Love’s Change of Heart novel Chapter 385

Zoe sat on the couch, utterly immersed in her thoughts. Her eyes were half-lidded, and she was as still as a statue.

Daniel stood opposite her, shifting on his foot when she left him hanging. After a while, he started wondering whether she might have fallen asleep and asked tentatively, "Why don't you… put away the thing in your hands first? It's kinda scary."

When she heard that, her grip on the bat tightened, and he cleared his throat in discomfort before taking a step back.

After a few seconds, Zoe finally said, "The common enemy you mentioned. Do you mean Lloyd?"

Daniel nodded, and she pressed, "So, you and Georgina…"

"That was all for show. I approached her with my own motives, and despite knowing this, she still made use of me."

A few seconds passed, and she remarked sarcastically, "Just a show, eh? Just like what you're doing now?"

"Well… not really," he fumbled for a logical reason. "We're doing this for justice. The nature behind our actions is entirely different."

"Mhm," Zoe hummed, unconvinced.

After he waited for a few minutes, he slowly broached the question, "So, have you considered it?"

"Are you sure that they won't harm Nana if I agree to put on this act with you?" she gazed at him sharply as she inquired.

"At least they won't be able to blackmail her by trying to catch a hold of me, and if they tried from other aspects, I'd try to think of a way to stop them."

Zoe furrowed her brows as she finally asked the one thing that had been bothering her the entire time, "Who the hell… are you? No, maybe I should be asking, what's your motive?"

He smiled mysteriously and promised, "Once this act is over, I'll tell you."

…

When Leanna returned to the Crossley Residence, she noticed that the entire house was engulfed in an air of oppression. All the servants were shying away from her, just the same as when she arrived on the first day.

The moment she entered the living room, a servant came over and said, "Miss McKinney, the master is asking for you in the study."

Then, she left in a flurry of skirts without bothering to wait for Leanna's answer.

She stood rooted on the spot for a few seconds before her feet carried her in the direction of Lloyd's study.

Then, she knocked on the door and said dispassionately, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Crossley?"

Lloyd raised his head behind a pile of documents. "Take a seat."

She pursed her lips, walked over confidently, and took a seat in front of him. The instant she was seated, he pushed a document before her. When she swept her gaze over the words, she saw that it was an indictment against Georgina.

She curled her lips into a smirk and deliberately asked, "Oh my. What's this?"

Lloyd didn't pander to her games and merely said, "I know that you and Georgina have always been in a conflict because of Aidan, but no matter what, your squabbles should stay within the Crossley Family. There's no reason to blow up this matter."

"I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Crossley," Leanna said as she inspected her nails. "I'm not the plaintiff stated here. How is this related to me?"

"But you're the cause of this conflict. When the time comes, as long as you come forward and clarify that these accusations are false, the indictment will be rendered meaningless."

Leanna understood what he was getting at. In fact, Lloyd could easily handle a person like Karen with a twitch of his fingers. He only had to manipulate some facts to get the deed done, but the problem now was that she was involved in this situation.

As Lloyd knew that many eyes were watching him and Leanna, he didn't want to take the risk. Hence, he wanted her to come forward and deny Karen's accusations.

Once she denied it, then the chips would be in his favor since it would be obvious that Karen was lying. Plus, with a little bit of manipulation behind the scenes, he could easily present Karen as the true mastermind of it all. He could paint her as the person staging the whole incident for blackmail and extortion.

And they say you could dream faster than you could make a wish, Leanna scoffed in her mind.

"Previously, I've asked you if everything Miss Crossley did could be exposed to the public eye, and I've always thought of myself as the victim in this incident the whole time. I've never received the apology I deserve, so why should I come forward for others, my… Bully no less?" she enunciated slowly. She was playing with fire, but with such a golden opportunity presented before her, there was no way she could help herself.

"We can settle everything in private," Lloyd answered. "Since you're a member of the Crossley Family, you have a duty to care for our reputation."

"You're making it sound like such a big deal, Mr. Crossley. Even though I'm living with the Crossleys, I've never enjoyed any benefits of actually being one. So, what are these duties you speak of?"

Lloyd narrowed his eyes as his expression gradually sank when he saw that she wasn't going to let the matter go so easily.

Finally, he said, "State your terms."

Leanna smirked at that. "You're a daring man indeed, Mr. Crossley."

Then, she whisked out the equity transfer papers she always brought with her and placed them before him in a flourish.

The moment he laid his gaze on the file, he said, "This is what I've promised you before. If this is what you want in exchange, I can sign it right now."

"No," she dragged the refusal out for a moment. "I would like to let you know that rather than asking for the shares of Crossley Group, I would prefer something more practical."

A bad premonition started to bubble up in his heart as he furrowed his brows. "What do you want?"

Leanna mentioned a few places and said, "I want all these lands."

"That's out of the question!" Lloyd said sternly.

The places she mentioned were expensive, and some of them included a project that Crossley Group was currently developing. If the land were given to Leanna, that would mean that she had the biggest say over the whole project.

She covered her mouth and giggled playfully, "Oh, it's fine if you're not agreeable to it. I'm merely telling you what I want. I've made the calculations. All these lands only make up thirty percent of the Crossley Group properties, and I think this is what I deserve."

"What arrogance! If I really hand them over to you, you definitely won't be able to manage them well by yourself. The Crossley Group will be ruined in your hands when the time comes!"

"Oh please, Mr. Crossley. I know that I have no head for business, and that's why I'm only asking for the land. I won't interfere with any company projects and will be fine with just receiving the money."

Lloyd gave her a gimlet stare, sitting there without a word.

Leanna's conditions was basically turning the shares into cash. If she merely held the shares, he would have a multitude of ways to control her, but those lands were an asset he couldn't afford to lose. Once it was transferred to her, it would be under her name. When the time comes, he would need her signature if anything should happen to the Crossleys, and they would like to sell the land or anything related to the project.

How could Lloyd ever agree to her request?

She wasn't worried in the slightest, so she continued, "If that's the case, I won't bother you anymore, Mr. Crossley. Think about it carefully. I'm not in a rush."

The one who is in a real rush is the one being accused, she thought playfully and promptly left the study.

As Lloyd stared at the equity transfer papers, the look on his face turned even glummer.

Meanwhile, Leanna reached her room and was about to enter when Georgina's voice rang behind her.

She tilted her head and asked, "And how can I help you, Miss Crossley?"

"You're the one behind this matter, aren't you?" Georgina said coldly.

A sweet smile spread across Leanna's face. "If you believe thinking this way would make you feel better, then I have nothing against it as well. But…"

"But, what?"

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