Chapter 73 Beginning of Reciprocation
NANCY’S POV
He sat behind his desk, and the moment I walked in, he lifted his head.
He didn’t speak immediately; he waited until I was seated across from him before he spoke.
“You wanted to see me?”
I spent a minute studying his face, noticing the crinkle on his forehead that suggested fatigue.
“Yes.”
Silence settled between us again, for a long minute. I was organizing my thoughts, and he looked like he was waiting for me to do that.
After much thought, I decided to just speak straightforwardly.
“Did you do it?”
His brow raised a little. “Do what?”
“Hudson’s arrest was it your doing?”
The moment I asked him, I pretty much already had my answer and I came to that conclusion because of the lack of surprise on his face.
He leaned all the way back, then folded his hands. “What makes you think that?”
“It’s pretty much obvious, isn’t it?”
Even though I had made my conjecture, I still wasn’t sure, and I needed him to confirm its factuality.
“Also…” I drawled out, testing his reaction.
“You asked me about it yesterday, and then this happened. Say, don’t you think it's strange?”
“What is so strange about it?” He uncrossed his arms, staring straight at me.
“Illegal arms were found in his possession, and he was arrested for it. Isn’t that normal?”
He didn’t realize, but I had him exactly where I wanted him.
Mr Landon was a smart man; his status as a lecturer was enough evidence of his intelligence, and I doubted I could ever trick him, but somehow, even though I hadn’t put much effort into it, I was able to.
“But I didn’t tell you what he was arrested for.”
He stilled.
It was only for a moment, and it was subtle, but still, I caught it.
“It was you.”
That wasn’t a question, and he knew it.
He stared at me longer, then stood up slowly and walked out from behind his desk, heading towards the open window behind him.
“Do you need to dig into this? You are safe now, I assumed that was what mattered.”
His words jolted me more than I thought.
I didn’t think my safety mattered so much to him, nor did I think he would go to such lengths to help me, but more than that, I wondered how he had achieved it.
That was the reason I didn’t instantly trust my mind when it had initially raised suspicions about him, because I didn’t think it was something he was capable of doing, but now, he had all but admitted it himself.
One more thing I didn’t ignore was his concern.
He didn’t look like he would give me a proper response, but I resolved to ask him anyway.
“Why does my safety matter so much to you?”
That made him turn to face me, and for a split second there, his expression changed.
After another long pause, he sighed, “I told you already, you’re under my roof. That automatically places you under my protection…”
“That’s a lie.”
I was sure of it now, or at least I hoped I was.
It was as though my mind had seen a little ray of hope and was adamant to cling to it.
His expression hardened, “It isn’t.”
I stood up, as slowly as he had done, then walked over to him, stopping when I was a couple of feet away from him.
“Hudson didn’t just get a warning or a threat. As far as I know, he’s practically finished, and even if he were to get back on his feet, it would take a long while.”
“That’s not the kind of length you would go through for just anyone. Personally, I wouldn’t do that, but you did.”
He stared straight at me again, and then his lips parted. “What are you trying to say?”
I took a step forward, then paused. A small smile I couldn’t withhold graced my lips.
“What I am trying to say is that you care about me, more than you’re willing to admit.”
The mere thought that he liked me, even just a tiny bit, was enough to make my smile widen.
I didn’t say it, but liking him without having my feelings reciprocated was torturous. Every single time we had sex, I always wondered why he couldn’t fall in love with me.
Sometimes, I wondered if he would ever like me or if I would always remain a lustful feeling he needed to get out of his system.
Today, however, all of those thoughts had been eroded.
I had every reason to be happy.
I watched as different expressions flitted across his face. The one that was, however, missing was denial.
There was no hint of it on his face.
My chest swelled once more.
I took another step forward, muttering. “So you do care about me?”
When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
“You shouldn’t say things you aren’t sure of.”
“Oh, but I’m sure you do. Your silence just gave you away.”
“My silence means nothing,” he responded instantly.
“Then prove to me that you care no whit for me.”
“Prove to me that you don’t have any iota of feeling for me.”
I was pushing a threshold, I knew that, but it was a boundary that needed to be crossed. Only when I heard him admit it would I be satisfied.
His gaze dropped, and then he gave a loud exhale.
My smile rose again, spreading wider until I was grinning foolishly.
When I came in here, I didn’t think our conversation would pan out like this, but I sure was happy it did.
Even if it was just a minuscule bit, Mr Landon liked me.
When I walked out of his office, my heart felt lighter than it had been in days.
He hadn’t said anything else to me, but I didn’t need him to.
His silence had said everything there was to say.