The torrential rain continued until late in the afternoon. Even though Leon carried Michelle back, she inevitably got soaked in the downpour. They took turns in using the bathroom with Michelle going first for a hot shower.
Then it was Leon's turn and, when he stepped out of the bathroom, he heard the loud whir of a hairdryer in use. The sound of his phone ringing pierced through the noisy blasts of air.
It was Wynn.
"Have you arrived at the hotel?" Keeping the phone pressed to his ear, Leon strode toward the balcony. From there, he could see that the rain continued to fall like curtains of water. His ebony hair, still wet from his shower, dripped and beads of moisture trickled down his neck.
"Yes, we're here. I assume you were able to find Michelle," Wynn answered cheerfully from his end of the line. "Bryant booked a table for us. I'll send you the address in a bit. The two of you should take a taxi. If Bryant picks you up, you'll be exposed."
"Well, don't book a restaurant that's too expensive," Leon said. He squinted and took a deep breath before asking, "Is there any news about her?"
The other man was silent, and the tension made Leon's hand clench even more around the phone. Eventually, Wynn replied, "No."
Leon had an inkling that finding Valerie wasn't going to be easy, but hearing it personally from Wynn didn't ease the sting of failure one bit. Taking some comfort in the fact that the sky looked as gloomy as he was feeling, he shook off his disappointment.
"Got it," Leon muttered, keeping his voice even.
"I have searched in two provinces for half a month, but there's been no trace of them. Maybe they went into hiding deep in the mountains or in a forest..." Before Wynn could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Bryant.
"No, that won't happen. Valerie can't afford to live a poor life. Jon is also from a rich family. They wouldn't go to such places willingly. They must be in another province. We will only know if we check the other provinces."
Jon Qin was the one that Valerie desperately wanted to be with.
When Leon heard their names again, he couldn't control the feeling of irritation that streaked through his body like lightning. He hated that Jon took Valerie away from him.
But a part of him felt sorry for Valerie. If it weren't for him, the woman wouldn't have been driven out of the Feng family and she wouldn't have suffered with Jon.
On the other hand, if Jon was successful, it shouldn't take long before Wynn found him. It was slowly becoming obvious that the missing couple weren't living good lives.
Some people couldn't give their loved ones a life of luxury without the connections and monetary power of their families.
In spite of all that, it was Jon whom Valerie loved, not Leon.
Leon's feelings about the past were still complicated but, compared to before, it didn't feel as heavy or consuming. Although if someone asked him about it, he wouldn't be able to tell what was exactly different.
"Ahhh! Leon!" The girlish scream came from the bedroom, interrupting Leon's train of thought.
The humming of the hairdryer had stopped, and the downpour seemed to be letting up as well.
Upon hearing Michelle's cry, Leon ended the call and turned on his heel. He walked briskly toward the room she was in, desperately trying to quell the panic that rose in him like never before.
He didn't know what trouble she had gotten herself into now.
"What happened?" Leon demanded has he pushed her unlocked door open. After quickly scanning her room for the problem, he realized that she was looking down at her phone. The hairdryer lay forgotten atop the quilt.
He looked around once more but didn't find anything unusual. Michelle sat on the edge of the mattress safe and sound.
"Leon, come and have a look," she urged. Michelle didn't seem to realize that Leon worried about her just now. She lifted her head and graced him with a smile, then she looked back at the screen of her cell phone. She patted the space beside her as she said, "Leon, come and sit. You really are so handsome."
Leon didn't understand why she would say such a thing out of the blue so he did as he was told and glanced at her phone. His breath got caught in his throat.
Someone posted a photo of him and Michelle walking in the rain on a forum. He took a closer look at the post.
He was relieved to see that only half of his face could be seen in the photo. Surely, the Shi family wouldn't recognize him from this picture alone, especially James.
He didn't want the Shi family involved when he gained a firm foothold in Lexingport City. The dowry he planned to give his sister had to have no ties to that family. If they ever fell out of favor with each other in the future, at least he wouldn't owe them anything.
"They have good taste, Leon." Michelle raised her phone to show him the screen. "Even if only half of your face is showing, they can tell that you are extremely good-looking."
Leon read the first comment which turned out to be written by Michelle herself. When he saw the word "boyfriend," he blinked twice.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Only you in my love