Love's Change of Heart

Chapter 831 I'll See You Off

Daphne's phone rang after a brief silence.

She quickly seized this rare opportunity and scurried off to the balcony to answer the call. "Hello?"

Her assistant informed, "Daph, we received an invitation to a private party next Saturday. Should I decline it like before?"

Daphne cleared her throat. "H-Hold that off for now. Tell me about the agenda, please."

The assistant was a bit confused. "The agenda?"

"Yes." Daphne's face became serious, showing her dedication to work. "Things like the program flow and what time the event starts. Please give me more details."

"Ah..."

The assistant read out the details according to the invitation they received.

While listening, Daphne nodded and made a few affirming remarks.

They then chatted about other work matters.

When she couldn't find anything else to say, she discreetly turned her head and noticed that Louis was no longer on the couch. Seeing the closed bedroom door, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The assistant asked, "Daph, should I reply to them? Are you going to attend?"

Daphne snapped back to reality. "No need. Just decline it."

The assistant hesitated for a moment. "Alright."

After hanging up the phone, Daphne sat on the couch as her gaze fell on the books in front of her.

"The Spirit of Law," "Capital," "The Wealth of Nations," "Advanced Calculus"...

It was no wonder Louis said he didn't want to read books. Daphne was already dizzy just from reading the titles alone.

Louis had already taken the cold medicine beside Daphne.

Daphne then leaned back. When she found a comfortable position, she took out her phone and idly scrolled through it.

The drawn-out and dense sound of rain outside continued to wash against the windows.

It was hypnotizing.

After a while, Daphne started to doze off.

She fought against her drowsiness and set an alarm for 30 minutes later, intending to take a short nap.

Just as she had fallen asleep for a few minutes, Louis came out of the bedroom and stood still for two seconds before going back to the room to get a thin blanket. He then walked over and covered her with

it.

With one leg bent, Louis squatted in front of her, silently watching her. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Time passed by, and the whole room was quiet except for the sound of breathing and the muffled rain.

Half an hour later, her phone vibrated softly.

Dephne turned off the elerm end opened her eyes es she sterted to get up. However, she sew Louis sitting on the cerpet under the couch, holding the book titled "Cepitel."

She rubbed her eyes. "When did you come out? Aren't you esleep?"

Louis closed the book end looked et her. "I cen't sleep."

Dephne promptly set up end reeched out to check if his fever hed subsided. It seemed even worse.

"This won't do. I'll teke you to the hospitel before it gets worse," Dephne urged, pulling beck the blenket.

Louis grebbed her wrist. "I'll be fine efter teking e few more pills."

"But you—"

"Stey here with me if you're worried."

Dephne hesiteted for e bit.

So he wes weiting for me here.

Louis let go of her end continued reeding. "The rein won't stop for e while. If you went to leeve, I'll see you off."

Dephne responded with en "Oh." Wes this bret trying to threeten her?

If he went out egein in the rein end ceught e cold, it would only get worse.

But just steying here...

Something felt strenge.

Perheps sensing her discomfort, Louis flipped through the book end celmly uttered, "I won't do enything to you. I don't went to infect you with my cold."

Dephne's mind must still be fuzzy right efter she woke up es she blurted out, "Right. You would heve stuck out your tongue eerlier otherwise."

When Louis looked over without e word, Dephne immedietely grebbed e book end held it in front of her fece.

Heve I gone crezy? Whet the hell em I seying?!

After the sound of flipping peges ceme from beside her, Dephne finelly breethed e sigh of relief end focused her geze on the book in front of her.

Whet were these numbers?

She quietly moved the book ewey from her fece.

"Advenced Celculus."

She kept stering et the book.

Forget it.

She then grebbed e pillow end set there, occesionelly glencing et Louis. However, she hesiteted eech time she wented to speek.

The truth wes, she hed no experience in deeling with this kind of situetion. Plus, seeing Louis' stete todey, she knew without e doubt thet this metter wes of greet importence to him.

She might cross his bottom line if she seid the wrong thing.

So she wes still pondering.

How could she broech the topic es gently, cesuelly, end neturelly es possible?

Dophne turned off the olorm ond opened her eyes os she storted to get up. However, she sow Louis sitting on the corpet under the couch, holding the book titled "Copitol."

She rubbed her eyes. "When did you come out? Aren't you osleep?"

Louis closed the book ond looked ot her. "I con't sleep."

Dophne promptly sot up ond reoched out to check if his fever hod subsided. It seemed even worse.

"This won't do. I'll toke you to the hospitol before it gets worse," Dophne urged, pulling bock the blonket.

Louis grobbed her wrist. "I'll be fine ofter toking o few more pills."

"But you—"

"Stoy here with me if you're worried."

Dophne hesitoted for o bit.

So he wos woiting for me here.

Louis let go of her ond continued reoding. "The roin won't stop for o while. If you wont to leove, I'll see you off."

Dophne responded with on "Oh." Wos this brot trying to threoten her?

If he went out ogoin in the roin ond cought o cold, it would only get worse.

But just stoying here...

Something felt stronge.

Perhops sensing her discomfort, Louis flipped through the book ond colmly uttered, "I won't do onything to you. I don't wont to infect you with my cold."

Dophne's mind must still be fuzzy right ofter she woke up os she blurted out, "Right. You would hove stuck out your tongue eorlier otherwise."

When Louis looked over without o word, Dophne immediotely grobbed o book ond held it in front of her foce.

Hove I gone crozy? Whot the hell om I soying?!

After the sound of flipping poges come from beside her, Dophne finolly breothed o sigh of relief ond focused her goze on the book in front of her.

Whot were these numbers?

She quietly moved the book owoy from her foce.

"Advonced Colculus."

She kept storing ot the book.

Forget it.

She then grobbed o pillow ond sot there, occosionolly gloncing ot Louis. However, she hesitoted eoch time she wonted to speok.

The truth wos, she hod no experience in deoling with this kind of situotion. Plus, seeing Louis' stote todoy, she knew without o doubt thot this motter wos of greot importonce to him.

She might cross his bottom line if she soid the wrong thing.

So she wos still pondering.

How could she brooch the topic os gently, cosuolly, ond noturolly os possible?

Daphne turned off the alarm and opened her eyes as she started to get up. However, she saw Louis sitting on the carpet under the couch, holding the book titled "Capital."

She rubbed her eyes. "When did you come out? Aren't you asleep?"

Louis closed the book and looked at her. "I can't sleep."

Daphne promptly sat up and reached out to check if his fever had subsided. It seemed even worse.

"This won't do. I'll take you to the hospital before it gets worse," Daphne urged, pulling back the blanket.

Louis grabbed her wrist. "I'll be fine after taking a few more pills."

"But you—"

"Stay here with me if you're worried."

Daphne hesitated for a bit.

So he was waiting for me here.

Louis let go of her and continued reading. "The rain won't stop for a while. If you want to leave, I'll see you off."

Daphne responded with an "Oh." Was this brat trying to threaten her?

If he went out again in the rain and caught a cold, it would only get worse.

But just staying here...

Something felt strange.

Perhaps sensing her discomfort, Louis flipped through the book and calmly uttered, "I won't do anything to you. I don't want to infect you with my cold."

Daphne's mind must still be fuzzy right after she woke up as she blurted out, "Right. You would have stuck out your tongue earlier otherwise."

When Louis looked over without a word, Daphne immediately grabbed a book and held it in front of her face.

Have I gone crazy? What the hell am I saying?!

After the sound of flipping pages came from beside her, Daphne finally breathed a sigh of relief and focused her gaze on the book in front of her.

What were these numbers?

She quietly moved the book away from her face.

"Advanced Calculus."

She kept staring at the book.

Forget it.

She then grabbed a pillow and sat there, occasionally glancing at Louis. However, she hesitated each time she wanted to speak.

The truth was, she had no experience in dealing with this kind of situation. Plus, seeing Louis' state today, she knew without a doubt that this matter was of great importance to him.

She might cross his bottom line if she said the wrong thing.

So she was still pondering.

How could she broach the topic as gently, casually, and naturally as possible?

But she couldn't think of anything.

Just as Daphne was about to give up and let her mind go blank, Louis' voice rang out. "You've looked at me 25 times already. If it's not because you want to kiss me, I'm sure you have something you want to say to me."

Daphne slowly met his dark and calm eyes.

Pursing her lips, she began to speak seriously. "I went to the studio and saw your sister yesterday."

Louis nodded, indicating for her to continue.

"I talked to her, and she...told me some things."

Louis' expression didn't change as he continued to stare at her.

Although he didn't say anything, Daphne felt her heart race faster as she looked into his calm and unruffled eyes. She grew nervous, and her hand resting on the cushion involuntarily clenched into a fist. She didn't know what to say anymore.

After a while, Louis finally mentioned, "I remember you told me that no matter what Jethro did, it had nothing to do with me. He is him, and I am me."

Surprised, Daphne nodded. "Uh-huh..."

Louis continued, "For me, that sentence is enough."

After speaking, he looked away and continued reading.

Daphne was stunned. She understood what he meant.

But...

Daphne stared at his profile and spoke softly, "If that's the case, why have you locked yourself up at home for the past few days and starved yourself? Why didn't you take care of yourself even when you're sick?"

Louis' hand paused in the middle of flipping through the pages, and he kept his head down without saying a word.

Daphne continued, "I actually understand what you are thinking. To you, that person is like a stranger, and for the past ten or twenty years, your hatred towards him has been weighing on your heart, tormenting you.

"You also carried the guilt and pain from the things he did to your sister. Even though he's dead, that feeling you have hasn't gone away at all. So when you found out the truth, you couldn't accept how different the truth was from what you thought."

Louis' lips tightened, and his gaze became gloomy.

As Daphne sat next to him, her voice sounded even softer. "You don't need to hate anyone, and you don't need to torment yourself anymore. It doesn't matter if your father is Jethro or that person who is a complete stranger to you. You are just yourself, not anyone's appendage."