After dinner, Ernesto naturally stayed there and lit fireworks in the garden with Alba. Seeing that the two were so close, Mateo was overjoyed.
“It looks like Alba has found her prince charming. Ernesto really loves her. With Ernesto’s company, I’m sure she’ll be able to be cured of that annoying face blindness.”
Mateo felt a little sad when he thought about it and sighed inwardly:
“Alas, I’m probably the only one in the world who’s single – how poor me!”
However, in fact, there was another man who was poorer than Mateo, and that man was none other than Leonardo.
Leonardo thought Olivia would return to the country to celebrate Christmas with her parents, so he took a flight to Olivia’s hometown in the south. As he expected, her parents had returned to their own home.
Leonardo went to visit them, taking many gifts for them, but was mercilessly kicked out of their home – they wouldn’t even let Leonardo in the house!
Knowing that it was himself who was entirely to blame, Leonardo stood in front of the door, begging and waiting with no desire to leave.
“It is myself who has hurt Olivia so much and involved her innocent parents. If I want to win Olivia’s heart back, I must first win her parents’ forgiveness and trust. But Olivia really hasn’t come back?”
He looked at the two-story building in front of him, Leonardo was a little lost.
“To avoid running into me, she didn’t even come back to spend Christmas with her parents? Does she really hate me that much?”
“No, Olivia wouldn’t treat me like that. The last time we saw each other, she obviously still felt affection for me. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let me have sex with her! Today I have to prove to her parents that my love for Olivia is indelible.”
As the hours passed, Olivia’s mother, who was in the house, occasionally peeked through the curtains and asked her husband, who was watching TV, in a soft voice:
-Honey, should we tell Olivia that Leonardo is at our door?
Olivia was in the Ode Nation and had planned to return home for Christmas, but due to a snowstorm, her flight was cancelled and she was forced to stay there.
Leonardo’s visit was therefore doomed to be unsuccessful.
Olivia’s father was furious with Leonardo, because that guy had not only broken his daughter’s heart, but had made him lose his job at school and was humiliated in front of everyone. If he could, the father would even want to kill him!
Olivia’s father, with an exasperated look on his face, replied:
-No, he can stay outside if he wants to, he’d be better off freezing to death! Leave him there and come watch TV.
Still, Olivia’s mother recorded a snippet of video of Leonardo walking outdoors to warm up, returned to her own bedroom and secretly sent it to her daughter.
She knew her daughter still loved this man.
But he didn’t receive his daughter’s reply after waiting for quite a while.
“Olivia has gone to bed?”
Without thinking too much, the mother opened the door, walked out into the living room and was stunned.
Leonardo had come into her house! And it had been her own husband who had opened the door and let him in.
Although her husband had repeatedly warned that he would not allow Leonardo into their home in any way, he was actually quite anxious in his innermost self. Although he had repeatedly stated that he would not allow his daughter to be with him, inwardly he knew better than anyone that the young couple was not over.
Leonardo’s lips were purple from the cold, so as soon as Olivia’s father opened the door, he burst into the room without a second thought.
Olivia’s father sat back down on the couch with an ugly face and said in a harsh tone:
-Don’t misunderstand me. It’s just that I don’t want to find a man freezing to death at the door tomorrow.
Leonardo nodded his head and said seriously:
-Madam, sir, thank you very much for letting me in. Today I want to apologize to you sincerely. I hurt Olivia a lot, so even if I were to freeze to death outside, I would deserve it. But I really love Olivia and I won’t be able to live without her. And if freezing to death could prove my love for her, then I would be willing to stay outside.
Olivia’s father let out a chuckle without saying anything.
Olivia’s mother was quite moved by the boy’s sincere words. And knowing that Leonardo had already been waiting outside for a long time without eating anything, she went to the kitchen to prepare some food for him.
Thus, in the living room only the girl’s father and Leonardo remained and the atmosphere became a little uncomfortable. Leonardo sat down in front of Olivia’s father and said very sincerely:
-Sir, I love Olivia with all my heart and she is the only love of my life. It is all my fault. It is me who has not been strong enough in this relationship, it is me who has not been able to resist the temptation of power and money and it is me who has not known how to appreciate her, but I can swear in front of you that I have never felt anything for that woman, my heart has always been for Olivia, and I have never touched another woman since I have been with her. My company almost went bankrupt, but I started up again on my own. Even though the business is not as big as it used to be, I promise you that I will give Olivia the best of everything.
The father showed some emotion after hearing what this boy said.
“This brat has very clear thinking when he speaks. He already knows where he has been wrong and has an acceptable attitude in admitting his mistakes. And his attitude of taking responsibility and not being afraid of difficulties is also the quality of a real man.”
Leonardo looked at Olivia’s father with sincere eyes and continued:
-Sir, if you still won’t rest easy letting Olivia be with me, I can transfer all my assets to her to prove my sincerity. This way, if I make another mistake or hurt her again, I will be left with nothing!
Olivia’s father, somewhat suspicious, asked:
-Do you have that right? Is your dominant mother going to allow you to do that?
Leonardo answered serenely:
-I already realized that I should be the one to take the reins of my life myself. My mother has seen my firm determination and she is not going to interfere in my life anymore, otherwise she would not have let me come here to spend Christmas with you.
Olivia’s father nodded and asked again:
-Spend Christmas with us? Didn’t you come here specifically to see Olivia?
Leonardo did not expect this question from Olivia’s father, but decided to be clear with him:
-It is true that I came here to celebrate Christmas with you, and it is also true that I want to see Olivia. I think about her all the time. Olivia is so sweet and lovely and I am worried that she is attracted to another man, so I am very uneasy….
Very pleased to hear him praise his daughter, Olivia’s father said proudly:
-Of course, my Olivia is flawless and she is my most precious baby. If you don’t appreciate her, you will lose her forever.
Olivia’s mother, who had brought out the food, smilingly said to Leonardo:
-Son, come and have something to eat first.
Seeing that the father nodded slightly to her, Leonardo, a little relieved, got up and picked up one of the gifts on one side and said dryly:
-Sir, I have brought you a good red wine that has been in my collection for more than ten years, would you like a glass?
“A good red wine?”
Olivia’s father looked down at that bottle of red wine in Leonardo’s hand and showed some interest.
The two sat down at the table and Olivia’s mother returned to the kitchen to serve the meal.
Leonardo opened the wine, poured a glass for his future father-in-law and then poured one for himself.
As he was about to take a sip, Olivia’s father raised his hand to stop her and said:
-Young man, you can’t drink fine red wine like that! First, we have to let it breathe for 15 minutes or so. Besides, you should eat something before drinking wine. Otherwise you will get drunk easily on an empty stomach.
“This brat wants to get drunk and tries to stay in my house with such an excuse until Olivia comes back? Humph! No way!”
In reality, Leonardo had no such intention. He just wanted to please his future father-in-law and nothing more, therefore, after hearing what the father said, he didn’t walk around with more formalities and started tasting the dishes that Olivia’s mother who had prepared for him. He was really hungry after waiting almost half a day outside without eating anything.
After 15 minutes, Olivia’s father took a sip from his glass. The wine was rich and aromatic, which he loved very much.
After a few glasses, Olivia’s father’s attitude softened and he became more talkative. Under the affection of the alcohol, he talked to Leonardo about everything from Olivia, politics, to literature and art.
Olivia’s mother couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the two chatting so happily.
“Leonardo is very handsome and smart and is very good at dealing with people. No wonder Olivia likes him so much. He used to lead an affluent life without encountering difficulties, which is why he made such outrageous mistakes. However, after everything that happened, he is still thinking about Olivia. He must have realized his mistakes and will appreciate my Olivia more in the future, right?”
By the time the father finished talking to Leonardo, it was almost 12 o’clock, so he asked his wife to arrange a room for him.
The mother said:
-Leonardo will sleep in Olivia’s room, okay? The other rooms are not cleaned.
Olivia’s father was a little dizzy from the affection of the wine, so he also nodded, therefore, the mother ushered him into Olivia’s room.
After closing the door, Leonardo examined Olivia’s bedroom, and was quite pleased. After a night of honest communication, Olivia’s parents had changed their minds about him and had even let him stay in Olivia’s room. But, he didn’t get Olivia’s phone number. Even though the father had overindulged, he was still being cautious without trusting Leonardo completely.
Leonardo knew that the father still wanted to watch him and test him, and he could understand that. No matter how rocky the road ahead, as long as Olivia was waiting for him, he wasn’t afraid of anything.
After he finished washing up, Leonardo lay back under the covers, immensely content, feeling Olivia’s scent on the bed.
He regretted having been too impulsive the last time he was in the Catyblaca Nation. He should have done more to show Olivia how determined he was, instead of saying things like “marry me” or “I love you”. If he had another chance, he would let Olivia know that he only loved her in this life.
As he drifted off to sleep, he faintly heard the doorknob being turned.
Leonardo’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Will it be Olivia’s parents coming to examine whether my sleeping posture is decent or not?”
The door opened softly…