Chapter 283 A Secret
Chapter 283 A Secret
“If you quit, nothing will happen to the Hunter family,” Vincent’s voice sounded again.
Leila was startled at the spot and didn’t know how to react.
“I won’t quit.”
“What if I will tell Leila that you’re using her? You used her to protect your career and exchange the evidence. Between the Hunter family and me, whom do you think she would choose?”
“Guy, you are too young too naive. Leila is the daughter of Mable and mine. She is always kind- hearted. Even if she had known that I’m using her, you wouldn’t achieve your goals. There’s my blood on her body, and we have a kinship that cannot be erased, which cannot be shaken by you, an outsider, either. Besides, she cares about her mother the most. She’s afraid that her mother wouldn’t be happy. For her mother, she would endure it.”
Vincent sounded extremely calm. “If you insist on doing it, I’ll have to send you to jail.”
“I haven’t do anything wrong and there’s no evidence. How can you send me in?”
“Oh, really?” Vincent chuckled. “If you hadn’t done anything wrong, why did you agree to let Leila marry me? What’s that evidence that you exchanged with me?”
“That’s the only evidence, which has gone.” Brian smiled faintly. “And you know that the evidence was not enough to ruin me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have used it to exchange for Leila, right?”
“You are so self-confident, aren’t you, Mr. Hunter?” Vincent also didn’t change his expression.
Brian knocked on the desk with his fingers. “Let’s wait and see.”
“Compared your career and the family affection, which one is more important to you?”
“Of course my career.”
“Leila called me an animal. I wondered how sad she would be if she knew that her father is like an animal more than me. I feel quite sorry for her as she has a father like you.”
“She wouldn’t know it.” Brian chuckled. “Even if you told her, she wouldn’t believe you.”
The door was pushed open all of a sudden. Leila appeared at the door suddenly.
“Leila?” Brian gaped, feeling a bit surprised. Then he returned to calm. “Why didn’t you knock on the door?”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Mr. Hunter. I deliberately left the door unlocked just now.”
Leila stared at her father with a complicated look. She kept gazing at him. Suddenly, she felt that he was so strange. His words declaring that his career was more important than the family affection kept echoing in her mind, as loud as the rumbling thunder.
She had never expected that her father was using her. He exchanged her for a piece of evidence. She wondered if that was evidence of corruption through misuse of the law.
“Leila, you--” Brian was a bit taken aback again. Then he returned to calm instantly. “Did your mother ask you to inform us to have dinner?”
He deliberately emphasized the words “your mother”. Leila had noticed it. It sounded that he was warning her that her mother’s happiness was all in his hands. Leila felt flustered and uneasy. With a complicated feeling, she suppressed the bitterness in her heart. “Dinner is ready. Mom asked me to inform you both. Let’s go downstairs for dinner.”
Instantly, she curled up into a bright smile. Then she turned around calmly and walked out.NôvelDrama.Org holds © this.
Vincent and Brian exchanged a glance with each other. Vincent sneered. “Well, sometimes, the older might not be the wiser.”
After finishing his words, he strode out.
Brian followed him out, looking quite annoyed.
Leila walked out from the study and downstairs, looking quite pale. Mabel was placing the tableware at the dining table. Seeing Leila coming down followed by two men, she said with a smile, “Wash your hands and let’s eat.”
Leila’s body shook a bit. Immediately, she forced a smile. “I got it!”
Her answer sounded quite calm. Vincent squinted his eyes behind her.
Leila turned around with a smile on her face, and nobody could guess what was on her mind. She said to Brian and Vincent, “Dad, Vincent, go wash your hands please.”
Brian also squinted. As if nothing had happened, he said, “Come on, Vincent.”
“Okay. After you!” Both men looked so calm as if nothing had happened. So did Leila, who was walking to the dining table quietly.
“Mom, are you happy?”
“Of course. I feel quite happy now!” In the past twenty years, she had burned a lot of stress. She gave birth to a daughter without getting married and owed her older sister a lot of favors. In recent years, she finally could live with her beloved man. What else would she expect for her life?
“Mom, as long as you are happy.” Leila lowered her head, pressing her lips. Since her mother felt happy, she should continue to let her be happy. She could do anything for her mother’s happiness. But
for some reason, she wanted to burst into tears.
“I finally couldn’t eat your dishes, Mom! They smell so good. I can smell them from afar,” said Vincent while walking out from the bathroom. His gaze fell on the head that was bending down.
“Vincent, you are still such a sweet talker. If you want to eat my dishes, you can come to our house every day. I’ll cook for you every day.” Mabel certainly wanted to see her daughter and son-in-law every day, but she was afraid that she would disturb their work.
“That would be nice. I’m just afraid that I would trouble you too much, Mom!” said Vincent in a good manner politely.
“We are family. There’s nothing troublesome. I’m so happy if you can come to visit us.” Mabel felt so happy indeed.
“Let’s eat.” Brian sat down on the chief seat. Mabel was next to him, and Vincent was sitting next to Leila.
During the dinner, Vincent picked up dishes for Leila. Leila kept eating while feeling worried and downhearted. From time to time, she raised her head and smiled. Her smile was quite wry but she tried her best to smile more brightly.
Brian glanced at Leila from time to time. Gradually, there was a trace of worry in his eyes. Perhaps he wanted to resolve something, he picked up some food for Leila. Leila said politely and distantly, “Thank you, Dad. I can do it myself.”
“Brian, you should pick up food for Vincent. He’s so hardworking and needs to eat more.” As she spoke, Mabel stood up and picked up a piece of rib for Vincent.
The meal was quite dramatic. Everyone had their own thoughts, and only Mabel was the really happy one. She didn’t notice anything at all.
After dinner.
When the couple was about to leave, Macey pushed the door open and walked in.
Seeing the whole family together and Vincent, she was suddenly stunned. With a snort, she said ironically, “What brought down the busiest CEO of White Group here?”
“Hi, Macey.” Vincent faintly smiled, looking indifferent and aloof.
Leila lowered her head and greeted Macey. “Hi, Macey. You came back.”
It was the first time that Leila had seen her since giving her the skirt as a gift. Macey had put on heavier makeup than before, almost the same as the smokey-eye.
“Mom, we’re leaving now.” Vincent only bid Mabel farewell.
“Oh! Okay. Please go ahead. If you have time, just come over. I’ll cook for you.”
“Aunt, if you love your daughter and your son-in-law so much, why don’t you move in with them?” said Macey sarcastically.
“Well--” Mabel was stunned, her face pale. She shut up.
“Mom, if you have time, you can come to stay with us for a while,” said Leila. Then she turned to Vincent, “Vincent, is it all right?”
“Of course. Whatever you said.” Vincent behaved like a good husband. “My house is your house. You can make whatever decision you like.”
“Mom, we’re gone now.” Leila smiled at her mother. Then she glanced at Brian and Macey. “Dad, Macey, see you.”
She was so obedient that Vincent felt sorry for her.
At that moment, Vincent glinted at her eyebrows and eyes deeply. He knew that she had heard his conversation with Brian in the study.
On the way back home, Leila kept silent without speaking.
Vincent didn’t speak either.
In the evening.
There was a thunderstorm.
When Vincent opened the door of the guestroom, he didn’t see Leila. She went to take a shower as soon as she walked into the house. Then she locked herself in the room. Vincent also went to take a shower. Now he couldn’t find her.
He called her phone but the ring tone sounded in the house. She was missing.
Vincent felt a bit panicked. He went downstairs and looked for her around the house, but failed to find her.
It was getting quite late. He wondered where she had gone.
It was raining heavily outside together with the earth-shaking rumbling. Leila was missing.
Immediately, Vincent took an umbrella and ran out. The door guard said Mrs. White had gone out twenty minutes ago.
“Damn it!” Vincent asked anxiously, “How did she go out? On foot or by a taxi?”
“No taxi. Mrs. White said she wanted to have a walk. And it was not raining just now.”
Before the guard could finish his words, Vincent ran out quickly.
Leila felt so upset.
Since she had heard her father’s conversation with Vincent in her parents’ house, she had been enduring. For her mother and afraid that her mother would worry, she endured everything. Now she was huddling up beside the path next to a roadbed outside the villa community. In the rain, she looked down at the cliff. On such a dark night, the raindrops kept falling.
Her hair and clothes had been wet already, and she felt quite cold.
Tears fell from her eyes. Biting her lower lip, she didn’t want to burst into tears, but still, she couldn’t help whimpering.
For a moment, she suddenly felt that she was extremely lonely. She wondered if she still had a chance to hold on, and she only felt quite exhausted.
Vincent ran out all the way out of the villa community. Although he was holding an umbrella, his clothes were wet in the rain because he was running fast. He looked around. In the dark, without a flashlight, he couldn’t see anything. Occasionally, he could hear a woman’s whimper among the sound of the raindrops. He was certain that she must be nearby.
Unable to see her, Vincent stood there motionlessly, searching the direction in which the sound was coming from.
On the twisting mountain road, a car was driven over. Under the bright light, he finally found a petite figure huddling up on the roadbed. In front of her was the cliff. At the moment, the figure huddled up
into a small ball. She pressed her face in her arms, her shoulders shaking.
His throat tightened. Despite the car was driven towards him, he rushed over to her.
“Creak--” with the sharp brake sound, the car almost hit him. However, he didn’t care about anything, running towards Leila. Then he squatted down.
Feeling shocked suddenly, Leila looked up subconsciously. In the downpour, she saw an anxious face and his eyes were full of concerns.
The driver in the car snapped, “Shit! If you have a death wish in the rainy, get away from here! Don’t make me go to jail!”
“Fuck off!” Vincent roared to the car coldly.
“Damn you! How arrogant! You jaywalked! Do you have a death wish?” the driver pressed to close the car window with a curse. Then the car roared away.
Vincent squatted down in front of Leila. Reaching out, he held her in his arms tightly. Leila was in a warm embrace. Smelling the familiar faint smell of the cigarette, she held him back tightly as if she had found the lifesaving duckweed. “Vincent--”
This was her first time hugging him. She was whimpering aggrievedly.
“Cry aloud if you want!” He stroked her back gently, and the big umbrella prevented her from the rain.
She immediately burst into tears and called him, “Vincent...”
After she had been crying for a few minutes, he lifted her up, carried her in his arms, and went back to the villa.