Reborn as a Devouring Dragon with a System
Chapter 146: Lifetimes of Pain, Suffering and Sorrow (7)

Chapter 146: Lifetimes of Pain, Suffering and Sorrow (7)

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Daniel’s mind still wandered, time and again, to that fleeting moment when he met the young foreign girl called Lyla. He didn’t know why—he just found himself thinking about it subconsciously. Over time, the thoughts didn’t fade... but he learned to keep them under control.

He no longer bothered with love. He left it all in God’s hands, simply too tired to chase after women.

If a lady chose to marry him someday—then so be it. But he wouldn’t keep breaking himself over it anymore.

Now, he had a stable job that brought him income enough for contentment. Everything was going well.

He had no health issues. No chaos. Life was peaceful.

And yet... he couldn’t stop thinking of her.

"To think I’m still thinking about someone I only met once... a stranger," Daniel muttered, shaking his head as he made his way to the fridge to grab a drink and calm his restless thoughts.

He had his own place now—a mansion, not too big, not too small. Just enough to call home.

Jingle! Jingle!

Daniel froze. The sound of the door alarm echoed through the quiet house, signaling that someone was at the door.

He narrowed his eyes, checking the camera feed—but the figure wore a cloak that partially concealed their face.

His brow furrowed. He stayed on guard, cautiously opening the door—

Only to find a familiar face staring back at him.

"Ah... seems I’ve been thinking of her too much. Now I’m hallucinating," Daniel sighed as he stared at Lyla standing before him.

"Drakion, how are you doing?" Lyla’s voice was cheerful, laced with warmth and recognition.

"Her voice even sounds real..." he muttered again, shaking his head in disbelief.

Lyla looked confused by his strange behavior. Gently, she lifted her hand and touched his neck to check his temperature.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, her eyes reflecting genuine worry.

The moment her hand touched his skin, Daniel felt it—warm, real. Undeniably real.

His heart skipped.

"You... you’re real," Daniel whispered, shocked, his gaze locked onto Lyla.

He didn’t know when his hand moved—but it did—gently brushing her cheek.

Soft. Warm. Real.

At that moment, Lyla’s cheeks flushed as she recalled Daniel’s words—the ones he had muttered earlier, that he’d been thinking about her for three years.

Her heart raced, beating faster than the speed of light.

"Did you really... miss me?" Lyla unconsciously muttered, almost afraid to hear the answer.

This time, it was Daniel’s turn to feel flustered. Embarrassed, he remembered what he had said before and immediately regretted it.

He felt like slapping himself on the spot.

Lyla noticed the shift in his expression, and a soft giggle escaped her lips. Then she nervously pressed her fingers together, lowering her head.

The tips of her ears turned bright red.

"I... I was thinking about you too," she admitted, barely above a whisper.

Those words slammed into Daniel like thunder. He coughed in surprise, unable to control it, his body reacting to the shock of her confession.

Lyla rushed forward, trying to calm him down, gently patting his back until he caught his breath.

Even after the coughing stopped, those words echoed in his mind.

He had never—ever—expected that.

Once she saw that Daniel had composed himself, Lyla looked at him again... but this time, something in her eyes changed.

Then, without warning, she leaned in—softly pecking him on the lips.

Before he could respond, she bolted into the house, her face flushed with crimson heat as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

Daniel stood frozen in place...

Stunned. Breathless. Speechless.

And yet... his heart beat like a war drum.

After some long, breath-steadying minutes, Daniel finally calmed himself and stepped back into his home, locking the door behind him. Lyla trailed in silently, still avoiding his gaze, her face hiding beneath a curtain of embarrassment.

Without saying a word, he walked to the fridge and brought out a chilled drink, setting two cups on the table.

"Do you want anything to eat?" he asked gently.

She only shook her head, eyes still low. She didn’t.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before Lyla could even bring herself to look at Daniel properly—and even then, her face remained flustered, lips pressed tight, ears tinted red.

Daniel had thoughts of his own. Many. Chief among them was the unsettling question: How did she find his location?

When he asked her directly, she simply smiled and replied, "It’s a secret."

That answer made Daniel suspicious. Her background couldn’t be ordinary.

Eventually, she relented and said they had exchanged numbers back then—so it was easy to find him through his number.

But even with that explanation... something still felt off.

Before Daniel could process everything—before he could even think clearly—they were already kissing.

It defied everything he knew. In most stories, it was the man who pursued the woman...

But in Daniel’s case—it was Lyla who asked him out.

And before he could utter a single reply—her lips were already on his.

At first, Daniel froze in place, stunned—then slowly, almost helplessly, he began to savor the warmth of her kiss.

A month passed like a dream.

It had been a full month since Lyla began living with him.

Daniel hadn’t expected it—but she claimed she was his girlfriend now, and insisted on staying with him.

She was bold—completely unashamed of her feelings—and now that they were officially in a relationship, she didn’t even bother hiding her body.

It took every ounce of Daniel’s willpower not to give in.

She was already beautiful... but her body—though still youthful and developing—was well on its way to breathtaking perfection.

He couldn’t deny it. And there were moments, burning ones, where he had to request leave from work just to stay with her—because somehow, just being around her calmed his soul.

But he never regretted it.

Not even once.

He had never thought he would ever be in a relationship—especially not with someone like her.

A foreign beauty who genuinely wanted him.

And in that quiet realization, Daniel understood something.

He was never cursed.

The right moment... just hadn’t come yet.