Leighton hesitated to share these thoughts with Nicole. It was mainly because during their previous "relationship" publicity stunt, Nicole unintentionally bumped into his family while they were together. Except for his cousins, no one else in his family knew that their relationship was a charade. They were ecstatic to see Nicole and insisted on treating her to meals.Despite Nicole's tough demeanor around him, she knew exactly how to act around elders. She addressed them as grandpa, grandma, uncle, and aunt, melting everyone's hearts. Even his father, who typically disapproved of entertainment industry stars, seemed to approve of her, silently expressing, "You've done well, kid, finding such a beautiful and remarkable partner."Nicole's behavior made Leighton question if his previous perceptions of her were biased or exaggerated. But after they finished eating, she surprised him in the car, saying, "Didn't realize you're such a mommy's boy, needing your mom to clean your fish for you
So, when Nicole mistakenly assumed that Dr. Sanders was arranged by the company, he didn’t bother to correct her. He just had this inexplicable feeling that if Nicole knew it was his mother’s arrangement, she would probably feel upset. It was like… not talking about light in front of a blind person. It just felt unethical.While the wound was being treated, Stella called to check on him. She had been watching the live stream and was very worried when she saw Nicole get injured. She sent several WhatsApp messages to Leighton, but when he didn’t respond, she called.“It’s no big deal,” Leighton said softly. “I’m with her at the doctor’s, getting her wound treated.”“You’re not hurt, are you?”“No.”Stella said, “Aunt called me. She’s very worried about you. She’s afraid of bothering you, so she asked me to check on you. Where are you now? Keegan and I can come over.”“No need, Stella, really. I’m fine.” Leighton quickly declined. Stella was heavily pregnant, and he couldn’t risk ha
Leighton fell silent."Can’t think of anyone?" Stella asked."It’s not that," Leighton coughed. "There are too many."Stella was rendered speechless.Previously, Leighton had clashed with a somewhat influential host on a variety show. Although the host was being offensive and Leighton’s retort was praised by netizens, he was still new to the industry. The host, with his connections, caused Leighton to lose some job opportunities and subjected him to plenty of difficulties.Leighton's rebellious and righteous nature made him intolerant of some people’s vile behavior, leading to many conflicts in the entertainment industry over the years. It wasn’t impossible that someone might want to take this opportunity to drag him down.The entertainment industry was already a place with too many people competing for too few resources. The top artists monopolize over ninety percent of the resources. Taking him down could free up opportunities to benefit dozens of other artists.After listenin
Nicole was annoyed. "What does a little brat like you know about aesthetics? If I'm not good-looking, then who is?"Leighton replied, "Stella."Nicole was stumped. Well... she couldn't really compete with that. Stella was indeed stunning. Nicole had seen many beautiful women, and Stella could easily be in the top three. She was the type who looked great on camera but even better in person. Many beauties looked good on screen but appeared too thin in reality, losing some of their charm. Stella, with her soft and elegant features, was a pleasure to look at. Nicole had to admit defeat, but seeing Leighton's "aren't you convinced?" expression made her itch with irritation."No matter how beautiful your cousin is, I’m your girlfriend. If someone asks you who’s good-looking, you should say I am."Leighton glanced at her. "I'm just dating, not blind.""That response makes it obvious you’ve never been in love. Haven’t you heard of the saying ‘love makes everything beautiful’?"Leighton p
Leighton suddenly remembered what the woman who caused a scene at the previous press conference had said. That woman claimed Nicole was “seducing her own brother.”Was she talking about this guy?Nicole seemed to read his mind and laughed. "I don’t like him, and I never will. He’s not good enough for me."Leighton’s eyelid twitched. He muttered, “Thick-skinned.”He was used to hearing people say they weren’t good enough for someone else. This was the first time he’d heard someone boldly declare that the other person wasn’t good enough for them. How could Estelle call him narcissistic? This crazy girl was way more self-absorbed than he was!Before long, they arrived at Nicole’s place, only to find a crowd already gathered, waiting to corner her.Estelle didn’t even stop the car, simply detouring around the crowd.Leighton frowned. “How did your address get exposed?”“No idea.” Nicole was puzzled too. When she and Leighton had gone public with their relationship, the reporters ha
Leighton exclaimed, "Monster!"Nicole echoed, "Monster!"For once, they were in complete agreement about something.Estelle was thirty-four, while his girlfriend was twenty-one. Saying that he was robbing the cradle was an understatement.Estelle's face turned red with embarrassment as he explained through gritted teeth, "When we were playing games, she told me she was twenty-seven. She didn’t show me any pictures, and I thought, who lies about being older?" It turned out, some people did.Leighton scoffed, "And after meeting her and knowing her real age, you didn’t cut ties?"Estelle glared at him. "I did! I even deleted her from my WhatsApp!"Nicole was curious. "So how did you reconnect?"Estelle’s voice lowered, "I stayed off the game for a while, but one day I logged back in, and she immediately reached out, crying and asking why I blocked her. I told her she was too young, like my sister, and if she wanted, she could see me as a brother."She agreed, but then a few day
Leighton was speechless.After ten minutes, the car finally came to a stop.The house was a villa, but the entire villa area had been abandoned previously. The developer went bankrupt, and the assets were liquidated. A few years ago, a new developer took over and completed the final touches, finally making it available for use. However, this place was quite remote, and being close to the crematorium, property prices had sharply declined. There were listings everywhere online, offering low prices. Those purchasing villas here were generally not short of money. Due to the unfavorable location of this house, not many people chose to live here.The house was far from the city center, and with the overcast sky, darkness had already descended by the time they arrived. There were scarcely any lights on the road. Leighton glanced out the window, observing the willows casting eerie shadows under the dim streetlights. The more he stared, the more unsettled he felt. Quickly averting his gaze,
Leighton was still trying to wrap his head around how he could have kicked a ghost when the lights flickered on, revealing what lay on the ground. It wasn't some ghastly hanged specter; it was unmistakably a man.His kick had been forceful; the man lay there clutching his stomach, unable to get up right away. Upon seeing the light, he didn't bother lifting his head, but clenched his teeth and said coldly, "Nicole, you've really outdone yourself this time!"Leighton was speechless.What was this thing? Why did it speak so disgustingly? It was even more repulsive than the lines he delivered as a boss character.Nicole furrowed her brow. "What are you doing here?""How did I end up here? Who else has the power to make me come to this dump—" The man paused, then glanced toward the foyer. When his eyes met Leighton's, his voice abruptly trailed off, and he frowned. "You brought someone else?"Nicole replied calmly, "He's not someone else; he's my boyfriend." Then she introduced Leight