Seeing Sophia suddenly fall silent, Karen quickly added, “Sophia, why aren’t you saying anything? Leo has done you a huge favor in this matter. You should really thank him.”
“Karen, thank you for letting me know all this,” Sophia replied.
“Well, you and Leo should get some rest early. Just remember to show your appreciation tonight,” Karen emphasized the word “appreciation,” and Sophia understood her implication.
After ending the call, Sophia quickly checked the evening news on her phone. The news confirmed what Karen had told her. Thanks to a masked, justice-seeking citizen providing solid evidence, the masterminds behind the cosmetic incident had been exposed. Ford Gregory, the general manager of Spring Wind Cosmetics, and Larry Roy, the sales manager of Merano Group, had been arrested, and the case was under further investigation and handling.
Setting down her phone, Sophia let out a long sigh of relief. She knew that the masked justice-seeking citizen mentioned in the news was, in fact, Leo. As Karen had said, this swift resolution was all thanks to Leo’s efforts. If he hadn’t done so much behind the scenes, it might have been challenging to uncover the truth behind the cosmetic incident.
As Sophia gazed in the direction of the bathroom, a contented smile graced her lips. To have a man silently guarding and caring for her like this, what more could she ask for in this lifetime?
“Sophia, the bathwater is ready. It’s getting late; you should take a bath and go to sleep,” Leo came out of the bathroom.
Unexpectedly, Sophia lunged toward him, embracing him tightly. “Leo, I know everything.”
“Know what?” Leo was momentarily taken aback by Sophia’s action.
“Karen called and told me everything,” Sophia said as she released her embrace and looked into Leo’s eyes, her gaze filled with a mix of affection and gratitude. “For everything you did, darling, thank you.”
Although Sophia had a thousand words in her heart, she couldn’t express them all at once. Instead, they condensed into a heartfelt “thank you.”
“My dear, haven’t I told you? Between husband and wife, there’s no need for thank yous. Your difficulties are my difficulties, and I couldn’t stand by and do nothing,” Leo said with a smile. “Now, go take your bath.”
Sophia nodded and left Leo’s embrace to enter the bathroom.
The next morning, they both woke up early. After a simple breakfast, Sophia dragged Leo out for a morning run.
Cloud Dream Mountain in the morning was enveloped in a thin layer of mist, and the air was incredibly fresh. It felt like stepping into a fairyland.
Although Leo didn’t know much about feng shui, he could sense that this place was a blessing for health.
Their morning run destination was the highest point of Cloud Dream Mountain, where Heaven’s Extreme Stone was located.
The villa area on Cloud Dream Mountain had a dedicated running track for homeowners, lined with beautiful flowers on both sides throughout the year, creating a scenic atmosphere.
Jogging along, breathing in the fresh air and the intoxicating scent of flowers, it was genuinely refreshing.
The exclusive running track ended about a kilometer from Heaven’s Extreme Stone, but they continued running until they reached the base of the stone.
With Leo’s help, Sophia climbed Heaven’s Extreme Stone.
Standing atop the stone, they could overlook the entire town of Langstel. A feeling of “standing at the peak and surveying the world” emerged, making their hearts feel wide and open as they took in the expansive view.
“Sophia, how do you feel about morning runs on Cloud Dream Mountain?” Leo asked with a smile.
“It’s very comfortable; this feeling is amazing!” Sophia couldn’t help but spread her arms, as if trying to embrace the entire Langstel. “I’ve decided, from now on, I’ll switch our evening runs to morning runs.”
Sophia turned her head, gazing gently at Leo. “In the future, will you run with me every morning?”
Leo embraced Sophia in a Titanic-like manner and replied, “Of course, I’ll always run with you, until we grow old and can’t run anymore.”
“Holding hands, growing old together,” Sophia murmured these words as she closed her eyes slightly.
At half-past eight, Leo dropped Sophia off at her company as scheduled.
After coming out of the underground parking lot at the Golden Leaf Shopping Plaza, Leo drove to the talent market. The villa was in a state of chaos due to Jessica, and she and Martin couldn’t cook, so Leo planned to hire a nanny who could.
Hiring Doreen as a nanny might have been a good choice, but she had to take care of her son, and the Cloud Dream Mountain villa had strict rules. If Ron were to roam around and enter other villas, it would likely cause unnecessary trouble. After careful consideration, Leo gave up on the idea of having Doreen work at the villa. Instead, he would have her work at the Herbal Magic Cosmetics Company with her son.
Shortly after entering the talent market’s hall, Leo noticed a group of people gathered around, watching something. Curious, he pushed his way through the crowd.
In the midst of the onlookers, a middle-aged woman knelt on the ground. In front of her stood a proud and wealthy-looking woman who wore extravagant jewelry.
“This woman is untrustworthy. I hired her to clean my house, and afterward, I discovered that $10, 000 kept in a cupboard had gone missing. I checked with the cleaning company, and they said she was a temporary worker. Not only did they refuse to take responsibility, but they also fired her. Now, I’m only asking her to reimburse my money, and she refuses to admit it!” the wealthy woman said angrily.
“I didn’t steal your money. You’ve wrongly accused me!” the middle-aged woman protested.
The wealthy woman slapped her across the face and shouted, “You thief! The money disappeared from the cabinet in that room right after you cleaned it. If it wasn’t you, who could it be?”
“I really didn’t steal your money…” the middle-aged woman cried in distress after being hit.
But no one stepped forward to help her; they all watched with cold eyes.
Eyes are the windows to the soul, and from the middle-aged woman’s eyes, Leo could tell that she wasn’t lying.
The wealthy woman couldn’t control herself and kicked the middle-aged woman once more, scolding her, “No thief would admit to being a thief. People like you with dirty hands are nothing more than rats scurrying in the streets. You’d better cough up my money and get out of Langstel, or you’ll regret it!”
Unable to watch any longer, Leo pushed through the crowd and approached the middle-aged woman.
Seeing him step forward, the wealthy woman assumed he intended to reprimand the alleged thief and said to him, “Young man, rats like her deserve to be beaten. If you want to teach her a lesson, I’ll give you the opportunity. Go ahead and do it!”