Ch. 376..380: Begging For A Reconciliation Chapter 376-380

Chapter 376 Line Up

The phone was disconnected before Lucy could finish her sentence.

Leah was startled and assumed something had happened. She was about to call back but didn't want to get Lucy into trouble.

"You've heard it too. Let's go back..."

She worriedly turned her head to look at Han. Could Lucy have been caught red-handed for tipping her off?

Han was unconcerned about it. "Nothing will happen if I'm here," he said, his eyes cold with tenacity.

Leah pondered for a second, her forehead furrowed with apprehension. "Even though Jackson temporarily lost authority over the White Group, he should not be underestimated."

His position was no longer as prestigious as it once had been. He couldn't compete with Jackson and Shawn despite being the largest investor in Pasteria.

When Han saw her worried expression, he smiled sarcastically and asked, "Leah, have you ever regretted treating me like that?"

She had been ruthless with him, not even offering him a glimmer of hope before plunging him into the bottomless abyss.

"I'll give everything back to you one day..."

Although he was the first to act on vengeance, all of the subsequent tragedies that befell him were caused by her...

She owed him now, just as he had said.

"You will never be able to pay off your debts," Han said with a sneer and a cruel smile.

The seriousness of what she just said caused him to become flustered for no apparent reason.

Perhaps he wasn't even aware of it himself. He claimed to want retaliation, but in reality, he just wanted to keep in touch with her, refusing to cut off his only connection with her right now.

He ultimately ignored Leah's words and took her to the amusement park.

After parking the car, he pulled out his phone and took a picture of the amusement park, which he sent to Carlotta.

Leah just looked at him quietly from behind, taken aback by his rare display of tenderness. "Why do you...take Carlotta so seriously?"

"She's my daughter," Han said as he held up his phone to take photos.

His simple yet profound response caused Leah's heart to skip a beat, leaving her dazed.

Could he make a good father?

Their distance grew wider as she became absorbed in her thoughts.

His long legs allowed him to take longer strides. Leah's smaller steps made cutting through the throng and catching up with him challenging.

She simply went to the nearest railing to catch her breath.

Autumn in the amusement park brought the sweet scent of cotton candy. Visitors arrived in groups of twos and threes, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Her lone figure stood out in the crowd.

"Dad, Mom, let's go ride the merry-go-round..." The child smiled innocently, holding her parents' hands.

Leah envied that family of three for their seemingly perfect and content appearance. She wondered if she'd ever have the chance to see Carlotta so happy.

Probably not. All she could offer was motherly love.

Han turned around when he was done taking photos, only to find Leah gone. He turned to look for her, just in time to see her looking enviously at the happy family in front of her.

A wave of sadness came out of nowhere, surging through his veins and washing the melancholy to the surface of his consciousness.

Why did she make that face in front of him? Why did she appear so vulnerable and desolate in the autumn breeze?

"Just go play if you want."

Leah was jolted back into reality when a low, deep voice suddenly rang beside her.

She shook her head. Then, with a detached and polite tone, she said, "No, we're just here to put on a show. There's no need to take yourself so seriously."

Han became upset by her lack of enthusiasm, so he reached out and grabbed her arm, dragging her through the crowd and toward the carousel. "Then, since it's only an act, don't act so pitiful. Nobody will care."

"Go in!"

He dragged her to the spinning carousel. When Leah realized he was serious, she broke out in cold sweat and said, "No, thanks..."

"Stop talking! I don't want to see this face you're making now after playing!" Han cut her off impatiently.

They watched as a large group of angry people came toward them, as well as several park employees. Leah hid her face behind her hands and turned her head away.

"Hey! Who are you?! Just because you are handsome doesn't mean you can skip the line!"

"You still dragged that girl here when she doesn't even want to play! Forget it. If you want to play, get in

line!"

"Line up?" Han asked, looking coldly at the virtuous crowd.

He scoffed and pulled out his phone, ready to ask Ben to evict everyone from the amusement park.

The park attendant's flag happened to be in the way of his phone, preventing him from carrying out his plan. "Sir, please cooperate with everyone and join in the queue…"

They didn't know who Han was.

When Leah noticed that the air around him had become dangerously heavy, she quickly took his hand and left to avoid exacerbating the situation.

She bit the bullet and approached Han, whispering, "Never mind. Let's go line up..."

She had no idea what was going through his head—why he had insisted on dragging her to this ride.

Leah had thin skin and was too self-conscious to engage in such activities without children.

Han was immediately relieved of his anger by the warm, tender hands that were holding his.

His mood improved as he watched her hold his hand and felt unknown emotions spread throughout his heart.

Leah led him all the way to the end of the line. She was about to let go of his hand after exhaling a sigh of relief when she realized it was being tightly held. She was unable to free herself.

"Let me go..." she said, frowning at Han.

"Okay." Han released his grip, picked up his phone, and dialed Ben, saying, "Evict everyone from the amusement park..."

Leah grabbed the phone and cut off the call before he could finish.

"Evicting everyone from the amusement park is just too much of a commotion," she said, her expression conflicted as she stared at him. "I don't want today's incident to make headlines."

Whenever she became a popular topic, she would cause a slew of mishaps. She was afraid of incriminating those around her.

Han didn't say anything to her except to ask her to return his phone. "Give me my phone."

His handsome face was cold and devoid of emotion, making it impossible to tell what was going through his mind. Leah was afraid that he would kick up a big fuss, so she stubbornly put his mobile phone in her pocket for the first time and said, "No... If-If you want it back, let me go home, and you can be here by yourself…"

She still spoke with a slight tremble, facing the incredibly oppressive man before her.

She lowered her gaze, gradually losing hope in her heart.

She was going to stare him down, but in the end, she got scared and lost her gumption.

She would not let him cause a commotion today if she could help it. She would not allow him to use this method to retaliate against her while also affecting the lives of those around her.

Han didn't say anything, though, even after a long while. She raised her eyes suspiciously and noticed that the man beside her had completely ignored her and was standing quietly in line.

His unexpected good behavior surprised Leah, and as she was about to speak, Han's deep voice came first, saying, "Stretch out your hand."

Despite her confusion, Leah extended her hand.

Leah's pupils widened in horror as a hot, calloused big hand grabbed hers. "What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

His cool fragrance and body temperature startled her, and she felt goosebumps all over her body.

Han simply gripped her hand tightly and sneered coldly, "You have my phone in your possession. What if you run away suddenly? I have important information on it."

Chapter 377 Photograph

Leah breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Han was worried she was going to run away with his phone.

"As long as you don't evict everyone from the amusement park, I'll return it to you..."

She was extremely uncomfortable being held by his large hand and kept trying to break free discreetly.

"Do you think that's possible," Han asked, lowering his gaze and glancing at her with cold eyes.

Leah was at a loss for words.

It does appear to be impossible.

I'll just leave it at that for now since he didn't get angry.

She gave in and let him hold her hand.

Han grinned a little, but not enough for her to notice, seeing that she had caved in.

Ben sighed helplessly when he saw his smiling face through the surveillance.

"It's rare to see the boss smile. Ms. White is probably unaware that the boss has fenced off a ten-mile radius. No new visitors, let alone reporters, could get in..."

Considering how tightly he was gripping Leah's hand, Ben had a theory in his head. He wanted to say something but was afraid that the other subordinates would overhear him.

Leah was so anxious from waiting in line for half an hour that she started perspiring. Han finally let go of her hand when she boarded the merry-go-round.

"That lady stole my pony, Mommy..." A young boy tearfully pointed at the pony that Leah was riding.

Leah suddenly felt crippled by shame and yearned to leave right away. Han, who was riding alongside her on the big horse, grabbed her shoulders and said, "Sit down."

Since they refused to give up the pony, the little boy's mother was forced to take him on another horse. "Baby, it's okay," she said, "Let's not bother the man. He just wants to be with his girlfriend..."

Leah tensed and looked sideways at Han when she heard that. Seeing a tall, respectable man like him mounted on that horse was strange.

Leah was even more embarrassed.

During her lifetime, she rarely found herself in embarrassing situations like this.

She wanted to hide somewhere for a while, but Han told her to look straight ahead, denying her the opportunity.

The merry-go-round started to rotate as the music began to play.

"Why are you riding with me on the merry-go-round?" She was still perplexed as to why.

Han had only wanted to retaliate against her by making a fool of her, so there was no reason for him to accompany her on the ride.

Han remained silent, his mind returning to the desolate image of her from earlier.

It was simply that he didn't want her to be alone.

He didn't say anything, so Leah kept asking.

Han took her to other rides after they finished playing on the merry-go-round.

"Carlotta wants us to take a picture together, so move in closer." They were at the very front of the roller coaster. Han pressed Leah's head against his chest as he held up his phone expressionlessly.

Leah turned pale when she saw the daunting and difficult curve ahead.

Han's warm, firm chest and the slight scent of something cool emanating from him heightened her sense of security.

The roller coaster ride was about to begin, and she unconsciously leaned closer into his arms— terrified.

Han frowned, seeing how terrified and pale she had become before the ride had even begun. He wanted to get the attendant to stop the ride so he could bring her down.

However, she had leaned in so close to him.

This was one of the few times she would take the initiative to be close to him on her own, and he would feel an inexplicable regret if he put this to a stop.

Leah desperately hoped the roller coaster was broken, but she got disappointed.

The rollercoaster moved slowly from its starting point to a short distance before launching into a dive drop. It accelerated for a short distance before switching to a different track.

Leah kept her eyes closed, not daring to look. She bit her lower lip nervously as she instinctively leaned into Han's arms and encircled his waist.

Leah was utterly terrified when the roller coaster finally came to an end after a grueling five minutes. Her eyes were still wet, and her face was as white as a sheet.

Han couldn't take it any longer and hugged her as he led her away. "Go rest in the car," he said.

"Sir! Please wait a moment!" At the rollercoaster ride's exit, one of the attendants emerged from the photo booth. He called out for Han to stop as he held a few pictures in his hand.

"What is it?" Han asked, his brow furrowed.

Despite being terrified by his remarkable aura, the attendant handed him the photo with great care. He said, "Sir, this is a photo of you and your girlfriend on the rollercoaster ride taken by our on-ride camera. Would you like to purchase it as a souvenir?"

"It's only thirty dollars for one photo!"

Han continued to hold the dizzy Leah in one hand while swiping through the photos with the other.

Leah was nestled in his arms in the photo, and his eyes were lowered as he looked at her tenderly. Han's eyes lit up slightly, and he asked, "How many photos are in total..."

He bought ten photographs and stored them in the jetted pocket of his suit.

Leah sat in his car for a long time before she felt better, but her fear of heights lingered, and she even felt a little queasy. "Did you just buy something?" she asked.

"No, nothing. Let's go back."

…

Shawn was sitting in the office, glumly watching the bodyguard's sneak shot of Serena playing with Carlotta.

"Where has Sarah gone?" Why was she the only one missing if everyone in her studio had gone out for fun together?

"Ms. White appears to have been taken away by Han from the beginning, and our people said that they went in the direction of the amusement park," the assistant replied respectfully.

"But just as our men were about to continue on, all roads within ten miles of the amusement park were completely blocked off, and our men couldn't get through."

"I'm certain they were at the amusement park. Han seemed to have made plans for that long ago, and no news of them having fun at the amusement park had leaked..."

Shawn became increasingly irritated as he listened. His unbridled rage made him want to kill Han right away.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was cold as he said, "Get Jackson over and tell him that I agree to his plan..."

Shortly after, Jackson arrived at his office sporting a smile of contented surprise. "I heard you agreed to that plan?"

"That sounds more like it. Don't worry. This plan is only to exploit that woman. No harm will come to her."

Shawn's heart tightened, but when he realized Leah and Han were getting closer, he decided to go ahead with it. "Before that, do you want to see if Hendrik and Han are the same person?" he inquired.

Jackson said with a nod, "We could test them. We would need a more thorough plan if it wasn't the same person."

"I was able to make my first contact with Hendrik. We could fool them both into coming to the party at the same time. That would make it difficult to speculate about our intentions."

He explained his plan quietly. He had a crazy look in his eyes as he thought about the Lamere family rising from the ashes!

Shawn's eyes were dangerously cold as he said, "As long as the two appear simultaneously, it is safe to assume they are not the same person. On the contrary..."

"They're the same person!"

Even if he didn't want to admit it, Han would feel utterly defeated if Han was really Hendrik.

How could he still turn the tables and forge such a potent identity when he was barely holding on to life?

"It's better if they're both the same person. Then things would be so much easier!" Jackson sneered.

"I have your servant's family under my control now," he said, returning his gaze to Shawn. "Get her to contact Sarah and prepare to implement our plan..."

Jackson had a sneer on his face. The fishnet had already been cast, so all he had to do was wait to reel it back.

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...

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..."

Chapter 379 Pick A Choice

Han's Mansion, Victoria Precinct.

Han was busy working in his study. Carlotta was already brought to his mansion earlier this morning.

Ding.

Han got a text. It was the video of Leah's abduction. Her bloodied face made him violent.

Han turned to Ben. "Check the veracity of this video."

Shortly after, he received another text. "Mr. Howard, if you want this woman alive, come to the abandoned commercial building on West Street. You'll come alone with $50 million cash. Do something funny and we'll kill her right away. The entire building is filled with gasoline now."

Bang!

Han sprang up, sending the files and mugs flying. The space was filled with both an aromatic tea scent and murderous intent. The brewing rage within Han frightened Ben and he quickly excused himself. Meanwhile, Han couldn't pry his eyes away from the video. He called Leah, using his own and Hendrik's number. But Leah did not pick up.

He had never felt true panic until now. His hands were trembling uncontrollably. Calmness wasn't his forte now.

Are you in danger, Leah?

Ben came back shortly with the result. "Boss, I found no evidence of human tampering. Ms. White did meet with her previous maid, Lucy, by the riverbank this morning. She then went missing. I can confirm that the video is real. Ms. White has been abducted."

"Prepare the ransom," said Han coldly.

"Boss, you can't go there alone. I can have others..." It was Ben's turn to panic now.

"I'll be fine." Han's curt response left no room for negotiations.

His intuition told him that it was a trap but he still came with 50 million cash.

Leah, you still owe me many things. Before I'm done with you, you cannot die.

...

Leah was awakened by the coldness. The thick gasoline and fuel scent made her cough. The prickly sensation from her wounds and the redness in the corner of her eyes quickly pulled her back to reality.

Yeah, Lucy. Leah was ready to forgive Lucy if Lucy gave her a genuine apology. But no, Lucy had to tell another lie. People came and went. Leah was no stranger to lies and deception but she thought things shouldn't end like this between Lucy and her. For the years they spent together, Leah believed she could give their relationship another chance. However, Lucy served her another wake-up call. She knew what made Leah tick. It was Leah's love for Han, even though Leah would never admit it.

"Are you sure Han Howard will come? Isn't she Mr. Ford's wife? Why demand a ransom from Mr. Howard and not Mr. Ford?"

"Beat me to it. But Boss insisted on Han Howard. He said this could do him in..."

Leah was indifferent toward the conversation outside. As sly as Han was, he could surely tell this was a trap from a mile away. She wasn't important enough for him to risk his life. Even Shawn, who wouldn't shut up about how much he loved her, would put his self-interest above her safety in this situation.

"Where is Sarah? I want to see her now." Shawn found Jackson and confronted him. He wasn't too pleased that he was allocated the role of a bystander.

"She is fine. Once Han bites the bait, I will set her free," replied Jackson nonchalantly.

After Shawn returned to his office, he summoned Tom. "Check how Sarah is doing now. Make sure Jackson doesn't find out."

He knew how ruthless that old geezer could be.

Tom did not execute the order given right away. Instead, he asked Shawn, "What would you do if Mr. Lamere sacrificed Ms. White?"

Shawn's expression turned dark. "I have many ways to deal with Han. There's no need to sacrifice Sarah."

If he was his former self, he would sacrifice Sarah without batting an eye. This was a sign that he was slowly attracted to her.

Tom realized that his superior had grown soft. He commented candidly, "Wake up. You can have all the women in the world. Don't let her ruin our plan. Do you really want Han to make a successful comeback?"

"If you had used her as a pawn earlier, Han wouldn't have had the chance to become this powerful. So powerful that he is the international business mogul, Mr. Hendrik."

Shawn faltered under Tom's persuasion. Tom was right. Han needed to be eliminated. But Sarah...

"All right. I won't sabotage Jackson's plan but do rescue Sarah as soon as possible."

Shawn conceded to Tom. He couldn't risk letting Han have his comeback. Unbeknownst to Shawn, Tom let out a devilish grin as he turned around.

It was drizzling now, making the late autumn mellower. Han finally arrived at the abandoned building, but the pungent smell of gasoline deterred him. Jackson was telling the truth. The block was almost soaked in gasoline. One spark and the entire building would collapse. Two thugs whistled and approached him.

"Greetings, Mr. Howard. Give us the money and you can walk in to save the damsel in distress."

"No Leah, no money," answered Han sharply. He could see the guns on the thugs' waists. Indeed, they were no ordinary thugs. You couldn't get firearms that easily.

One of the thugs cackled. "Mr. Howard, we have the final say here. If you want her dead, just turn around."

Han looked at the building in front of him. It looked like a maw. But he had no time to hesitate. His body already acted before he could think.

After Han disappeared into the darkness, the two thugs whipped out a walkie-talkie. "He just went in. You have five minutes to evacuate before the bomb detonates."

Chapter 380 The Escape

After Han entered the building, Jackson and his goons evacuated to somewhere a mile away from the place.

"All right. We can stay here. The explosion won't reach us. Surround the building now. We will return once we're sure Han is dead."

Jackson's underlings executed his order dutifully.

"No way..." Leah overheard the exchange. She shook her head in disbelief.

Han must know this was a trap. Why would he come? Didn't he hate her to the core?

The building had five to six floors, with even more rooms to explore. Han couldn't possibly locate her within five minutes. She had to do something or they would both die here. With no time to ponder why Han came, Leah waited for her guards to leave before inching her chair toward a corner. A fallen piece of the ceiling stood out with a jagged edge. It took Leah two minutes to cut the rope that bound her. Ignoring the pain in her forearm, she broke free. Blood came gushing out, adding a crimson hue to her pale hand. She pounded on the door repeatedly and shouted,

"Han! Second room to your right on the third floor!"

She yelled and smacked the door until her throat was all sore and her palm stung.

Soon enough, she heard approaching footsteps. "Han, you're..."

"He is not coming, Ms. White. Please die here." A familiar yet harrowing noise appeared.

"Tom? Did Shawn ask you to do this?" exclaimed Leah. Dread built up within her as time flew.

Tom did not give an answer. Instead, he turned away and left. It brought solace to him, to know that once Ms. White was dead, Shawn would stop getting distracted. Eventually, he could become the top of the world. Even surpassing Hendrick.

Leah continued to pummel at the door. "Run, Han! No need to save me! Run!"

Leah didn't know if Han was there or not, but she didn't want Han to die here with her. She had been keeping track of the time as well. The bomb would go off in one minute. The strenuous physical activity drained all her strength. The blood loss made her feel cold and dizzy. Finally, her body collapsed to the ground, like a domino.

Han was busy dealing with those thugs who didn't evacuate in time. When he reached the second floor, he heard a heavy thud and went toward the noise, grabbing a crowbar along the way. When he found the room where Leah was kept, he easily pried the door open with it.

And then, the bomb went off.

It unleashed flame tongues that traveled from the first floor to the second floor. And with gasoline guiding their way, they were unstoppable.

"Stay with me, Leah." The sight of a bloodied Leah squeezed his heart so hard that he wanted to

scream.

Han carried Leah in his arms and bolted toward the top floor. Ben managed to locate the duo with Han's GPS and the building's floor plan. He stationed the helicopter outside of a window on the 4th floor.

"I need a ladder to the window now!"

Leah only heard a deafening sound after she fainted. She felt despair, but also... relieved. It wasn't the way she wanted her life to end. She wouldn't be able to watch Carlotta as she grew up. But at least, she was free. Emancipated from the miserable life she had.

"Leah, you can't get rid of me that easily." She heard a masculine bellow.

It frightened her. Then, it was lights out.

When she reopened her eyes, she saw darkness. It was raining heavily outside. Leah could hear the beeping and ticking of the machinery around her.

"Cough..." The chemical odor of the room made her retch.

Click. Light returned. The sudden brightness made Leah squint. She tried to cover her eyes with her hands just to notice that her arms were connected to all sorts of tubes.

"Sarah! You're awake!" Serena cried tears of joy next to Leah. She tried to hug Leah but she was afraid of touching Leah's wounds.

"What time is it now? Who saved me?" Leah settled back into the bed. She looked somewhere else to avoid the glare. Truth be told, she didn't expect to survive the blast.

Serena immediately put out the main light and switched on the mellower wall light. "Hendrik saved you. He already settled the medical bill before he asked me to come here. You were down under for three days and you only got out of critical condition yesterday. Do you know how much blood you lost? If you came in 30 minutes later, you would..."

"Hendrik? Not Han?" Leah interjected. She was sure that she heard Han's voice.

It seemed like Leah still wouldn't let go of Han. "No. Han was there but only because Shawn tricked him into coming. The one who saved you was Hendrik. He had to mobilize the troops under him to rescue you. He made sure the news didn't get out but most prominent families in Linkville still know about it."

Leah was stunned. This wasn't what her memory told her. Did she hallucinate due to blood loss? Perhaps that was why? There was no way Han would risk his life to save her anyway.

Serena tucked Leah in. "Don't think too much now. Hendrik already sent all the kidnappers to prison. Including... Uhm, Lucy."

"So you knew." Leah gave a bitter smile. "But I still don't think Lucy would lie to me."

Maybe Lucy was coerced into lying. But she did hurt her again. She was no longer forgivable.

"Of course," Serena sighed. "Hendrik intervened. It was all on the news. Jackson was exposed too. He is a fugitive now."

"Anyway, I shouldn't keep you up. You need to rest. Hendrik's guards are out there. Just sleep, all right?"

Serena left and Leah couldn't help but replay the whole incident in her head. She went into the abandoned building without questioning Lucy's words. She should have known that Han would never ever come.

Leah checked her phone. No message. Disappointment was written all over her face. Han must have heard about this accident too. But he wouldn't even offer her his mockery at this time of need. Normally, he would call Leah an attention-seeker.

Suddenly, she received a text from Hendrik. "How are you feeling now?"