NovelEnglish
Chapter 88
"Ms. Shaffer, I—"
"Listen to me first, Leanna." Wendy's expression was grave. "I've known since you moved
here that you had a rough time, but there are some things that Naomi and I dare not
mention lest you get upset, so we never touched upon the subject. Still, as you know, I'm
a person who speaks my mind, and there are a few things that I can't help but say," she
continued. Then, after pausing for a moment, she commented, "That ex-husband of yours
is really an *sshole."
Upon hearing this, Leanna was rendered speechless, whereas Aidan was puzzled.
Just as Wendy was about to continue, Naomi touched her arm to signal her to stop.
However, the former said, "Don't stop me, Naomi. Now that I've brought up the subject, I
have to finish saying what I want to say. Leanna, just forget about that guy and cherish the
one before you."
Sensing the chilly aura emanating from the person next to her, Leanna quickly said, "You
got the wrong idea, Ms. Shaffer. I-It's not what you think it is. He and I divorced amicably."
"Divorced amicably? That's bullsh*t! Even if you two are divorced, you're still pregnant
with a baby, yet your ex-husband leaves you to fend for yourself! Say, is this even
humane? Anyone with a bit of conscience wouldn't have let you leave your hometown and
come all the way here while being pregnant. Not only do you have no one to rely on for
support, but you have no one to turn to for the injustices you suffered."
Leanna felt that her head was going to explode. "Really, Ms. Shaffer, I—"
Wendy let out a sigh while continuing to hold her hand. "Leanna, don't force yourself to
smile anymore. I've been through this before, so I know how you feel," she said. Then, she
continued, "Come over, Harry."
Harry stood up and came between them.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWendy held Leanna's hand in one hand while taking Harry's hand with the other. "Both of
you are good kids. Trust me, Leanna. Harry is reliable, and he loves you sincerely. He'll
surely take good care of you."
Seeing that she had set the mood, Harry took advantage of the situation and said,
"Leanna, I really don't mind your past. I know that you might not know much about me
yet, but it's okay. I just hope that you'll give me a chance to prove my feelings for you."
Leanna looked somewhat stunned without saying a word.
Thinking that she had tacitly agreed to it, Wendy was about to put their hands together,
but Leanna suddenly retracted hers. "Sorry, b-but I think I can't."
Harry's eyes darkened for a moment.
Wendy let out a sigh as well. She said to Harry, "This kind of thing can't be rushed. Let's
wait until some other time."
Harry was in low spirits when he returned to his seat.
Leanna's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She was stunned just now because a
certain man quietly held her hand under the table while Harry was talking. Not only that,
but he even laced his long fingers with hers little by little so that their fingers interlocked.
She turned to glare at him, but he merely raised his eyebrows slightly while throwing his
head back and drinking calmly, as though nothing had happened.
Everyone at the dining table fell silent after this. However, Leanna felt ill at ease all over;
she realized that Aidan had no intention of releasing his grip on her hand at all. What's the
matter with this *sshole's sudden fit of madness?!
At the end of the gathering, the neighbors said goodbye to each other and left. Pulling
himself together with some difficulty, Harry said, "President Pearson, let me see you off."
Aidan replied impassively, "It's not necessary. You seem unwell, so you should go back and
have a good rest."
As he was talking, Leanna secretly tugged on her left hand and finally pulled it out of his
grasp.
Just then, Aidan added, "I'd like to stroll around a little. I just need Miss McKinney's
company."
Leanna, who had finally heaved a sigh of relief, was stupefied to hear this. Who the hell
agreed to that?!
Harry's lips quivered as if he wanted to say something, but he found that he had no right
to do so. Moreover, Aidan was a married man, so he probably wouldn't have any interest
in a pregnant woman.
After Harry left, Aidan looked sideways at the person, who looked extremely reluctant,
sitting beside him. "Miss McKinney?"
Wendy patted Leanna on the shoulder. "Leanna, Aidan's calling you."
Leanna forced a smile and gave a hollow laugh. "Is that so? I didn't hear it."
Aidan added, "Thank you for your company, Miss McKinney."
This *sshole is quite good at pretending, thought Leanna.
When they left the community hall, only a row of streetlights could be seen along the river
outside. Walking ahead silently with her head down, Leanna just wanted to reach the other
end of the street as soon as possible to send Aidan away.
Aidan put his hand in his trouser pocket while following her unhurriedly from behind. "Miss
McKinney, aren't you gonna introduce these places to me?"
Leanna bit her lip before looking back with a smile. "I just moved here two weeks ago, so
I'm not very familiar with the neighborhood yet. Just look around as you please, President
Pearson. Or would you like me to get someone else to give you a detailed introduction?"
"Can you get someone here who's even prettier than you?"
Leanna let out a sneer. "Didn't you just say that I looked so-so?"
Aidan stopped in his tracks. Looking at the surface of the river, he slowly retorted, "I was
talking about my wife, Miss McKinney. Why would you think that I was referring to you?"
Leanna was rendered speechless. Look what he's saying! Is that something a human being
is supposed to say? She stood a meter away from him. "President Pearson, didn't you
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmnotice that you messed up everyone's arrangements?"
Aidan didn't care much about it, though. "Is that so? I thought they were quite happy."
Leanna was at a loss for words. He's quite confident about himself, huh?
Aidan looked back at her. "Or are you trying to say that I messed up your chance of
getting together with that guy, Miss McKinney?"
Leanna replied, "Probably. If you hadn't been present, I'd probably have agreed to go out
with Harry."
"Miss McKinney, if you regret it, you can still go back to Mr. Mills now. I believe that he'll be
very happy to be made a fool of."
How Leanna wished she could kick Aidan into the river right now. Suddenly, she realized
something and asked tentatively, "President Pearson, are you drunk?" Yeah, that explains
it. Only when he's drunk will he not sound sarcastic, cold-hearted, and harsh. That
explains why he held my hand earlier. Indeed, many came to toast him over dinner just
now, which he accepted.
Aidan didn't answer her, though. After a while, he said impassively, "I also grew up in such
a lane as a child."
Leanna was startled for a moment before realizing what he meant. No wonder he showed
no impatience or irritability despite the rowdy surroundings and the hubbub of voices, she
thought.
This was also his first time telling her something about himself, but he seemed to have no
intention of saying anything else. Instead, nobody knew what he was thinking as he stood
there for a long time.
Just then, a gust of wind blew past them, and Leanna couldn't help but sneeze.
Aidan slowly looked back at her impassively. "Leanna."
"Huh?" What a familiar tone of voice. Has he sobered up?
Aidan asked, "Anna said that the baby in your womb is Zayn's. How are you gonna explain
this?"
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