Chapter 163 Dylon’s Deration


    A sudden hush fell over the hubbub of th crowd. One could almost hear a pin drop within the dead


    silence.


    All eyes were fixed at the three people at the center of the issue in question, mouths gaping in shock.


    shes of the cameras halted and hands holding the microphones hung awkwardly suspended in


    midair even as the media''s gaze scrutinized their every movement, looking for signs that would give


    any secrets away. However, their eyes failed to prate their expressions, especially Lyndsy''s, as she


    was wearing huge sunsses. Thankfully, it served as a good cover up. Nobody would be able to tell


    her shock beneath the dark shades of the lenses despite the practiced smile on her face.


    The next thing Casssandra knew was the sensation of Dylon''s arms wrapping around her waist and


    drawing her closer.


    His words and actions were like tranquilizers injecting into the veins of the excited crowd. No one had


    uttered a word since his deration. The situation seemed too sudden topletely sink in. Feet were


    nted into the road in this stupefied silence.


    It was Lyndsy who recovered first. She took her sunsses off, and shed a big smile to the crowd


    that had gathered around them.


    "I believe the misunderstanding has been cleared up now. As you have just heard, I was having dinner


    with two of my friends the other day, and I have no idea why it was only me and my male friend on the


    photos. Camera angles, maybe? I''m sure you would know better than me," she remarked cheerfully,


    although the implication rang loud and clear to everyone. Either that, or the photos were framed! She


    chose to leave thisst part out. Judging from the reluctant gazes of the reporters, she knew they


    understood the bite in her seemingly harmless words. "Please give my friends privacy. They''re not


    celebrities, and this is harrassment. The next time this happens, you can be sure that we would take


    action," she ended, emphasizing thest sentence in a strong and clear voice.


    After her words, Lyndsy shed her billion-dor smile again. Its warmth had a startling contrast to the


    coldness in her eyes as she gave an once-over to the reporters in front of her.


    Cassandra''s mind hadpletely shut down as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.


    ''Girlfriend? What were you thinking, Dylon? You should have discussed with me first! Or maybe even


    given me a hint at least, '' she thought to herself as she struggled to untangle her thoughts.


    Gradually, all the media and the paparazzi came to their senses and looked at one another in dumb


    silence and disbelief.


    They had been tailing Lyndsy for the past days to dig up some more dirt. When the news of her dating


    blew up on the inte, they were sure that they hit the jackpot; and they watched her more closely


    than ever, knowing it was only a matter of time before a juicy secret revealed itself to them.


    The man who snapped a photo at the cafe was one of them. They had sent him to take the pictures of


    Lyndsy and her so-called boyfriend, but to their surprise, it seemed that they hadpletely missed


    the mark.


    Dylon''s earlier deration that Cassandra was his girlfriend, not Lyndsy, had left them speechless. The


    scenario had not crossed their minds. What now? They would look like fools who made a great fuss


    over nothing. They thought they were digging for gold, which turned out to be useless rocks in the end.


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    Seeing that his words had taken the journalists by surprise and confusion, Dylon felt his irritation


    dissipate, reced by a certain mischief. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.


    He bent his head and ''kissed'' Cassandra on her forehead. His lips did not touch her skin—he merely


    hovered above her long enough to give them the illusion. He knew that it would confirm his words.


    Then he turned to the crowd and smiled, his eyes glinting with mischief. After what they put him


    through, he felt a distorted sense of satisfaction. He would y them to the end. He was entitled to that


    much.


    "Lyndsy was having dinner with us the other night, so please stop making stories up from unknown and


    unreliable sources. It hurt both my girlfriend and Lyndsy, and it won''t bring you anything but court


    cases. However, I admire your hard work. You people from the media really have it hard, don''t you? I


    respect your dedication," he paused to keep himself from smirking at his words. "The milk tea and


    cakes here are wonderful. Please help yourself with them. I''ll pick up the tab for this one. Have a good


    day!" he finished.


    Dylon waved a hand to the waiters, instructing them to make a head count of the people there and


    leaving some cash in their hands.


    After that, he took Cassandra''s hand and led her out of the cafe.


    The crowd of journalists automatically parted to give way to three of them.


    At the same time, Lyndsy waved to the journalists with a wide smile on her face, and said, as if adding


    insult to injury, "See youter, everyone! I''m going back to work now. Please take care!" she said in a


    honey sweet voice.


    The paparazzi watched them as they disappeared, unable to utter any word.


    "He... Are they making fun of us? This is unreal!" one of them said, ruffling his head with a hand.


    They felt like they had been thoroughly yed.


    "I don''t think so. Did you see the expression on his face when he kissed his girlfriend?" another one


    responded in an equally exasperated voice.


    They went as far as to give a public disy of affection, even more so in front of cameras. It was


    unthinkable that they were not in a rtionship.


    There were sighsing from everywhere. "What now? I have no material to write about after this!" a


    third person spoke out.


    At once, everyone was reminded of their purpose foring.


    Now that they knew Lyndsy was not involved in the issue, there was nothing left for them to uncover.


    It was a total failure. Now, the only thing they were sure of was getting an earful from they supervisors,


    if they were lucky enough not to get sacked.


    Before long, the waiters came out with drinks and delicious cakes on trays. They handed them out to


    the sullen reporters with cheerful smiles on their faces.


    The mood of the crowd took a 180 degree turn at once. The earlier cursing was reced with nothing


    but praises. "That guy is so generous. His girlfriend is lucky."


    "Right! He''s nice, and good-looking too! He could totally be a model or an actor."


    They savored the cakes and tea, mutteringpliment for Dylon. Only one man among them did not


    share the sentiment. He was wearing a scowl and left his food untouched. The man who took the


    photos earlier was mottled red and with fury and embarrassment.


    ''Damn it! Of all things, that son of a bitch even wins them over. What the hell!'' he thought angrily. ''I''ve


    taken their money to throw mud on Lyndsy, but everything is ruined. This is his goddamned fault. How


    am I supposed to finish my job now!'' he cursed inwardly.


    ''There''s no going back now. It''s impossible to dig dirt on a non-existent rtionship. I need to find


    something else quickly.'' His thought flowed as he racked his desperate brain for ideas.


    A hint of viciousness showed up in his eyes, coupled with the coldness of his darkened face.


    Dylon let go of Cassandra''s hand once they got to a quiet ce, far from the reporters.


    "I''m sorry, Cassandra! But I never meant to offend you," he started to exin. "They were pushing too


    far and this was the only thing I could think of to get us out of that mess," he said with an apologetic


    expression on his face.


    He looked so sincere and nervous that Cassandra almost felt sorry for him. She smiled at him, equally


    embarrassed.


    "It''s okay. Your quick thinking saved us. We finally got rid of them," she replied, trying to dissuade his


    guilt.


    Dylon was still overwhelmed in the relief of finally getting away from the reporters and the sh of their


    cameras that he he wasn''t able to respond to Cassandra''s words. He did not notice the conflicted look


    on her face as she spoke.


    Cassandra knew Dylon well enough, so she understood that he had been pushed into a corner and


    had no other way of escape. In any other circumstance, he would be too decent of a person to put her


    into such an awkward position. Something tugged at her chest when she remembered his proud


    deration. There was something else that bothered her, and it had nothing to do with the kiss, or with


    Dylon.


    She was shaken out of her thoughts when Lyndsy grabbed her, and after making sure no one was


    around, she embraced her tightly and kissed her on her forehead. Cassandra gaped at her as she


    touched a hand to her forehead.


    "Thank you Cassandra! You''re a life saver!" she eximed as she gathered her in a crushing hug.


    Herughing grin and herughing eyes a pleasant change from the dispirited air she had around her


    earlier. Cassandra let out a sigh of relief as she felt her mood lighten with Lyndsy''s brightness. Despite


    the half-truth of it, she knew she made the right choice to stay silent when Dylon dered her as his


    girlfriend. She didn''t regret it, and Lyndsy was looking much more alive now than earlier. Luckily,


    everything would work out well.


    "Hah! Let''s see what those damned journalists coulde up with this time," she said, her chin going


    up. Then she turned to Dylon and Cassandra andughed again. "Thanks to both of you, this whole


    mess is over," she grinned, sincerity gleaming in her eyes.


    Seeing her excitement, Dylon felt the need to take a step back and be careful, just in case. He looked


    around them to check once again, and said, "Don''t holler till you''re out of the woods. I can''t believe the


    questions they asked earlier were so aggressive. I don''t think they''re going to stop here. It''s better to be


    cautious." Then as an afterthought, he added, "You''d better pay more attention with your agency as


    well. Who knows if they might be involved."


    Dylon felt a slight worry and wanted to tell her to think of good backup strategies. He had a taste of how


    persistent the paparazzi and the media could be, and he could only imagine what it was like for famous


    stars to deal with them on a regr basis. They got lucky and were able to escape for now, but things


    might turn out differently the next time.


    "They were nning to make a scandal out of a made-up rtionship that I have, but thanks to both of


    you, that n has bitten the dust, and they have nothing left on me. I seriously doubt that after today,


    they''ll have anything else," Lyndsy said confidently.


    She stood with her head and shoulders high, her eyes clear and determined, as if nothing could defeat


    her.


    Dylon shook his head helplessly, even a soft chuckle escaped him. Lyndsy was the reigning queen of


    the acting industry, but she came across as naive sometimes for someone of her stature and


    experience. He felt as if he had to be the one worrying for her in her stead.


    Lyndsy had started off her career from an advantageous position. It was rare for an actress to carry off


    a prize abroad. She had been the first, after some years, to break into the international scene this early.


    To top it all off, she was signed by one of the biggestpanies in the business that even the media


    had to restrain themselves where she was concerned.


    But now, things had taken a turn for the worse, right after she decided to break things off with her


    agency. Among other things, the executives must have blown their fuses at this decision, mainly


    because their interests were threatened. They would not let her off that easily. They had won this fight,


    but the battle was still a long way off.


    "It''s best to be well-prepared. This might only be the start of the worst," Dylon reminded her again.


    He could say nothing more when faced with that sunny expression on her face. At least for now, the


    best he could do was to be a gentle reminder.


    "Rx. I can do it!" Lyndsy patted her chest cofidently.


    Finally, she felt like she could breath. She was feeling good because things got sorted out, even for a


    little bit, and it was obvious to Dylon that she didn''t take his words seriously. He shook his head silently,


    but said nothing else.


    "Hmm," the two of them were startled to hear Cassandra speak as she checked her watch. "I have


    ns this afternoon and I need to go back to mypany now," she said, shifting her gaze between


    them with a curious look in her eyes.


    They had been talking so familiarly, and it was as if they''ve forgotten her existence. Time flew by that


    day, and before they knew it, it was past afternoon.


    "I''ll take you there," Dylon hurriedly offered.


    Cassandra shook her head and smiled politely at him.


    "No, it''s only a few blocks away. I can manage. Please take care on your way back," she said with


    finality in her tone.


    Then she waved to them and turned around to walk to the direction of herpany. Dylon stood and


    watched her, lost in his own thoughts.


    "Thanks, buddy!" Lyndsy said casually.


    She patted him on his shoulders. Dylon was pulled from his thoughts at the contact and his gaze fell on


    the shoulder where her hands brieflynded. He wore a nk expression on his face, but he was


    stunned by her sudden movement.


    The real Lyndsy was nothing like the roles she yed in the movies. She was always an elegant, noble


    lady in films; but the woman standing in front of him now was much simpler and honest. She had an


    almost childlike air to her, and at times she had a certain boyish charm to her movements.


    However... Dylon liked the less-than-perfect, real life Lyndsy much more than the ideal woman


    everyone else saw on screens and in theaters. She was full of life, and her edges and faults only


    served to magnify her brightness. The image of her twnkling eyes as she grinned without restraint


    came back to him. ''That''s not a bad look on her face, '' Dylon thought to himself.


    At this time, Lyndsy had turned around and walked away from him, her pace confident and brisk as it


    sounded on the pavement.


    Dylon lingered for a little while. He looked up at the dark clouds that had gathered against the expanse


    of the blue sky. It was going to rain.


    Moving step by step to thepany, Cassandra felt the earlier heaviness tug at her more fiercely now


    that she was alone with her thoughts.


    A moment ago, when Dylon announced that she was his girlfriend in front of so many people, she was


    astonished at first. Butter on, the surprise was reced with a mncholy as she thought of the


    rtionship between Rufus and her.


    She couldn''t help but wonder, would theree a day when Rufus too would dere their rtionship


    proudly in front of all people, regardless of the reaction of her mother or his father, just like Dylon did


    just now? Cassandra bit her lip as she ignored the hollowness that had now turned into a stabbing


    pain. Steeling herself, she willed her legs to move, even as every step felt much, much heavier.