[112] b
His eyes sparkled; he was happy. All the embarrassment and pride burdened him had vanished, swallowed by his happiness.
Unlike Leonel, Chloe didn’t feel the same way about her ex-husband. Her gaze showed deep resentment, as if her eyes were filled with blazing fire that revealed how much she despised the man standing before her. “What are you doing here?” the beautiful widow asked coldly. Her gaze appeared sharp.
Leonel continued to smile. He didn’t care about Chloe’s reaction; he was engulfed in his happiness.
“I want to eat. I’m hungry.”
Confidently, Leonel responded as if there were no issues between them.
Chloe was annoyed by Leonel’s attitude. “No manners,” she muttered to herself.
The beautiful widow took a deep breath. “The cafe is about to close. You can find another cafe or restaurant that’s still open.”
Chloe’s blunt response showed her displeasure towards Leonel’s impromptu visit, making her uncomfortable.
If she could avoid it, Chloe would prevent it. She didn’t want to meet the man from her past.
The unresolved heartache was being reopened. It became even more difficult for Chloe to forget the man who had once been her husband. Sharing a bed, feeling a sense of ownership, hurting each other-every memory of being Mrs. Leonel flashed before Chloe’s eyes.
“There,” Leonel said, glancing and pointing at the door. “It’s still open, not closed yet.” Leonel smiled again after saying that, and Chloe narrowed her eyes. “I’m closing now. That’s why I’m standing up. You can leave and find another place to eat.”
Seeing Leonel again after over a year, the man appeared more charming. Chloe even suspected that her ex-husband had been living a happy life all this time. Little did she know, he came there with careful preparations.
Leonel chose the best, most elegant, and most expensive clothes. He wanted to look charming, leaving a deep impression on his ex-wife.
Not only that, he even styled his hair at the salon and wore a long-lasting perfume that he thought smelled good.
Indeed, Leonel’s efforts were worthwhile.
Her ex-husband’s neat appearance captivated Chloe, momentarily thinking he was handsome and charming. However, the memories of the heartache he caused, the most painful ones, eventually reminded her that Leonel was just a past that should be forgotten.
It was true that she would continue to maintain a good relationship with Agatha and Robby Grisham. However, she still had to give Leonel a chance to be by her side.
Moreover, there was Darren. A kind-hearted man who had always been there for her, accompanying her all this time and making significant contributions to her cafe business. “No, I can’t be like this. No matter how handsome Leonel is, he’s still a despicable man who broke my trust and hurt me,” Chloe thought to herself, staring sharply at Leonel, who continued to smile at her.
Chloe’s cold tone and request for Leonel to leave didn’t make the pride of the Grisham family’s prodigal son waver. “Alright, if this cafe closes, you can ask your employees to go home. And you, can’t you accompany me to a restaurant?” Leonel was shameless, behaving entirely differently from when he was in a relationship with Ester.
Chloe grinned. “What’s wrong with you? Suddenly showing up, did you forget our current status? And how can you shamelessly ask me to accompany you for a meal? Have you lost your mind? Or did you bump your head on something? Or did you eat something wrong? No matter how often I analyze it, I can’t understand what you’re doing now. My logic can’t comprehend it!” Chloe’s eyes glared sharply as if they could pierce through.
“Can I ask you a few questions?” Leonel asked with a thin grin. “I have plenty of time to answer all your questions.”Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.
Chloe growled in frustration. She felt arguing with Leonel was pointless. This man was insistent and could cause trouble.
Meanwhile, Darren, who witnessed the conversation and Leonel’s sudden arrival, felt the need to be cautious. He had kept a safe distance to avoid drawing attention to their closeness in the past, but now things were different. Chloe was no longer the wife of Leonel Grisham. She was free to approach him. Moreover, their relationship had advanced beyond being a patient and doctor.
“Shall we go home, Love?” Darren offered, leaning slightly closer to Chloe. Although Chloe’s eyes seemed surprised, Darren ignored it. He wanted to show the man who had just arrived that Chloe belonged to him.
“Yes. Let’s go home.”
Does Leonel give up? Of course not. He had resolved since he stepped into his luxurious sedan to prove himself if he deserved to regain all of Chloe’s attention. To redeem all of his mistakes. To show his ex-wife that he had changed.
“Is this how you welcome me, Chloe?”
Chloe’s steps came to a halt. The beautiful woman in the violet dress sighed, half-frustrated. “I didn’t expect your arrival, Leonel.” She tightly gripped the bag hanging from her shoulder. “Go home.”
“I just want to be accompanied by a cup of coffee and you as a conversation partner.” Leonel didn’t care about Chloe’s cynical gaze or Darren, who now had his arm wrapped around Chloe’s waist.
Damn it, Leonel felt like burning right there! He was urged to beat Darren to a pulp for daring to touch Chloe like that.
“Mr. Leonel,” this time Darren spoke up. “Can you hear what Chloe is saying, can’t you?”
“Coincidentally, I don’t want to talk to you, Doctor.”
Enough with this. Both would surely refuse to back down. Chloe knew very well Leonel’s stubbornness and his hard-headedness.
“Wait for me in the car, Darren. I need to settle my business with Leonel.”
There was some dissatisfaction, but Darren couldn’t prevent what Chloe wanted. It included lowering his hand, initially resting on the woman’s waist, with some coercion, even though Darren did it to show that Chloe was now close to him.
Darren sighed softly. “Alright then. Make good use of your time.”
Chloe nodded softly. Secretly, she couldn’t deny the triumphant smile on Leonel’s lips. But Chloe would shatter that victory with countless rejections and expulsion. She would call security to drag Leonel out of the establishment if necessary.
“So… what do you want to talk about?” Chloe asked without beating around the bush. They were already sitting face-to-face.
“Did you forget I wanted a cup of coffee as a company?”
“You!!!”