Chapter 378
Chapter 378
Chapter 378 True Feelings
At nightfall, Leah lay down on her bed languidly after a shower. The pudgy Carlotta climbed on top of Leah and showed Leah the photos she took with her phone.
"Mommy, can we print these photos out tomorrow? I took photos with Aunt Serena and her friends today."
"Anything for you, baby boo."
Carlotta was slowly regaining weight under Han's care. Maybe he was wrong when he said he was bad at raising kids. In all the years spent with the Ford family, Carlotta wasn't abused or anything, but she wasn't happy either.
Carlotta showed Leah more photos. "And print these too. These are the photos from the theme park. Tomorrow, Daddy will bring you and me out as well. We can take a family photo!"
The word "family" stabbed right through Leah's heart. She had to hold herself back from telling Leah that it was all part of Han's revenge. Nothing hurts more than giving one hope before crushing it.
"Sure..." Leah said yes nonetheless. "I'll give Daddy a call. Go to sleep now, okay, Carlotta?"
Carlotta knew what was up. She gave a mischievous grin and left the room. "All right. Talk to Daddy then, Mommy. I'll sleep with Aunt Serena."
Aunt Serena said that Mommy and Daddy had to be alone so that I would have a brother soon.
Besides, I could use this opportunity to ask Aunt Serena how I could make them closer. Yes!
There was something to Carlotta's grin just now but Leah couldn't quite put her finger to it. She dismissed the thought and decided to call Han but Lucy's call came first.
Leah didn't feel like answering it. But when she remembered her relationship with Lucy, she went ahead. "What's the matter?"
"Ms. White, can we meet tomorrow morning? I have something urgent to tell you," Lucy implored in a coarse voice.
Leah became nervous. "What happened?"
Lucy refused to reveal more information. She just told Leah to free her schedule tomorrow. It was a short call that left Leah all flabbergasted. Knowing Shawn's temper, he must have admonished Lucy harshly. It was a miracle that Lucy was still alive. Leah then went to Serena's room, trying to break the bad news to her daughter.
"Carlotta, I have bad news. Aunt Lucy needs me tomorrow. Can we hang out another day?"
Carlotta was close to Lucy so she didn't protest. "Sure, Mommy. When you're done, can you bring Aunt Lucy here? I haven't seen her in a while."
Seeing her daughter's expectant face, Leah began to doubt if she should sever all ties with Lucy. Lucy had said that she didn't expect things to go sour. She had good intentions. She just wanted to mend the relationship between Leah and Shawn.
Perhaps I should talk to her again one day and decide if I should forgive her... Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
The next day, Leah arrived at the rendezvous spot. Lucy looked worse than before. Leah couldn't help but ask,
"Lucy, what happened to you?"
Lucy smiled bitterly. "You haven't called me Lucy for a long while, Ms. White. I know what I did hurt you a lot and I do not deserve your forgiveness. I wish you well."
The light in Lucy's eyes faded. Leah panicked. "What are you on about?"
The air was silent. Only the rustling autumn leaves and the sloshing river could be heard.
It was a long pause until Lucy gathered her words again. But she kept her head low while speaking. "Ms. White, what is your relationship with Mr. Howard? Do you love him?"
"What does this have anything to do with what you're about to tell me?" questioned Leah.
Lucy gazed at Leah despondently. "Ms. White. I truly wish you well. If Mr. Howard is in danger now, what will you do?"
"What?" Fear overwhelmed Leah.
Leah's reaction only made Lucy grow more disheartened. "I have my answer now."
"Mr. Shawn asked me to deliver some documents to Jackson's office this morning. I overheard something. At 10 am today, Jackson will use a business meeting to lure Mr. Howard to a building, where Mr. Howard will be trapped and burned to death."
"Where is the building?" The time was 9.40 am. The news sent shockwaves through Leah’s body.
For some reason, she felt like she was free-falling. She warned herself many times not to fall for Han but she couldn't do it. She would be deluding herself otherwise. The thought of losing Han scared her to no end. She had lost many things. She had many regrets. She didn't want Han to be one of them. For the first time in ever, she followed her true feelings.
"Mr. Howard is currently in an abandoned commercial building on West Street. Jackson invited him over to evaluate that place but in fact..."
"Thanks!" Leah quickly used her GPS to locate the building and left. She hailed a cab, teary-faced.
Han, you will be fine. Right?
Lucy watched Leah's silhouette with a blank expression. Suddenly, she broke down. "Forgive me, Ms. White."
Jackson appeared from nowhere. He gave Lucy a pat on her back. "Good job, Lucy. I'll release your family member when Han's dead."
Leah darted into the abandoned building without hesitation. There was no fire yet but the pungent smell of gasoline was everywhere. The sight gave her hope. She began to comb through the building floor by floor.
"Han, where are you?" Leah shouted.
She got no response. She wanted to call Han but there was no signal. But of course, it was a secluded place after all. She could only pick up her pace and cover as much ground as possible.
When she entered another room, a particularly strong odor invaded her nose. It knocked her out immediately. Several muscular men lurking in the dark carried her to another room and tied her to a chair. They then made a few cuts on Leah's forearm, before smearing the blood on her face.
"Make sure you got her face nice and clean. I want Han to come here in person..."