Love's Change of Heart

"What are you talking about? It's not related to him; I just…" Leanna didn't know how to

explain things to him, so she changed the topic. When she realized how all the girls were

gazing over at their table, she quickly commented on them. "There're so many girls here

who fancy you. Aren't you interested in any of them?" she asked.

"I've no plans to date anymore," he replied flatly.

"Why not? You're at the perfect age to be in a relationship. It'd be a shame not to date

someone," she said.

"Why didn't you date anyone when you were my age, then?" he asked. She was

speechless once more. This guy is really straightforward. She finally found an answer after

a while. "Well, I was busy working and studying back then, and… Even though I didn't date

anyone, I had a crush. That felt pretty nice too."

"He ended up getting engaged to someone else, and you guys didn't get together in the

end. What's so nice about that?" Louis muttered. Leanna was wise enough to keep her

mouth shut this time—she simply focused on drinking her milk. Finally, after a few

minutes, it was Louis who spoke again. "Do you… want to look for that guy now?"

Leanna didn't get who he was referring to at first. "What guy?"

"The guy in that picture," he replied after some hesitation. "Louis…" she muttered. He

looked away and leaned back in his seat after that. "You don't have to worry about how I

feel. I don't mind, you know? After all, as you said, at least we have the same mother. I

don't care who my father is—it's all the same to me." Jethro was dead, after all.

Leanna let out a soft laugh. "I'm not doing it for your sake, Louis. It's just that… this world

is too big, and we might not be able to find him. Even if we managed to locate him… What

if he's no longer alive? Or what if he's married to a new family? What's the purpose of me

finding him, right?"

"If I were you, I'd want to look for him regardless of whether he has a new family. Then, I

would want to ask him why he abandoned us. Even if it means that I'll have to ask him in

front of his tombstone, I'll still do it if it gives me an answer," Louis replied in a serious

tone. After that, Leanna lowered her head without saying anything.

After all, she didn't want to look into this thing because she was afraid of what she would

find. She was scared that the answer she had found wasn't what she wanted. When Louis

saw her keeping quiet, he spoke up again. "This is just what I think. I just wanted to tell

you not to worry about me. I'm not a child anymore," he said.

"I got it. I'll think about it," she replied with a smile. Louis was about to say something

else, but the café was getting too packed, and there were too many people ordering

drinks, so the owner had to call him to help. "I have to work now," Louis said as he got to

his feet.

"Alright. Go on. I should probably leave soon, too," she replied. After Louis left, Leanna

finished her milk before looking out the window. The sky had already turned dark by then.

She was about to head out when a girl walked over to her. The girl had been nudged by

her friend to approach Leanna. "Excuse me. Are you Louis' girlfriend?" the girl asked in a

whisper.

Leanna spread her lips into a smile. "No."

"Then, who are—"

"I'm his sister. I'm 25," Leanna replied.

The girl's eyes lit up immediately. "Louis' sister! You're so gorgeous, and you have great

skin. You don't look like you're in your mid-twenties at all!" The other girls gathered around

Leanna after hearing her words. "So, you're Louis' sister. You're so pretty. We thought you

were his girlfriend!" one girl said.

"You guys have great genes at home. You're so pretty, and Louis is so handsome. We're so

jealous of you guys," another girl said.

Leanna was in a much better mood when she walked out of the café. If only I were actually

in my teenage years. I would be able to do so much more without feeling any fear. I

wouldn't be afraid to fail and start all over again. Instead of hailing a cab, Leanna decided

to take a stroll on the street. She had no reason to head home, anyway.

Before she knew it, she ended up at the building of the charity dinner. It was a rare

opportunity and an honor for any new designer to have their products displayed at a

charity dinner as grand as this one. Even though she didn't get the chance to participate

in it, it felt pretty good for her to just sit downstairs to get a sense of the atmosphere. She

had just found a convenience store nearby to take a seat when she received Zoe's call.

"Did you go for the charity dinner, Leanna?" Zoe asked.

"No. I have some other stuff to do." Leanna hesitated for a moment as she realized Zoe

sounded like she had some hidden meaning behind her question. "What is it?" Leanna

asked.

"Hahaha, it's nothing. I was just asking for fun. It's great to hear that you didn't go. Where

are you? Should I come over to meet you?" Zoe asked.

Leanna looked through the convenience store glass to see a hotel opposite the street. "I

just came from Louis' school, and I'm outside the hotel. So, I'll sit around and leave soon."

"A hotel? Which one? Is this the hotel for the charity dinner?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah."

Zoe was speechless for a second. She gazed at the picture that her photographer friend

had just sent her, and she felt a headache coming. The picture showed the back figure of

a girl with her arm slipped into Aidan's. I take back whatever I said. Aidan is a b*stard. A

true b*stard, born and bred!