“Mom, you don’t come by often. Stay a little longer,” Jessica called out hastily.
The old lady walked out of the door without looking back.
After seeing the old lady off, Jessica questioned Leo, “Leo, your audacity is growing, do you realize the consequences of angering the old lady?”
“Mom, Grandma is so biased. Sophia often endures hardships. I can’t just stand by. I know you also want to let off some steam for Sophia,” Leo explained.
Leo’s words did strike a chord with Jessica. If it weren’t for Leo’s clever maneuver, the old lady wouldn’t have visited personally.
“After today, Sophia’s position in the Henley Group will undoubtedly be more stable. Those relatives of the Henley family won’t dare to underestimate us anymore,” Leo continued.
His reasoning made sense, and it extinguished much of Jessica’s anger. She couldn’t say much more to Leo.
Shortly after the old lady left, the WhatsApp group formed by the younger generation of the Henley family erupted with chatter.
“Grandma left Sophia’s place. Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company’s affairs will still be handled entirely by Sophia.”
“I knew it would end up like this. Who knows which family sent those gifts last time?”
“Either Azure Cloud Group or Flying Dragon Business Association. Those other second-rate families wouldn’t spend so lavishly.”
“I wonder who the gifts was meant for. Whoever marries into high society, don’t forget about us.”
“Do you guys think that after Grandma was not there, the Henley Group will be in Sophia’s hands?”
“No chance. The next chairman will undoubtedly be Bruno!”
In this fervent WhatsApp group chat, Sophia wasn’t present, nor was Leo.
Inside Sophia’s bedroom.
“Sweetheart, are you and Leo hiding something from me?” Jessica inquired.
“Mom, what could we possibly have?” Sophia was puzzled.
Jessica shook her head. “Something’s not right. Ever since Leo started speaking, I’ve sensed something off about him. The way he talked to Grandma today, it’s like he’s a completely different person!”
“Mom, people change,” Sophia observed Leo’s transformation as well.
“People do change, but Leo, that waste-”
“Mom, can you stop calling him a waste? Leo is now your son-in-law and my husband!”
Another weekend arrived.
After breakfast, Sophia surprisingly asked Leo to accompany her shopping. It was Leo’s first time, and he thought he could enjoy some private time with Sophia. However, she had also invited her close friend Karen Ivan.
Karen had arrived early, dressed in youthful sportswear. Her beautiful face was lightly made up. She could only be described in two words: stunningly beautiful.
Within minutes, several men had already approached her with obvious intentions, though none caught Karen’s attention.
Seeing Sophia approaching, Karen waved excitedly.
But when she noticed the man by Sophia’s side, her expression turned astonished. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was mistaking.
The man was familiar; she had seen him at the wedding. He was Sophia’s infamous husband.
Sophia had never taken him shopping before. What was happening today?
Approaching Karen, Sophia teased, “Did you spot a handsome guy? Why that expression?”
Karen pulled Sophia to the side, whispering, “Sophia, why did you bring your husband? What’s his name again?”
“His name is Leo. I brought him along to do some heavy lifting today,” Sophia replied with a smile.
“Sophia, you told me before that you wanted a divorce. What’s with the change?”
“I’ve decided not to divorce him.”
“Wait, are you falling for him?”
Karen found it hard to believe. That man was well-known as the worthless son-in-law.
Given Sophia’s status, if it weren’t for the hasty marriage four years ago, Leo wouldn’t stand a chance in this life, or the next, or the one after that!
“Not really falling for him, but at least I don’t dislike him as much,” Sophia answered after thinking for a moment.
With the conversation reaching this point, Karen had nothing more to say. “Do what makes you happy.”
Karen cast a quick glance at the quiet Leo standing beside them. To be honest, he wasn’t bad-looking, but his current status was embarrassing to acknowledge.
Next, Leo joined the two women in entering the mall.
Leo knew that shopping with women could be daunting, but he was somewhat excited because it was the first time he was shopping with Sophia.
Men shopped with a purpose, while women shopped aimlessly.
Indeed, the two women were looking at this store and that, trying on clothes whenever they spotted something appealing.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and Leo was truly treated to a visual feast. Sophia and Karen were both natural beauties, and trying on various outfits allowed Leo to appreciate their different styles of beauty.
After browsing through several stores, Karen noticed that Leo’s eyes held nothing more than appreciation. He didn’t leer or make any suggestive expressions, which surprised her.
Men were known for their roving eyes and attraction to beauty. In Karen’s eyes, Leo was no exception.
So, in the next clothing store, she deliberately tried on a slightly revealing and sexy outfit, then walked over to Leo.
Unfortunately, Leo continued to show only appreciation in his expression. Most of his attention was still on Sophia.
This led Karen to briefly doubt whether she had applied her makeup incorrectly today. After all, with her charm, she couldn’t believe she couldn’t attract Leo, a man who seemed to be living off Sophia.
A thought crossed Karen’s mind, prompting her to take another initiative: “Leo, can you give me your opinion on this outfit?”
Karen twirled in front of Leo.
It must be said that Karen’s figure was even more alluring than Sophia’s, and Leo nodded, saying, “You look great in this outfit.”
With the assessment completed, Leo then walked over to Sophia, who was still selecting clothes on the side.
To Karen, this kind of response seemed to suggest that Leo had no interest in her, and he didn’t even spare her a second glance.
“This shouldn’t be the case,” Karen mumbled to herself. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t detected even a hint of interest in Leo’s eyes.
Eyes were the windows to the soul, and even if Leo was pretending, he couldn’t possibly pretend to this extent!