Ch. 281..285: Begging For A Reconciliation Chapter 281-285

Chapter 281 Car Accident

The two muscular bodyguards were still unsurprisingly keeping guard outside as Leah exited the restroom. Leah ignored them and headed in the direction of Shawn’s car. Shawn had just ended his phone call and joined Leah. It was already afternoon by now and the mall was rather empty at this time of day.

The shop staff at the mother and baby store were informed of Mr. Ford’s visit earlier, so they were already waiting outside the store for him. She greeted Shawn and Leah with a welcoming smile as they approached the store. Shawn walked in the store first, followed by Leah who tagged along behind him silently.

The store was painted in warm, bright colors and filled with every kind of mother and baby product imaginable, but Leah was clearly not in the mood for shopping. She browsed through the shop mindlessly, never really paying attention to any particular product. If Shawn wanted to come to the mall, she was in no position to say no, but she could only bring herself to do the bare minimum.

Noticing her disinterest, Shawn stalked over to Leah’s side. “What’s wrong? You don’t like anything from here?” Shawn did not look too happy either. He knew Leah’s absentmindedness had everything to do with Han Howard. The shop staff hovered around Shawn and Leah but did not dare to say anything in fear of offending the big boss.

Sensing Shawn’s dissatisfaction, Leah quickly made a show out of browsing through the baby clothes section. She picked up a few pieces of clothing here and there, but eventually put all of them aside. She still did not understand why Shawn had brought her for a checkup and now to shop for baby products. Does he know something? Leah wondered.

Leah looked up at Shawn. “This child is not yours…,” she began, testing the waters.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Shawn’s lips. “True, but you are mine,” Shawn cut her off before she could continue. “So if you want the child to remain safe, I suggest you behave.”

Leah frowned. She looked around only to catch the shop staff inching away shiftily. She was quite sure the staff had overheard their conversation.

“Fine, you can buy everything in this store for me then. I’m thanking you on behalf of my unborn child,” Leah huffed. She knew money was the least of Shawn’s concerns, but she put out such a ludicrous request just to let Shawn know she was not his plaything to be pushed and ordered around.

The shop staff blinked in shock before turning to look at Shawn.

“Mr. Ford, uhh…” she began.

“Pack everything in this shop and send it to the Ford villa,” he ordered. The staff quickly sprang into action and got the other employees to begin packing.

After leaving the mother and baby shop, Leah spotted an atelier that made custom evening gowns. Without waiting for Shawn, she hastily strode into the shop.

“Good afternoon, Madam,” the shopkeeper greeted Leah as she walked in.

Leah made a few rounds around the shop, looking at all the couture dresses on display. “I’ll buy all of

the shop’s dresses,” she announced haughtily.

The smile disappeared from the shopkeeper’s face, replaced with a look of contempt. “Madam, is this funny to you? If you don’t intend to buy anything, you shouldn’t cause such trouble.”

Just as the shopkeeper was admonishing Leah, Shawn walked into the shop. “Pack everything up,” he ordered. Shawn’s assistant quickly handed a credit card to the shopkeeper whose eyes widened in shock. The shopkeeper recognized Shawn Ford instantly, and he definitely recognized the limitless black card that the assistant just produced.

“Of course! I’ll get it sorted at once!” the shopkeeper exclaimed. His mouth was still agape in shock as he came to terms with the fact that Shawn Ford just bought the entire shop for a woman.

“You’re not angry?” Leah asked, frustrated and confused.

“If you want it, it’s yours. It doesn’t cost that much,” Shawn said as a matter-of-factly.

It was then when Leah finally understood that money truly did not matter to someone who owned both the Howard Group and the White Group. She headed one floor down to a shoe boutique and once again made a purchase for all of the shoes in the shop, regardless of whether the shoes fit her. After doing the same at a few more shops, Leah finally began to feel physically exhausted, her forehead beading with sweat.

Shawn’s lips quirked as he looked at Leah in amusement. “How’s the shopping going? You haven’t bought any handbags yet. Would you like to check out some bags?” he quipped.

Leah knew she had failed to rile Shawn up. If anything, it only satisfied him even more and left Leah

more frustrated than she was before. “No, I’m tired. I want to go home,” Leah said in defeat.

This time, Shawn did not insist on Leah continuing her shopping spree. Just as the two of them were headed toward the mall, a familiar voice called out her name.

“Leah! And here I was wondering who was the bigshot who bought the entire mall! So it was you,” sarcasm dripped from Ron’s voice as he approached Leah from the back.

Leah turned around to face Ron who had a hostile look in his eyes. Her first instinct was to panic, but she quickly masked her expression. After all, she knew how Ron felt about her, so there was no point in defending herself.

“Your days have indeed gotten better since you’ve rid yourself of Han Howard,” he jibed sarcastically.

Shawn was about to say something, but Leah pretended as if she did not see or hear a word that Ron said. Instead, she turned around and walked away. She did not feel the need to explain herself, nor did she want to get into an argument with Ron. On the other hand, she was slightly worried for him, knowing that Shawn would now have him on his radar.

Back in the car, there was a sharp, silent tension surrounding Leah and Shawn.

“Why didn’t you say anything just now?” Shawn finally decided to break the silence. If Leah had asked, his bodyguards would have taken Ron down in seconds. After all, Shawn was not used to showing kindness.

“There’s no point in saying anything,” Leah said glumly.

Bang--!

A violent sound of metal scrapping ripped through the vehicle as a trailer crashed into Shawn’s vehicle from behind. Shawn’s driver held on to the steering wheel for dear life while turning around to check on Shawn and Leah.

“Mr. Ford, are you alright?” the driver asked.

“Go faster,” Shawn snapped. It was clear that the trailer had crashed into them on purpose. Someone was out for his blood. The driver instantly floored the gas pedal and sped up to lose the trailer, but the trailer seemed to catch up with them all too quickly.

It was Leah’s first time in this sort of situation. She found herself trembling in shock and fear, and she hugged her shaky arms around her belly, doing all she physically could to protect her baby.

Shawn immediately wrapped a strong arm around her head and brought her head close to his warm chest. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispered to Leah gently before turning to the driver again. “Head downtown,” he instructed.

Leah’s nerves were increasingly frayed every time she heard the trailer approaching their vehicle. She curled deeper into Shawn, gripping on to his shirt tightly without making a sound. The more the trailer driver wanted him dead, the more Shawn refused to give in. He was quite used to making enemies on his own, but now, he had someone else’s life to care about.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you, Leah,” Shawn made a promise to the woman in his arms.

Chapter 282 Safe from Danger

Leah was already feeling incredibly uncomfortable as she squeezed herself against Shawn, but she fell into deeper shock when he uttered those words to her.

“What? Why?” she demanded to know. She could not comprehend why Shawn had told her he would not let anyone hurt her. Why would he make such a promise to a mere plaything of his? The only reason he kept her by his side was to remind Han of his failures and humiliate him.

“It’s only natural for a man to protect a woman,” Shawn said to Leah softly as he stroked her hair, providing her comfort. His eyes however remained alert on the road and the current dangerous situation they were facing. Soon enough, the vehicle had made its way to the busy downtown streets and the trailer was no longer in pursuit of them.

“Let’s go to the hospital first,” Shawn told his driver. In an instant, the driver steered the black Bugatti in the direction of the hospital. The rear of the car had been severely smashed and damaged by the trailer. Parts of the back doors were also smashed in, and the driver had to use a wrench to break it open before Shawn and Leah could come out of the car.

“Go and get yourself checked at the gynecology department. I have some matters to deal with first,” Shawn told Leah and assigned his bodyguards to her before leaving in a hurry.

His gentle expression faded as soon as Leah was out of sight, replaced by a murderous glare. Not long after, a black Volkswagen pulled up in front of the hospital entrance and several people, including Tom, got off the car. They approached Shawn with obvious fear in their eyes. “Mr. Ford, we take full responsibility for the incident that happened today,” Tom began. “We will investigate the incident

thoroughly and provide you with a proper explanation.”

“I don’t want to see something like this happen ever again,” Shawn’s voice was as cold as the night. Tom rubbed the sweat that beaded on his forehead. He could not believe that there was someone out there dumb enough to try and mess with Shawn Ford. If he did not handle this situation properly, the next person to be hit by a trailer would be himself. “Be on high alert these next few days. I won’t be going into the office.”

“Yes, Mr. Ford,” Tom responded immediately.

Shawn still felt as if this incident was not as simple as it seemed. “Send a few more bodyguards to the villa,” he instructed his personnel before heading into the hospital.

Leah was just about done with her checkup. Apart from some mild shock, both herself and the baby were just fine. Leah approached Shawn as soon as she saw him.

“Thank you… for everything just now,” she said to Shawn in a soft voice. Who knows what would have happened if Shawn had not protected her just then?

“No, this was all because of me,” Shawn blamed himself. This guilt was something he was experiencing for the very first time. He could not explain it, but he felt a strong urge to always protect Leah and keep her from harm’s way.

Choked with emotion, Leah did not know what to say. She was about to continue on her way when she noticed that Shawn’s shirt was stained with fresh blood at the back.

“Your… Your back is bleeding!” she exclaimed in shock. Surprised, Shawn reached for his back with an arm and found his fingers stained red too. It was only then when he started to feel a painful sensation down his back. Upon closer inspection, Leah found a deep graze across his back. He must have cut himself when the accident happened. “You’re injured, Shawn,” Leah told him.

“It’s just a small wound,” Shawn said as he fought against the pain. He had done far more dangerous things back then when he was trying to get on Jackson Lamere’s good side.

Leah linked her arm in Shawn’s and gently brought him to a nearby chair to have a seat. “Stay here, don’t move about,” she warned him. “I’ll get a doctor.” Leah had already disappeared down the hospital corridor before Shawn could say anything. Barely a minute later, she came back with a doctor in a medical coat.

They got Shawn into an emergency treatment room, where the doctor immediately got to work by cutting his clothes apart with a pair of scissors. The doctor gasped out loud when he saw the many scars decorating Shawn’s broad back.

“All these scars… were you in the army before, Sir?” the doctor asked out of curiosity while he cleaned up Shawn’s wounds.

“No,” Shawn’s answer was curt. He gritted his teeth as the doctor applied disinfectant on his wound and prepped some equipment to stitch up his wound. Leah turned away from the treatment table, unable to bear watching such a painful scene, especially when the person who had saved her was lying on the table. She was ridden with guilt, but at the same time fearful that her guilt would make her forget all the horrible things Shawn had done to Han.

The treatment room was quiet save for the sound of the doctor working on his stitches and his heavy

breathing. Fifteen minutes later, he was all done, allowing Leah to breathe a sigh of relief. “Alright, don’t let the wound come in contact with water, and come back next week to take the stitches out,” he informed Shawn.

Shawn got up from the treatment bed impatiently and looked at Leah. “Let’s go,” he told her and began walking without waiting for her. Leah could only chase after him, watching the wound on his back worriedly.

…

It was way past midnight by the time Shawn and Leah got home. Leah tried to get some sleep, but she was constantly distracted by Lucy who was busying about in her room.

“Ms. White, the sheets have been turned down and I’ve burnt some lavender incense to help you sleep better,” Lucy informed Leah. “It’s getting late, so I’ll leave you to get some sleep.”

Just as Lucy was about to leave the room, Leah called out for her. “Lucy, was Shawn always like how he is today?” Leah was utterly confused. Someone who protected the weak in the face of danger could not possibly be an evil person, but this was the same person who did such horrible things to Han.

“Mr. Ford might not be good at showing his emotions, but I assure you, he is a good man,” Lucy answered Leah’s question seriously. Once upon a time, she had been tricked by some people from her village and was almost sold into slavery, but Mr. Ford saved her and let her stay and work for the Ford family.

“Really?” Leah wondered out loud.

“You’ll understand what I mean one day, Ms. White. Get some rest tonight, my dear,” Lucy said before leaving Leah’s room.

…

Alfred paced about the hospital aisle nervously outside the operating theater. His pacing only made Ben more nervous and restless. Ben tugged on Alfred’s arm and forced him to sit down. “Would you please just sit down?” the irritation was clear in Ben’s voice.

Alfred stared at the doors of the operating theater, his eyes filled with worry. “I’m… I’m just nervous…” he gulped. The surgery only had a success rate of 50%. It was initially 90%, but Han kept delaying the surgery and missed out on the optimal window for treatment. Alfred’s face scrunched up in disgust at the thought of Leah. “It’s all Leah’s fault,” he bit out. “If it was not for her, Mr. Howard would not have to deal with all these hardships. His company would not have fallen into Shawn Ford’s hands either.”

Ben sighed in frustration. “Don’t let Mr. Howard hear you say that,” he warned Alfred. Ben was Han’s longest serving associate, yet even he could not say with confidence that he knew Han well. If Han had truly loved Leah, he would not have married Molly back then. However, he was willing to give everything up just to save Leah’s life. “Mr. Howard hates presumptuous people the most,” Ben hinted at Alfred.

Alfred was just about to retort when the doors to the operating theater flung wide open and a doctor dressed in scrubs appeared. Ben and Alfred got up and rushed toward the doctor.

“Dr. Clinton, how did the surgery go? Was it successful?” they asked nervously.

Chapter 283 Creating an Opportunity

“The surgery was very successful, but the next steps in Mr. Howard’s recovery will depend on his own willpower,” the doctor informed Ben and Alfred, to their relief.

A few hours later, Han Howard had woken up from the surgery, but he was still groggy from the anesthesia. Ben quickly brought a glass of water for him. Han took a sip from the glass and scanned his surroundings. His eyes seemed to become lifeless once he realized that the person he wanted to see the most was not around. Wordlessly, he put the glass of water back down on his bedside table and stared blankly into space.

Alfred was the first to break the awkward silence in the room. “Mr. Howard, your surgery was very successful,” he said encouragingly. He thought Han would have been happy to hear that, but the man lying on the bed right now did not seem to care. It was as if he came out of the surgery a completely different man.

Ben nudged Alfred from the back, warning him not to speak any further. Having worked for Han for so long, he knew that Han’s depressed mood was likely because of Leah. “Mr. Howard, why don’t you get some rest for now? Alfred and I will be waiting outside. Just call for us if you need anything!” Ben said before motioning for Alfred to leave the room together with him.

Han lay on his bed motionlessly once his staff had left the room, his eyes filled with a deep, sorrowful pain.

……

Back at the Ford villa, Leah watched with confusion and curiosity as the maids and butlers walked in and out of the room next to hers. She finally caught hold of Mr. Carling after observing the commotion for quite some time now. “Mr. Carling, what’s going on next door?” she asked.

“Mr. Ford says that you might be in danger. He’s moving in next door so he can keep an eye on you,” Mr. Carling explained. Leah opened the door to the room next door only to find that the original study room furniture had been moved out, and plenty of Shawn’s personal belongings were already nicely arranged on the shelves.

“I don’t agree to this!” Leah objected. She was not about to allow Shawn to move next to her. It was already frustrating enough to see him every day, and now he was about to be in much closer proximity to her every night.

Mr. Carling shrugged helplessly. “Well… We don’t make the decisions, Ms. White.” Even though most of the housekeeping staff served Leah daily and had grown closer to her, they could not disobey Shawn’s orders if they wanted to keep their jobs. Leah tugged at her hair in frustration as the workers continued moving Shawn’s belongings into the room. She stomped toward the study upstairs angrily.

Shawn was in the middle of a conference call in the study when Leah barged in without knocking. “What do you think you’re doing now?!” she yelled. Her angry voice was caught on video, to the amusement and curiosity of the conference call attendees. They wondered who was so brave to speak to Mr. Ford in such a rude, angry tone.

Shawn pressed his lips together in a thin, tight line. “Today’s meeting will end here,” he announced gruffly before slamming his laptop shut. His gaze fell upon Leah as he turned around to face her. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Why are you moving next door to me?” Leah demanded to know.

“It’s my house,” Shawn simply replied, implying he could move into whichever room he fancied without Leah’s permission.

Leah frowned angrily. Shawn was right. She did not have any power to demand anything of Shawn Ford.

“I’m moving in next door to keep you safe. Before we find out who was responsible for the car accident, you and I could both be a target,” Shawn explained. He still felt that the incident was far from over.

It never occurred to Leah that Shawn was moving in to protect her from harm. She felt a blush creeping up her face and hastily lowered her head in embarrassment.

“I’ve said it before as well. I’m not interested in pregnant women,” Shawn added on flatly, making Leah blush even more furiously. She all but ran out of the room before Shawn could say anything else.

…

Back at the hospital, Dr. Clinton was giving Han a physical examination. “The chances of someone your age making a full recovery are very high. The surgery was a success, but you will have to do some physiotherapy to fully recover,” Dr Clinton explained.

“Who’s the best physiotherapist in Linkville?” Han asked, driven by newfound determination to rebuild himself. He was going to prove to Leah that he was not a useless man.

“Unfortunately, there aren’t too many qualified physiotherapists in Linkville. However, there are a few renowned physiotherapists in Fetriybia. You could arrange a consultation with them,” Dr. Clinton gave his recommendation as he wrote down some notes on Han’s medical charts.

Physiotherapy was both costly and time consuming, but Han was still thankful there was a solution to his problems. Gratitude filled Han’s eyes as he looked at Dr. Clinton. “Thank you, Doctor,” he told Dr. Clinton.

As soon as the doctor left his room, Han got Ben to start arranging for his stay in Fetriybia. It was likely to be a long-term stay for his recovery, and he did not know when he would be able to return to Linkville. Luckily for him, he still had plenty of assets in Fetriybia. Since Shawn Ford had taken everything from him in Linkville, this was his chance to turn his personal tragedy into an opportunity.

Ben took down all of Han’s instructions in his little notebook diligently. “Alright, I’ll get on it right away, Mr. Howard,” Ben said before he was about to leave Han’s room.

“Hold on!” Han stopped Ben from leaving. He paused for a moment before continuing to speak. “Help me arrange a meeting with her. I’d like to meet her once before I leave.”

Ben nodded in understanding. “I’ll arrange it as soon as possible,” Ben said, fully understanding who Han was referring to.

…

Shawn had been working from home for the past week. Besides accompanying Leah for occasional meals in the dining hall, he barely stepped out of his room. Ever since the car accident, Leah’s attitude toward Shawn had somewhat shifted too.

Shawn’s cellphone rang out loud at the dining table, interrupting the serene silence he was enjoying just a moment ago. He hated it when someone called him while he was having a meal. He disconnected the call without even looking at the caller ID. However, a few seconds later, his phone began to ring again. It was as if the caller would not give up.

Leah put her cutlery down and wiped the corners of her lips with a napkin. “Perhaps there’s something urgent…” she suggested.

Shawn finally picked up his phone with a grumpy expression. “What?” his mono-syllabic opener was curt and cold.

“Mr. Howard, some hackers managed to hack into the company’s systems. There’s been a major data breach of confidential information,” the person on the other line explained frantically.

Without saying a word further, Shawn grabbed his coat and headed for the door, but stopped in his tracks suddenly. He looked at Lucy who was standing at a corner of the courtyard.

“Make sure you keep Ms. White protected at all times. If anything happens to her, I’ll hold you personally accountable,” he said to Lucy before turning and leaving out the door.

Lucy looked at Leah with a conflicted expression on her face. She did not know what had happened between Shawn and Leah in recent times for Shawn to be so personally concerned over Leah. “Ms. White, why don’t we go to the library upstairs and pick out some books to read?” Lucy suggested.

Leah looked out the windows from the courtyard, enjoying the warm sun rays on her skin. It had been a while since she was able to enjoy an afternoon without Shawn around.

“The sun looks nice and bright today. Let’s go to the courtyard and bask in the sun for a while,” Leah insisted. Leah was already out the door before Lucy could say anything.

“Ms. White! Wait… wait up!” Lucy chased after Leah.

Leah picked out one of the deck chairs in the courtyard. She leaned back onto the chair and stretched out her body lazily, soaking in the sun. Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared outside the courtyard.

Chapter 284 No Relation

Leah paused in motion as a hint of surprise fleeted across her almond eyes. However, she soon pushed all emotions behind her eyes and put up a callous front.

With the Fords’ residence swarming with the security and domestic team, how did Han get in?

For Han to enter the residence unannounced, would he be okay when Shawn found out about it?

A lot of questions rose in Leah’s mind.

Still, she did not voice her doubts. Instead, she pulled a straight face. “How did you get inside the place?”

Mr. Carling emerged from the living hall and gave Han a nod.

“You have five minutes, sir. Make it brief.”

Since Mr. Carling distracted the security detail at the entrance and lawn, Han was able to brazenly walk into the place.

Leah stared at the butler in shock.

“Mr. Carling, why did you…”

While tempted to ask about Mr. Carling’s relationship with Han. Why was the butler helping him? Mr.

Carling took off before Leah could satisfy her curiosity.

Han studied Leah’s delicate face, fighting the urge to bring her into his arms.

He spoke in a husky voice, “Are you willing to go with me?”

Her hands behind her back balled into fists as Leah tried earnestly to keep her tone flat. “I won’t go with you. I’m living the good life now. I hope you will stop bothering me.”

Han’s face bore no emotions. Standing tall, he simply remained frozen in an upright position.

Despite the ticking clock, Han had no intentions to leave.

Leah’s heart sank. Shawn stepped out to take a phone call, and he should be back soon.

She could not possibly let Shawn see Han.

Leah cried out loud, “I’ll have to get someone to show you the door if you don’t leave right now.”

Han’s eyes were piercing as if he was trying to see through her.

“Won’t you regret it?”

Han had second thoughts the moment the question left his parted lips.

Why would she feel sorry when she did not want to leave with him in the first place?

Han scoffed sarcastically.

He was mocking himself for acting like an idiot.

Leah had to fight the urge to smoothen Han’s furrowing brows.

She turned away and curtly uttered, “It’s all in your head.”

Leah was long gone by the time Han snapped out of his thoughts.

She was afraid she would blurt everything to Han but more so that she would ditch everything and leave with him.

Sitting on the sofa, Leah stared vacantly into space.

It took a while before Lucy, who Mr. Carling kept away, returned.

“Ms. White, why do you look upset?”

Lucy looked at Leah with worry. Why did Ms. White look like she had seen a ghost? Lucy had not been gone for long.

Did something happen during her brief absence?

Getting a grip on herself, Leah brought focus back to her hazy eyes. She forcefully curled her lips and

smiled. “I’m fine. I’m just tired. That’s all. I’m going to get some rest. Please let Mr. Ford know that I’ve turned down for the day when he returns.”

Outside the Fords’ residence, Ben held the car door open for Han.

Through the rear-view mirror, the assistant had a full view of the distraught man.

Since Ben had never seen Han in such a state, the guy could not help but steal another glance.

With their eyes meeting, Ben swiftly hung his head low.

The man’s callous voice ensued.

“Book me the earliest flight to Fetriybia.”

There was no point in Han staying in Linkville if Leah would not join him.

“Leave business in Linkville to Alfred.”

Hiding his surprise, Ben immediately answered, “Sure.”

Han left before Shawn arrived at the residence.

Shawn tossed his jacket on the sofa. The warm light in the living room hit his face, adding softness to his coarse facial lines.

Not too far away, Mr. Carling was moved by the sight.

He had been with Shawn through it all. Shawn was cold-blooded and ruthless in his way. Nevertheless, he started to change the moment Leah came into his life.

Mr. Carling had not decided whether the change was a good thing or bad.

Kneading his temples, Shawn asked, “Has she gone to bed, Mr. Carling?”

“Ms. White could be exhausted in the afternoon because she hit the sack before having her dinner.”

Shawn frowned at the mention that Leah skipped dinner. He got up from the sofa and made his way up the stairs.

The bedroom door was left ajar. Raising his brow, Shawn pushed the door wide open.

Shawn went by memory to find the switch, casting darkness away to make room for light.

He made a joke, “Why didn’t you have dinner? Were you waiting for me?”

Despite the long wait, the silence was all the answer he got.

With a frown, Shawn advanced to the bed and looked down at Leah.

Flushed in the face, the woman broke out in a sweat and murmured something under her breath.

Shawn put the back of his hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. It was hot.

She was burning up.

Shawn took quick paces to the door and called to the butler. “Get the doctor.”

The family doctor made haste over and checked on Leah’s temperature.

The practitioner looked at the temperature on the thermometer. “37.8 degree Celsius. She has a slight fever. I’ll administer her a shot.”

“She’s pregnant.”

Shawn knew that there were certain drugs and shots pregnant women had to avoid.

Since he had decided against doing anything to Leah’s unborn child, Shawn would not let any harm come to it.

The family doctor put away the syringe. “She can’t have the shot then.”

Shawn proceeded to inquire, “What can we do for her?”

“We can adopt the conservative method of rubbing her down. Give you a good rub-down every half an hour until her temperature drops to normal.”

The family doctor lifted Leah’s cover and grabbed a damp towel to wipe the woman when Shawn seized the towel from him.

He was met with a disgruntled gaze.

The practitioner mumbled to himself, wondering if he said something to rub Shawn the wrong way.

As the discerning party, Mr. Carling stepped forward and led the family doctor away.

Leah and Shawn were the only ones left in the room.

Shawn took the towel, only to put his hands down again.

“Come upstairs, Lucy.”

Lucy immediately fell to her knees right after stepping into the room. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ford. I have no idea why Ms. White has a sudden fever.”

Shawn left Ms. White in her care before leaving home.

“Get up.”

Hesitant, Lucy remained kneeling on the ground without daring to get up.

Shawn threw the towel at Lucy. “Give her a wipe-down once every half an hour until she’s back to normal temperature.”

He knew Leah would not want him to touch her.

Lucy quickly picked up the towel and started to wipe Leah’s body.

The following morning, the sun projected its rays on Leah’s beautiful face as the latter opened her eyes in a struggle. She had a splitting headache, and her throat was dry.

“Water…

“Water…”

The rim of a glass filled with water brushed against Leah’s lips.

Chapter 285 An Encounter at the Airport

“Pace yourself.”

The voice startled Leah into opening her eyes. With their eyes meeting, Leah could see the reflection of her haggard look in Shawn’s pupils.

It then hit Leah. She wrapped herself tight under the covers and looked warily at Shawn. “Why are you here?”

Leah went upstairs, feeling rather heavy and cloudy in the head since Han left last night.

Shawn appeared indifferent. “You had a temperature last night.”

“The doctor can’t administer the shot to you since you’re pregnant. We got your temperature down the old-fashioned way.”

While talking, Shawn turned his eyes to the towel in a corner.

Leah followed his gaze to the towel, and it took a while before she looked down at her clothes. They were not the same as yesterday’s.

“Lucy changed you into a clean set of clothes. She wiped you down too.”

Shawn’s explanation offered Leah relief. Pursing her lips, Leah expressed her gratitude, “Thank you.”

Seeing that Leah was fine, Shawn, who had stayed up all night, returned to his room.

Tom located the whereabouts of the truck driver in no time.

He pulled up at a casino and walked briskly into the place. With the person’s face in mind, Tom searched for the truck driver and found him in a corner.

Tom took his time to approach the man. “Are you Dave?”

Hearing his name, the truck driver felt a chill down his spine and tried to make a run for it.

Tom was quick with his reflexes. He clenched his fist and pulled a punch to the man’s head.

Since Dave lost consciousness from the blow, Tom could drag him out of the casino and tie him up before hurling him into the backseat of the car.

Sitting behind the wheel, Tom pulled out his phone and dialed Shawn’s number.

“I tracked him down, Mr. Ford.”

Shawn’s voice was croaky from being woken up. “Bring him over.”

Nevertheless, it suddenly jumped into Shawn’s mind that Leah was in the residence. Since she could not stand the sight of blood, Shawn immediately changed his mind. “Take him to Eastdel.”

In an abandoned house of Eastdel, Shawn sat on the chair and looked Dave, who was on his knees on

the ground, dead in the eye.

“Tell me who you’re working for, and I can consider letting you go.”

The abrupt dazzling light blinded Dave at the moment. It took a while before he got a good look at Shawn.

Judging by Shawn’s delicate features, he did not seem like a ruthless person at all. It was all the assurance Dave needed.

Dave spat. “Dream on! Don’t you know it’s all about keeping our word in our line of work? It’s between me and my client. I’m paid to do a job, so I know better than to break client confidentiality.”

Shawn looked deadpan. “Cut his arms off.”

Dave appeared to disappear from the face of the earth after the traffic accident. It could only mean that the person behind him held power in Linkville.

With an ax in hand, Tom drew close to Dave.

The sharp blade glistened with an eeriness that drained all color off Dave’s complexion. Dave thought the man was merely capable of intimidation, so it never crossed his mind that Shawn meant business.

“Stop! Don’t cut off my arms! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

Tom stopped moving forward and looked at Shawn.

Shawn was curious as to who would have the audacity to come at him. “Tell me. Who are you working for?”

“It’s Jackson Lamere. He said I’ll get five million bucks if I run you over. I owe a lot of money to the casino, so the five million bucks…”

Tom took Dave away before the latter could finish his sentence.

Dave was no use to Shawn now that Shawn got the answer he needed.

Shawn scoffed. “So that’s your counterattack, huh?”

He acquired and merged Howard Group and White Group while Jackson got nothing at all.

For Jackson to go after Shawn, Jackson must have held a grudge for a while.

Shawn said to Tom, “Look into where Jackson is now.”

Ben handled the check-in for Han at Linkville airport.

“I hope you won’t be too uncomfortable.”

Han had Ben purchase a flight in economy class so as not to rouse Shawn’s suspicion.

It did not matter to Ben, but his concern was that it would be a hassle for Han. Ben had released news about Han’s departure from Linkville to the public on Han’s orders.

He knew that Han had an ulterior motive for doing so. The information was intended for Leah.

“Word about you leaving Linkville is out.”

Han gave a nod while fixating on the airport entrance. He did not avert his gaze even once.

“Attention to passengers of flight G6685 bound for Fetriybia. Please proceed to gate 8 immediately. The doors of the aircraft will soon be closed for take-off.”

The robotic announcement echoed through the airport.

As the announcement came on again, Han looked away from the airport entrance and proceeded to the gate before he missed his flight.

Noticing the desolate look on Han’s face, Ben helplessly sighed.

Leah never came to the airport.

Meanwhile, Shawn got the news when Shawn boarded the flight.

Shawn looked at the photograph set by his subordinate. The picture of Han getting onto the plane did not sit well with Shawn. “Is he giving up so soon?”

Was Han a quitter?

Tom reported to Shawn the situation he gathered in the last two days.

“I did some digging in the hospital, and apparently, Han’s surgery was a bust. There is no way he will be able to stand up again. He might be going to Fetriybia to seek treatment for his legs.”

Shawn tore the medical brief that Tom retrieved before callously uttering, “Stop the information from going out for now.”

Although Tom was baffled, he did as he was told.

Two years later, an adorable little girl stood in the middle of Linkville airport. The girl had fair skin and curious big eyes.

“Mommy, Daddy…”

Since Carlotta was young, she babbled through her limited vocabulary. Nevertheless, Leah could get what the girl was trying to say.

Getting down to the girl’s eye level, Leah explained in a soft voice, “The plane might be a little late. You must be patient and wait.”

Carlotta lowered her head in disappointment. “Okay.”

“What are you looking at, Your Highness?”

Not too far away, a maid in uniform followed Anna’s line of vision.

Anna made a face, not too pleased with the form of address. “I told you not to address me by my title in public. Don’t you think the back of that woman looks awfully familiar?”

Staring at Leah’s back, Anna fell deep in thought.

She must have seen the woman somewhere before. However, where could it be? Her memory seemed to be failing her.

The maid had to draw the princess’ attention. “Mr. Ethan has been waiting in the car for a long time, Miss.”

Anna reluctantly looked away and headed out of the airport.

“Mommy… Daddy… Daddy…”

First to notice the man out of the arrival gate, Carlotta pulled Leah along to rush over.