02

     

      

      

      Sydney wasn't supposed to be here. And on top of that, she was even wearing Mona’s dress. The strapless pink dress didn't suit her curvaceous body. 

      

       But Sydney hugged Leo.  "What's wrong? Aren't you glad to see me?” She asked in a flirty way. She ran her fingers over the back of his neck.

      

      Leo frowned and pushed her aside. "Who allowed you in? And why are you wearing Mona’s clothes?”

      

      Sydney’s smile faded. But she quickly got herself together and acted shy. "The maid let me in. I spilled coffee over my dress by mistake. I'm just borrowing a dress from her wardrobe.”

      

      "Where is Mona?" He asked. 

      

       "How am I supposed to know?” Sydney asked, "She wasn't here when I got here." She got closer to him and leaned in to kiss him.

      

      Leo remembered Mona in this same dress and pulled away from Sydney’s hand. 

      

      "Why are you distancing yourself from me, Leo?" 

      

      He yelled, "Don't wear her clothes anymore; they don't look good on you." 

      

      Sydney  tried to say something else, but he stopped her. "You should go home now. I'll meet you at Blooms club tonight.”

      

      Sydney was stunned that Leo would still not care even after she seduced him like that. She had to nod and do what he said, though, because she knew she had to keep up the "good girl" image in front of him. 

      

      She showed him the birthmark on her arm before she left. Leo’s face changed right away as he saw the birthmark.

      

      The room was filled with the strong smell of Sydney’s  perfume. The bed covers were disheveled , and he couldn't find the divorce papers he had carelessly flung on the floor the day before. 

      

      Leo looked around nonchalantly, then went into the changing room. He saw that the closet were still filled. There were still Mona’s  clothing. Sydney had just taken one of her gowns. 

      

      After getting dressed, he left bedroom. He was in such a rush that he didn't see the divorce papers and bank card that had dropped on the floor.

      •••••

      

       At a private room in Blooms club…

      

      Leo sat on the club chair with loud music playing all around him, under the bright lights. Sydney  leaned into him while wearing a provocative red dress. And she took all the compliments from the people around them. They were playing a game called "Spin the Bottle." With four of his friends here.

      

      Kylie turned a bottle on the table, and it ended up pointing at Leo. He smiled in a naughty way. He was ready to make fun of Leo, but just one glance from Leo was enough to stop him. 

      

      Kylie trembled and chose a safer question. "Leo, how did you and Sydney meet?" 

      

      Sydney looked at Leo lovingly.

      

      Leo took up a glass of beer and drank it all. He then said, "Sydney saved my life." 

      

      "She did?!" Everyone was astonished, but Sydney  smiled and leaned against Leo. 

      

      Joe got kidnapped twenty years ago and it was Sydney who helped him escape when the kidnappers were not around despite not knowing him. Leo only remembered the birthmark on her arm before his escape and promised to look for her no matter what.

      

      And as promised, he didn’t stop looking for Sydney, until he saw her at a bar one day. The birthmark on her arm made him recognize her. But by that time, he was already married to Mona. 

      

      His face got gloomy again when he thought of Mona.

      

       Anthony suddenly said while clutching his phone. "My friend saw Mrs. Cox at the airport." 

      

      "Who?" Leo was confused and frowned. 

      

      "Your wife of course." 

      

      When Leo heard that, his countenance got even more serious. He questioned, "What was she doing at the airport?"

      

      Leo’s phone rang all of a sudden. As soon as he picked up the phone, he heard his grandpa yelling, "Idiot!" Are you and Mona divorced?”

      

      Everyone could hear grandpa’s wrath because the call was on loud speaker. Leo got up from the chair and  went to a quiet spot to talk to grandpa.

      

      "Mona is just having throwing a tantrum. Don't pay any attention to her.”

      

       "Why is she at the airport, then? Did you send her away so you could marry that woman? I told you that Sydney will never marry into the Cox family as long as I'm alive. No way!" 

      

      Leo frowned. "Did she really go to the airport?" 

      

      The idea that Mona was really going to leave him made him feel very bad inside. And it bothered him how much she changed him. 

      

      Grandpa  let out a sigh. "People saw her at the airport. Get her back! Mona is a nice girl. You'll regret it if you let her go." He hung up without waiting for Leo to answer. 

      

      Leo seemed really sad when he came back to the private room. "You guys keep going." I'll go first.”

      

      "Where are you going, Leo?" Sydney asked, lovingly.

      

      But  Leo walked away without looking back, and Sydney looked confused. 

      

      Leo tried to call Mona a few times but couldn't get through. He had to call his assistant Nate to find out where she was because he didn't know if she had turned off her phone or blocked him. 

      

      When he got home, he yelled at the maid, "Where is Mrs. Cox?" 

      

      "I...I don't know," the maid said with a stutter. “But Mr. Cox, I found something in the room...”

      

      Leo ran upstairs before she could finish. And as expected, Mona was not there. Mona would always be waiting for him in the bedroom, no matter how late he got home before. She would always welcome him with a kind grin, even if he was angry. 

      

      He pulled off his tie in frustration and looked around the room. The bed looked like it hadn't been slept in at all, and everything else was clean. The dressing room's wardrobe was still full. But as he looked more closely, he saw that several of Mona’s casual clothing were missing. 

      

      His expression changed right away. She just brought two suitcases of things with her when she married him and moved in. He bought the rest of the clothes in the closet for her. She didn't wear any of the clothes he bought. She only took things that belonged to her. 

      

      He looked over at the nightstand and spotted a bank card—the one he had given her the night before. He instantly found the divorce agreement lying under it as he lifted it up. They had both signed the divorce agreement. He started to feel anxious, and his grandpa’s comments kept coming back to him: "You'll regret it..." 

      

      It couldn't be real. He knew Mona was crazy about him. She wouldn't let him go. She was only playing another game.

      

      His assistant, Nate, walked into the room.

      

       "Have you found her?" He asked Nate as he lit a cigarette and filled the room with smoke. 

      

      "People saw Mrs. Cox at the airport, but..." 

      

      "Just bring her back!" Leo took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves. He hadn't felt this strong mix of fury and astonishment in a long time, but he couldn't figure out why. 

      

      "But Mrs. Cox has already gotten on the plane and left." 

      

      Leo looked quite sad as he read the divorce document in his hand. "Send people to stop her when the plane lands! Bring her back to me at all costs!" He violently flung his phone against the wall, breaking it into pieces. 

      

      

      "So you finally got away, huh, Mona? You best hide carefully, or I'll catch you!”

      

      Leo’s men couldn't find Mona at the airport where she was expected to arrive.

      

      For four months, Leo and Nate kept looking for her, but they couldn't find her. Mona Hunt disappeared without a trace...