Doesn’t Your Conscience Hurt?

The whole incident had ultimately been nothing more than a farce. No one had been injured, and since the matter involved the reputation of a wealthy family, the police simply gave Maya Fenila and Sister-in-law Yani a stern warning. Before leaving, the female officer pulled Luna Aster aside and had her save her phone number.

“This is a law-abiding society. You must never bow your head to criminal forces. If you ever find it inconvenient to call the police directly, call me!”

Luna Aster looked at the female officer gratefully, her eyes unconsciously growing moist. See? There were still people in this world who cared about her!

After seeing the police off, Elio Leandro put an arm around Luna Aster and stood in the courtyard facing off against Raka Leandro.

“Even if Maya Fenila were to commit murder or arson, Big Brother would still protect her. What about my wife? She did nothing wrong, yet she suffered this ordeal. As her husband, shouldn’t I demand justice for her?”

Elio Leandro’s expression was cold and grim. When he looked toward Maya Fenila, his eyes were filled with a chilling murderous intent.

After a long silence, Raka Leandro gritted his teeth and asked, “Then what do you want me to do?”

Elio Leandro replied coldly, “Make her leave the Leandro family mansion. If she dares to appear in front of me again, don’t blame me for refusing to show you any respect, Big Brother!”

“Why should I? The eldest sister-in-law is like a mother! I’m the mistress of this house. I’m not leaving!”

Hearing that she was being expelled from the magnificent mansion that symbolized status and power, Maya Fenila panicked.

“Besides, do you think I was doing this for myself? I was only trying to help you. It was Aria Nova who came to me... ah!”

Before Maya Fenila could finish, Raka Leandro slapped her hard across the face. Blood immediately began to spill from her nose and mouth.

“You damned fool! How dare you keep spouting nonsense?”

Raka Leandro had completely abandoned his usual refined demeanor. His expression was vicious as he slapped Maya Fenila several more times.

“Go to the villa in the southern suburbs immediately and reflect on what you’ve done.”

Luna Aster said nothing and did not intervene. She simply watched coldly as Maya Fenila, her face covered in blood, was shoved into a car and driven away. She wasn’t a saint. She would never plead for someone who had tried to hurt her. The fact that she wasn’t kicking Maya Fenila while she was down was already an act of mercy. The fact that she had managed to walk away unharmed today was purely a matter of luck. If she had been in Maya Fenila’s position, she would have arranged for several strong servants to lie in wait. The moment her target entered the house, she would have confiscated her phone, tied her up without saying a word, and beaten her half to death. How could she possibly have given her a chance to call the police?

Maya Fenila was too simple-minded and overconfident. She thought a few intimidating shouts would be enough to scare Luna Aster, and that was precisely what gave her the opportunity to call for help. Thinking about it now, Luna Aster couldn’t help feeling a lingering sense of fear. She instinctively looked up at Elio Leandro, only to find him looking down at her at the same time. After their eyes met for a moment, Elio Leandro took her hand.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

He raised his head and looked toward Sister-in-law Yani, who was cowering in the corner. With a wave of his hand, two bodyguards entered through the door.

“Bring her over here!”

Trembling with fear, Sister-in-law Yani was dragged into the middle of the courtyard.

“Do you know why I called you over?”

Elio Leandro looked down at her from above, his voice cold.

Sister-in-law Yani’s face turned deathly pale. She had even wet herself in fear. Her voice trembled as she said, “The First Young Madam ordered me to switch the Second Young Madam’s dress.”

Hearing this, Luna Aster froze for a moment before quickly understanding what it meant. So she had wrongfully blamed Elio Leandro for the dress and shoes incident.

Fine. She could let that matter go.

“The dress and jewelry you prepared for the Second Young Madam are still in my room. I’ll bring them over immediately. Please, I beg you, spare me this once! I’ll never do it again.”

Sister-in-law Yani repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy.

“Deal with her.”

Elio Leandro waved his hand. The two bodyguards dragged Sister-in-law Yani away. No matter how desperately she screamed and pleaded, it was already too late.

The once-noisy mansion instantly fell silent.

Luna Aster had no interest in asking what would happen to Sister-in-law Yani. Whether she lived or died had nothing to do with her. They were all adults, after all, and everyone had to take responsibility for their own actions.

Inside the bedroom, Elio Leandro stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the entrance to the dressing room as he watched Luna Aster awkwardly struggle to put on the dress. Eventually, he grew impatient. He stepped forward and helped the woman put on the dress properly, taking the opportunity to sneak a few playful touches along the way.

This was the dress Elio Leandro had personally chosen for Luna Aster—a sapphire-blue velvet V-neck dress with a tightly cinched waist that perfectly accentuated her figure. Paired with matching diamond-embellished heels, the shoes fit her perfectly and didn’t pinch her feet at all.

“Yesterday, when you got out of the car barefoot, I guessed that something might have gone wrong with the shoes. But at the time… there was nothing I could do except let things play out and make you suffer.”

Elio Leandro embraced Luna Aster from behind, gazing at the charming woman reflected in the mirror. His voice carried a tenderness he himself didn’t even realize was there. Since he had brought up last night’s banquet, Luna Aster slipped out of Elio Leandro’s arms and looked directly into his eyes.

“You went to the laboratory today to bring me my wallet, didn’t you? You heard everything I said.”

The smile on Elio Leandro’s lips faded slightly. He gave a quiet “Mm” from deep in his throat, taking it as his answer.

“I’m sorry for making you misunderstand.”

Luna Aster had always been someone who knew when to yield and when to stand her ground. Without hesitation, she apologized, her tone sincere and earnest.

"In that situation, I admit there was an element of playing the victim. After all, Aria Nova had so many people on her side, and you were even her former lover. Whereas I…”

How could Elio Leandro not know that everyone sitting at that table last night was on Aria Nova’s side? How could he not know that Luna Aster had been completely alone?

Luna Aster took a few steps back and sat down on the shoe-changing bench.

“If I hadn’t been pushed to the brink, who would willingly expose their own wounds? I did put on a show, but I didn’t lie.”

Her smile carried a faint hint of sadness.

“Do you want to hear about my past? Do you want to know how I struggled to survive while being abused by my adoptive parents?”

Elio Leandro’s heart suddenly clenched.

Before he could say anything, Luna Aster suddenly stood up, her tone carrying a hint of irritation.

“Forget it. I’m not telling you. Why the hell am I explaining myself to you anyway? What are we to each other?”

She kicked off her high heels, took off her dress right in front of Elio Leandro, and pulled a robe around herself before looking at him.

“I saw the news about you secretly meeting Aria Nova. So? Are you happy? How far did things go?”

Elio Leandro stared into Luna Aster’s eyes, trying to find even the slightest hint of displeasure on her face.

But her eyes were so clear and bright that she even seemed… vaguely excited, like a little otter bouncing around in a melon field, eagerly following the latest gossip.

“Are all of you PhD students this weird?”

After a long moment, Elio Leandro finally asked through gritted teeth.

Luna Aster, who had just taken a devastating ten-thousand-point critical hit: “…”

*Damn! Young Master, that’s not fair! You can’t just launch a personal attack out of nowhere!*

“I’m your husband, and you’re my wife. Yet when rumors spread that I’m involved with another woman, you’re actually the first one rushing to watch the drama? Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”

Elio Leandro almost wanted to crack open this woman’s skull and implant a few romance novels where the female lead was a hopeless lovestruck fool, just so she could learn a thing or two.

At the mention of gossip, Luna Aster immediately perked up. She leaned closer, looking extremely pleased with herself.

“I’ve been following the gossip about you and Aria Nova for a long time.”

Elio Leandro’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

“There were six of us in my dorm back then. Five of them didn’t think your relationship would work out at all. I was the only one who thought you two had a chance. We even made a bet!”

At this point, Luna Aster put her hands on her hips, looking incredibly proud of herself.

“And look at that... I was the one who won in the end! I’ll have to call them sometime and tell them… Hey, hey! What are you doing?”

Elio Leandro gave Luna Aster no chance to continue gloating. He simply pulled off her robe and ushered her toward the bathroom.

He had originally thought that, after everything she had been through that evening, she needed someone to talk to and a good night’s sleep to calm down. But now it seemed that what this woman needed wasn’t rest. She really needed to be taught a lesson!

There was quite a commotion coming from the bathroom, accompanied by Luna Aster’s muffled protests.

“Ow, don’t do that!”

“No, wait, don’t do that!”

“The sink is so cold! Maybe we should go back… Mmph!”