Chapter 16 DEAN : 286 Vouchers I stilled for a moment , then scoffed , brushing it off with a laugh . " She's just a little girl . What nonsense are you spouting ? " " You say that like you're a whole generation older , " Callum said flatly . " You two are what ? Five years apart ? " " Five years is a lot , " I countered . " That's only two years less than the gap between her and her siblings . " " Oh . " His tone was somewhat irritating . " Still doesn't change the fact that you're falling for her . " I didn't know why I suddenly felt the need to prove him wrong . " Actually ... " I sat up straighter . " It's just a temporary deal . I'm only holding the title of her fiancé until she finds a better way out of marrying that guy . " " You do realize , " Callum said , tilting his head , " that going this far to justify yourself is exactly what gives you away ? " I rolled my eyes . There was simply no reasoning with him . " Believe whatever you want - doesn't make it true , " I muttered , shutting my eyes . Out of sight , out of mind . 08:51 11 7887oudert " You should've seen yourself when you talked about her earlier , " he said before getting up . " Your eyes were shining , like stars in the night sky . And your smile - it was different . The most genuine I've ever seen . Even long after he left for work , those words echoed in my hend He must've misunderstood , and confused admiration for something else , I thought with conviction . Love at first sight ? Please . That kind of cliché didn't happen to people like me . I'm just too rational and emotionally distant for that to happen . And it wasn't even exactly first sight . We'd known each other as kids - though we barely spoke and only saw each other from a distance , I reached for my coffee , eager for a shot of caffeine , only to find it had gone cold . Sighing , I stood up and took the mug to the sink . But instead of moving on with my day , I found myself back in my room , staring at my phone . At her contact . We'd exchanged numbers last night before we parted . I sat on the edge of my bed , fingers hovering over the chat box . But even after a long while , I didn't type anything . Frustrated , I tossed the phone aside . Damn it . I was actually letting Callum's words get to me , Just then , my phone buzzed - a notification . 08:51 Chapter 16 1288 Vouchers My heart jolted before I even checked . Maybe it was because I'd just been thinking about her , but Lily was the first person that came to mind . It was her . { I'm going to the business district at noon for some shopping . If you're free , do you want to meet and talk ? } I didn't even realize I was smiling until I caught my reflection in the phone screen . I didn't even realize I was smiling until I caught the faint reflection of myself on the screen of the phone . I froze , my smile slipping . Was Callum really ... right ? If not , why did a simple message make me ' this ' happy ? Then , I found myself smiling again . There was no point tying myself up in knots over it . I'd find out soon enough - whether this meant something more , or if I was just being swayed by Callum's words . Feeling much more at ease , I sent her a reply . { Sure . I'll call when I get there . } Her reply came almost instantly . { Alright . } 08:51 Chapter 16 288 ( Vouchers For some reason , I pictured her - eyes glued to her phone - as she awaited my response and laughed under my breath . LILITH I smiled to myself at Dean's reply . That was one matter down . The clock read . Three hours to go until the meeting . Meeting him hadn't been a spur - of - the - moment decision , it was one I'd made after careful consideration . I didn't doubt he was trying to use me in the inheritance battle , but beyond that , I wasn't sure what else he was after . His true motives remained unclear . Why help me at all , if he wasn't gaining something in return ? It definitely couldn't be something sentimental - like childhood affection . Granted , the memories from my previous life had blurred much of my early childhood , but even so , I was fairly certain that until he left the country at seventeen , we'd had little to no interaction . So , I have to ask him candidly what exactly he wanted from me . If it turned out to be something reasonable , I didn't mind offering help in return . But if not ... then I'd need to start working on a solid Plan B. Fast . Suddenly , I remembered I hadn't asked May something important - why Dean had appeared 08:51 Chapter 16 288 ( Vouchers at the banquet last night when he hadn't in my past life . " May . " [ Yes , host ? ] " I have a question . " [ It's about the man you met last night . Dean Callahan , right? ] My eyes narrowed . " How did you know ? " [ I know you must be wondering if I broke the rule and peeked into your thoughts . But rest assured - I didn't . I never break promises . I'm bound by the hea- ] It broke off , then continued . [ To put it simply , I see and hear everything you do . ] Oh . That explained it . " Then explain Dean's presence . Is it a butterfly effect from my rebirth ? " [ All I can say is , he simply ended up where his heart longed to be . The rest will make sense in time . ] " Where his heart longed to be ? " I tapped my fingers against my knees . " Is that a riddle ? " [ Here's a final hint : Follow your heart . Sometimes , it knows more than the human mind ever will . ] Another riddle ? 08:52 Chapter 16 I frowned . I was never good at riddles " Would you mind elaborating ? " I was met with silence , 11 288 Nouchers " May ? " I called - out loud and in my mind - but it didn't respond . Yet I could feel its presence . So it was ignoring me on purpose ? Because of those so - called riddles ? Albeit confused about the whole thing , I decided to hold on to those words . Maybe I'll be able to unravel their meanings one day . But for now - and before I met Dean - there was something else I had to take care of. A very important task : Finding an apartment . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!