Love's Change of Heart

A few minutes later, Zoe ran out with her suitcase in hand.

She got in the car quickly. "Nana, President Pearson, I'm so sorry for making you come and pick me up so late at night."

"It's okay. Are you hungry? We can grab something to eat before heading back," Leanna asked.

"I'm not hungry. Let's just go back directly so I can get some more sleep," Zoe responded.

Leanna thought it made sense. After all, she had been on the plane for quite a while and surely wanted some rest.

She said to Aidan, "Let's go."

After they returned to the apartment, Zoe grabbed Leanna's arm and gave her a sneaky gaze.

But Leanna did not immediately understand what she meant.

"Nana, I bought you a gift. Come and get it," Zoe quickly said when Aidan saw their odd gaze exchange.

Soom, she turned to Aidan and said, "President Pearson, I'll borrow Nana for a few minutes. I'll bring her back soon."

Aidan glanced at her nonchalantly and looked at Leanna. "Don't take too long. You have to go to the studio tomorrow," he reminded Leanna.

Leanna nodded. "I know. You go ahead and rest," she replied.

Aidan turned around and entered the next room.

Zoe pulled Leanna into her apartment. Before saying anything, she carefully closed the door. "Nana, I've got the items. Now, what do we do?"

Leanna pursed her lips gently. "Tomorrow. I'll take them to a testing agency tomorrow."

"I think it's a bit risky," Zoe said. "Here's what I'm thinking. When your father arranged for the paternity test, it was definitely done with extreme caution. But in this situation, there's still a problem. What does that tell us? It means someone doesn't want your father to bring Louis home!"

Leanna frowned as she heard Zoe's words. She had never considered this question before. However, now that Zoe had mentioned it, it seemed plausible.

Zoe had spent the entire flight pondered about this matter, and the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that it was indeed possible.

Zoe continued, "Whether it's you, Aidan, or your father, many eyes are watching you all. They can know everything you do. But I'm different. I'm not involved in anything, and when I went to Lachstein this time, no one knew exactly what I was doing, so they won't be suspicious of me."

"But if, as you said, you go to do this test and they find out, it could be dangerous. I—"

Zoe interrupted and grabbed her arm. "Don't worry. I'm going back to see my parents tomorrow. I have an uncle who works at the hospital. I'll ask him for help. Nothing unexpected will happen."

Leanna's frown deepened. Zoe's proposed idea sounds like a viable option.

She had just returned from Lachstein with gifts, so visiting her parents seemed like a normal thing to do. No one would follow or suspect her.

The situation in Highside was unstable. Leanna's and Aidan's moves were indeed being watched.

If Louis' true identity were to be exposed at this time, it could potentially bring trouble to him.

Having Zoe handle this matter was the most suitable choice.

After a moment, Leanna nodded gently. "Alright, be careful."

"Don't worry, where I'm going is just a rural city. No one would pay attention to it," Zoe reassured her.

With the important matter settled, Zoe opened her suitcase and took out the gifts for Leanna, Louis, and Daphne. "I'll be heading back tomorrow, so could you give these to them? Once the result is out, I'll call and let you know."

"Sure. What time are you leaving tomorrow? I'll take you there," said Leanna.

Zoe crossed her legs and sat on the couch. "It's okay. I'll take a taxi to the airport myself. Oh, by the way, I'll give you the studio's spare key. I'm afraid I might lose it if I keep it with me."

Zoe rummaged through her backpack but could not find it.

Then, out of habit, she reached into her clothes pocket, and a rectangular box fell out. They both saw it and fell silent.

Zoe blushed and quickly picked it up. She stuffed it back into her pocket. "Um... there was a safety measures promotion event at the airport, and they... they gave them out."

"I heard that you went to see a photography exhibition with Daniel and didn't come back all night," Leanna said slowly.

"Well... that's because our car broke down on the way. When we finally found a motel and contacted someone to fix the car, it started raining heavily, so we had to stay there overnight," Zoe said hesitantly.

"So, is this from the motel?"

Zoe fell into an awkward silence.

She knew she could not keep the truth anymore, so she decided to pick up a pillow and hold it in her arms. "I couldn't resist myself, so I had a few drinks. With the rain and the atmosphere, things just... you know, sometimes they happen beyond our control," she whispered.

Leanna cleared her throat, feeling that the conversation was heading in the wrong direction.

"Alright, I was just asking out of curiosity. You know what you're doing, so that's enough. I'll go back now."

Zoe nodded. "Go back quickly. President Pearson is probably mentally scolding me right now. It took him so long to forget about my previous mistake."

Leanna smiled. She stood up and said, "I'm leaving. Get some rest soon."

"Goodnight."