Chapter 208 Patience is Limited Leanna had been standing out on the balcony for an hour. She rested her arms on the railing and propped her head on her hands. She watched the flurry of snowflakes increase as time went on. Zoe came out of the shower and noticed that Leanna was still in the same position with her eyes unmoved as well, so she went over and peered in the same direction. “What’s so nice for you to look at?” Leanna snapped out of her reverie and smiled faintly. “It’s nothing.” “You’re waiting for someone, aren’t you?” Zoe deduced. Then, she sighed. “What’s with that b*stard anyway?
He said he would come and look for you tonight, but he hasn’t shown up yet. I’d be worried too if I were you.” What? “That is not what I am thinking,” Leanna explained softly. “I don’t believe you,” Zoe replied. Leanna turned her eyes back to the front and took a deep breath. “Elijah confessed to me yesterday.” Zoe perked up at once. “How did he do it? What did he say? Wait, no, hang on. Did you say yes or did you reject him?” Leanna shook her head before saying slowly, “I should give myself a chance.” “You’re right about that. It’s true. You don’t need to hold out for that sucker anyway.” “…That wasn’t the case either. I’m just not ready yet.” “What’s there to be ready for? Love often comes when you least expect it,” Zoe declared. “Leanna, you worry too much. Life is short. So what if you date someone without getting married to them? All that matters is your happiness.”
Leanna pursed her lips and stayed quiet. Zoe looked at her and said, “Leanna, I know why you’re so conflicted over this.” “Why?” Leanna asked without giving it much thought. “It’s because you still like Aidan, right?” Leanna looked down. She didn’t admit it, but she didn’t deny it either. Zoe rested her arms on the railing and sighed. “Life doesn’t always go the way you want it to, but Leanna, if that child… was still here, would you remarry Aidan?” After a while, Leanna replied, “He asked me the same question before.” “How did you answer?” Leanna had the barest hint of a smile on her face. “It’s just like what you said. Life often doesn’t go the way you want it to. If there were a way to redo everything, then things wouldn’t have come to this.” “That’s true. Well, if I had a chance to do it all over again, I would stay as far away as possible from that scum, Anthony.” Zoe stretched and continued, “However, Elijah has a point too. You should give yourself a chance. After all, life goes on.”
Leanna nodded. “I know that.” “I’m going to bed now. You should go back to your room soon as well. Don’t catch a cold.” “Alright.” Leanna stood out on the balcony for a few more minutes before heading back in, but as soon as she closed the balcony door, her phone started ringing in her pocket. She heard Aidan’s voice coming through the phone. “Are you coming down or am I going up?” The answer was obvious. Leanna took her coat and went out. Downstairs, Aidan was leaning against the car door and staring at the ground. His expression was a little cold as he bit down on his cigarette. Leanna came over and stood in front of him. “Did you want something, President Pearson?” Aidan’s eyes flitted up. He took the cigarette out of his mouth as he fixed his eyes on her. “Why didn’t you tell me about what happened today?” “You’re referring to…” Leanna began, but she figured it out right away.
“That’s my business. I don’t think I need to report it to you, President Pearson.” It was hard to tell what Aidan was feeling from his expression. His tone was also passive as he said, “What were you going to do if I hadn’t shown up?” “As I said, that’s my business. Regardless of how I planned to handle it, it still has nothing to do with you, President Pearson.” “Are you saying that I’m being nosy?” “You’re not wrong,” Leanna replied. Aidan continued to stare at her. “Leanna, a person’s patience is limited.” Leanna chuckled at that. “Have you used up all your patience, President Pearson?” “Are you happy or sad about that?” “Well, if I say I’m happy, you wouldn’t be sad about it anyway, so yes, I’m happy.”
“Are you that reluctant to see me?” Aidan asked. Leanna looked away. “It has nothing to do with reluctance. I just don’t think we need to see each other.” After a pause, she said, “President Pearson. There’s something I feel I need to clarify with you. Elijah has confessed to me, and I—” “Did you agree to go out with him? You told me before that you don’t like him.” “I haven’t given him an answer yet, but I’ve decided to give it a try.” “Leanna McKinney, look at me when you say that,” Aidan commanded. Leanna took a deep breath and turned to look at him. “President Pearson, this, whatever this is, should come to an end now. You’ve exhausted all your patience, and I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I really want to have a fresh start and live the life I want.” “What kind of life do you want?”
Leanna’s lips parted to respond, but she didn’t know what to say. Aidan flicked his cigarette and replied on her behalf. “The life you want is one without me in it, isn’t that right?” This b*stard’s pretty good at guessing. Leanna spoke up again. “President Pearson, you know very well that we’re two people from vastly different worlds. Back then, it was just—” “How so?” Leanna was a little startled by the interruption. “Huh?” Aidan snorted. “Well, you’re right. I’m just a b*stard born out of wedlock. I’m not worthy of you. You’re right. We’re two people from vastly different worlds.” Leanna was speechless. Wasn’t this a blatant attempt at twisting things around to suit his narrative? Leanna closed her eyes and said slowly, “President Pearson, that’s not what I meant.” “Well, I think that’s what you meant.” Leanna felt as if they were just going around in circles. Every time she wanted to clear things up between them, he would do this and push the issue back on her.
Well, he did manage to prick at her conscience each time. After a few seconds, Leanna said, “President Pearson, I’ve said what I wanted to say. You should leave now.” “What’s the rush? I haven’t said what I wanted to say yet,” Aidan replied. “…Go ahead.” Aidan lit a new cigarette and began slowly, “Anna has left the Pearson Family. She might come looking for you, but it’s quite unlikely.” Leanna tilted her head to the side and gave him a quizzical look. The confusion was clear in her pretty eyes. She waited for him to continue.
“I’m guessing that they will choose to send her out of the country. Who knows what kind of accidents happen when a person’s abroad?” Leanna got the hint. “President Pearson…” “Leanna, I’m telling you this because I’m making it clear to you that I’ve never been a good person. You can choose to go out with Elijah. That’s up to you. However, no one can stop me from doing what I want.”
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