110"Maddie."Lucas gritted his teeth and choked up with sobs. "Don't tell me you like that person."When I looked at Lucas, I did not understand what was the point of saying it at that moment. Therefore, recalling the so-called relationship from the past, I asked him, "Is falling in love very important?"Lucas suddenly kept silent.I looked at him and wanted to tell him things that were on my mind. However, I felt that it was not going to be useful. Thus, I just smiled and told him the truth calmly."A feeling of love can't be exchanged for money. Moreover, it can't be exchanged for power as well."The only thing left was humiliation. It was just a blow to one's naivety."Maddie...""Luke, congratulations on being the CEO of Xanthos Group."With a smile, I pulled my hand out of Lucas' hand. Then, I placed my hand on the doorknob. When I faced the occasional chilly wind, I suddenly calmed down a lot, and my heart suddenly became cheerful.If it were me, I would not give up t
117At ten o'clock at night, at the barbecue joint in the city center, Leonardo became much more energetic after he slept for a while. While eating grilled skewers, he drank liquor. He said nothing. In just half an hour, the liquors on the table were finished."Sir, again...""Leo."Looking at the hint of drunkenness in his eyes, I could not help but open my mouth. I looked at the shopowner who came over with the liquor and I turned to Leonardo. Then, I whispered, "You can't drink anymore."Leonardo lowered his eyes and said nothing. The shopowner glanced at me and perhaps he thought that it was me who decided between Leonardo and me. Thus, he took away the liquor sulkily.After hesitating for a while, I asked the shopowner for a glass of apple cider vinegar. Then, I sat beside Leonardo and handed it to him.Leonardo tilted his head and looked at me innocently. He smiled. Then, he said as if he wanted to remind me, "If I were drunk and died, you wouldn't have to stay by my side.
125The refreshing scent was very close to me.I raised my head and looked at Leonardo's chin. Then, I leaned in his arms. I felt that the fear had disappeared a lot, and I even felt slightly sleepy.Maybe what Leonardo said when he was driving gave me a sense of security. I felt he could handle the matter well.As a result, the guy directly exposed the whole thing in public. He immediately cut off half of the business collaboration between Xanthos Group and the Hamilton family. The news was on the trending news on the same day. Then, he even made enemies everywhere and attacked all the media stations that reported on the news.Melissa was so happy that she regarded it as something that came out of a novel.However, I was so anxious. I seriously suspected that Leonardo was just smart superficially, and he was actually a naïve person inside. If he were to do this, it would be as if he had given a knife to Linda and waited for Linda to stab him.After all, the Hamilton family coop
130A week?How could a week be enough?When I carried the takeout back, I was already a little distracted. Looking at my pale face in the mirror of the elevator, I felt disgusted at the thought of the bloody scene.In the news broadcast at night, the details of the dead man were revealed. He was the CEO of a real estate company. What was scary was that the man's birthplace was the same as Linda's hometown. It was also the place where my orphanage was located.I felt that I had walked to the edge of a cliff. He was already dead. Would the next one be me?Perhaps I was really too scared, and my expression was so bad that Leonardo knew something was going on."Come here."Leonardo held my waist, raised his hand, and turned off the TV. Then, he frowned as he said, "Did you see the scene of the accident downstairs today?"I pursed my lips, tears were brimming in my eyes. I wrapped my hands around Leonardo's neck, and said in a muffled voice, "Leo, I'm scared."131Leonardo strok
137The saying was true. When one was full, one would get aroused.I was wrapped in a bath towel and carried out of the bathroom. I leaned sleepily against the bed. Initially, I was about to fall asleep, but I heard Leonardo ask. "Is your USB drive next to the laptop?"I was awakened by his words. I suddenly opened my eyes and looked at the USB drive in Leonardo's palm. Then, I recalled that when I answered the call, I was too anxious and forgot to put away the USB drive."Yes. I wanted to use your laptop to search for information, but I didn't know the password."I gave a reply quickly, but my heart was beating wildly.The next second, Leonardo replied, "The password for the laptop is the same as the phone. Check it out tomorrow. Go to sleep now."I was rendered speechless.138Leonardo casually threw the USB drive aside. Then, he turned off the light and went to bed. He kissed me on the shoulder and held me in his arms.The refreshing scent wafted around me. I closed my eye
144"Why are you..."I felt that I was no match for Leonardo. He was angry, and I did not dare to really provoke him. I only said, "I was wrong."Leonardo said, "What did you do wrong?"I was no match for Leonardo. Thus, my tears fell immediately. I felt as if my throat were blocked by something. I turned around and wanted to leave, but Leonardo grabbed me."You only know how to cry."Leonardo started to scold me angrily.I could not help but cry loudly.145"Hey, don't cry."Leonardo was at a loss. He reached out and held me in his arms and frowned, "I'm not angry. I was teasing you. Don't cry."I choked up with sobs and could not say a word properly. I just leaned in his arms, and my crying sounds gradually weakened.I was taken into the car and went to the Xanthos family's family party. However, the journey was too far away. I unconsciously fell asleep in the car and leaned against Leonardo's arms. As I fell asleep, I was in a daze.However, when Leonardo held my hand a
151I was frightened by their conversation. I trembled and looked at the file that I had opened in my hand. Likewise, I realized that behind the test report, there was a DNA test report with my name on it.I skimmed through all the information in a hurry. I only felt that my hands were trembling, and my brain could not work at all. I had never known the existence of this report, let alone thought...My memory suddenly stopped. The scene in the hospital that day appeared in my mind like a wave. The man's eyes were filled with blood and his eyes were fixed on me.He was looking at me...He was really looking at me...It seemed that someone had taken all my strength away. I blinked and collapsed into the corner of the wall. Then, I opened my mouth and was unable to make any sound. I flipped through the report again and read each document. I looked at them many times. In the end, I only grabbed the final page of the documents. It was a death report. I was extremely sad, but I kept si
159Linda's illness was not serious, but she could not calm down every night. Initially, she thought she could sleep comfortably in the hospital, but she must have never thought that I hired a person who looked similar to my father to appear at the door of her ward every night.In the condominium of the university, the sound of breathing was like a fog."Madeleine.""Yes..."Leonardo pulled me into his arms and leaned closer to my ear and whispered, "If Lucas had nothing because of me one day, would you hate me?"I opened my eyes slightly, looked into Leonardo's eyes, and asked, "Will he have nothing?"A trace of surprise flashed in Leonardo's eyes. He pursed his thin lips and said nothing.I tilted my head and looked at Leonardo quietly. As he kissed me softly, I whispered, "Should I give birth for him to have a nephew?"Leonardo was rendered speechless.Leonardo was at a loss for a moment. He was excited at first, but now he was immediately stunned when he heard what I said