Begging For A Reconciliation

This brief reply pierced through the confusion in Leah's heart, bringing clarity to her thoughts. She

stared dumbly at the message, and large tears began rolling down her cheeks.

She had to look ahead now…

She had been so bound up in her grief and sorrow that she had been unable to move on, going about

her everyday life like a zombie. Even though she had signed an agreement with the HJ Corporation to

collaborate long-term, she had not really entertained any grand ambitions or big dreams. She had only

thought about making more money so she could pay off her debt to Han, trying to get through each day

as best as she could.

She had not realized until now that after Alfred's death, she had completely stopped moving forward

and was merely stagnating in place.

After this conversation with Hendrik, Leah felt as if she had somehow become much closer to him. It

was as if she were reborn; now she needed to find herself again. Even if the memories were bitter and

painful, she would always remember the gallant man who sacrificed his life for her. From there, she

would rebuild her life.

Night was fast approaching; it had started to drizzle, and the air was much chillier now. Leah smoothed

down Serena's blanket and decided to go down to buy some food. She had not had her dinner yet. In

truth, it had been a long, long time since she had eaten a good meal or slept well.

"Leah."

As soon as she came out of Serena's room, a familiar voice drifted through the dim corridor, startling

her so much that she let out a muffled shriek. Unsettled and in a state of panic, she stared at Han,

having no idea when he had arrived. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see if you were idiotic enough to torture yourself by not eating dinner," Han retorted

condescendingly, his gaze frosty with disapproval. His eyes were mesmerizing under the dim lights and

somehow utterly irresistible. Leah found she could not tear her gaze away.

Her mind was torn by conflicting emotions. "Why are you genuinely trying to help me…?" It did not

matter whether it was last night's affair or trying to rescue Serena today; Han might not have been able

to rescue her friend after all, but he had tried his best to do so.

Han's lips curled in a faintly mocking smile. "What, this time, you don't think I engineered the entire

scheme for my own ends?"

His pointed jibe made Leah's cheeks pale very slightly. Twisting her fingers together, she replied, "If

there's nothing more, I'll be on my way." She was afraid he might take it into his head to argue with her

again, and she did not want to disturb Serena.

"One last warning. Break off your relationship with Shawn as soon as possible." Han grasped her arm,

his voice cold.

"I know…" Somehow, his overbearing demand did not fill Leah with fury and dissatisfaction. She merely

nodded.

Han was slightly thrown by her tame acquiescence. However, he merely frowned and escorted her to

his car. "You're coming with me. I'll have someone guard Serena."

When they arrived home, the family doctor had already been waiting for some time. He changed Leah's

bandages and smiled at her in a comforting manner. "There's no need to worry, Mrs. Howard. You can

take the bandages off tonight, and by tomorrow you can use your hand like normal. However, try to

avoid getting it wet."

Leah blinked, startled at how the doctor addressed her. "I'm not his wife, you're mis…"

"Mrs. Howard, you can't hide it from me, you know. Mr. Howard had these special medications sent

back here via expedited delivery. At great effort and expense as well, I have to add…"

Han, who had been quietly enjoying the sight of Leah's embarrassment, suddenly looked black as

thunder. "That's enough!"

After the doctor had gone, Leah looked at her hands, her mind a whirl of conflicted emotions. "Why did

you do all this?" She was truly shocked; she had never expected Han to be so concerned about her.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm disgusted by your little ruse; using your injuries to try and worm your way

into my confidence." Han turned and left without a second glance.

This time, however, his cutting words did not upset Leah. Instead, she stood there for a long time,

staring dumbly in the direction he had gone.

His actions did not reflect his cold, abominable attitude toward her; she had escaped from harm so

many times because of his help, whether covert or overt. Even when he had forcibly taken Carlotta

away and made her keep her distance from Anna, these things had, in fact, helped her.

…

Shawn sat at his office desk facing Jackson. When he thought about what Leah had asked earlier, he

felt somewhat disturbed, as well as a vague sense of unease. This situation had not altered his

relationship with Sarah in the least; in fact, it seemed to push them even further apart.

"How are preparations going?" He glanced at his assistant, who hastily reported, "We've blamed

Serena's kidnapping entirely on Anna. Ms. White won't suspect us."

Shawn's expression relaxed slightly. Turning to Jackson, he inquired, "Have you been able to find out

anything about Hendrik's actual appearance yet?"

Jackson spat on the floor in annoyance. "No, I haven't been able to find a thing. Even if he's been

captured on surveillance cameras, he wears a mask, so no one has any idea what he looks like.

However, I did manage to dig up something interesting…"

Shawn frowned. "What is it?"

Jackson's smile held a hint of malicious teasing. "Hendrik seems to have some sort of connection to

your Sarah White. In Qustraebar, he repeatedly helped her. My thought is that he may also have given

Sarah the White Group…"