Leonel gritted his teeth. His sharp gaze stared at the increasingly busy road filled with other vehicles. Occasionally, he honked the horn too forcefully, even though it was unnecessary. Morning rush hour traffic was the perfect companion to his workday.
"Dear," the woman beside him called out. Since she got into the car, the gloomy aura of the man she loved was palpable. However, they could still converse casually at the dining table, although Ester repeatedly took deep breaths and clenched her fists in frustration with Chloe's behavior. Since arriving at this house, Ester felt unable to breathe freely.
Feeling no response, Ester called the man, focused on the steering wheel again. "Dear, are you angry?"
Leonel only glanced briefly, smiled, and shook his head.
Ester was taken aback by Leonel's behavior this morning. Throughout her relationship with Leonel, she had never been ignored like this. "What's gotten into you?" Ester couldn't stand it anymore. He
Leonel has never been this angry facing Chloe. When he sat in the car and drove to the office, his frustration didn't subside. Even the conversation between him and Ester was brief. He didn't care much about Ester's sour expression when she exited the car. Even Ester slamming the door didn't divert Leonel's attention."Sir, I've checked the documents that need your signature. Here you go," Deborah had been standing there since earlier, holding the awaited files to be handed over to the finance division. Unfortunately, her boss didn't pay attention to any of the tasks presented on his desk. He leaned back with closed eyes, but Deborah knew he was deep in thought."Oh." Leonel opened his eyes, immediately banishing the image of Chloe occupying his mind. "Did you check everything? Make sure there are no mistakes." Leonel quickly shifted his focus to the papers Deborah handed him. He promptly placed his signature where required, next to the marks Deborah had already made.
Leonel is always busy and uses his busyness as an excuse for coming home. Although he has occasionally come home early because his parents visited, he made time to eat at the dining table, where Chloe served him well, and he enjoyed the meals she cooked for the gathering. That was in the past. It was before Chloe had an accident.There was nothing Leonel missed about those dinner moments because he felt he was merely fulfilling an obligation he didn't have to do. Compelled. Yes, that word accurately described his presence at the dinner table. Sometimes he would bring Chris to the gathering to cover up his excuse of being busy with multiple projects.And now he was trapped in Chris Yanuardi's family dinner, where there was Chris's wife and their son, whom Leonel considered a younger brother. Since his arrival at Chris's house a few hours ago, he made time to accompany the young man to play basketball. There was a significant age difference between them. This was Chris's
Ester Gisella looked even more beautiful wearing a loose soft pink shirt with tight denim jeans. Her pale face had regained its color. She wasn't sick or had no reason to reschedule her photo shoot. But her mood was horrible. She was afraid of affecting her performance and the people involved. She confidently walked towards the agreed-upon place.Sofi had returned to her boarding house in the Manhattan area earlier. She left a few messages that Ester didn't find particularly useful. But Ester wanted to talk less and followed what Sofi said. She was sure that Sofi's eyes were filled with surprise at her behavior today. It didn't matter as long as Sofi went home soon."Miss Lily agreed that you'll have a day off tomorrow," Sofi informed before leaving Ester's apartment."Yes, I know," Ester replied shortly."Rest. I'll bring breakfast and lunch here tomorrow.""Yes, yes. You go home.""Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you, Miss?" Al
Initially, Leonel wanted to avoid listening to the conversation between the two women. He ignored them, occasionally catching snippets of laughter and light banter. Chloe Delilah seemed so familiar with his mother. Leonel could see the genuine affection in his mother's eyes whenever she looked at her daughter-in-law. With others, his mother couldn't be like this. It was a rare occurrence. But Leonel was sure and knew that his mother truly loved him.It was different with Chloe.Since his wife entered the Grisham family, Leonel witnessed the warm reception she received from all sides. He couldn't fathom what they thought of Chloe, who, in his opinion, was just an ordinary girl but managed to capture almost all of the Grisham family's attention, including his grandfather, who was known to be cold and more reserved than his father. But at that time, Leonel didn't care. For him, the marriage was just a cover to conceal his ongoing relationship with his lover, Ester.
"Can we talk?" Leonel asked, following Chloe's steps toward her room. The woman didn't want any help, nor did she complain a word. She hiked up the stairs, feeling each step with the tip of her cane. From behind, Leonel observed how Chloe handled herself in her current condition.When she found out about her condition, Leonel was at a loss. Not just him but the entire household. Chloe, usually gentle and caring, became emotional and lost control. Her anger kept surging, and she didn't hesitate to throw things around. Profanities flowed effortlessly from her thin lips. But as time passed and her therapy progressed well, Chloe's emotions stabilized.She returned to being the attentive Chloe, but only towards certain people. Towards Leonel? Cold and completely untouched. If Leonel could say it, Chloe wasn't like the wife he used to know. There was such a wide gap for Leonel to bridge. Usually, a slight smile and sweet words would make Chloe surrender.But not anymo
The moan escaped unconsciously from Ester as her movement was hindered by the giant hand that enveloped her. There was a satisfied smile approaching her now. It turns out that last night was just her fear. Leonel said, "My dad was here. I had a long conversation with him about expansion, Ester. You don't have to worry about my presence at home. Besides, Sofi did her job well, didn't she?"Leonel said those words right above his lips before Ester truly snuggled up to her lover. The neatly tied tie was starting to loosen by Ester. With the most sensual movements possible, she received a restrained groan and the closed eyes of Leonel, who enjoyed every touch of her hand on his chest."Is that so?" Ester asked in a sulky voice. However, she didn't care about what Leonel said anymore. She trusted the man who was now exploring her lips gently and kissing her with great care, just as the man liked to examine every inch of Ester's body—starting with gentle movements that
Chloe's smile didn't want to fade from her face, not even a bit. It was no longer just her feeling. What her eyes captured now were familiar colors in her imagination. Her heart was filled with joy knowing about this progress. Just this morning, there was nothing different from her vision, which only contained dots of light. A sense of emotion slipped into her heart, overwhelming her. "Hi," Adrianna greeted cheerfully. Since Peni gave her the news two hours ago, Adrianna couldn't wait to meet Chloe. Although she still had to be patient because her responsibilities at work couldn't be abandoned just like that. Adrianna couldn't simply ignore the children she taught. When her working hours were over, she immediately drove her car to her friend's white-painted house. "Adrianna." Chloe reached out, trying to grasp Adrianna's hand even though she couldn't see her approaching figure. Holding Chloe tightly. "I'm so happy." Chloe was sure that Peni had informed Adrianna about her condition.
Along the way to the office, Leonel pondered why his father suddenly wanted to meet. Didn't they meet at the dining table yesterday? Or was there something to discuss about the office situation? As long as Mountain Pte was under Leonel's management, the founder, who happened to be his father, was free from the obligation to work in the office. It wasn't because he wanted to monopolize what his father had built.As the only son of Grisham, he had responsibilities on his shoulders. He couldn't let Robby work forever. Indeed his father wanted to enjoy his old age by doing many other things. It was evident from how often his father and wife went on trips to other cities or even abroad to spend their time.But that didn't matter. Besides, Leonel enjoyed business activities and the corporate world. He didn't have to run them just because he was the son of the company's founder. No, Leonel was not like that. He exerted all his abilities to expand Mountain Pte further.