“Good evening, everyone. I'm Lynette, and this is my brother, Leon. We are Mr. Batton’s grandchildren.” Lynette Batton announced into the microphone as she introduced herself and Leon Batton to the guests.“We have prepared a little performance for our grandfather, so please enjoy it,” she added as she took her place next to the microphone while Leon sat in front of the piano.All eyes were on them at that moment as the two of them became the center of attention.Then, he placed his hands over the piano and began to play, his fingers dancing gracefully on the black and white keys. His perfect face from the side looked like a portrait.The guests were mesmerized by the music.Then, Lynette waited for her cue before she began to sing the song she had prepared in advance, The Brightest Star.She had the voice of a nightingale. Nobody spoke during their performance, and they all quietly listened to her beautiful singing.Everyone seemed to indulge in the song, its touching melody dr
The family had a great time together as the birthday party was well organized this year.Xyla Quest and Stanley Batton returned home with Lynette Batton and Leon Batton after the party ended. By then, the sky was already pitch dark.Stanley and Xyla returned to their room first.He reached out to pull his wife into his arms as soon as they walked in, pressing his chin against her head. Her familiar fragrant scent made him feel a lot more at ease.***The next day, Lynette and Leon were having breakfast together.“Is Mommy awake yet?” she murmured when she hadn't seen Xyla for a while.“She’s probably awake but too busy to come down,” Leon replied impatiently. “Are you done eating? If you are, let’s head to school.”“All right, I’m almost done. Why weren’t you this eager to go to school previously?” his sister complained while rolling her eyes at him.“Umm, it’s almost time. We’re going to be late,” he said with an awkward expression.“We usually get to school just in time,
Leon Batton’s table was empty apart from a small slice of toast.Other students were baffled at the sight as they stood around him.“Does Leon like toasts?”“Quick, write that down! We’ll give him toasts next time!”“Yeah, this is an important detail. Hurry up, and write it down. We could sell this information to other people!”Some students from Class A began writing in their notebooks while Leon ignored them all. He unzipped the bag and then started to munch on the toast.The teacher arrived by the time he was almost done eating, The first lesson was a slightly boring language class. Leon memorized everything he read in the first round, so it wasn’t difficult for him at all.The teacher randomly selected Leon to recite a passage from the textbook.“Leon, please stand up to recite the passage for the class,” the teacher said.Out of respect for his teacher, he set his phone down and did as told.“Lynette and Leon have been on their phones the entire time without even loo
Leon Batton began reciting The Curiel Family word-for-word in front of his classmates, who were not the only ones shocked. Even his language teacher was wide-eyed in disbelief.It was impossible, even magical.“I’m done reciting, Teacher,” he said casually before taking his phone out to continue scrolling through Weibo as he sat down, leaving everyone in his class in shock.“That was amazing!”“How did he memorize it after a single read? Oh my god! Do geniuses like him really exist? I think he’s even smarter than Einstein!”“My goodness! I took an entire week to memorize that passage, and I doubt I could even recite it as smoothly as he did!”His classmates were sighing and were deeply impressed by him.Leon successfully reciting The Curiel Family was the equivalent of a hard slap across the language teacher’s face.“Ahem," the teacher coughed awkwardly before chuckling out loud. "That was very impressive, Leon. You should all learn from him.”He never bothered the gifted stud
Leon Batton stood up and looked at Lynette Batton when school ended for the day. “I have to train at the base later. You’ll have to find your own way home today,” he told her.She nodded obediently. “Okay, I’ll go home by myself tonight.”Then, they bid farewell in front of the school entrance before Leon drove to Team XS’s base. His eyes narrowed when he saw a familiar figure by the road as he drove, prompting him to find a spot to pull over before getting out of his car.Hannah Roland walked ahead of him holding a bag of cat food and a few slices of ham, muttering to herself. “I’ve bought so much food today. It should be enough for the kitten, right?”Her pace quickened while Leon observed her curiously. He decided to follow her discreetly from a safe distance to avoid alerting her to his presence.Eventually, he followed her into a dilapidated alley. He detected a scent of dampness as soon as he entered. There were puddles of muddy water on the ground.Leon frowned at that, bu
“But I’ve been thinking, and I think I might only get to watch Leon from afar for the rest of my life because I really don’t deserve him. My classmates were right about that.“Honestly, this isn’t so bad, though....is it?” Hannah Roland went on with an indescribable sadness in her eyes.She couldn’t help but recall how Leon Batton looked when he smiled, played basketball, walked, or even slept on his desk.He looked gorgeous no matter what he did.Her secret crush was such a great person, but the more she thought about how perfect he was, the more inferior she felt about herself.***Leon soon arrived at Team XS’s base where everyone was waiting anxiously for him to arrive due to his slight detour. “Did you encounter any issues on your way here?” Alex asked with a worried tone.“It’s nothing. I just bumped into someone I knew,” Leon answered with a shake of his head.“I’m glad to hear that. Everyone’s ready for you. Let’s go,” Alex urged.“Okay.”Leon headed to the training
Team IM members resumed their line of questionings again when everyone entered the game lobby—“You’re that genius from before, aren’t you?”“It must be. Are you playing tomorrow?”“I’m feeling optimistic about you.”Leon Batton refused to reply to them, seemingly unfriendly on purpose.Meanwhile, his teammate, Stewart, responded, “Yes, he is our genius teammate.”With that reply, the public chat went wild—“D*mn! He’s the greatest of all time!”“Can I add you as my friend? Do you have your own account?”“Good luck for tomorrow, genius.”Leon remained stubbornly silent.However, players from Team IM were very excited—“He is cold.”“I realize all talented Top Solo players have that in common.”“That’s right. Alex used to be like that, too. He was known as the cold king of Top Lane.”Leon couldn’t resist replying at last. “...”Meanwhile, news that Team XS’s genius Top Solo dominated Team IM during their training match also spread throughout Weibo and ESPN, resulting in
Team XS was LPL Region’s number one team. Naturally, the players were also served the best food.Dinner consisted of a total of twenty dishes that included seafood and a variety of poultry, all cooked on par with five-star hotel standards.Even the presentation and colors of each dish were exemplary.The young fellows in Team XS began to drool at the sight of these dishes which smelled and looked perfect. They immediately picked up their utensils to begin the feast as soon as everyone sat down.Most of them were gorging themselves on dinner except for Leon who remained refined, looking like an elegant, noble prince attending a king’s banquet.The team’s ADC, Jackey, couldn’t resist sighing when he saw this. “You can tell Leon was brought up in a rich family. He behaves differently than the rest of us.”The Mid Solo, Stewart, spoke up then. “Exactly. Rich folks have a different vibe compared to regular people.”“I think of Leon as a prince,” The Jungler, Damien, also chipped in.
Xyla quickly reached for Hannah’s hand. “Is that right? Hannah, you’re amazing…! You’re practically on par with Leon!”Hannah laughed, slightly embarrassed. “Not at all.”“Oh, cut it out. If you hadn’t helped me, how could I have improved so quickly?” Leon chuckled.“I guess I’ve lived up to my promise.” Hannah giggled along.Back then, she had promised Leon that she would become someone deserving of him.She claimed that she would grow with Leon.Without a doubt, she had done it.Now, Hannah had become a successful woman many would often speak of. She earned her rightful seat next to Leon as the CEO of Dragon Group.Stanley also turned to look at Hannah. “Yes, Hannah’s very capable. She’s our family pride.”Hannah laughed. “I was lucky to be accepted by your family.”In fact, Hannah genuinely felt grateful toward the Batton family over the years she had spent with them.They had helped her through all the hardship she encountered when she was poor and down on her luck.Aft
“Hannah, I’ve taken the first step for you. Are you willing to walk by my side for the rest of our lives?” Leon asked, serious.“Yes, I am…” Hannah answered without missing a beat.“I’ll protect you. From now on, you don’t have to worry about a single thing.” With that, Leon placed both hands on Hannah’s face and kissed her on the lips.The moment their lips touched, everything felt surreal…Hannah could feel pink, light bubbles floating all around her. It felt as if all the flowers in the world were blossoming at once.In Hannah’s dark, depressing life, Leon was her only salvation.He was a ray of hope that led her out of hell, so she could see light once more.Hannah thought she would never have anything to do with Leon after she quit school.Even until now, she still remembered how sorrowful she was on her last day of school.But now… Not only did she get the opportunity to interact with him once more, but they also became a couple.Their driver sighed to himself while
Over time, Leon’s feelings for Hannah grew deeper, stronger, and more intense.He had grown used to having her with him all the time.Thus, he hoped she would stay by his side for the rest of his life.Upon hearing his words, Hannah’s mind went blank.What did her dream guy just say?Was she dreaming?Hannah quickly pinched her palm at the thought in an attempt to discern between dream and reality.Her palm hurt. That meant this wasn’t a dream. It was real!Hannah felt even more dumbfounded…This meant Leon actually liked her! He was confessing to her, wasn’t he?Did her dream guy actually reciprocate her feelings?Never in her wildest dreams did Hannah imagine she would go through such an experience.Excitement jammed her mind, so much that she was rendered speechless. There were many things she wanted to say, and yet, she couldn’t utter a single word.Her heartbeat increased rapidly, and her entire body began to shake. Sensing her trembling body, Leon tightened his e
Immediately after, the men in black pulled out guns from their pockets, which they aimed at Raymond’s head.Raymond panicked instantly, going pale.He subconsciously retreated a step back. “Who are you? Don’t you know what you’re doing is illegal?”Leon sneered. “You don’t deserve to know my name. In this city, I am the law.”Leon’s domineering words made him seem even more imposing.At this moment, Hannah felt as if he was a guardian angel sent from Heaven to protect her.Something about him seemed oddly sacred and heavenly.“Mr. Batton, do I shoot him in the head?” One of the men dressed in black asked.“Mr. Batton? Are you Stanley Batton’s son?!” Fear was beginning to spread through Raymond. For one to have Batton as his surname and act this arrogantly in Atlantis, he could be none other than a member of the renowned Batton family.“How dare you address our president by name?!” Another man in black leveled Raymond with a chilling glare.Suffice to say, Raymond was terrif
Terrible pain ached at every part of Hannah’s body as she collided with the cold, hard ground.The pain was such that all her bones felt close to breaking. Everywhere hurt badly.At that moment, Hannah felt like a fragile doll made of clay that had been forcefully slammed hard against the ground until it broke into small pieces.Her mind went blank from the stinging agony.She braced herself and looked at the cold eyes staring back at her, filled with terror. Stammering, she asked, “Mr. Gray… What is the meaning of this?” “What’s the meaning of this? Ha! Don’t you know what’s good for you? You dumb b*tch… You’re lucky that I set my sights on you!”“How dare you refuse my feelings! Not just that, but you even made up a story to deceive me!”“Even when you saw me, you tried to trick me again!”“Do you think I’m stupid? That I can’t think? Do you honestly think I’d fall for your lies again and again?” Raymond went, his tone steadily rising into a furious roar.He then got on o
Although the sun had long sunk beneath the horizons and darkness had set in, the lively city wasn’t about to be silent anytime soon. Hannah felt deeply unsettled, so much that she didn’t leave right away.Instead, she waited in front of the bar, filled with hesitance and anxiety.Should she really leave?Would Rihanna truly be able to sort things out?The man was Raymond Gray… Neither Rihanna nor the bar could afford to upset him, lest they face terrible repercussions.Hannah remained standing on the same spot, uncertain. She really didn’t know what to do.Finally, she came to a decision. She took out her phone and tapped open a ride-hailing application on her phone.Yet just as she did that, she instantly closed it. Afterwards, she began pacing back and forth in worried circles, going to and fro aimlessly. Right as she was trapped in her worried musings, a group of people exited the bar. Raymond Gray, dressed in black, sporty attire, led all of them in a flamboyant manner.
A handsome waiter quickly walked in and looked at Rihanna. “Ms. Jensen, Mr. Gray out there insists that Hannah should get on stage to sing another song. I told him that Hannah would only sing three songs today…”“He lost his temper and claimed he’d destroy our bar if Hannah refuses to sing another song…” The waiter added. He was visibly trembling by the end of the sentence.Hannah figured Mr. Gray was probably the only son of the new mayor of Atlantis there weren’t many people with Gray as their surname in Atlantis. There were even less people who were arrogant like him. He was the only one.Hannah had heard about how terrible this person could be. He was known to be a womanizer too.Due to his powerful background, he looked down on everyone else. He didn’t respect women at all… Moreover, he had a relatively cruel personality. One could almost describe him as being a pervert.There was once when an owner of a bar offended a female internet celebrity he was dating. He directly hired
Hannah Roland smiled politely at Lina Cohen. “Nice to meet you… Thank you in advance!”“No problem… Do let me know if there’s anything you don’t like about your makeup too,” Lina said.Hannah nodded. “Okay, sure…”“By the way… Do all the signers here get such good treatment? I’m surprised we’re even assigned our own makeup artists,” Hannah asked carefully as she wasn’t aware about things like these..However, Lina smiled without answering Hannah’s question directly. She held Hannah’s hand casually the next second, “Come here. I’ll start doing your makeup now…”Hannah nodded…Lina was a very professional makeup artist. She took an hour to finish Hannah’s makeup.An hour later, Hannah’s appearance transformed completely.Lina permed Hannah’s long, black hair into natural-looking curls.Hannah had intricate peach-colored makeup on her face which made her appear lively and youthful.Once Lina was done with Hannah’s makeup, she happily retrieved a long, white dress from a clothes
Hannah Roland smiled without saying anything.***Hannah arrived at the bar where she worked at seven o’clock the next evening and walked into Rihanna Jensen’s office.Rihanna was going through paperwork in her office. When she saw Hannah, she immediately stood up and smiled at her. “Hannah, you’re here…”“Here’s the contract…” Rihanna said before pushing a thick stack of paper to the center of the table.Hannah quickly stepped forward and skimmed through the document. She then picked up a pen and signed it…Rihanna smiled upon seeing this. “Okay… I’ll transfer the money into your account tonight… I’ve told our big boss about your situation. He’s fine with my decision to pay your salary in advance. In fact, he even told me I did a good job…”“He said you can sing without worrying about a single thing… If you need any help in the future, do let us know…” Rihanna added.Hannah felt glad when she heard this, and became teary-eyed. “Thank you… Please thank our big boss for me too.