Chapter 195
Chapter 195
Chapter 195 Neither Can You Leanna opened the door to find Daphne outside, waving at her. She smiled back. Just as she was about to say something, she saw a man slowly stepping out from behind Daphne. Her words died in her throat. Aidan turned to frown at her. “What is with that look on your face?” Daphne interrupted with a chuckle and explained, “I bumped into President Pearson in the elevator. What a coincidence, Leanna! He said he was here to visit a friend. Unfortunately, his friend was not home, so I…” Leanna’s smile did not waver. “Is that so? I did not think President Pearson would have friends living here.” Hearing the jeering tone in her voice, Aidan calmly replied, “As long as I am rich, I can always make friends.” She was rendered speechless. Furthermore, she could not really argue against that statement. She wanted to chase him away, but she could not, due to the current circumstances. Anyway, even if she did try, he might not go away. After taking a deep breath, she moved to let them in. “Come on in.” When they walked in, Aidan softly said to Daphne, “Nice acting.” Daphne stared at him. Oh, how very happy she was at his praise.
The warm and cozy vibes of the place became frigid with Aidan’s return to the room. Aidan, though, seemed to not have noticed the unwelcoming atmosphere as he appeared to be as calm as usual. Even Leanna felt awkward on his behalf. Elijah was stunned. He had not expected to see Aidan here. It only took a few seconds before he swiftly regained his cool and politely greeted, “President Pearson.” When Zoe returned from her phone call, she was shocked to see Aidan in the room. She hurriedly shuffled over to Daphne. “What is going on? Why is that… Why is President Pearson here?” Daphne responded with only a bitter sigh that spoke of secrets she could not tell. Inside the kitchen, Louis frowned at who he saw in the living room. “Why is he here? Did you invite him?” “No,” replied Leanna, “but—” “Well?” She smiled and shook her head. Even if Aidan did not follow Daphne into her apartment, he would find his way one way or another. As expected, Aidan would not give up in the span of a few days. After a pause, Louis asked, “Has he been bothering you lately?” “Did Zoe tell you that?” “I guessed it.” Leanna was at a loss for words because her brother sure had a great knack for guessing. She snapped out of her thoughts. “Let’s eat.” At the dinner table, Daphne sat with Zoe while Aidan, Daniel, and Elijah sat on different sides of the table. The moment Louis stepped out of the
kitchen, Zoe pulled him down to sit beside Daniel. Now, the only empty seats left were next to Aidan and Elijah.
That meant Leanna had to choose between one of the two men tonight. When she saw what her choices were, she had the fervent wish to just disappear from where she stood. What kind of battle was this? She turned to take a look at the culprit of the situation. This was undoubtedly Zoe’s fault. When Zoe saw that her manipulations had borne fruit, she hurriedly spoke up, “Well, Nana, sit beside Elijah. We don’t want President Pearson to feel crowded.” Leanna felt her head throb with a headache. She would accept the pacifying suggestion for now and punish Zoe later. Just as she moved to sit beside Elijah, she felt someone tugging at her arm. Aidan looked up at her with his dark eyes. “I’m not afraid of being crowded. Sit here.” Everyone went silent. Since she was unable to handle the awkward silence any longer, Daphne stood up. After all, she was feeling guilty over how she brought Aidan over without any warning. “Leanna, take my seat. I can…” Before she could finish speaking, Aidan’s sharp eyes glanced at her. She swiftly sat back down, acting as though nothing had happened while her hands uneasily rubbed across her neck. Leanna then seized the opportunity to come up with an excuse. “I actually have something still cooking on the stove. You guys can enjoy the meal first.” After that, she pulled away from Aidan’s grip and ran back to the kitchen.
He stared after her, possibly calculating how likely it was for her to sit with him that night. A few seconds later, he turned to look at Elijah. Elijah stared back in confusion. Everyone stared in astonishment as Aidan moved to sit next to Elijah. Silence reigned once more. “Is this what they mean when they say, ‘if I can’t have it, neither can you’?” Zoe whispered. “It is what they call a deliberate injury gambit,” Daphne replied with a nod. Leanna spent the next ten minutes or so in the kitchen. Finally, she settled on asking Louis to swap places with her instead. After all, none of Aidan’s threats would work against him. She felt her anxiety melt away when she thought of that. To her surprise, the people sitting outside had shuffled around while she was thinking, leaving her a seat that did not require her to sit next to anyone. This was much better and much less awkward. Aidan looked around the room before eventually settling his gaze on the bouquet on the coffee table. There was anOriginal from NôvelDrama.Org.
imperceptible frown on his face. “Are the flowers from you, President Parker?” he asked. “Yes, they are,” Elijah replied. “You might not know it, but Leanna is actually allergic to flowers. Your efforts have been for nothing,” Aidan responded. Just as he said that, Leanna smiled at Elijah. “I am actually not. I love the flowers. Thank you.” Elijah responded with a nod and a smile. Aidan pursed his lips and looked at her out of the corners of his eyes. However, she immediately looked away and focused on her plate. At that moment, Daniel spoke up.
“President Pearson, do you not bring gifts when you visit other people?” Hearing that, Zoe spoke up as well. “Yes. Elijah brought flowers, and Daniel brought some wine. What did you bring, President Pearson?” Aidan replied with silence. Eventually, he licked his lips. His eyes flickered at Daphne as he said, “She did not bring anything either.” “She is a girl,” Daniel said with a smile. “Are you sure you want to compare yourself to her?” “Why does her gender matter?” Aidan shot back. “We are all equal.” Leanna found herself choking upon hearing that since she did not realize the b*stard could be so adaptable. Daniel was at a loss for words, likely because he had never thought Aidan could have such thick skin. After a few seconds of silence, Aidan frowned at the greasy food on the table. Sitting near him, she noticed the slight frown on his face as she nearly forgot just how much he hated greasy food. However, the food being served was exceptionally greasy. She pursed her lips in thought before finally deciding to do nothing. His dislike was to her liking since he would leave if he was not going to eat anything. A few seconds later, Elijah, who was sitting next to him, noticed his frown as well. “Do you not like barbecue?” With so many people in the room, Zoe had lost all fear of Aidan. “He is used to the best food available, so he likely finds it unappetizing,” she answered. “In that case, please do not force yourself. After all, we are from different worlds,” Louis added.