The Villain Who Stole Hearts-Chapter 89: Caden Voss’s master

"Such a kind and beautiful young lady! You’ve earned my respect!"

"Are you married yet? I’ve got a nephew—thirty years old, top university graduate, works as a senior executive at a state-owned company. How about leaving your contact info? I can set something up!"

"Don’t listen to him, young lady. My son’s only twenty-seven and a real catch..."

The moment they reached the shore and the little girl who had fallen into the lake was finally calmed, a crowd of elderly onlookers began to swarm around Lyra, all enthusiastically trying to introduce her to their sons and nephews.

On one hand, it was Lyra’s heroic actions that had moved them; on the other, it was simply her looks—so stunning that even the older generation couldn’t help but be captivated.

There’s an old saying: "A wide hip means good fertility!"

They were talking about women like Lyra—elegant, mature, and full of grace.

"No need, thank you, everyone," Lyra said with a wry smile, waving her hands. Once she was sure the little girl was safe and conscious, she quickly squeezed her way out of the crowd.

She walked toward Veil, who was standing at the edge of the lake, and took the initiative.

"You helped me twice today. Saying thank you just doesn’t feel like enough. I originally planned to treat you to a nice dinner, but... well, I’m soaked and definitely need a change of clothes. So how about this—you and Carlin come over to my place. I’ll cook. It won’t be anything fancy, but at least it’ll be homemade."

Veil gently cradled Carlin in his arms, one hand supporting her head, the other behind her knees, carefully settling her into the wheelchair. He turned to Lyra with a look of uncertainty.

"You mean your apartment in the faculty housing? That’s quite a ways from Veyport University."

Lyra tugged at her damp shirt and fastened the buttons of her blazer, shaking her head.

"Not the faculty housing. I have another place nearby."

"Maybe next time," Veil replied after a moment of thought, his tone a bit apologetic. "Carlin’s parents asked me to take her out for some fresh air, and we’ve already been out for quite a while. If we don’t head back soon, they’ll start to worry."

He looked at Lyra seriously and added, "Besides, you’re drenched. You really should take a hot shower before you catch a cold. Even though I helped suppress the chill in your body last time, you’re not fully recovered. You need to take better care of yourself."

Lyra bit her lip and stared at Veil for a long moment. Her eyes shimmered with a soft, complicated emotion—part longing, part sorrow, part reluctance.

After a brief pause, she glanced at Carlin in the wheelchair, then forced a faint smile.

"You’re right. I’ll head home then. We’ll save the dinner for another time."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away from the lakeside. Her steps were swift—faster than the average person’s pace.

Carlin tilted her head, glancing up at Veil.

"Veil... why didn’t you accept Ms. Lyra’s invitation? She seemed... disappointed. If it’s because of me, you can tell my parents. Or I could even head back on my own..."

Veil chuckled, his hand gently patting her head.

"Silly girl. You think I’d let someone as pretty as you go home alone? What if some creep targets you? Your parents trusted me to keep you safe. I won’t break that promise."

He pushed the wheelchair toward the food street nearby. Along the way, the two of them chatted about trivial things—mostly Carlin talking, with Veil occasionally chiming in.

While walking, Veil quietly pulled out his phone and began composing a message.

Turning down Lyra wasn’t a matter of being clueless or uninterested. It was strategic.

The truth was, Lyra had never really experienced rejection before. She was always the one saying no.

Whether she realized it or not, she had developed a subconscious habit of centering everything around herself.

Right now, all her kindness was just a form of gratitude. Nothing more.

Yes, she probably felt something for him—but it was blurry, indistinct, tangled with the feeling of being indebted. And if he responded too eagerly, all the weight of his past actions would be wasted.

So at a time like this—when her gratitude was strongest—he needed to pour cold water on her head. Wake her up. Force her to question whether what she felt was really affection... or just appreciation.

But he couldn’t cut her off completely either. If too much time passed, her feelings might fade.

What he needed to do was maintain just enough distance—close enough to keep the thread of connection alive, far enough to make her uncertain.

To put it plainly: keep her guessing. Keep her heart on edge.

Ding!

He finished typing the text and read it over several times before hitting send:

"Next time something like this happens, you need to think twice. Don’t be so reckless!"

"I know you were trying to save someone, but what about your own safety? If I hadn’t been nearby, what would’ve happened? You could’ve drowned along with that girl!"

"I didn’t say this earlier because Carlin was with us, but I’m saying it now—I’m really angry. Angry that you don’t seem to value your own life. If you do something like that again, don’t bother inviting me to dinner. I won’t even want to see you!"

"Got it?!"

He let out a slow breath, double-checked the tone of the message, then finally relaxed.

A while later, he got a reply.

"Got it."

Just two words.

Veil stared at the screen and chuckled. That wasn’t the Lyra he used to know—she never replied with just two words.

Clearly, she was upset. The rejection had stung.

But to Veil, that was a good sign.

He wasn’t afraid of Lyra being angry. What he feared was her feeling nothing at all.

After dropping Carlin off at home, Veil slipped into the backseat of the Bentley.

Ding.

Another message alert.

Kai glanced back with a sly smile.

"Someone’s trying to reach you, young master. You sure you don’t want to check? Might change where we’re headed."

"Just drive," Veil muttered, rolling his eyes. Still, he reached for his phone and took a peek.

Several new messages from Lyra. None more than five minutes apart.

"Alright, I’ll be more careful next time!"

"Did Carlin get home safe? Instant noodles might be convenient, but you shouldn’t eat them all the time. Make sure to eat something proper, okay?"

"I wasn’t trying to brush you off earlier. I just felt... weird. Don’t know what came over me."

"I’m sorry, really. I won’t act so reckless again."

"Why aren’t you replying? Are you still mad at me?"

"Hey, where’d you go? Are you ignoring me now?"

She was anxious.

Which meant... she was starting to care.

Really care.

Veil glanced at the string of emojis Lyra had sent and finally replied with a casual message:

"On the way home. Forgot to reply — thought maybe you didn’t want to talk to me anymore."

Lyra shot back almost instantly:

"What nonsense are you talking about? Why wouldn’t I want to talk to my lifesaver? I thought you were mad at me since you didn’t reply!"

Then she followed up with another text:

"Wait a second — why’d you get home so early? Didn’t Uncle and Auntie ask you to stay for dinner? Or are they still busy looking for a new shop these days and not home?"

Lyra and Carlin were close — they shared everything, so the matter of Carlin’s parents searching for a new shop hadn’t been kept secret either.

"Even if Uncle and Auntie weren’t home, Carlin can cook! The house has everything she needs — and her cooking’s actually really good."

Veil chuckled.

"So you’re hoping Carlin would cook for me, huh?"

Lyra:

"It’s not like I’m hoping she would... let’s not bother Carlin with that."

They kept chatting about nothing in particular. As the conversation continued, Veil suddenly felt like he was back in college, texting his girlfriend again.

And honestly? There was something oddly satisfying about Lyra replying instantly like this.

Once Veil got back to the villa, he dropped onto the couch, set his phone aside, and looked up at Kai, now standing nearby. His tone grew serious.

"How’s everything going? I haven’t had you guys keep tabs on Caden Voss lately — don’t tell me you’ve been slacking off?"

Back when Roy was still alive, Kai and his team had been watching him around the clock, running themselves ragged. But with Caden Voss, things were different. The guy practically lived at the police station, showing up there every few days to spend the night. He was so routine, tracking him wasn’t even necessary anymore. Naturally, Veil had reassigned Kai’s responsibilities.

Now that most other matters had been dealt with, it was time to start handling — and planning — the next phase.

Kai quickly shook his head.

"Of course not! Even when there’s nothing going on, I still get the guys to train. No way I’d let their skills go soft.

Also — about that old man you asked us to track down... we found him. And boss, this guy’s not normal. He spotted our drone even when it was flying hundreds of meters above him. Kept staring straight at us like he knew exactly where we were."

"And that’s not even the worst part. That old man? Took down several of our drones. We were lucky we had real-time image feedback — otherwise, we wouldn’t even have a clue where he was moving."

Kai still felt a chill down his spine when he recalled the moment he saw that elder’s gaze through the feed. The guy had literally brought down a drone with a rock. Just one look had left Kai’s instincts screaming: danger.

Veil narrowed his eyes.

"So? Did we handle the aftermath properly?"

The old man they’d been monitoring was none other than Caden Voss’s master — Casper Voss.

In the original story, he was easily more dangerous than Caden himself — at least in the earlier stages. Unlike Roy, whose ace in the hole was a mercenary group stuck abroad, Caden’s master was already within the country. That made him a very real threat.

And if Veil didn’t keep him in check, there was no doubt that serious trouble would follow.