Chapter 78
Sweet Subterfuge
Dylan did not respond to her question, however.
âYour friend hasnât made it, right?â He grinned like he knew everything.
A little stunned, Larissa shot back instinctively, âHow did you know?â
âAt this time, the elevators are packed with people. For Floor 45. I suppose even if the elevatorâs coming down from the top, it wouldnât stop there.â
Other than that, it was her reaction after receiving her friendâs textâshe did not go inside but decided to buy coffee. That meant that she would still be waiting for quite a long time.
âWhy donât you tell your friend to stay where she is? Weâll send you guys up. You can try our companyâs coffee too. Itâs way better than any coffee you could buy out there!â Dylan looked proud.
Larissa was not comfortable enough to say yes. âWeâll just park ourselves at Starbucks for a while. You and Mr. Rogers can go about your business!â
âWe just came down here for a walk. Thereâs no business to be had.â Dylan was very sincere, but Larissa was doubtful of his sincerity. After all, this did not look like a place where one would take a walk at. However, before she could think too deeply about it, Dylan turned and entered the building, waving at them from the automatic doors. âCome on!â
Larissa glanced at the other two, and they could only follow.
The access gate downstairs can only be opened by card access. Kevan and Dylan never wore ID tags to work as they always used the special passage controlled by security.
Dylan nodded at Larissa and told the security guard, âRemember Ms. Seymour here. The next time she comes to our office, she will use this passage too.â
The guard nodded and agreed at once.
Larissa wanted to say that there was no need for such trouble, but she could not brush off Dylanâs kindness, so she only smiled wryly at the guard before quickly walking past him with her head lowered.
The elevators were right after the access gate, but Kevan and Dylan walked right past them without even looking. Confused, Larissa wanted to know why, but she held back and did not ask.
They kept walking forward until they stopped before a single elevator. It was stuck on the first floor, and the number never changed.
*This is Mr. Rogersâ private elevator,â Dylan explained. âIt can only be unlocked with his fingerprint.â
Kevan placed his right pointer finger on the fingerprint reader near the elevator doors, and they opened with a ding. The group entered the elevator at once, and Kevan pressed the button for the 45th floor before retreating to the corner of the car.
Larissa was going to occupy the other corner when Dylan pushed her, so she ended up falling against Kevan, who pretended to observe the indicator panel but had kept an eye on Larissa the whole time. So, when she fell over, he immediately shifted and caught her. Her warm body exuded a sweet and captivating fragrance as it leaned against him, causing his heart to race involuntarily.
He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her close, but when he saw her panicked expression, he restrained himself.
âBe careful,â Kevan said coldly and let go of her the moment she had found her footing.
Larissa only felt aggrieved as she turned to glare at the culprit who made her fall.
Dylan just gave her an apologetic smile, but it was clear that he was not all that sincere.
âSorry, Ms. Seymour. I didnât mean to.â
The elevator they were in was a sightseeing elevator. The back of it was made of transparent glass, and one could see the scenery outside clearly.
âThere are many skyscrapers around here, so thereâs not much to see at the bottom as everything is blocked off. You can only see the whole of Covenford by going up to the observation deck at the top.
The night scenery is absolutely wonderful. Iâll take you up there when thereâs a chance.â Dylan said to Larissa, who only took his words as a platitude, so she responded, âSure.â without feeling any form of stress.