L*ck Me If You Can-Chapter 139

“You still haven’t seen him?”

Ariel asked with a frown as they had lunch together over the weekend, reacting to Koi’s confession. Embarrassed, Koi blushed and muttered,

“Uh, yeah... I’ve just been busy.”

“Didn’t you come here to meet Ash? What could be more urgent than that?”

Just then, the server arrived with their drinks and food. Once everything was set and the server walked away, Ariel spoke again.

“Let’s be honest—you’ve seen and heard things, and now you think it’s not going to work, right? It’s okay even if you give up. That’s totally understandable, being disappointed. Honestly, I’d welcome it.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Koi shook his head in flustered denial.

“I mean, how can I be disappointed when I haven’t even seen him yet? It’s just that, you know... between finding a place to live and working, I haven’t had the time...”

“You know that’s just an excuse, right?”

Ariel hadn’t changed. She still didn’t tolerate running away or making excuses. Koi hesitated, then finally spoke with difficulty.

“To be honest... I just don’t have the courage.”

“After coming all the way here?”

“Exactly.”

Koi gave a bitter smile and poked aimlessly at the French fries on his plate.

“Now that I think I might actually see him... it’s not easy. What if Ash has forgotten me? Even if he remembers... what if he’s dating someone else? I’d just be a nuisance...”

His voice faded into silence, lacking confidence.

He already knew Ashley wasn’t married. Ashley Miller was one of the most famous lawyers on the East Coast, and one of the richest men in America. Articles and updates about him were constant. It was easy to find out about Ashley Miller’s personal life. Koi had already seen not only current photos of Ashley, but even pictures of his father, Dominique Miller.

Dominique Miller had retired several years ago, passed the company to his son, and had since disappeared from the public eye. Even in the few remaining photos—clearly taken long before—one thing was obvious: Ashley strongly resembled his father. Especially the platinum-blond hair that bordered on silver, and the purple eyes.

But it’s not the same.

Koi made that clear to himself. He accepted that Ashley probably wasn’t like he used to be. But he didn’t agree with the comment: “He’s truly his father’s son.” Everyone said they looked like carbon copies of each other, but the more Koi looked, the more different they seemed. Most of all, the cold, snake-like, and ruthless face of Dominique Miller being compared to Ashley? Everyone must be blind.

It’s because... Koi could still picture Ashley smiling brightly at him, vividly, as if it were yesterday. That was why he couldn’t believe the current reputation and didn’t have the courage to see it for himself.

What would happen if he met Ashley again? He’d imagined it so many times, but now that it could become reality, fear came first.

What if he doesn’t want to see me...

As Koi’s eyes dropped, lacking confidence, Ariel said nothing for a while, frowning. Eventually, she changed the subject. After all, it was between the two of them. It wasn’t anyone else’s place to butt in, and she had no intention of doing so. Gossiping about someone’s love life was something teenagers did. They were adults now. All decisions had to be made on their own, and the consequences were theirs alone.

If he ends up giving up, that would probably be for the best.

That’s what she thought—until she heard a voice.

“Oh my, Elle.”

Looking up at the voice, she saw a familiar face looking down at her. “Ah,” Elle said, setting her sandwich down, and greeted the woman with a bright smile.

“Julie, hey. Long time no see. How have you been?”

After exchanging a light hug, Julie straightened up and smiled.

“What a lucky coincidence running into you. I’ve actually been wanting to see you.”

As she spoke, Julie glanced across the table. Ariel noticed her sneaking peeks at Koi and spoke up.

“Julie, this is my high school classmate, Koi.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Julie. It’s a pleasure.”

Julie extended her hand confidently to Koi, her face glowing. Ariel knew this kind of situation well. Anyone could see Julie was clearly interested in Koi—and Ariel didn’t miss the opportunity.

“Want to join us for lunch? Are you here alone?”

Julie answered immediately.

“No, not at all—actually, I was about to leave since there weren’t any seats.”

Both of them turned to look at Koi. Of course, he had no reason to say no.

“Thank you.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

As soon as he agreed, Julie pulled out the chair between Koi and Ariel with a smile and sat down. Ariel waved to a server for another menu and quietly observed Koi.

After graduating high school, Koi had suddenly grown over ten centimeters. His shoulders had broadened, and the pretty face that had suited cross-dressing had become more masculine. Honestly, no one could have predicted such a transformation. Most of their high school classmates wouldn’t recognize him now. Not even Ashley.

Even I didn’t expect Koi to grow up into such a good-looking man.

He was a fully grown adult now, but Koi still had a boyish charm, giving him a refreshing presence. Back in high school, he had a skinny, frail vibe and carried a gloomy air, but now there was no hint of that. If anything, Koi would probably be quite popular now—just like the woman in front of him was showing clear interest.

Koi’s only problem was how awkward he was.

But even that might be part of his charm. His innocent, youthful image was actually a plus.

Julie, too, couldn’t hide her smile. Watching Koi stumble through his replies as Julie led the conversation smoothly, Ariel took a sip of her drink in satisfaction. She was starting to think it was about time to slip away and give them space.

And by the end of the meal, Koi and Julie had exchanged contact information.

*

It was on a Friday afternoon that Koi, following his boss’s instructions, ended up at a mansion in the suburbs. After struggling through heavy traffic, he finally drove down a quiet forest road. Life was hectic, but he was adapting surprisingly well. That weekend, he had plans to see a movie with Julie. It was the first time since arriving on the East Coast that he had made plans with someone other than Ariel. The fact that it wasn’t with Ash made his chest feel heavy.

But it couldn’t be helped. Last week, Koi had finally worked up the courage to go see Ashley. He forced himself into the dazzling building where the law firm was located, suppressing the nerves that tightened in his chest—only to be stopped by security. As soon as he said he wanted to see Ashley Miller, he was thrown out. They treated him like a vagrant, or a potential terrorist.

<“Of course they did.”>

Ariel had said firmly after Koi told her what happened.

<“Now do you understand? Ashley Miller is someone you can’t even pass a message to anymore.”>

Koi realized he had taken things too lightly. But that didn’t mean he could just give up. He needed a different way—something beyond simply showing up and leaving his name. Deep in thought as he drove, he soon arrived at his destination.

The grand houses lined along the road were set far back from the street, and everything around them was eerily quiet. Seeing the luxury cars parked outside the mansion, Koi grabbed his tools from his beat-up truck and headed toward the front door.

His task was to check the kitchen sink, which wasn’t draining properly. According to his boss, when the owner first bought the house, their company had done the entire interior and construction work, and since then had provided regular maintenance. In other words, a repeat customer.

Koi cleared his throat and pressed the doorbell. As he reminded himself of the boss’s warning—“They’re a nasty client. Try not to talk to them too much.”—he heard footsteps inside, and soon the door opened.

“Hello, I’m—”

Koi began with a smile and a scripted greeting—but froze in place.

The man ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) standing before him looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, wearing pajama pants and a robe, his hair sticking out in every direction. His half-lidded eyes and pale complexion made him look almost sickly, but that wasn’t what shocked Koi.

Even though over ten years had passed, Koi recognized him immediately. How could he forget? It was the face of the man who had made Koi’s life a living hell—before Ashley had saved him.

Nelson.

Koi’s face turned pale as he stared at him, completely frozen.