the path of revenge waiting for him ahead.