“Mum, why are you so thin? Mummy, you’re getting old! Your hair is turning white!” Leila called out in a low voice.
Mabel’s expression faltered as she shook her head and calmed Leila. “Mum is fine, that’s all Mum knows. Nora Morgan likes your father and your father was an attractive man! It’s normal that many people like him. He’s a lifelong fate for Mum and your aunt, a fate that can’t be escaped!”
“Mum!” She frowned, “How did you know that Nora liked my father?”
“Your father said so!” Mabel’s expression seemed a little unnatural. Leila was stunned and a little suspicious.
“Leila, Mr. Gordon doesn’t know anything either. They were just classmates back then!” Mabel saw Leila’s somewhat sceptical expression and said hurriedly, “You should know that it is Mr. White who isn’t taking straight. As Nora liked your father, Mr. White felt cuckolded and that’s why he get depressed! You shouldn’t ask Mr. Gordon again as they have such a good relationship. You ask people who are aged and they will get nostalgic and become sad!”
“Is that so?” Leila murmured and no one whether she was asking Mabel or asking herself.
Committing suicide just because he was cuckolded?
Could it be that Nora had something to do with my dad back then?
Therefore he couldn’t bear the blow. With his wife on one side and his best friend and partner on the other, he ended up choosing to take the dead-end! It seemed to make sense, but something wasn’t right. Committing suicide for someone else? Can this be the decision of a man in a high position of power?
Leila was silent, frowning in thought.
“Leila, I’ll go in and accompany your father now!” Mabel said carefully, “Don’t go to find Mr. Gordon again, he’ll be very embarrassed! Also, don’t tell Vincent about this, Mum doesn’t want him to know that his mum doesn’t love his dad! It must be a big shock to him!”
Leila was aware of the seriousness of the situation, but why did she feel that something was wrong?
But as she confronted her mother, she could only nod her head. “I understand, mum!”
“I’m going to look after your dad, what about you and Vincent?” Mabel’s head ached as she recalled yesterday’s press conference.
“Divorced!” Leila whispered, lowering her head. Being able to meet such a mother-in-law and such parents who obviously knew the truth but didn’t say anything, it would take a miracle for them to go on, Leila thought.
Obviously, her mother was keeping some secrets too!
After thinking about it for half a day, she decided to go and find Seth Jordon’s family secretly. She was sure that someone would know the truth.
“Mum, I’ll go now!” Leila picked up her satchel and headed for the Southern Suburbs of F City.
She asked around many places once she entered the Southern Suburbs, looking for Seth’s family. But the news she got was that he had a son who had previously been at home, but had mysteriously disappeared a few months ago!
He had disappeared a few months ago!
Leila tried to accept the news and had no choice but to return for the moment. The only clue was that Seth’s son was called Ben Jordan. She wanted to investigate further!
She sat on the bus as the scenery sped by along the road. She held the phone in her hand but it never rang for a moment. Was he not available to call her?
Her heart was still upset.
As she was thinking about it, the phone rang.
Leila was a little nervous but noticed that it was an unknown number and she answered it immediately. When she heard the voice, her heart was disappointed that the person was Pippa Russell. “Pippa?”
“Let’s meet!”
“No thanks!” Leila didn’t want to see her.
“It’s not me who wants to meet you, it’s my mother!” Pippa’s voice was grim.
Leila was stunned, Nora? She frowned and thought for a moment before adding, “Where do we meet?”
” Grand View Cafe!” Pippa said.
“Alright! I’ll be there in half an hour!” Leila hung up the phone and pondered what Nora would say. She was Vincent’s mother anyway so Leila decided to go and meet her.
At Grand View.
Leila walked in and saw Nora and Pippa already waiting by the window. She slowly walked over to them. Nora was wearing delicate make-up as usual and a tight-fitting cheongsam. On the other hand, Pippa was dressed in a white suit, giving the impression of a capable urban woman.
Leila walked up to them and did not rush to sit down, but smiled gently. She turned to Nora and asked, “Are you looking for me?”
Nora saw that Leila did not look intimidated and laughed mockingly, “I have something to say to you.”
Pippa raised her head even more proudly and confidently curled the corners of her mouth then smiled smugly.
Leila was very calm, standing quietly in front of them without saying anything. A stagnant aura surrounded them, bringing a sense of oppressive suffocation.
“Have a seat!” Nora said.
Leila sat down opposite them. “If you have something to say, just say it. This is the last time I see you, and we are no longer related. I think you should have understood that I have signed it! I have nothing to do with Vincent anymore!”
“What kind of attitude is this?” Pippa held back her indignation, her sharp eyes looking interrogatively towards the calm Leila.
Leila was calm and said without annoyance or anger, “It’s already my limit that I can stand here today and speak to you calmly and politely like this!”
Nora curled the corners of her mouth mockingly and smiled gently, “I asked you out to invite you to Vin and Pippa’s wedding. They will be holding a grand wedding ceremony at HJ Hotel this Saturday!”
Leila was stunned but there was no expression on her face. She knew that Nora intended to see her sad. However, why did she have to let someone else be pleased?
Leila smiled gently, “Great! I’ll send a big gift package!”
“Are you not angry?” Nora raised her eyebrows.
“Why should I be angry?”
“Aren’t you still in love with Vin?”
“Who says I am still in love with him? I begged you to make me whole and give me my freedom. If there is nothing else, I should go now!” Leila said and was about to stand up.
“Wait!” Nora stopped her, “What’s the hurry?”
Leila didn’t say anything and didn’t leave. Was Mr. White really going to marry Pippa? She thought about Nora’s words and messed up her thoughts.
Leila bit down on her lip for a moment. She had to admit it, even if she didn’t want to. She minded and felt sad. Even though she knew that perhaps he had no choice, she was still very sad.
She didn’t know what it felt like to be in her heart at that moment, but she felt a sense of sadness that she had come to the end of the road and had no place to go.
“Leila, if I can ruin your sister’s reputation, of course I can do the same thing to you!”
“Is it still a nude photo?” Leila raised her eyes, her cold gaze looking at Nora. “Is it still the same trick? Taking nude photos of me and then replacing them with Pippa’s face? Aren’t you afraid that I will send out the nude photos that you sent to me? I pay back the same way as you did, aren’t you afraid?”
Nora snapped. “You found out?”
“Such a poor synthetic technique, but you have helped me instead. If I send this to the media then Miss Russell will end up just like my sister. Miss Russell, my sister was embarrassed but my sister has no children, and you? You obviously didn’t have sex with Vincent but you were photographed naked and intertwined. If this is published, will Owen still recognise you as a mother? I’m afraid he will hate you as a slutty mother, right?” Leila never wanted to be harsh and sarcastic. But she found that when she met Pippa and Nora, it was easy to stir up the evil element in her bones.
“You …” Pippa looked at Leila with a shocked expression.
Nora also didn’t expect that when she asked someone to send that photo just to piss off Leila, these photos should be exploited by her!
But if she knew that Leila had already burned those photos, she would only be more arrogant.
However, Leila was glad that Nora didn’t know.
Leila looked at them quietly. She saw the shock flash in their eyes and hid the flash of disgust underneath them. Facing Pippa whose face was distorted by anger and shock remained a pair of clear and deep eyes. “Do you still want to threaten me? This time you’ve been threatened back, right?”
“Huh!” Nora was older after all and was able to calm down quickly.” But that’s your body, you’ll ruin your life as long as I send out the original version!”
“Then you’ll have to condemn your good daughter!” Leila laughed gently again, “I’m not the only one whose life is about to be ruined. Am I? To be honest, I’m not afraid of you now as I have nothing anyway! My father is no longer the mayor of F City, and my sister has already ruined her life, so it’s worthwhile for me to ruin my own life and ruin yours! I have nothing after all but you are the mother of the president of the White Group. She is the heir to the Russell family, your future daughter-in-law. Who will find it more humiliating? Let’s wait and see!”
“What an eloquent tongue!” Nora really didn’t expect Leila to have such a good eloquence.
“Thanks for the compliment!” Leila smiled coldly. She stood up and looked at Nora and Pippa. “I want to say something for you. If I were your foe, it would be understandable for you to treat me like this. But Vincent is your son, how can you bear to force him to be so helpless and in such pain? As for you, Pippa. Isn’t it even sadder that you married a man who doesn’t love you? Aren’t you afraid of the wrath of God for abandoning your lovely son, Owen?”
Nora’s body stiffened violently and her face stiffened even more. Pippa was also pale from Leila’s question.
Leila turned to leave and just walked a few steps away, when her head was lowered and her eyes met a pair of black leather shoes.
Leila slowly raised her head and was not surprised to see that it was Theodore Hall. Theodore was walking towards her, his white shirt lined with a vest of vertical stripes, his straight trousers with long legs, clean and neat.
Theodore walked up to her and stared at her intensely. His deep eyes were filled with an unexplainable sadness and Leila was a little uncomfortable by his overly intense gaze. She turned away without greeting him and wanted to leave.
“Leila!” Theodore blocked in front of her, not allowing her to leave. He lowered his head and stared at her silent face, saying in a deep voice after a long silence, “They hurt you like this, Vincent abandoned you, and you still stand up for him?”
Leila was stunned as his unexpected words startled her. She thought that he might have heard what she had just said to Nora.
Nora and Pippa both stunned as they looked at the tall and gentle Theodore.
Leila whispered, “It has nothing to do with you!”
“But my heart hurts!” He said quietly, his tone truly heartbroken.
Leila looked at Theodore who was standing in front of her. His eyes were so clear that one could look at him quietly and see his genuine sincerity. He said quietly again, “I have always hoped and waited for the day when you would become my wife. I have never been in love. Even if I married someone else, I would still love you just as much and never change. Leila, I know I am not eligible to love you anymore, but I am eligible not to allow others to bully you. You are not alone.”