Time flew by, and it was almost bedtime. While Leo was in the shower, Sophia received a call from Karen.
“Karen, calling me so late at night? Miss me already?” Sophia teased as she answered the phone.
They hadn’t talked much since that night at the Wyndham Grand Hotel when they parted ways.
Karen pretended to be offended. “I see, now that someone has my piano man, you’ve forgotten about me.”
Sophia chuckled. “I’ve been busy with work lately, that’s all.”
Karen playfully scolded, “I don’t care. Now that my piano man is gone, you owe me.”
“No problem. Once things calm down at work, I’ll take you out for a nice meal and some shopping,” Sophia promised.
Karen’s playful tone turned serious as she changed the subject. “By the way, how are things going between you and Leo lately?”
Sophia didn’t catch the implication in Karen’s question. “What do you mean, ‘how are things going’?”
“You know… anything happened between you two?” Karen lowered her voice.
Sophia was still puzzled. “Anything like what?”
“You know what I mean!” Karen raised her voice, trying to be discreet.
In the past, Karen had often warned Sophia not to give herself to Leo, thinking it would tarnish her. She believed that a successful woman like Sophia, who was the general manager of a cosmetics company, deserved a better man than Leo, who she saw as a freeloader.
Karen had even suggested to Sophia that she should find an opportunity to divorce Leo. As long as she remained a virgin, marrying a real prince charming wouldn’t be an issue.
However, after that night at the Wyndham Grand Hotel, Karen’s attitude towards Leo did a 180-degree turn. Learning that Leo was her beloved piano man, Karen felt heartbroken but couldn’t bring herself to steal her best friend’s husband.
After a night of painful contemplation, Karen realized that there was no chance for her and Leo. But the image of Leo playing the piano was forever etched in her heart, and she would think of it from time to time.
She now felt that Sophia having Leo was such a fortunate thing.
Now, Karen was looking forward to progress between her best friend and Leo. She even wanted to tell Sophia that a man like Leo should be held onto tightly and never let go.
Sophia finally understood Karen’s question and replied with a blush, “We haven’t done anything. Everything is the same.”
Karen grinned mischievously. “Sophia, he reserved the entire Wyndham Grand Hotel. Don’t you want to do something special with him?”
Sophia’s face turned even redder. “Karen, weren’t you the one who encouraged me to divorce him before? Why the sudden change of heart?”
“It’s normal! Leo is now the piano man, and he even booked the entire Wyndham Grand Hotel for you. Men like him are rarer than giant pandas. You have to treasure him,” Karen advised.
Hearing the sound of water and whistle from the bathroom, for some reason, Sophia felt her heartbeat quicken, and she sensed an inexplicable affection welling up inside her.
She made a soft affirmative noise and changed the subject. “I know what to do. It’s getting late now, and you shouldn’t stay up so late all the time. It’s not good for your health. I’ll take you out for some good food another day.”
“Alright, I’ll hang up now. Bye!” Karen said reluctantly, ending the call.
Just a few minutes after ending the call, Leo, wrapped in a towel, emerged from the bathroom. After drying his hair, he walked over to his makeshift bed and sat down.
Sophia, diverting her gaze from him, spoke with a mosquito-like voice, “Tonight… tonight, you can sleep on the bed…”
Leo’s ears were incredibly sensitive, and he heard every word clearly. Without thinking, he blurted out, “I sleep on the bed, where will you sleep?”
As soon as he said it, Leo wanted to slap himself. He couldn’t believe how dense he was.
The saying went, “Eat a loss to gain wisdom,” but he had certainly not gained much wisdom from his past mistakes.
Sophia finished her sentence and, already feeling a bit embarrassed, covered her head with the blanket. Upon hearing Leo’s response, she quickly pulled the blanket away, pouting, and said, “I’ll sleep on the floor!”
“This man,” she thought, “has a brain like a block of wood. Do I really have to spell it out for him?”
Sophia had her own reserve, and Leo’s cluelessness made her a bit irritated.
Leo would never let Sophia sleep on the floor, so, in the end, he insisted on sleeping on the floor himself, while Sophia slept on the bed.
The next morning, after breakfast, Leo drove Sophia to work in Martin’s vintage Honda. Then, he drove the car back and hailed a taxi to the same Audi dealership he had visited yesterday. He intended to buy another Audi A8.
As Leo walked into the dealership, all the salespeople turned their attention to him. Irene, upon seeing Leo, approached him with a polite smile and greeted, “Mr. Bloomer.”
Since Leo had purchased a car in full payment the day before, the salespeople remembered him well, and some of them had even done a background check on him.
“This son-in-law who married into the Henley family is here again. Do you think he’s here to return the car?”
“It’s possible, but he already drove it away. I don’t think he can return it.”
“A freeloader like him actually spent over 150, 000 dollars. He must have fooled Sophia and her mother into pampering him.”
“Everyone says that men who marry into money have bad luck. The manager twisted her ankle yesterday and is still in the hospital with a broken bone.”
“…”
Standing in the showroom, Leo could hear their hushed gossip, but he paid it no mind. He had long grown indifferent to such idle chatter.
Finally, Leo’s gaze fell on the Audi A8L in the showroom.
Noticing Leo’s interest, Irene suddenly felt nervous. She feared that Leo might be here to return the car.
“Mr. Bloomer, how can I assist you today?” Irene asked with a courteous smile.
Leo pointed to the Audi A8 and said, “I’d like to buy another Audi A8 today. I’ll pay by card.”
Upon hearing this, Irene was stunned.