He dialed her number repeatedly.
But it went straight to voicemail each time.
Drinking more than he realized, he drank himself into oblivion.
When he woke the next day, the sun was high in the sky.
Noreen was there, wiping his face with a towel.
âNova called.
Asked me to check on you! Are you enjoying the solitude? I warned you, youâd regret this sooner or later.
â
Leonel swallowed hard.
Glancing around, he saw he was in the bed he used to share with Alexis.
And there, on the bedside table, sat the glass ball, just like old times.
Noreen couldnât help but feel a pang of sadness at the sight of it.
Leonel croaked out, âI have nothing urgent today on my schedule, so Iâll stay home.
My headâs pounding!â
Noreen nodded.
âGot it.
But tomorrowâs Mr.
Wastonâs birthday bash.
Itâs kind of a big deal.
Are you going to show?â
âWhich Waston guy?â Leonel murmured as he shielded his eyes from the bright sun.
Noreen couldnât believe it.
âAlbert Waston, the big cheese at Waston Group! Oh, and Miss
Fowler might be there as well.
Sheâs tight with Miss Brown, so sheâs probably going.
â
Her words jolted Leonel awake.
After a pause, he muttered, âWould she bail if she knew Iâd be there?â
Noreen shook her head.
âNo.
Business is business.
I doubt Miss Fowler.
But Leonel cut her off with bitterness.
âShe doesnât give a damn about lines between public and private.
Sheâll show, whether Iâm there or not⦠just because she doesnât care anymore.
Sheâs ice cold to me now.
I bet sheâll turn on the charm for some stranger.
â
Noreen knew better than to delve into Leonel and Alexisâ drama.
Come dusk, Leonel slipped out on his own.
Much to his surprise, he bumped into Albertâs daughter and Jessieâ¦
Jessie was strolling with the little girl, clutching a plush duck.
Clearly, it was for the kiddo.
He recalled the girlâs name was Jeslyn, who seemed a tad stuck-up.
But she adored Jessie.
In her presence, she was all innocence, even pleading for hugs as they descended the stairs.
Leonel watched them quietly through the glass, thoughts drifting to his own kids.
It felt like ages since heâd seen them!
Evelyn used to cling to him, always asking for hugs when she was younger.