in2ebook Chapter 1274 - 1273: Back Then I Was Afraid to Like You, and Now I Still Am
Chapter 1274 - 1273: Back Then I Was Afraid to Like You, and Now I Still Am
Leah waited for a long time without seeing a reply from Delphine. Resting her chin in her hand, she soaked in hot water while daydreaming, suddenly remembering last night’s scene.
The man’s strong and powerful body pressed against hers, sweat dripping, repeatedly calling her name, without restraint. Leah quickly patted her flushed face to wake herself up, and got out of the bathtub to put on a robe.
Richard Shaw had already packed their luggage properly, categorizing and organizing it, and had picked an outfit for Leah to wear outside. He then sat smoking by the floor-to-ceiling window in the reception room, his handsome and stern face somewhat gloomy, unsure if he should send her back to the South Sea or let her stay.
Smelling the smoke, Leah peered in to see Richard Shaw facing away from the bedroom, gazing at the view outside the window, puffing clouds of smoke, his handsome face half-hidden in the haze, unclear.
Leah frowned, walked over, looked at the pack of cigarettes on the table, and without thinking, took one out, ready to smoke.
The cigarette pack was pressed down by the man’s slender, powerful hand, clearly jointed. Richard Shaw said deeply, "Girls shouldn’t smoke."
Maybe she was carrying his baby; why smoke?
Leah sneered, looking at the unlit cigarette still between his fingers, and said, "You’re smoking yourself."
The man stubbed out the cigarette, fell silent for a moment, then wanted to hug her, but hesitated because of the cigarette smell on him. His gaze darkened and he said softly, "I won’t smoke in front of you anymore."
"Smoke if you want; I can’t see it anyway." Leah didn’t know why a trace of anger rose within her heart.
He had clearly quit smoking before, so why start again? Damn man, full of vices but never learning the good things.
Richard Shaw reached out to grasp her hand, speaking deeply, "Then don’t go; I’ll quit smoking, okay?"
He only smoked when he was extremely upset; these days had truly been a hardship. Just now, she got angry, and he was irritable and lit one.
"No." Leah snorted coldly.
Richard Shaw looked at her fair, jade-like little face, her beautiful peach blossom eyes, innocence and purity in her brow, so captivating. The man reached out to hug her from behind, his voice hoarse, "Leah, have I ever told you, I’ve liked you since I was very young."
Leah was tightly encircled by the steel-like arms, unable to escape. The faint tobacco scent on the man mixed with the wooden aroma of Buddha Beads, inexplicably comforting.
"You were incredibly cute as a child, like a porcelain doll, always following me around calling me Little Shaw Brother. I was very afraid of liking you back then, and still am now." The man’s voice was filled with deeply rooted helplessness, a tinge of pain, and a slight joy of emotion.
Leah’s body stiffened slightly, for the first time sensing so many complex emotions from Richard Shaw’s words.
She once liked him so much, longed for him to reciprocate her feelings, and now Richard Shaw finally said he liked her. Yet this emotion had become a shackle; she instead wished their relationship had only joy without emotion so she wouldn’t bear the guilt in her heart.
She wasn’t the girl chasing him saying she liked him then, nor was he the aloof boy leaving her a distant back. As time flew by, Casimir Shaw had grown so tall.
"Richard Shaw, don’t you think this setup is fine for us? Not all emotions yield results. Living separately, meeting occasionally, is nice too." Leah spoke softly. Her stay in the Imperial City these few days was not supposed to happen.
These pleasurable times felt more like stolen moments; their indulgence last night was why she was angry. She wasn’t truly mad at Richard Shaw, she was just anxious that they crossed each other’s safety line.
Being together too beautifully sweet made her uneasy.
The man was silent for a moment, understanding what she meant, only that many things couldn’t be expressed by words, but needed to be genuinely done.
"Stay for three more days. Last night’s charity banquet, the Winton family’s situation has encountered a setback again. Serena Winton initially had a marriage agreement with the Zamora Family, but then the Zamora Family just went to the Winton Family to cancel the marriage. This matter started because of you, once it’s resolved, if you wish to return to the South Sea, I’ll arrange a private jet to take you back." The man said deeply.
Leah was taken aback; so Serena became a laughingstock, and Sophia lost her betrothed? Leah’s mood suddenly improved, sneering, "Serves them right, the Winton sisters have been pampered and pretentious since childhood; we’ve fought for years."
Richard Shaw, seeing she didn’t object to staying three more days, feeling reassured, the corners of his lips curled into a slight smile. He said lightly, "I remember you only fought for a year."
"Because later I went to stay with Grandma, they avoided me whenever they saw me." Leah snorted coldly.
In such a way, the two ended their cold war within an hour, automatically thawing.
Leah dragged her luggage to the Shaw Family; the old lady didn’t question why they hadn’t returned last night, instead entrusting it to fate. Only Casimir was very unhappy, gazing at Leah with pitiful big eyes, becoming her little tail.
*
Pearl Landon arrived in the Imperial City early the next morning, having received a call from Sophia Winton, packing her bags that same day and buying the earliest flight to head straight for the Imperial City.
She was truly fed up with that family. After Crystal Landon’s death, the entire Landon Family faced nearly cold-blooded revenge from the Shaw Family, not allowing them to die, but not letting them live well either. Even Clark Landon was implicated, unable to survive in the Imperial City, returning to their hometown in Shore City.
That wasn’t the end; Shore City was just a third or fourth-tier small city, any official from the Imperial City could crush the chief, let alone the Shaw Family.
The Shaw Family specially sent people to introduce themselves, making their family specially cared-for, making every task ten times harder than for others. She couldn’t stand the family’s poor atmosphere, nor her parents’ constant cursing and arguing, gambling all day long, nor Clark’s exhausted figure. She hurriedly married a local small businessman, but he lived a lavish lifestyle and was in debt. She couldn’t even get divorced, or she would take on half the debt.
Sophia Winton’s call was a lifeline; if it weren’t too late for flights, Pearl wished to have arrived in the Imperial City that same day.
With the Winton sisters currently in the spotlight, naturally, they wouldn’t let Pearl go directly to the Winton house, so they arranged to meet at an inconspicuous café.
Pearl’s flight was delayed by an hour, and she hurriedly arrived at the café, entered the private room, apologizing nonstop, "Sorry, the flight was delayed."
Serena and Sophia Winton’s faces were extremely poor, initially ready to get angry, but when they saw Pearl, both were astonished.