After lunch, Thea Lynch went straight back to her room to rest to avoid Ian Preston.
She thought she'd "coincidentally" meet him again in the evening, but to her surprise, she didn't run into Ian from that afternoon until the third morning.
In Westmere, her grandparents, both retired traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, had opened a small clinic.
After accompanying the elderly couple to the clinic, Thea decided to take a stroll nearby. While waiting for the taxi, a call came in.
It was an unfamiliar number from Coronet.
She hesitated for a while before pressing the answer button.
She didn't speak first, silently waiting for the other party to talk.
As soon as the call connected, a somewhat familiar male voice came through, but it wasn't Ian.
"Is this Thea Lynch?"
"And you are...?"
"It's me, darling, Silas Cheney. Come on, you can't even recognize my voice now?"
Thea let out a sound, her tone filled with joy, "Big brother Silas!"
Silas spoke with a strong Beijing accent, a genuine local dialect.
"I went through so much trouble to get your number. You came back to the country without even telling me."
"I just haven't had the chance yet." This excuse, she had used successfully many times.
Compared to Ian, she liked the more outgoing Silas when she was younger; he was quite entertaining.
"I'm also in Westmere now. Are you at your grandma's house? I'll come find you."
"Now?"
"Of course. It's been so long, surely you can spare some time for a meal with me, right?"
——
Once they met, Silas put his hand on her shoulder and ruffled her hair, playfully reprimanding, "You heartless girl. Back then, I wasn't in Coronet at all and didn't know anything."
"It's one thing to cut ties with them, but why drag me into it? You haven't contacted me at all over these years. It's like you don't care about your big brother at all."
"After all I've done for you when you were a kid, always the one to take the blame for your mistakes. Forgotten, have you?"
"..."
Silas led her to a tea restaurant across the street. Once seated, he gently touched her ear and asked seriously, "You're really okay now? No lingering issues?"
Thea shook her head, "Got better right when I started college."
At the mention of college, Silas seized the opportunity, "By the way, what did you study again?"
"Electronic engineering."
"What a coincidence!" Silas feigned surprise.
Thea's mouth twitched, "Coincidence?"
She recalled that Silas didn't major in that at all.
"I opened a tech company and just can't find the right people. My tiny company is about to shut down."
"In Coronet, and you can't find people to hire?" Thea didn't believe him.
Silas gestured dramatically before her, "What I lack is high-end technical talent like you, so rare and precious."
Thea: "..."
He chuckled, subtly playing the emotional card, "So my dear overseas doctor, taking into account our friendship, won't you join your brother's company? I'll give you shares."
"But I already have a job abroad."
"You haven't started yet, right? It's no big deal. I'll double your salary here, or you name the price, and I'll agree without blinking, signing the contract immediately."
In any case, it wasn't his money to spend.
"It's not about the money." Thea took a breath, unsure how to decline.
Silas had always been that way in her memory. His words were persuasive, rarely could anyone best him.
"Staying in Coronet isn't better? Do you plan to remain abroad forever?"
He then launched into a moral appeal: "Besides, you've achieved so much; you should return to contribute to your homeland."
Under his relentless persuasion, Thea wasn't his match and said she'd think it over.
"Please don't." Silas made a gesture to stop her. "I can't trust you anymore. Say you'll think about it, and next thing I know, you'll sneak away on a midnight flight."
"If you leave, my budding career won't even have a chance to flourish. You know my family thinks I'm just loafing around. If I don't show some results soon, they'll pack me off for an arranged marriage."
"Would you really let your brother enter the grave of marriage so young? And with someone he doesn't even like."
As he performed, he clutched his chest with a look of dramatic sorrow, nearly on the verge of tears to sway Thea.
Thea was amused by him and gave in, "Alright, alright, I'll give you an answer by tonight, okay?"
"Why wait until tonight? Be decisive, do it now."
"Now?!" Thea's eyes widened in shock, "But..."
"It's urgent. Among this group of people, my grandpa only trusts you. If I recruit you, it'll put his mind at ease. You've just returned and don't know; he's been unwell lately... Oh, just consider it a personal favor to me, save your brother's poor life first, okay?"
"We're practically siblings, blood is thicker than water!"
"..." Thea rubbed her forehead helplessly; they were at best childhood friends from the same compound, not siblings.
But Silas was right about one thing: she couldn't stay abroad forever.
She intended to work abroad for two years before reconsidering returning, and now it seemed coming back to work wasn't infeasible.
Their relationship was significant too, and it was hard to refuse his sincere invitation.
After some thought, she relented, "Fine, I'll go to Coronet in a couple of days to talk it over at your company."
"That's the good sister of mine!" He magically produced a contract, "Sign here first, and everything will be settled."
"?"
In the end, Thea was compelled to sign the "contract of servitude."
After dropping her off, Silas reviewed the contract from start to finish and, once satisfied, immediately called Ian.
"Third Brother, everything went smoothly. She's on board."
"Thanks."
"Oh, we're like family. Besides, she's been abroad for so long that everyone was worried."
Just yesterday, he had been away, and Ian had called him back.
Upon hearing of Thea's return, he could barely contain his joy before Ian mentioned she was planning to leave again.
The two discussed it and finally devised such a plan to keep her.
This company was his in name only; the real boss behind the scenes was Ian. It was Ian who approached him first back then.
When he thought back to it, the year they founded the company coincided with the year Thea graduated with her bachelor's degree!
Damn, what's this? Waiting for her to come back, baiting for the long haul?
Having just assisted him with something big, Silas, not fearing Ian at this point, cheekily teased, "Oh, Third Brother, you've really played the long game here."
He always wondered why Ian would keep running such a little company; turns out, it was all part of this plan.
Tsk tsk tsk, who'd have thought the bigshot Ian of Coronet would come to this day of hovering like a lovesick fool.