FreeNovel
Chapter 196
“Mr. Alston,” Eugene walked over to stand behind Leo and called out in a low voice.
Leo himself was wounded, but it was not until a moment ago that he remembered to arrange for a
doctor to bandage his wounds.
When he caught sight of Eugene, he remained calm and lowered his head to button the gray shirt
draped around his body. His cold and white fingers were a sharp contrast against the gray shade of his
shirt.
The doctor said a few words to him before departing. Only then did he open his mouth to speak, “What
is it?”
Eugene nodded. “Your speculation was correct. Miss Clayton was indeed involved in Bria’s accident.”
He informed Leo about the contents of Elyse’s phone call that he had overheard earlier. After he
finished his report, he quietly turned to look at Leo. “How do you plan to deal with her?”
Leo’s fingers were frozen in the middle of undoing one of the buttons. Although his stern expression
remained unchanged, the sharp light in his eyes had grown increasingly intense. His pitch-black pupils
resembled bottomless pits of darkness.
Eugene shuddered in fear when he accidentally got a glimpse of Leo’s frigid anger! Still, he couldn’t
help feeling secretly surprised to see Leo in such a state. He had worked under Leo for so long, so he
could tell with a glance—Leo was absolutely enraged.
“Punish her.” A long while passed before Leo spoke in a chilly voice, “Teach her a harsh lesson!”
“Yes!” Eugene instantly responded in a quiet murmur.
Elyse had probably counted on the fact that Leo was indebted to Ellen when she took action, but she
had forgotten about one thing—where Leo’s limits stood.
Eugene accepted the order, turned around, and walked out of the room.
Behind Eugene, Leo’s fingers clenched around the button. He clutched the button so tightly that his
knuckles had turned white! If not for the favor he owed Ellen, then what Elyse did today would be
enough to make her disappear from this world for good!
…
Amelie slept deeply and did not awaken until the next day. When her eyes fluttered open, a white
ceiling entered her vision. After some time, she gradually recalled what had happened to her yesterday.
She also remembered that she was in the hospital. She slowly turned her head, searching for the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtfigures of Bria and Steven. What she saw was a head of black hair instead.
Leo? She was taken aback for a moment.
At this moment, Leo was sitting in her hospital ward and reading something with his head lowered. His
expression was serious, and his lips were pursed tightly. Even though his appearance was stern, his
stern appearance could not conceal his inherent beauty and breathtaking good looks. Nevertheless,
that was not the main point. The important point was that he had remained in her hospital ward! She
thought that he would leave immediately after sending her here!
Perhaps her stare was too intense as he seemed to sense that she was awake. Therefore, he raised
his head in response. His gaze collided with her searching gaze, and then his eyes flickered slightly.
“How do you feel? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” he asked.
She swallowed and did not answer. His overly concerned tone left her disoriented for a moment.
A short while later, she dragged her thoughts back to reality. “Why are you still here?”
His fingers stiffened slightly. He did not like the manner of her speech. Is she implying that… She
doesn’t want to see me? Does she want me gone as quickly as possible?
“Bria is being hospitalized. As her father, I can’t just ignore her,” he responded coldly.
His momentary concern, followed by his usual coldness, left her scratching her head in bafflement.
Nevertheless, when she heard that he had only stayed here for Bria’s sake, she let out a soft
exclamation of understanding. That’s right. There’s nothing between us. Naturally, he has no obligation
to protect me either.
An inexplicable wave of disappointment washed over her heart. She patted her chest lightly, secretly
reminding herself not to get ahead of herself. The whole reason for her disappointment was that she
had been touched by his behavior yesterday. Unfortunately, he had only saved her out of a sense of
morality, nothing else.
At that thought, she quickly said, “Thank you… For yesterday, I mean. I will definitely pay you back for
saving my life. Please feel free to ask if you need any help from me in the future.”
Leo opened his mouth. He originally wanted to say that she had also saved him, so they were even.
Yet, the words were on the tip of his tongue when he changed his mind and finally choked out the
words, “Do you think there is anything you can help me with?”
She was dumbstruck by his remark. Alas, upon further consideration, she realized that there was
indeed nothing she could do for him.
His company and her company operated in entirely different directions, so their paths did not intersect
at all. As for their private matters, they were no different from strangers except for the fact that they
shared Bria.
She quietly lowered her head and said nothing.
At the sight of her drooping head and sullen expression, he suddenly couldn’t bear watching her in that
state. After a while, he made a suggestion. “If you really want to thank me, you should treat me to
dinner.”
“Huh?” She showed a surprised expression. “Dinner?”
She had always assumed that he would scoff at spending time with her. Contrary to her expectations,
he had chosen for her to thank him with a meal instead!
“Is there an issue?” His voice turned chilly.
“No,” she hurriedly denied.
She wanted to settle the debt with him as soon as possible so that they did not owe each other, but she
couldn’t help feeling awkward about the idea of eating together with him.
“Lunch the day after tomorrow,” he quickly interjected before she could have second thoughts.
That happened to be the day she was discharged from the hospital. So, if they had lunch together, it
could be regarded as a celebration of sorts.
She did not know what he was thinking, but she readily agreed anyway. Otherwise…
Leo stayed in the hospital for the next two days around the clock.
Amelie could have dealt with everything else, but he would also sleep in her hospital ward at night.
Even though he slept in Bria’s bed, she couldn’t help feeling weird since they shared the same room.
She had never slept in the same room as him ever since she became an adult, except for that one
night before their marriage. For that reason, she had trouble resting well during the night.
Finally, the day came when she would be discharged from the hospital. It was a form of liberation for
her as she would finally get some good rest alone.
Steven was also discharged from the hospital on the same day.
He had wanted to stay behind to take care of Bria. However, considering that he was getting older and
that he had gone through such a severe accident, she insisted that he go home and recuperate
instead.
He was forced to leave, especially after she gave such a logical argument against his ideas.
When it was almost noon, Amelie contacted Leo by phone. “Mr. Alston, do you still have time for lunch
together today?”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLeo had left early in the morning to attend a meeting. Hence, she was hoping that she could take
advantage of his hectic schedule to cancel their meal plans.
Frankly speaking, she did not believe that it was going to be a wonderful experience for Leo to have
lunch with a woman whom he despised with all his heart. Plus, she did not wish to be caught in a
situation where they stared at each other in tense silence, either. In fact, she would rather repay him in
a manner where they would not have any contact with each other.
“Of course.” The answer she received from the other party was not what she wanted to hear.
She was silent for a moment before she forced herself to swallow any frustrated shrieks that were
about to burst forth her lips.
“Good. Which restaurant should we meet at? I will make a reservation in advance.” She squashed any
hint of irritation in the depths of her heart and acted as enthusiastically as possible.
Unfortunately, acting as though she had multiple personalities really exhausted her, and she hoped with
all her might that this would be the last time she had to do such a thing.
“Up to you.” The other party was taciturn.
She did not expect him to have an opinion in the first place. After all, they barely spoke to each other
throughout their entire marriage.
“In that case, I’ll decide.” Hence, she made a swift decision. “I’ll send you the address once I’ve
decided on where to go.”
After she said that, she promptly hung up the phone.
On the other end of the call, Leo was slightly stunned by her abrupt manner. He stared at the call that
had been cut off, then his expression darkened. Is she that unwilling to speak to me?
The executives around him who were listening to his presentation during the meeting were silent with
terror. Why has he suddenly gone quiet? What does this mean? Is he displeased with this quarter’s
sales? If he is dissatisfied, then… Oh, dear God, his target next month would be hell, wouldn’t it?
…
On the other side, Amelie ended the call and shook her head in resignation. If I can’t avoid him, then I
can only confront him.
She wished to finish her task as quickly as possible, so she began to search for nearby high-end
restaurants on her mobile phone. She was in the middle of her search when someone abruptly
snatched her phone out of her hand.
She was startled by such a thing and immediately raised her head to get a clear look at the person who
grabbed her phone. But then, her expression immediately turned stone cold. “What are you doing?”
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