[54]
Leonel came home with a sour expression. His shirt was wrinkled, and his tie needed to be worn appropriately. His hair was also messy. Since his arrival home, the servants in the luxurious house hesitated even to greet him. They feared getting scolded because Leonel seemed to have much on his mind. They preferred to save themselves.
“Leonel,” Agatha called out as soon as she saw Leonel about to climb the stairs to his room. Agatha, who was preparing a snack for her husband, who had arrived home earlier, looked confused by Leonel’s face tonight. “Dinner? We’ve all had dinner.”
“I’m not hungry, Mom,” Leonel replied uninterestedly. He was only waiting for his mother to approach him. “Has Dad come home?”
“Yes. Papa met with the board of commissioners, but everything went smoothly.
Leonel nodded softly, relieved that his father didn’t leave him to tidy the mess alone. “I’ll meet Dad later. I’ll change my clothes first.”
“Why don’t you have dinner before meeting Dad? Don’t get sick, dear.”
Once again, Leonel nodded. “Don’t worry, Mom, I’m fine.”
Agatha knew it was a blatant lie from Leonel. The tired look in his eyes and his disheveled appearance perfectly displayed that. Agatha was genuinely concerned about what had happened to their family. The media kept reporting so many things. She even withdrew from her activities on social media and limited many things there. She chose to step back before everything became clear.
She hoped Chris would quickly find out who the mastermind was and the purpose of all this news. Then they could suppress the rumors with a large press conference, if necessary, so the US public would know what happened. Although there were some things, they had to keep hidden again.
Agatha couldn’t help but remember Chloe’s words, especially regarding the affair news Leonel might have been hiding for a long time. And now was the perfect time to reveal the facts about the affair gradually. It made Agatha more convinced that Ester was behind all this. It was impossible for Ester not to be involved with the media. She might have asked Leonel to hide it but also requested the right moment to trap Leonel in between.
To fulfill her desires, suitable?
That could happen. Yes. Agatha had to discuss this with her husband and their son as well. She couldn’t allow Ester to go this far.
“Has Chris received any other news, Leonel?” Agatha asked hopefully. She should meet with Chris tomorrow or at least talk about the possibility of Ester being behind all this. Anything that could make Leonel fall had to be watched out for. His head was already feeling dizzy and nauseous because of this news.
“Not yet, Mom.” Leonel shook his head weakly. His shoulders slumped as well. Throughout the day, he tried to gather various possibilities and contact relevant media, but everyone remained silent. It was as if there was something underlying their actions. It was highly suspicious to Leonel, but he couldn’t act rashly because everything seemed to be waiting for the right moment to be gradually uncovered. “Oh, by the way, where is Chloe? How is she doing?”
“She’s better now. Just meet her. You need to talk. Or do you want to have dinner in Chloe’s room?”
Leonel thought it wasn’t a bad idea, but then he realized that Chloe would usually be resting at this hour. Disturbing her sleep wouldn’t be appropriate because she needed much rest. Besides, he still felt angry about what happened at the party. He was afraid of losing control.
Why was there still anger in Leonel’s heart? Wasn’t Josh their colleague? And his mother said he should meet Josh personally.
“Have you met Josh yet?”
As expected, this question was asked. Leonel didn’t want to hide that he had been busy today, including the mounting reports he had to deal with. Usually, he worked quickly, but maybe because his mind was elsewhere, everything felt so slow for him to accomplish. Losing focus while working was incredibly frustrating, but it happened to Leonel. He even forgot to call and inform Josh Corp about the delayed appointment.
He was never like this before. My goodness, Leonel is such a mess right now.
“Not yet, Mom.”This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.
“Why haven’t you met him yet? Oh God! Meeting with Josh might give you a lot of answers and help,” Agatha frowned. “I’ve already made an appointment for you two. It’s difficult to meet Josh at the moment, Leonel.”
“Yes, Mom. I really couldn’t move freely all day,” Leonel replied.
Agatha took a deep breath, thinking quickly so that her son could meet Josh at another time. She didn’t know what kind of help Josh could offer, but she heard from her husband that Layson Group had established a significant collaboration involving a large sum of money with Soho. Josh might have connections with some media outlets out there. He could help Leonel trace the sudden surge of news, right?
In a situation like this, any assistance should be considered. It shouldn’t be wasted because you never know; something small might uncover something even more significant.
“I try contacting Josh again and don’t miss the opportunity to meet him, Leonel. Talk to him and apologize specifically to him. You’ve gone too far.”
“Yes, Mom,” Leonel didn’t want to argue much with his mother in his current state. Josh’s name suddenly filled his mind. It seemed he had to disturb Chloe tonight. “By the way, Mom, I want to have dinner in Chloe’s room. Has my wife eaten?”
“You’re asking questions that are way too late,” Agatha said sarcastically, but then she smiled briefly. “Try harder to melt Chloe’s heart, dear. Mom supports you.”
Leonel furrowed his brow but then smiled. “Yes, Mom.” He kissed his mother’s right cheek. “I’ll take a shower first. Then I’ll see Chloe and ask Rossa to prepare dinner.”
Not long after, Leonel entered his room. He wanted to spend a little time changing his clothes. He checked his phone notifications, most from Deborah informing him of the latest schedule changes. Most of his meetings had been postponed to give him room to deal with this unnecessary chaos. Leonel sighed in frustration and cynically sneered as he looked at the swirling and escalating news.
He should have been in the advanced planning stage for the new brand launch for Mountain. But due to his involvement in this issue, many requested delays and specifically asked Leonel to address the negative public opinion that had already labeled him. That’s why he had to resolve this problem quickly.
Including the anger issues that added to the list of negative labels for him, a successful businessman who behaved rudely toward his business partners. And the other news headlines that made him angry. He didn’t want to respond, but deep down, he couldn’t help but be provoked.
“I’ll go crazy if I keep thinking about this,” he said while tidying his appearance. At least this dinner, filled with gradual interrogation, would yield some results.
As he stepped out of his room, he frowned. He remembered that Chloe’s room, which was in front of him, used to be closed. Was it deliberately left open now for dinner? He grinned. It meant Chloe allowed him to visit her room. He double-checked his appearance.
“Chloe,” Leonel called out at the doorway. There was no response except for the TV that was on, causing Leonel to step further into the room. “Chloe.”
“Yes,” she replied without turning around. She disliked the idea of having dinner in her room. Where did this activity come from? How presumptuous! She was already planning to sleep because she had a check-up and therapy for her vision scheduled for tomorrow. But she was annoyed by her mother-in-law’s request to accompany Leonel specifically for dinner. Agatha completely ignored any conversation about divorce or Chloe’s feelings.
If Agatha could do that to Chloe, she could do the same in return. Ignore Leonel’s presence or disregard him so that he would quickly finish his dinner.
“There you are,” Leonel said with a soft chuckle. He pulled one of the sofas from the end where Chloe was sitting and placed it in the middle. His eyes were fixed on the TV screen, but Leonel understood that Chloe could only enjoy it through the sound. For now, it was like that. Leonel was confident that one day Chloe’s vision would return. “Am I disturbing you?”
“Very much,” Chloe quickly replied. “Eat your dinner, Your Highness. I want to go to sleep soon.”
“Oh my God,” Leonel sighed softly. “I just entered your room, Chloe.”
“You never used to. So I guess this is an extraordinary thing happening in my five years of life, Leonel. Ah, occasionally you come to me when you need something. Let me correct myself,” Chloe said without looking at Leonel, who was on her right side. Regardless, Leonel clenched his jaw, frustrated, and grasped his hand right next to the serving plate and the dish for him.
“I know you’re still angry with me. I apologize,” Leonel said while taking a deep breath. He realized he shouldn’t confront Chloe’s attitude with his harshness. Instead of winning back Chloe’s heart, he would only push her further away. He didn’t want that to happen. “I’m sorry for being rude to you.”
Chloe didn’t respond to anything.
“Just accompany me for dinner for a while, Chloe.”
“My body is here, Leonel. Can you still see, right?”
“You used to talk a lot about your days at home. What you did. What activities you wanted to do-”
“Don’t say things that remind me of how foolish I was to face you, Leonel. You know it was a waste because I have now removed that part from my life.”
Leonel looked bewildered. “You’re angry with me, Chloe.”
Once again, Chloe remained silent. She kept her mouth shut, possibly allowing Leonel to enjoy his meal. Occasionally, Leonel praised the food served to him and tried to get Chloe to speak again. Unfortunately, Chloe no longer wanted to do any of that. She still vividly remembered how she used to talk about things Chloe did at home, simply shopping with her mother-in-law or even trivial things she did in the kitchen. She talked about it all, but there has yet to be a response from Leonel.
Instead, the man hastened to finish his meal and left just like that. It wasn’t the first time Leonel had done that to Chloe, but she never seemed to learn. Days passed, nights rolled by, and she continued to try to engage Leonel in conversation. But she received no response except for shouts like, “Can you be quiet? Your chatter is distracting me from work!”
“Chloe,” Leonel called out, desperate because of Chloe’s behavior tonight. Without saying a word, Leonel knew what it felt like to be slapped without Chloe even needing to touch his cheek. Chloe was retaliating for how he had treated her at the dining table and had never cared about Chloe, even in the slightest. Leonel sighed softly, trying to reach his wife again. But all he got was a firm rebuff.
“Don’t touch me,” Chloe whispered, displeased. “Have you finished dinner? If so, please leave my room. I need to rest.”
“Chloe, there’s something I want to talk about.”
“About what?”
“Us.” Leonel didn’t care if it sounded like begging again. “I don’t know if you’re aware of the problems I’ve been facing in the past few days.”
Chloe remained silent.
“I was wrong, I’ve been dishonest with you, but I can’t tell you everything right now. Once everything is resolved, I’ll tell you everything.”
Was there any intention from Chloe to respond? None at all.
“But can I at least know who Josh is to you?”
Upon this question, Chloe turned her head, giving Leonel a skeptical look. The silhouette caught in Chloe’s eyes was a white figure and a hint of the ceiling above. Maybe Leonel was wearing a white shirt tonight. Chloe didn’t care. “Why are you asking?”
“What’s wrong with me knowing who my wife’s friend is, right?”
Chloe sneered. “So I should also know about the other women serving my husband, huh?”
“Chloe,” Leonel warned with patience. If Chloe brought up his infidelity, besides the wave of guilt crashing over him, he also felt his anger reaching its peak. Especially because Chloe’s tone was so uncomfortable in his ears, causing him pain.
“I didn’t say anything wrong, did I? Or did I?”
“I just want to know who Josh is. And how you know him.”
“Is that important?” Chloe interrupted. “Josh, or any of my friends out there, is unimportant to you, Leonel. I’ve often told you to accompany me to meet your friends here or at various gatherings. You always refuse. You even forbid me from socializing. Did I complain? Not at all. Maybe you don’t want me to spend too much time outside after a day at home. Or maybe it’s because I unknowingly tire you out after a long work day.”
Leonel wanted to argue but had done the same thing to Chloe before. There was only one name he knew; Adrianna.
“Besides being busy with work, my husband is also fooling around with other women.”