When William got out of the car and saw Aidan standing there, he was surprised. He approached him and asked, "Why are you here, President Pearson?"
"I heard you're going back to Dellshore today, so I decided to see you off," Aidan explained. "I haven't thanked you for what you've done for me before."
William replied calmly, "It was the least I could do. However, he still managed to escape in the end. When I find out more about his background, I'll tell you about it."
Aidan nodded. "Thanks."
William was startled, for it was the first time he saw Aidan being so polite to anyone. Aidan and his father were both outrageously arrogant men. As such, William couldn't quite understand the sudden change in Aidan's attitude. A moment later, he said, "You're welcome, President Pearson."
Just then, the car window was rolled down as Cameron stuck out his head and asked, "Can we go now, Uncle William?"
William turned to his subordinate. "Take him inside first."
"Yes."
Aidan frowned. "Are you bringing him to Dellshore as well?"
William explained, "His parents are dead, so it'll do him no good if he stays here."
Aidan's expression turned colder, and his voice was no longer as polite as before. "You're being pretty considerate to someone else's child, Mr. Morris."
William knew what the other man was trying to say. After pondering for a moment, he said, "I'm just doing what I can to help."
"Are you not coming back to Highside again after you return to Dellshore?"
William fell silent for a moment.
Aidan went on to say, "You confided in the wrong person and caused a tragedy 20 years ago. Now, you're supposed to make things right instead of running away."
"I'm not running away. I just…" William paused for a moment. "I just don't want her to get hurt."
"Where there's a will, there's a way. Don't you get it?"
William looked at him and said slowly, "Thanks for coming and telling me all of this, President Pearson. However, I'm sure you're aware of one thing. If I had a daughter, I would never let her marry you. I guess you know the reason."
Aidan was speechless for a moment before taking a look at his wristwatch. "Your flight will be taking off soon, so I won't go in with you. See you, Mr. Morris."
Just then, William's subordinate came over and urged him to get going. William said, "Please take care of the business in Highside when I'm not around. Thanks."
"Don't mention it. That's what I'm supposed to do."
After William entered the airport, Aidan clicked his tongue silently. Leanna pushed the door open and asked, "You guys had a pretty long chat. What was it about?"
Aidan pocketed his gaze. "It was just some small talk."
Leanna let out a breath. "Let's go home."
"Sure."
Meanwhile, John was seated in a black sedan car as he watched everything from a distance, and a smile formed on his lips. Then, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. "He's gone. We can take action now."
…
When they arrived home, Leanna took a shower and felt much better. The smell of disinfectant no longer lingered on her body. As she dried her hair with a towel, she opened the refrigerator and asked, "What would you like for dinner? I'll go and buy some ingredients."
Aidan approached her and replied, "Just tell Jonathan to buy them for you. Since you've just recovered, you're supposed to get more rest."
Leanna pursed her lips. "Stop giving Jonathan so much pressure, will you? He's already inundated with work every day. If he becomes bald one day, I'm worried it'll be hard for him to find a partner."
Aidan arched his brow. "Are you saying that I'm pressuring him too much? Do you know that his annual salary is much higher than your studio's yearly profit?"
Leanna was stunned, and she realized she should stop sympathizing with people who earned more than her. A moment later, she said, "Anyway, I'd like to go out and walk around. If you don't want to go, I'll…"
"Who told you that? I'll get changed."
As Leanna walked along the aisles in the supermarket and thought about the empty refrigerator back home, she decided to grab many things. When they paid the bill, she realized that she had bought two big bags of groceries. The instant they arrived at the supermarket's basement, Aidan's phone started ringing. After he took a look at the caller ID, he said to Leanna, "Give me a second."
Then, he went somewhere else. Leanna grunted and fished out her phone to scroll through social media.
When Aidan arrived at a quiet corner, he asked, "What's the matter?"
An anxious Keaton replied, "Something's happened, President Pearson. The young master and old madam are missing."
Aidan's expression turned cold in an instant. "What did you just say?"
Keaton hurriedly reported, "Around ten minutes ago, the apartment was ablaze, and our floor was affected. As such, I brought the young master and old madam downstairs. I was following them when a woman came up to me suddenly and said her child was still upstairs, so she took me away to help look for her child. That was when the old madam and young master were out of my sight."
"Where were the others?"
"Since it was an emergency, we were unprepared. At that time, many people were gathered together outside the building. There were too many people, so the others didn't see the old madam and young master."
Aidan pressed his lips into a line. "Go and look for them. I'll be there soon."
"Yes."
After the call ended, Aidan strode toward his car. Leanna looked up at him upon hearing the man's footsteps, but he seemed cold and distant. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Let's go back now."
Leanna kept her phone and nodded. While on the road, Leanna realized they were not going back to the apartment. She asked, "Where are we going?"
While grabbing the steering wheel, Aidan clenched his jaw. "The apartment is ablaze. I'm sending you to Castor Villa."
It wasn't until a moment later that Leanna realized what the man meant. She asked, "How about you?"
Aidan replied, "There's something I have to attend to."
"Did something happen to the company?"
Aidan turned to her with a milder expression and hummed. "I won't be going home tonight. Be sure to rest early."
"I got it. Mind your own things and don't worry about me." When Leanna saw his expression, she knew that something must have happened to the Pearson Group. The least she could do was not burden him any further.
Soon, the car pulled up in front of Castor Villa. Leanna left the car with two bags of groceries and said, "Get going now. I can handle this."
Aidan parted his lips but didn't utter a word in the end. He then grunted and drove the car away.
Since they didn't inform Alice that they were going back to Castor Villa, she had gotten off work. Leanna had to go back and forth twice to get the groceries into the house. She panted and turned on the lights. When she saw this cozy house, she couldn't help smiling.
After getting some rest, she put all the groceries into the refrigerator. Once she was done, she turned on her phone, and the first piece of news she saw was the fire incident at the apartment. As she scrolled through the pictures, she realized the severity of the situation.
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