There was a tacit understanding between them. Truth was, Heather had long noticed Leon’s complicated thoughts beneath his carefree character that he portrayed.
She entered the villa behind him, keeping a distance of barely a step away from him. At this moment, she felt dejected somehow, as she knew that she might be giving in a lot more this time.
The large living room was spacious and empty. Leon gestured to her to take a seat at the couch, while he moved a chair very close to her before sitting on it.
He then beamed at her. As a matter of fact, he had been waiting for her arrival and he dared not leave home for fear that he would miss her.
“Heather, why are you suddenly so courteous toward me?” He cocked his head to one side, wearing an expression that was as innocent as a child’s.
“I can’t rely on you for everything.” She had started to reflect on herself and found that she was becoming more and more dependent on him, which was not a good sign.
It would be understandable if Heather relied on Matthias. Instead, the person she relied on and trusted the most was Leon although there wasn’t anything special between them. They were merely friends and she was clear that the more she crossed the boundaries, the fine line that represented their friendship would become more vague.
If she continued on like this, it would be unfair to Leon. She realized that it was very selfish of her to do so as well, and she knew that she had owed him a lot.
“I like to be relied on by you,” Leon murmured as he gazed at her fervently. Even if her heart belonged to someone else, he yearned for his passionate feelings toward her to be returned.
Heather, on the other hand, avoided his gaze. I can’t continue on like this. I know that what I did was wrong, so I have to change this.
And so, she went straight to the point and refused to give him any chance to even fantasize about it. “I don’t like… I don’t like to rely on anyone.” Looks like I won’t be able to seek his help without going against my conscience.
“I understand how you feel. However, you have encountered an unprecedented threat this time, so I hope that you can think this through. I’m able to help you and I’m willing to do so.” He laid out the facts straight as he did not want to miss this chance; he had to give it a try even if his efforts might go in vain.
Heather let out a bitter smile as she mused, The way he put it doesn’t sound like he’s trying to help me; in fact, he sounds like he’s forcing me instead. Heather then looked into his eyes and saw his desire in them. It dawned on her that this was a hunt and she was his prey.
“Stop forcing me,” she replied, feeling exhausted. She did not know if she should do as he wished.
Leon rose from his seat and looked down at her from his height. “Heather, think of it as you helping me, okay?” Both of them knew each other’s thoughts and wished that the other party would give in.
“Leon, you know that it’s impossible for us to be together; we are not suitable for each other,” Heather countered, her brows tightly furrowed. Things had come to the point where she was caught in the middle.
He smiled, surprised by her firm standing. He was a little disappointed but it was nothing out of his expectations.
“What do you like about Matthias?” Leon asked reluctantly. When he first saw Matthias, he knew that this was the man that Heather liked but he had no idea why, so he hoped that she could give him an answer.
“I myself don’t even know why. Everyone thought that I would make a good match for him, and I was interested in him as well. Still, I don’t know why I fell in love with him, nor do I know what I like about him.” Heather, too, was puzzled about what made her fall for Matthias and hoped that someone could give her an answer.
Disappointment filled Leon’s eyes as he peered at her in a daze. “You can reject my feelings but not my help.” He knew that she needed him to fight alongside her at this very moment, and he wanted to be her sweet little angel forever.
Their eyes met mid-air and both of them refused to give in. In the end, they smiled at each other before averting their gazes.
“I should head back to the Langston Residence,” Heather announced as she got up from the couch. The atmosphere was so awkward that she couldn’t bear to stay here any longer.
He nodded without trying to keep her here. When Heather had gone far away, he yelled at her from behind, “Heather, let’s work together—put on a show with me. It’s to help each other.”
Heather had rejected his help, but what if he offered for them to work together? Leon wanted to help her by putting it in the form of a cooperation and the truth was, he had planned everything out in his head.
On the other hand, Heather turned around with her brows slightly furrowed. I wonder what he means by working together? And what does he mean by putting up a show?
“If you are interested in it, why don’t you stay and hear me out?” A mischievous smile played on his lips. Based on his understanding of her, he believed that she would not reject him again.
Sure enough, Heather paused in her steps; his words had attracted her attention, although she had no idea how she would be able to help him in return.
“Let’s talk upstairs.” Leon looked cautious, which made his plan seem legit, so Heather decided to trust him this time. In the end, she walked up to him and went upstairs beside him. Then, he led her to his room.
The moment he pushed open the door, it felt as if they had arrived on a different continent. Heather was so shocked that she couldn’t resist the urge to comment, “Wow, this is rather fancy.”
A cryptic smile appeared on his face. “This is how it looks after I made some minor alteration on what was left by the previous owner.” The entire villa was initially designed in a rather ostentatious way. Although Leon had tried his best to alter it, he couldn’t change how flashy it felt overall.
“The previous owner must have considered himself a king. Look at that bed—it’s obviously a bed fit for royalty.” Heather pointed at the conspicuous bed at the center of the room.
“Heather, we are here for business,” he reminded her resignedly as he wondered what she had in her mind for getting distracted so easily.
The two of them sat at the round table placed in the room, which she actually found strange. In fact, there were many things that Heather would like to comment about, but she kept it to herself as their priority now was the business and she didn’t want to stray away from it.
The talk lasted for the entire afternoon. In the end, she found his plan extremely dangerous and she knitted her brows into a deep frown.
“Leon, have you really thought this through?” she asked, her expression grim.
He looked at her and nodded firmly. “I’ve thought about this clearly. I have no other choice and will eventually need your help.”
Heather looked at him, feeling sorry for him. It was unexpected that Leon was actually troubled by this matter. I can’t believe that a 7-feet tall man like him is living such a miserable life.
“Are you sure that you want me to help you? I’m afraid that I may mess things up,” she added worriedly. She had never done something like this before, so she was worried that she couldn’t do a good job.
“Heather, have pity on me. Please help me!” He looked at her pitifully, as he couldn’t think of anyone else who could help him out with this other than Heather.
“Have you thought of getting Paige to help you?” Heather thought that perhaps the other woman would be more reliable than her. Moreover, Leon was quite interested in Paige.
Leon let out a bitter laugh as he looked at her. “You know how my family is—they see themselves as nobles. With Paige’s background, the Old Master won’t accept her.”
Heather rubbed her pulsing temple. This is going to be such a pain. However, Leon had helped her unconditionally no matter what sort of trouble she had faced before this, so it wouldn’t be nice of her to ditch him this time.
“Heather, you have to help me.” Leon begged her and he nearly dropped to his knees.
Heather was put on a spot. Although they could kill two birds with one stone by doing so, she felt a little guilty toward Matthias. The latter and her were just like lovers and almost everyone treated them as a couple. If she were to agree to Leon’s request this time, the person who would be given the hardest blow would definitely be none other than Matthias.
In the end, she couldn’t make up her mind right away. She needed some time to calm down and digest things before she could make a decision so she murmured, “Give me some time to think about it, alright?”
Leon continued to peer at her with pitiful eyes, which made Heather feel really awkward, as if she had done something unforgivable. I feel equally bad for not being able to give you an answer right away!
“Heather, how long do you need to consider this? Time waits for no one.” He sadly tugged the corner of her clothes like an abandoned child.
However, she was no procrastinator either so she muttered, “One night. I will give you my answer tomorrow morning.” She preferred thinking about her problems at night. If she made a decision that she did not regret even after she woke up the next morning, she would most probably stick to it.
“Heather, you have to think about it carefully. This is beneficial to both of us. Don’t reject my request and end up making things difficult for the two of us,” he reminded her again, hoping that she could immediately agree to him.
“I understand. I will think about it carefully,” she awkwardly replied. She was aware that this was very urgent to him, but his request was something that she had never expected.
She left Leon’s villa in a daze and with many matters that required her thorough consideration in her head. Each and every step after this would be challenging. I didn’t expect that so many things would happen. How am I supposed to help others when I can’t even protect myself? The piles of problems in her hand now gave her a headache.
If all this were to happen in the past, she would not think twice before agreeing to it for the sake of the benefit it would bring. Now, however, things were different—she now had a man named Matthias Locke in her life.
Heather was in a dilemma because she did not want Matthias to go through that sort of pain. Nonetheless, being caught in between a rock and a hard place, she did not have much choice to begin with.
Leon sent her a message and she tapped on it to read it. ‘Heather, is it because of Matthias?’ He couldn’t bear to ask this when facing her, so he asked her via a message as soon as she had left.
She didn’t know how she should reply to him because it seemed wrong no matter what she replied, so she ignored his text.
In the cab, she propped her head on her palm as she looked outside the window. I’m now back in Bradfort City, the place I’m familiar with.
The sky was gloomy, the blue sky and white clouds nowhere to be seen. This city wasn’t exactly beautiful, but it was the place where Heather was born. She kept leaving this place but always ended up coming back. In all honesty, she had a feeling that she might never be able to leave Bradfort City for her whole life.
The driver scolded and cursed when the cab was stuck in the traffic due to road repairing that occurred everywhere in the city. This was just how life was—her realistic life. She adjusted herself into a more comfortable posture as millions of thoughts ran through her mind. I still have a long, long way to go.
Leon’s villa was located very far away from the city center, and the wind that blew at her along the journey had calmed her mind. Rationally speaking, she shouldn’t reject Leon’s request since this would be a win-win situation.
