Aidan had yet to arrive at the restaurant even after they finished their meal.
Leanna gave him a call, but his phone was switched off.
Zoe quickly inquired, "What's wrong, Nana?"
Leanna shoved her phone back into her pocket and shook her head. "Nothing. Aidan said he was coming, but—"
"Did something happen to Pearson Group in the past two days?" Daniel suddenly asked.
"I believe so, but when I asked Jonathan about it, he claimed that there were some minor internal issues but they are all resolved."
"Minor internal issues?"
Hearing his tone of voice, Leanna couldn't help pursing her lips. She assumed Jonathan must have deliberately hidden the truth from her, but since they were reluctant to explain, she decided against badgering them.
Seeing Daniel's expression, however, she figured that the issues might be more complicated than she imagined.
After contemplating for a moment, Leanna asked, "Do you… know what's going on?"
"This afternoon, I heard Aidan direct all his subordinates to conduct investigations all over Highside. I have never seen him act in such an exaggerated way, but I have no idea what is exactly going on. I just don't think it is an internal issue."
"Could they be looking for Lloyd Crossley?"
"That's unlikely. Lloyd has always been our main target, but he didn't make such a grand gesture even when he was looking for Georgina back then."
While listening to their conversation, Zoe asked Leanna in a subdued voice, "Do you think he is seeing another woman?"
Daniel's lips twitched when he heard that. "That's even more unlikely, but…"
Halfway through his sentence, Daniel frowned upon recalling something. Following that, his expression turned solemn.
"Any idea?" Leanna inquired.
After a while, Daniel's expression returned to normal as he smiled. "Nothing. They're just insignificant thoughts."
Glancing at the time, Leanna suggested, "Let's go, then."
After leaving the restaurant, Leanna bid goodbye to Zoe and hopped into the car she parked at the side of the road.
Zoe withdrew her gaze and turned to Daniel. "Do you know what Aidan is up to?"
Daniel forced a smile. "How would I know about his affairs?"
"Your reaction seemed off earlier. You must know something."
He was speechless for a few seconds before he uttered, "You're overthinking. I really have no idea."
He had received the news before that Leanna's child might still be alive, but even after running investigations, he found no clues.
When he asked Aidan tentatively about it, Aidan's lips were sealed.
Someone worthy of Aidan mobilizing all his subordinates to search for in Highside was none other than that child, if not Leanna.
However, that was just his assumption.
Moreover, Leanna didn't seem like she knew a thing about it. Hence, he couldn't blabber nonsense under such circumstances.
Initially, Zoe merely wanted to throw bait at him so he could spill the beans, but when she didn't get anything out of him, she pouted. "Fine."
…
On the other hand, Leanna dialed Jonathan's number after getting into the car.
Much to her surprise, it was Aidan who picked up the call.
Hearing his voice, Leanna paused for a second before questioning him, "Didn't you say you were coming? Where are you?"
Aidan's voice was faint as he replied, "Something came up at work, so I returned to the office."
After a moment of silence, Leanna questioned, "Then, why did you switch off your phone?"
"Battery ran out. I was just about to call you."
"Are you going home tonight?"
"No. I have some matters to settle. Don't stay up for me."
Following a hum, Leanna added, "Go ahead and settle your work then. Bye."
"Okay. Drive safely," he reminded her.
After the call was disconnected, she stared at her phone for a while before driving off.
Leanna went to the restaurant that Aidan used to frequent, packed a few dishes, and then went to Pearson Group.
The moment she left the elevator, she bumped into Jonathan.
Jonathan probably didn't expect to see her and froze, not daring to look her in the eye. "Hello, Miss McKinney."
Seeing how his eyes flickered around, she asked, "Are you not feeling well?"
He offered her a dry chuckle. "Erm… Maybe. I've been working overtime lately."
After recalling his salary, Leanna felt pity for him. "Where's Aidan?"
"President Pearson is—"
"In a meeting?"
"N-No."
Leanna assumed he had just left the president's office, so she uttered, "I get it. Take care."
However, Jonathan stopped her. "Miss McKinney."
"Yeah?" she asked after turning around.
"President Pearson is currently resting. Why don't you come tom—"
"It's fine. I'm just going to drop these in his room. I won't disturb him."
Watching Leanna's back, Jonathon heaved a breath of relief. Whenever he faced her, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty, not to mention Aidan.
When Leanna pushed open the door to the office, she peeked her head into the room.
As expected, Aidan was catching a nap on the couch.
If she was right, he must have been working non-stop since last night. Without a doubt, he must have skipped his meals too.
He was always like that whenever he was swarmed with work.
Walking over slowly, she placed the paper bag on the coffee table and picked up his coat that was left aside.
After bending over to drape the coat over his body, she remained in the same spot as she stared at him for a while.
Dark circles are starting to form under his eyes. He looks exhausted. I should go home and cook some chicken broth for him and bring it tomorrow.
When she stood up straight and was about to leave, someone grabbed hold of her wrist.
With his eyes closed, the man uttered softly, "What brings you here?"
"I happened to pass by. Have you eaten?" she asked.
"Nope."
"Did you skip lunch or dinner?" Leanna paused and added, "Or did you even skip breakfast?"
Hearing that, Aidan smirked and opened his eyes to look at her. "Are you concerned about me?"
Leanna didn't bother paying attention to him as she pulled her hand out of his grasp and took out the food boxes one by one from the paper bag on the coffee table. "You better eat some, or you might starve to death before you even die of exhaustion."
Aidan reached out to hug her waist before pulling her into his embrace. "Feed me."
She was speechless at that.
"I'm exhausted. I don't want to move anymore," he added.
"Are you sure? You seemed completely fine when you pulled me into your chest, though."
Despite saying that, Leanna still grabbed the cutlery and started feeding him.
However, Aidan merely took a few bites before declaring that he was full.
Seeing so much leftover food, she mused, Well, at least he ate some.
"It's getting late now. Let me send you back home," Aidan suggested.
"Don't worry about it." Leanna packed the rest of the food and said, "I'll go home on my own. You can get back to work."
Staring at her back, Aidan went silent for a moment before asking, "Can't you just stay in Castor Villa? I just saw the news. Your apartment was heavily burned, and Castor Villa has been renovated. You should just stay there."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love’s Change of Heart