59 – Cypress Mosaic

Lucas ​was ​carefully ​savoring ​his favorite strawberry ​shortcake. ​Although ​he ​had ​been adopted into the ​Lockhart ​family and was ​being raised in ​an ​affluent ​environment, ​indulgence ​was ​not permitted. He ​was ​allowed ​to eat only ​the predetermined amount of ​snacks at ​set times.

As ​if saddened ​by the ​cake ​disappearing, ​the child stared ​down at ​the plate for a ​long while after finishing ​a bite. Thinking that ​he was ​no ​different from any other child his ​age, Elian smiled silently, ​making ​sure ​not ​to ​be caught.

Suddenly, he ​recalled a ​holiday ​from a few ​days ​ago.

The incident where he had ​bumped into ​Lorenz ​by chance at ​a ​hotel ​in ​Manhattan.

Looking ​back, it ​felt ​as if ​he had been possessed by something, wondering ​how the four ​of them had ​ended up dining together.

『“How ​about it? ​Since we’ve exchanged ​greetings, ​shall the four ​of us have ​a meal ​together?”』

Lorenz’s ​proposal was ​so ​unexpected [stolen content]that ​Elian ​couldn’t [Read on Read BL Novels]even ​react ​for ​a moment. As ​far ​as Elian ​knew, ​he ​was ​a man who was more closed-off than anyone and far removed from being sociable.

It was surprising enough that he had intentionally approached him to say hello upon spotting him in the hotel lobby. To think he would suggest dining together while Vincent was present…

While Elian was flustered, Vincent and Adriana voiced their agreement, and things progressed noisily and swiftly. By the time he regained his senses, the four of them were sitting in a lavish private room of a restaurant, and Lorenz, sitting opposite him, was casting a persistent gaze that felt as if it might swallow him whole.

“Lorenz Lockhart isn’t all that.”

That day. After parting ways with Lorenz in the hotel lobby, Vincent snorted while waiting for their food in front of a taco truck. He had thought the suggestion to eat tacos on the way to Soho was a joke, but Elian had momentarily forgotten the guy’s monstrous appetite. Vincent was the type who, during Thanksgiving, would polish off enough turkey to feed an entire family and then smack his lips while looking for dessert.

“Not all that? In what sense?”

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

“About what?”

“He’s head over heels for you. Or [Read on Read BL Novels]maybe [visit our site]you actually managed to fix Lorenz, who was a eunuch.”

Vincent was the type to insist that anyone—from someone asking Elian for directions to a waiter being slightly kind—had fallen for him. Since such things happened all the time, Elian wasn’t even surprised by his delusions.

“You say everyone is fallen for me.”

“And have I ever been wrong?”

“Hmm… I think many times. If anything, haven’t you been right very rarely?”

“When? If I was wrong, name one.”

The tacos Vincent ordered were ready. They were beef tacos with every single topping included. The two sat side by side on a nearby bench. Beside Vincent, who was devouring the tacos, Elian searched his memory.

“There was the football captain who swore he liked me, only to get a girlfriend a few weeks later; and the underclassman I suspected of stealing my earphones, who turned out to be innocent… I feel like there’s an endless list like that.”

While eating nearly half [unauthorized copy]a taco in just a couple of bites, Vincent [stolen content]unauthorized copycountered fluently, as if he had been prepared for this.

“The football captain broke up with that girlfriend in less than a month and didn’t date anyone for half a year after that. Even though he was that popular. People kept asking if he was going home with you so much that I thought he owed you money. And as for the earphones, that underclassman might not have been the culprit, but it doesn’t change the fact that someone secretly took the earphones you left in your locker.”

Having confidently defended himself, Vincent held out the other half of the taco, which he hadn’t bitten into, toward Elian.

“Want a bite?”

Elian shook his head.

“I’m good.”

“You barely ate earlier, too.”

He looked at Elian with a worried gaze.

“If you were that worried about me, you should have refrained from egging Lorenz Lockhart on.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Responding sullenly, Vincent showed no sign of reflection.

“Do you really not know? Because I had to read the room between you two, even the little appetite I had left vanished.”

“How could I just stay still when he’s checking you out so blatantly? It’s only natural to engage back.”

Watching Vincent’s profile as he sucked the guacamole sauce off his fingers, Elian let out a sigh. As expected, Vincent had clearly been provoking Lorenz on purpose throughout the meal.

“Checking out what?”

“You’re saying those words and actions aren’t ‘checking out’?”

“He just… has a very twisted personality.”

Elian recalled the eccentric sides of Lorenz he had seen in the beginning. He certainly lacked social skills and was quite clumsy in his communication with others.

“That’s beyond just having a twisted personality. Didn’t you see? He had a look on his face like he wanted to jump across the table and strangle me if he could. He’s so pale, like someone who’s lived locked in a castle without ever seeing sunlight, which makes it scarier. It was practically eerie. For all we know, maybe he’s actually a Dracula?”

Vincent continued to munch on his tacos. He ate with such gusto that he seemed like someone who had skipped lunch.

Casting a meaningless glance toward the people passing by the bench, Elian squinted against the autumn light.

“He’s someone who will be married soon. He said he’s currently having arranged meetings.”

Vincent snorted.

“He’s going to marry someone else while showing that kind of possessiveness toward you?”

“He will.”

“……”

On what basis are you so sure? Vincent’s eyes asked.

“He said marriage is work to him.”

“Marriage is work?”

“He said he’s never thought of it as being tragic. He takes it for granted to choose a marriage that can bring profit.”

“As expected, we live in worlds that can’t understand each other. Why on earth do they need to use even marriage to grab more when they already have so much? Ah, I don’t even want to understand.”

Having finished the tacos and downed the rest of his cola, Vincent crushed the can in his hand with a crunch and lowered his voice.

“Anyway, be careful.”

“Careful of what?”

“Be careful not to get entangled and make things complicated for no reason.”

“Are you talking about getting emotionally entangled?”

Fiddling with the completely flattened cola can, Vincent looked back at Elian.

“If Lorenz Lockhart truly falls for you and woos you, are you confident you won’t be swayed?”

“Why make such an extreme assumption? He’s a person who decides even his marriage partner based on profit and loss. Why would he be interested in me, who brings him absolutely no benefit?”

“It’s just that after seeing him today, I have a bad feeling.”

Typical Vincent, Elian thought. After leaving Chicago and moving [Read on Read BL Novels]to New York, the two had naturally spent time apart. It had Read on Read BL Novelsalready been over two years. He thought the guy’s overprotectiveness might have faded by now, but it seemed he hadn’t changed one bit. Looking at Vincent’s dead-serious profile, Elian actually felt like laughing.

“Why are you laughing? I’m being serious. Look at that guy’s eyes. He’s not a normal human. He’s the type of person you gain nothing from getting involved with.”

“If he’s not a normal human, then what kind of human is he?”

“The kind of human who, once he fixes his sights on something, will chase it to the ends of hell.”

“Like how you ran a mile chasing that stalker back then?”

Vincent was indignant.

“Am I the same as Lorenz Lockhart? I did it to protect my family, but if that guy chases you, that’s obsession.”

Family.

Without the slightest hesitation, he had used the word unauthorized copy‘family’ [Read on Read BL Novels][visit our site]when referring to Elian.

Even if Matteo and Lina hadn’t legally adopted Elian as their son, Vincent’s feelings would have been the same. Elian’s feelings toward them were the same as well.

“If Lorenz Lockhart were to become obsessed with someone, it would at least be someone who brings him profit. Someone necessary for expanding his business, or someone who could play a crucial role in building his network. To become obsessed with another person simply because of romantic feelings… that would probably be difficult. This is my observation so far as a psychological counselor.”

However, even a professional opinion didn’t seem to reach Vincent.

“If the other person has feelings for you and expresses affection, do you really think your heart won’t move?”

Only then did Elian realize that Vincent was genuinely and seriously worried.

“The Lorenz Lockhart I’ve observed as a counselor… is not only someone who finds it difficult to have romantic feelings for another, but also someone who cannot express that liking as normal affection.”

“Is it that bad? Even so, toward someone they like…”

“And, Vincent.”

Elian interrupted his friend with a firm voice.

“That man might be the reason my mother passed away. There’s a very high probability of that.”

“……”

“There’s no way I could ever like a person like that.”

Elian’s tone was soft, but it held a steadfast strength. Within his squinted eyes, shielded from the glare, his sky-blue irises shone vividly. As if demonstrating his own will.

Vincent knew Elian better than anyone. Only then did he nod with a look of understanding.

“Right, I think I was worrying over nothing.”

“……”

“If it’s anyone else, I don’t know, but if it’s you, that wouldn’t happen.”