Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jennifer shot Curtis a withering look. “Kid, stop babbling nonsense.”

Maddox’s stoic face was the picture of silence. His years hadn’t acquainted him with the slang of youth. He tried to make sense of it, but “popping out kittens” seemed more like a symptom of a gynecological or a psychiatric issue. It wasn’t his place to inquire too directly.

“Anne… are you feeling unwell?” he asked.

Leanne’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she hastened to say, “No, he’s just talking nonsense.”

After dinner, Curtis and Maddox hunkered down in the study for some time. Jennifer brought them some coffee and lingered longer than expected.

Leanne had been waiting in the living room. She hadn’t slept well the night before, and after a whole day of work, it wasn’t long before she dozed off on the couch.

Sarah, the household’s housekeeper, came over and gently woke her. “Leanne.”

Leanne rubbed her eyes. “Time to go?”

“Mr. Curtis and Mr. Maddox are still discussing matters. He won’t be leaving anytime soon.”

Sarah had been looking after Leanne since she was a child, treating her as her own. “Your old room is all tidied up. Do you want to go upstairs and rest a bit?”

Leanne rarely visited, except for holidays or when Jennifer called. She wouldn’t come or her initiative.

Her old room still held some of her belongings, remnants of her childhood, though not much belonged to her anymore..

She asked Sarah for a cardboard box, and after packing, she descended the stairs with the box in her arms as Curtis stepped out of the study.

Curtis’ eyes glanced over the box she was carrying. “What’s that?”

“Things from when I was little. I forgot to take them with me.”

He smirked an enigmatic expression that wasn’t quite a smile.

While following him downstairs, Leanne said, “Next time, don’t talk nonsense before your parents.”

“Nonsense?” Curtis stopped, loosened his tie, and glanced at her sideways. “Weren’t those your own words?”

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11-14 E

Chapter 6

“That was a joke,” Leanne insisted. “You throwing it around before your parents made me uncomfortable.”

Curtis

Slid his hands into his trouser pockets, his gaze mockingly gentle. “Fine. From now on, I’ll make a list of what you say. Mark what can be shared and what can’t. I’ll adhere strictly to avoid accidentally spilling your little secrets and becoming the target of your frustration.”

This time, Leanne recognized the sarcasm.

“I’m not taking it out on you.” she explained.

Curtis didn’t care for her explanation and turned to continue downstairs.

Trailing his tall figure, Leanne felt dwarfed by his shadow, elongated by the dim light of the stairwell.

Curtis walked lazily, but she struggled to keep up and soon lagged.

Outside, the black Bentley was already parked at the front. Curtis stood by the car, lighting a cigarette. The ember flared in his fingers, the wind carrying a hint of his rogue charm.

When he saw her emerge, he snuffed out his smoke. “What’s with those legs if you can’t keep up?”

Leanne wanted to retort, ‘Can’t you see I’m carrying a box?’ but didn’t bother to argue.

Somewhere along the line, they had lost the desire to communicate.

Forget it. Those two words surfaced in Leanne’s mind repeatedly, quashing any impulse to speak her mind.

Curtis opened the car door, tossed his jacket inside, and leaned on the doorframe, his voice tinged with a cool detachment:

“Anything else you’ve left behind? Take it all today.”

“Nothing.” Leanne’s temper flared. “The rest is all your family property. Keep it.”

She slid into the car and heard Curtis let out a cold chuckle before he closed the door and

entered the driver’s side.

Curtis’ chivalry was in his blood, a product of nurture, but his sharp tongue and cold heart.

were nature’s handiwork.

Leanne had once seen him only as a charming heartbreaker. Only after marriage did she realize just how heartless he could be.

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