It had been a while since Wyatt had left Ren here, and there was no sign of them coming back. At least it gave him time to think of plausible reasons for his presence. It also gave him plenty of time to feel bored. He looked at the papers on Luca’s desk. Despite being a messy person, Luca’s handwriting was very elegant. Ren didn’t really understand what the paperwork was for, but he admired the long strokes of ink on the page.
Suddenly, the door creaked open and a figure walked in. Ren’s eyes landed on Luca. Luca’s sudden presence caused all the excuses Ren prepared to fly out of his head. Luca also seemed to be equally surprised to see him, however, he recovered from his shock rather quickly.
“What brings you here? Did you miss me so much, you couldn’t bear to wait at home?”
Ren almost choked.
Wyatt, who followed Luca, heard the entire exchange. He felt a bit sorry for Ren, who seemed to have become Luca’s latest victim.
[You’ll get used to this guy’s teasing, to the point you’ll be immune.]
“You had to deal with it too?”
Wyatt nodded.
Wyatt and Ren exchanged sympathetic glances, while Luca was just wondering why they were acting like he was some sort of evil monster. He just brought a little fun around, since most of the people around him were so stiff.
“I heard from Wyatt that you were almost driven away by a security guard. You could have just called me, to let me know you were coming.” Luca said.
“Unless . . . Was there a problem with the phone?” Luca asked Ren.
Before Ren could reply, Wyatt’s phone pinged with a notification. Wyatt’s expression became strange as he skimmed through the message. He glanced at Ren.
“What?” Ren asked.
[Your father’s looking for you?]
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Rbk Efc kjr mbcoerfv. “Zs ojatfg? P vbc’a tjnf bcf.”
Qsjaa vlrqijsfv tlr qtbcf rmgffc, jcv Efc rjk atf wfrrjufr. Ktf gfmfqalbclra ogbw yfibk, ktbrf cjwf kjr jqqjgfcais Oliis, mbcajmafv Qsjaa ogbw yfibk jybea tlw. Lf rjk atf qlmaegf bo atf wjc ktb kjr mtjrlcu tlw yfobgf vlrqijsfv bc atf rmgffc.
[Lilly says that this is the man claiming to be your relative.]
“He’s not my father.” Ren denied immediately. That bastard was trying to fool his way into this place. Luckily, he had made it inside before he came. He hoped neither of the two would believe that that man could possibly be related to him, in any way.
Luca also peered at the phone. Ren could smell a light scent of alcohol coming from him. Really, what kind of weirdo had he run into? Who drank so much during the daytime?
“That can’t be Ren’s father. He’s too ugly.” Luca stated.
Ren was speechless at Luca’s absurd reasoning, but found himself agreeing with it. In truth, the man wasn’t bad looking, but Ren felt there was nothing attractive about him.
[I see no similar features either. I was almost afraid that he really believed he was Ren’s father, not suspecting his wife probably had an affair with him. What happened to his face though? It’s all red.]
Luca burst into laughter, along with Ren, who lightly smiled.
“I may have thrown the phone at his face.” Ren admitted, sheepishly.
“Nice aim.” Luca praised. “But we’ll have to get you a new phone after this.”
Wyatt, however, frowned.
[But why is he after you?]
Ren shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had expected this question. It would be unfair for him not to say anything, as they were protecting him, and the threat wasn’t anything small.
“He’s-” Then Ren glanced at Wyatt. “He’s like Luca.”
Luca wore an expression of utter disgust. “I hope you don’t mean to compare me to an ugly con man.”
Ren realized the wording sounded off.
“I mean he’s a . . . the same species.” Ren said.
Wyatt and Luca finally realized what Ren meant.
Wyatt typed in his phone to clarify.
[I’m already aware about the existence of vampires, and that Luca is one. No need to worry about accidentally exposing such details.]
“I forgot to tell you that Wyatt’s a wizard.” Luca said.
Ren was slightly surprised. He hadn’t heard of vampires interacting outside their own kind, especially to the point of being this friendly with them. But then again, Luca was the strangest vampire he had ever met.
Ren supposed Wyatt knowing also made explaining his situation easier, without having to worry about revealing certain details.
“Well, he’s working for a family that’s after me. I escaped from them, but I guess they already found out where I ran off to.”
[Which family?]
Ren didn’t say another word. Luca saw Ren was trembling.
“Let’s not force the kid to explain everything right here. He can reveal everything slowly.”
“Please don’t send me back to them.” Ren pleaded, his eyes unfocused.
It was Luca’s first time seeing Ren so vulnerable. Even when he was injured, at Ari’s cottage, he was still fierce and suspicious.
Luca’s heart softened at the sight. Just what had they put him through to make him so scared? Were those wounds on Ren’s body caused by them? And they actually had the audacity to try to take him back after hurting him!
Luca walked over to Ren’s side. He pulled Ren close, hugging him. Ren felt this action was slowly becoming familiar. Luca gently patted his head, in an attempt to comfort him.
Ren felt something prickle his eyes. He never cried anymore, when experiencing any harshness or violence, so why did he feel like crying when he experienced such gentleness? Why was Luca treating him so well? They were only strangers. It would be harder to leave, when he healed. Not that it was easy in the first place. Ren gripped Luca’s shirt tightly, and turned his head so his expression was hidden.
“No one’s going to make you go anywhere you don’t want to go. You’ll be fine here.” Luca whispered. Ren slightly nodded, but didn’t pull away.
“Wyatt, tell Lilly to say that there is no such kid in the building, and the man must be mistaken. Make sure to send him away.”
Though what Luca said was directed to Wyatt, his focus was still on Ren.
[Of course.]
Wyatt sent a text back to Lilly.
[I’ll go personally, to make sure it’s fine. Our staff is only human, so it would be good to have someone monitor the situation so no accidents happen.]
Luca supposed that sounded reasonable, so he nodded. Wyatt left the two alone in the office, still locked in an embrace.
Omg poor Ren :((
I hope Luca can protect him!
Thanks for the chapter <3