Love's Change of Heart

Achoo! Leanna lost count of the number of times she had sneezed that day. She rubbed her nose and picked up the glass of water beside her before taking a sip. "The temperature has been gradually getting colder recently, Leanna. So, you should wear a few more layers to ensure you don't catch a cold," Zoe said.

Leanna nodded. "Go on with what you were saying," she reminded Zoe.

"Oh, where was it? Oh, right! I remember now. Didn't Anthony get fired by the company? Well, his bad deeds have spread all over town, and there isn't a single company that wants him. Fortunately, I've moved over to yours. Now, he's waiting for me outside my house every day. I've already told the management of the residence to file a police report," Zoe said.

"You should really stay away from him. He's left with nothing now, so it's really possible for him to act in extreme manners," Leanna warned.

"Yeah. Don't worry," Zoe said while taking a bite of cake. "By the way, how have things been with you and President Pearson?"

Leanna was speechless for a moment. "Did you have to change the topic so abruptly? You were just calling him a b*stard a while ago."

"Well, I have to be grateful for all he has done for me," Zoe said with a sly smile. "I can't talk bad about him behind his back after he provided me so much help, right? Furthermore, I realized that he isn't as horrible of a person as we thought he was. He's actually pretty nice to you." Zoe continued talking while Leanna stared at her speechlessly. "For example, let's take a look at that incident with Mia. We were the ones who had misunderstood him, and he did all of those things for you. Don't you think that was really sweet? Furthermore, he—"

Leanna felt goosebumps forming on her skin as she listened to the other woman's words, so she hastily spoke up to stop her. "Wait, wait. Stop. Stop right there." Leanna didn't see Aidan on a daily basis—she would only bump into him during breakfast sometimes. They hadn't spoken since what happened that night. This was ideal for her.

"Fine," Zoe mumbled. However, she quickly moved on to another topic. "What are you planning to do at the charity dinner tomorrow? Since the Barnetts are hosting the dinner, I'm sure Zayn will be there. Will you guys be awkward now that he's engaged?"

"No. We've made things clear between us," Leanna explained. They had clarified things that night in the Pearson Family Estate. Leanna wasn't worried about this matter; she was more concerned about… I'm afraid that I might bump into some familiar faces during the charity dinner tomorrow. It's okay if I bump into some random people—I can just wear thicker clothes since the weather is turning cold. No one's going to pay attention to my belly. But the one person I'm terrified of is Anna, that crazy woman! She's the sort of person who would just charge over to you and bite you when you're walking around and minding your own business.

Leanna wasn't afraid of Anna as a person, but she was worried that the whole Pearson Family would find out about her pregnancy if Anna were to learn about it. But at the same time, since Harvey had arranged for her to go, she had no choice but to show up.

After she got home, Leanna didn't head upstairs immediately. Instead, she heated a glass of milk and sipped it in the living room while waiting. Finally, at about 11.00PM, Aidan showed up in the hall. "President Pearson…" she muttered while standing up.

"Do we know each other?" he gazed at her emotionlessly.

She didn't know what to say for a moment. Is this b*stard acting up again? I know he's acting sarcastic because I haven't spoken to him in the past few days. Well, I'm not the only one with a mouth. He didn't talk to me either, right?

"There's something I'd like to talk to you about," Leanna uttered in a soft voice. He parted his long legs to walk over and sit down on the couch. "Spit it out," he spoke through his thin lips. Even though he was being mean, Leanna had no choice but to play nice since she wanted to ask him for a favor. "I'm attending a charity dinner tomorrow, and I'm sure Anna will be there. So, I wanted to ask you if—"

He interrupted her before she could finish her words. "Why are you going when you know that Anna's going to be there?"

Leanna explained herself patiently. "I'm attending the event as Lux Magazine's jewelry designer. It's part of my job, so I have no reason to decline it."

"Do you have no reason to decline it, or do you just not want to decline it?" Aidan crossed one of his long legs over the other. "You want to meet Zayn, don't you?" he asked flatly. Leanna didn't want to get into a fight with him because of this. She knew that he wouldn't listen to whatever she told him—he'd just come to his own conclusions based on his own judgment.

"I'm sorry for bothering you. You can just assume I didn't say anything," she said eventually. Right after that, she turned and headed upstairs, leaving Aidan alone. He licked his lips as he watched her walking away, but he didn't say anything after that. Of course, he'd prefer for her not to attend an event like the one she was supposed to participate in the next day.

After returning to her room, Leanna thought about it for a long while. Ultimately, she decided she would have to miss the charity dinner. Even if the chances of her being exposed were less than 0.01%, she still wasn't willing to risk it. So, she pulled her phone out and texted Harvey to inform him that she wouldn't be around for the charity dinner. Leanna's main task at the charity dinner was to introduce and share her inspiration and concept for her product when they auctioned her necklace. So, Harvey would have to do her job if she couldn't make it.

After providing Harvey with the necessary information, Leanna lay down on her bed and gazed at the calendar beside her. It had been a while since she returned to Highside, and her baby was growing day by day. She was due to have the child in less than four months. With that thought, Leanna felt her spirits lighten. She allowed herself to forget everything about the b*stard and all the bad things that had happened.