Ch. 446..450: Begging For A Reconciliation Chapter 446-450
Chapter 446 A Loyal Man
Three days later, Dream Designs moved to a new office building.
Leah found out from Han that Donald was still arrested in the end. Leah went to prison to visit him because he used to help her.
“Ms. White, don’t worry. I will turn over a new leaf. As long as I don’t get the death sentence, I will refine my skills here and try my best to become someone who can aid you when I’m released from prison. I was wrong. I didn’t expect my first Wither Venom client would be Owen. I am very sorry that I hurt you. If Mr. Howard didn’t find the antidote, you would be…”
Leah shook her head and said, “It was all in the past. Don’t mind it. From now on…” Leah stopped and finally realized what Donald said.
“Did you say Han was the one who found the antidote?”
Donald was at a loss and nodded, “Of course. Anna threw all the antidotes into the river. He was the one who picked the antidote up from the river. Ms. White, don’t you know that?”
Leah’s heart was beating faster. She finally had the answer to her doubts after so long.
When she woke up and saw Shawn by her bed, she thought he was the one who rescued her. She even felt guilty while she was undercover at Shawn’s place.
She did not expect Han to do so much for her. She wondered if he still liked her and whether she could trust him again. Perhaps there was really a future for both of them.
After Leah left the prison, she decided to thank Han. Whether he used the identity of Han or Hendrick, he had saved her from trouble countless times, yet she had never really thanked him for that.
On her way back, she called Han. “Do… Do you want to eat anything? I’m making dinner today.”
Han stopped everything he was doing. He said with a grin, “Oh? What came over you today?”
Leah felt uncomfortable with his teasing, “Forget it if you’re not eating.”
Before she hung up, Han said slowly, “Don’t you know what I want to eat?”
Han knew that Leah knew everything about him when she still loved him.
Leah said, “You don’t seem like a loyal man.” Then, she hung up.
In that case, Leah would be the one to decide what to cook.
When she was back in the kitchen, Carlotta raised her hand and wanted to help as well. “Mommy, I can do something simple. Let me help you out.”
Carlotta enjoyed getting along with Leah, but Leah did not want her in the kitchen. She smiled and rejected her offer, “Be a good girl. Your favorite show is on right now. Go and watch it. Tell me what happened after that.” Leah successfully distracted Carlotta.
It was already nighttime when dinner was served.
Han returned and saw Leah and Carlotta in the house. It warmed his heart immediately. He went to hug Leah from behind and said, “How dare you hang up on me.”
Leah was shocked by his touch and quickly escaped his embrace, “I’m done talking anyway. Let’s eat.”
She sat down and called Carlotta over. Carlotta quickly ran over. Compared to when Leah was taking care of her alone, she looked way healthier now. Leah was relieved to see that Han had treated her well. Even when he was purposely ignoring Leah, he still did not neglect Carlotta.
Han sat beside her, held her hand, and said, “What did you mean when you said I wasn’t a loyal man on the phone? After all these years, I have never loved other people. Yes. I did neglect and hurt you because of my plan, but how much do you know about the things I did for you behind your back?”
Han took it to heart when Leah said he was not loyal. Even when he had nothing because of what Leah did, he still loved her. He thought he was a loyal man.
“Thank you. I made dinner to thank you.”
“That’s more like it.”
Leah wanted to say more but she decided against it.
Carlotta saw that Leah and Han were getting along really well and raised that topic again, “So, when are Daddy and Mommy going to get married officially? We already took our family pictures. How can you still not be officially married?”
Leah chose to ignore her. Han glanced at Leah and said, “I’m fine anyway. It all depends on your mother.”
He threw the question back to Leah. She had no choice but to answer Carlotta, “Aren’t we living together now? That’s good enough?”
Unlike Han, getting married officially was not something to be said or done casually to Leah.
Leah still had doubts because of their past. She could accept living together, but if their marriage had to be bound by an official document, it would feel like a noose around her neck.
Han did not want to trouble her anymore. He changed the topic, “I’ll send you to the office tomorrow.” It was a statement. He insisted on doing that.
Leah had no complaints since Han was willing to become her chauffeur.
The next day, it was still a cold day.
Han sent her to the office and put a grey coat on her. “Wear it.”
Leah wore it and said, “Thank you for sending me.”
She felt warm after getting off. She started to realize that Han could actually become a decent boyfriend.
Chapter 447 A Meal Together
Dream Designs might have moved to the new building Han gave Leah, but there were still many vacancies in the company. The only staff members were the ones from the studio, Leah, and Serena. The whole building was nearly empty.
“Ms. White. Ms. Coleman. We’ll be going to work now.” The staff members greeted Leah and Serena before they left. Serena found it weird and said, “Hey! Who’s a cold man? Can’t you call me Ms. Serena instead?”
Leah shook her head and said, “Sure, Ms. Serena. Let’s get to work.”
Serena knew Leah was teasing her and said, “Don’t laugh. What’s going on with you and Han? Don’t try to tell me there’s nothing going on between you two. I saw him driving you here. Have you decided to accept him?”
Leah decided to ignore her and called Susan, “Ms. Victor, my new office is ready now. Do you want to visit when you are free?”
After moving to a new office, Leah wanted to organize a celebratory dinner. She must invite Susan since she was her partner.
Susan immediately accepted her invitation.
After the call, Serena asked Leah, “Didn’t she like you? Will Han want her at dinner?”
Serena saw how scary Han could be when he was jealous. She even had a nightmare that night. She
wondered how Leah survived living with him.
Leah did not mind, “Isn’t it just a meal? Everyone will be there.”
When it was time to get off work, Leah sent a text to Han asking him not to pick her up because of the celebratory dinner. Since Han did not reply, she thought he agreed.
Leah brought her staff and Susan to a restaurant to celebrate. However, she was not happy when she saw Han sitting beside her with Ben standing behind Han.
“Why are you two here?” Leah did not remember inviting them. She wondered if there was a mole among them since Han and Ben knew the venue and exact time of their reservation.
Leah looked at Serena. Serena quickly waved and said, “It’s not me. I don’t know who told them that we are having dinner here.”
Ben tried to suppress his smile and explained, “The owner of this restaurant is close to Mr. Howard. He will tell us immediately when he has news of you.”
Serena was irritated by Ben’s smile, “Stop pretending. I knew you were smiling just now.”
Han looked at Ben who was standing behind him and said, “Let’s eat together.” He usually treated his subordinates like his own sibling, so Ben sat beside Han with Serena opposite him.
Leah saw how Serena wanted to complain about Ben again and said, “Forget it. Let’s eat together since they are already here.”
Meanwhile, Susan and Han were locking horns.
“Some people might look like nice entrepreneurs, but they are in fact very shameless. They just appear without an invitation…” Susan said while cutting her steak.
Serena agreed with Susan, but she dared not nod in agreement. After all, Han gave them the office building.
Han was not happy as well. He said to Susan, “If you don’t like it, you may leave. Sarah is already a married woman, yet you still pursue her. Will those few old men in the Victor family forgive you for that?”
Susan choked after hearing Han mention her family, “This is my personal relationship. It’s none of their business. I’m not a player like you who uses various identities to cheat a little girl.”
Han was getting angry when he heard that, he gripped his fork tightly and was ready to stab Susan’s face with it. Leah was scared. She held his hands and said, “Don’t be reckless. Just eat your food”
She was really troubled. First, there was Han and now she also had to deal with Susan.
Leah said, “She didn’t say she likes me so can you calm down?” Han nodded.
Ben was surprised by how obedient Han was. He knew his boss loved Leah, but he was amazed at the power of love that turned a demon into who he was right now. He decided not to fall in love with anyone.
Since Han was ignoring Susan, she turned her attention to Leah, “Sarah, how about a glass of wine?”
“Sure.” Before Leah could take the glass from Susan, Han snatched it away and drank all the wine.
Susan did not want to trouble Leah anymore and stopped asking her to drink. The atmosphere was awkward. Everyone was only eating their own food.
All of them finally returned home at midnight. Serena had been drinking the whole night, so she was quite drunk now.
She hugged a telephone pole and said, “Sarah… Why are you so strong? Let’s go home…”
Leah tried to suppress her laughter and recorded the whole thing. Then, he said to Han, “Let me send her back.” However, Han took her hand and said, “We’ll send her back together.”
Serena would go crazy after she was drunk. Ben and Leah spent a lot of effort carrying her inside the car and taking her back home.
“Serena, I’m sorry. I can’t stay here to take care of you. Carlotta is alone at home…” Leah apologized before she went home.
Serena was sober now. She smiled and said, “It’s alright. I’m not drunk, I’m very sober…” Then, she lay on the bed and slept. Leah was no longer worried and went home with Han after she heard Serena snoring.
Ben sent them back to Villa Victoria and prepared to go home. Then, he received a call. He was shocked when he saw the caller’s name, “Ms. Serena, what is it?”
Chapter 448 Infatuation
Ben answered the call and drove off in a rush.
Meanwhile, Leah was drowsy and fell asleep on the bed. She was very tired from all the interviews. All she could do was reach out and try to massage her back. Then, she heard the door open, “Mrs. Fisher, is it you…”
The person said nothing and approached Leah. A pair of hands started to massage her waist and legs. It was so comfortable for Leah. She did not even suspect who was giving her the message until she felt the long fingers brushing her neck.
“Han?” She sat up immediately.
Han frowned slightly after seeing her reaction. “It’s not like we haven’t slept before. Am I that scary?”
The fact that Han would massage someone patiently was scary to Leah. She took a deep breath and said, “Thank you. I’m fine now. Go back to your room.”
Han grinned and said, “My room? Everything in this villa belongs to me, including you.”
Leah pretended to be calm and said, “If you like this room so much, you can sleep here. I will sleep with Carlotta…”
She turned around and tried to leave before she finished speaking, but Han pulled her towards him.
“Carlotta is asleep. She doesn’t need you to sleep with her, but I’m still awake.”
Both of them were close together as the room was getting hotter.
Leah’s heart was beating extremely fast. She tried as much as possible to avoid looking into Han’s eyes, “No, let me go…”
Her struggles had no effect on Han. He hugged her and covered both of them in a blanket.
For some time, nothing happened. Leah looked at Han again and saw his eyes closed. She was so embarrassed because she thought something would happen. She whispered to herself, “He really just wants to sleep…”
Before she could feel relieved, he heard Han’s voice saying, “What else? If you want to do something else, it’s fine by me but it’s already late. You better keep your perverted thoughts aside.”
Leah was so embarrassed that her face was blushing.
The next day, Leah was woken up by her phone. Han woke up as well. He was very annoyed. Leah answered the call.
“Serena, you were drunk last night. Why are you awake so early?”
There was no answer. Leah thought she had no signal. Before she could hang up and call Serena again, she heard Serena sobbing, “Sarah, I’m done for…”
Leah thought something serious had happened, so she quickly asked “What’s wrong? Calm down and tell me.”
Serena had always been helping her in the past. It was Leah’s turn to help her now. When Leah was prepared to go all out to help her, Serena said something that shocked and stunned Leah.
“I…” She cried.
“Tell me.”
When she heard Leah’s comforting voice, Serena shouted, “I slept with Ben!”
Leah did not know how to react for a while before saying, “What did you do to whom?” Leah was pretty sure she had heard wrongly.
After all, it was Ben who sent her and Han back home after they sent Serena home.
Serena repeated seriously, “I did sleep with Ben. After all of you went home last night, I called him here again.”
Leah was stunned. Her phone dropped on the floor. She did not know what to say.
“Sarah! Come to my house and accompany me!”
Leah snapped back to her senses and replied, “All right. I’ll head over immediately.”
She left after telling Han.
Han also frowned and called Ben, “What’s going on between you and Serena?” He could not believe it. After waking up, his assistant ended up sleeping with someone else.
Leah arrived at Serena’s house and walked past her house’s mess toward her.
Leah was shocked to see her in that state, “Serena, what happened last night? Don’t be scared. If it was Ben who forced you, we will sue him.” Leah was furious and thought it was Ben who started it. She thought he was just the same as his boss and must have learned it from Han.
Han was blamed once again for something he did not do.
However, Serena cried and shook her head, “No. I was the one who did it to him. That is the reason why I feel that my reputation is ruined…”
She wanted to kill herself after she remembered what she did to Ben.
“You?” Leah could not believe what Serena said, but she did not seem to be lying.
Serena nodded and told her what happened last night, “After you went home, I was feeling uncomfortable and wanted to call you to ask you to send me medicine. For some reason, I called Ben’s number. After that, I’m sure you know. When you’re drunk, it’s easy to fall for someone. I thought he was gentle since he did send me medicine after I accidentally called him. Then, I kissed him and forced myself onto him…”
Leah gulped and said, “What do you think of him now? Do you want to be with him?”
Chapter 449 A Massive Tree
"Get together with him?" Serena stared at Leah as if she had just suggested something unspeakable. Her voice was rather shrill as she clapped Leah on the shoulder just a little too hard. "Sarah, this is the modern era, you know. All we did was have a one-night stand; you shouldn't have such a conservative mentality! Anyway, I don't want to get together with him. He's been working for Han for ages, which means he's as wily an old fox as his employer and can't be trusted!"
Seeing that Serena was so adamantly against the idea, Leah did not force the issue. "Very well then. Do you feel sore or uncomfortable? Would you like me to make you some breakfast?"
Serena smiled suddenly and threw her arms around Leah in a big hug, rubbing her cheek against her friend's shoulder like a cat. "See, being together with you is much better. I don't want to hang around people like Ben Wright. Let's just consider this chapter closed, alright? It never happened!"
Leah remained at Serena's place for the entire day. In the late evening, Han came to take her home.
The bleak winter landscape flashed past as they drove, and the cold, dry air seeped in through the slightly open window. Leah rubbed her hands together and rolled the window closed. "Where's Mr. Wright?" She was a little perplexed because Han was driving instead.
Han shot her a bland look. "He's lost his innocence, that's for sure. I gave him some time off. What did Serena say? Is she willing to get together with him?"
Leah shook her head. "No. She said she'll treat it as though nothing happened…"
Before she could finish speaking, Han's sardonic chuckle interrupted her. "Heh. As far as these matters are concerned, the two of you are astoundingly similar. Both of you don't bother taking responsibility for your actions."
This was something Leah did not want to hear. Frowning, she retorted, "Serena might have initiated things, but in this kind of affair, she's the one who has to bear the consequences, right?" Besides, the two of them are adults. Surely something like this can be handled a little more liberally?"
Han's gaze grew slightly chillier, and his grip on the steering wheel involuntarily tightened. "That's what you think as well?"
For whatever reason, this made Leah feel a bit guilty. She looked a little puzzled as she answered, "Something like that, anyway. It depends on the situation…" Why was he trying to drag her into this when it had nothing to do with her at all?
Han gave a grim little smile but said nothing more, and the tension in the car gradually subsided.
Leah honestly had no idea why he was upset. Weren't things like that in society nowadays? She was merely being truthful.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Villa Victoria.
The minute she set foot through the door, Leah caught sight of a haggard-looking Ben. In one night, he had undergone a startling transformation; it was as if he had aged ten years. She felt a pang of anxiety. What on earth had Serena done to torment the poor man into such a state…?
"Ms. White, is Ms. Coleman…" Ben asked, hesitating before approaching her.
Now that she was face-to-face with the man himself, Leah could not bring herself to break his heart by telling him what Serena had said. It would be too cruel. Instead, she chose to approach the matter from another angle. "Mr. Wright, the two of you haven't previously had much contact with each other, so there shouldn't be any sort of mutual feeling, right?"
Ben gave this careful consideration. "To be honest, even before yesterday, I've always regarded Ms. Coleman as an attractive, generous young woman. I've thought that way about her all along. Last night, though, when she complained of gastric pains and asked me to get her some medicine, I was quite worried, but at the same time, I felt happy that she felt she could rely on me under those circumstances. Just now, Mr. Howard explained that I might have developed feelings for her some time ago…"
Leah gave Han a long, meaningful look. "So that's what Mr. Howard told you…" If Han had just kept his mouth shut, Ben would have remained happily ignorant without the heartache that would come from learning the truth.
Han guessed what she was thinking and smiled again sardonically. "Leah, love and affection are seeds. Once they take root and sprout, they'll eventually grow into a massive tree. Lying to yourself and saying that it's mere carelessness will only result in irreparable harm; once you've let the opportunity slip by, you'll regret it, but you can never get it back. I should know better than anyone. I don't want Ben to experience the same regrets that I did."
Ben had stuck with him through thick and thin and was practically family. Now that the young man had met someone he truly liked, Han wanted nothing more than for them to be happy.
His tone was very cold; his meaning was unmistakably clear.
Leah knew that Han was referring to their own past, and she felt the pangs of old heartaches. Pressing her lips together, she did not say anything else.
Han noticed her silence but turned toward Ben. "Serena doesn't have feelings for you at the moment, but if you like her, then by all means pursue her and try your luck."
A trace of hurt flickered over Ben's expression. With a desolate smile, he replied, "I'll try."
At this point, the TV set in the room suddenly blared out the headlines for the national news.
"Princess Anna is engaged to Prince Ricardo! Wedding to take place in a month!"
Upon hearing Anna's name, Leah, Han, and Ben simultaneously turned to stare at the TV screen. Ben was the most astonished of the three to discover that Anna had become engaged so quickly to the prince of the neighboring country of Zardova. He had seen for himself from the start how obsessed Anna had been with Han and to what lengths her pursuit of him had gone. How could she forget him so easily?
Ben had worked for Han long enough to develop his employer's shrewdness; instinctively, he sensed that there was more to the matter than met the eye.
"Boss, once Fetriybia and Zardova become allied through marriage, they're sure to establish a trade embargo. That’s almost certainly going to cut our ties with Veyris. If that happens, it's going to result in massive losses for both the Kendrick Group and the Howard Group!"
Geographically, Fetriybia and Zardova were in extremely strategic locations; they occupied the two biggest trading ports in Veyris. As the third global economic power, Veryris had a huge consumer market. If Fetriybia and Zardova declared a trade embargo, then Han would suffer considerable losses.
"Prepare for it; that will suffice." Han was a big name in the business world. Something insignificant like this did not worry him at all. His gaze grew grim, and his mouth tightened. "Have you managed to locate Shawn Ford?"
Ever since Shawn's laboratory had been destroyed and his scheme utterly ruined, there had been no news of him, aside from when he engineered Leah's kidnapping. Han was certain the man would stage a comeback at some point. Before that happened, he wanted to annihilate him once and for all.
Ben looked grave. "We haven't been able to find any trace of him at all, Boss. It's like the earth has swallowed him up. I'm planning to have the Kendrick Group investigate from overseas."
"Alright. If you're too busy, you can pass your most recent assignments to Ross." Han nodded.
Ben's eyes were damp as he blurted out, "Thank you, Boss!" His employer had become so caring and considerate; love could truly change a person!
For the next few days, Leah was kept busy, so she temporarily set aside all thoughts of Ben and Serena's situation. Now that the company had expanded, the workload had increased as well. There were over a dozen new departments set up, and each department had at least ten or twenty employees. Every day, there were so many things to take care of that she wanted to scream, but the payoff was significant and rewarding.
Her assistant came hurrying to her with some good news. "Ms. White! Today we managed to acquire another four or five new collaborative projects!"
Chapter 450 Important Contest Matters
Leah did not seem surprised at all by the news. Smiling, she nodded. "Thank you. You've put in a lot of work for this." The designs that her studio produced were novel, innovative, and reasonably priced; it was only natural that they would be very popular on the market.
At the same time, a storm was brewing in the CEO's office at the Frey Corporation building.
"All of you are useless! Don't we have any better designers? Where the hell has this Dream Designs company sprung up from? They've taken away a ton of our collaborative projects!"
Documents were strewn all over the floor. The terrified secretary, who had been yelled at until they were shaking in their shoes, plucked up enough courage to stammer, "S…sir, this isn't exactly our fault either. It's just that Dream Designs' work is outstanding, and their prices are very reasonable. Perhaps we can consider lowering our prices as well?"
This suggestion, unfortunately, did not find favor at all with the middle-aged, bald CEO. With a ferocious expression on his pudgy, greasy face, he snarled, "Lower our prices? Do you know how much we'll lose if we drop our prices by just ten cents, even? Go and hire some of those internationally famous designers! I don't believe that one ramshackle little fledgling company like that can compete with us! We've been established for over ten years! The Frey Corporation has dominated the market from the start, and now this upstart Dream Designs has suddenly made off with part of our share. I'm extremely upset about this. Find a way to get their person in charge here. I want to have a talk with them!"
The frazzled, trembling secretary immediately went to the computer and looked up the available information on Dream Designs.
"Sir, this company was just established this year. The person in charge is Sarah White, along with the well-known international jewelry designer Cindy. Their CEO is Serena Coleman, who is also a globally- renown designer…"
Bernard Carter, the middle-aged, bald CEO, paused and scrunched his brow in deep thought. "Why do those two names sound so familiar? Sarah White…wait, isn't she that Han Howard fellow's wife? Her husband's already been arrested; why is she still able to establish a company?"
The secretary explained, "Apparently they didn't formally register their marriage. Furthermore, Mr. Howard backs her up in this and he's also Mr. Hendrik. That's more than enough to keep her safe and out of trouble."
Bernard gave a start. "Now I remember. She was the woman that Mr. Hendrik was protecting. However, it's also been established beyond doubt that Han Howard and Mr. Hendrik are one and the same. If that's the case, we can't use ordinary measures to deal with Dream Designs. Alright, listen up. The International Design Contest is happening in a month…" The CEO leaned closer to his secretary. In a muffled tone, he muttered his orders and a venomous look flashed through his eyes.
Evening came, and the sun's fading rays were hidden behind the clouds.
Serena stopped Leah, who was getting ready to leave the office. She looked rather agitated. "Sarah, that Mr. Wright messaged me. He said he'll meet me here and take me home. Is he insane or something? I've already laid out everything clearly for him, and he still wants to bother me every day! Call Han and get him to send the fellow away…"
Regretfully, Leah shook her head. "I'm telling you, those two are of the same mind. Han was insistent that Mr. Wright try his luck with you. I only said a few words the last time, and he got mad at me."
Serena sagged, looking as if she would die on the spot. "Oh, alright, alright. I'll have to leave quietly by the back door. You have to cover for me, okay?"
As Leah went with Serena to the back door, she asked, "The International Design Contest is coming up. Do you want to take part?"
Serena pulled herself together and gave this some consideration. "I can't go. If that Mr. Wright finds out about my travel plans, he's going to show up and bother me every day. You'd better go this time. Our company is very new, and it's essential that we gain some sort of global recognition."
Leah nodded. "Well, the contest information states that each participating company can only send one person anyway. We have so many people in the company now; we'll need to hold an internal design competition to choose the best person for the event. We've been steadily expanding the business for the last two months, which is excellent. If we manage to place in the International Design Contest, we'll be able to get support funding from the government, and we'll be listed in the Top 50 Who's Who rankings for new, influential companies. That will boost our popularity significantly."
The International Design Contest this time was a crucial event.
After Leah had seen Serena off, she went back to her own office and began drafting plans for the studio's internal design competition. She had just worked out the schedule for the entire event when Susan called her on the phone.
"Sarah, I noticed your company has registered for the International Design Contest. Are you sending in your design, then?'
Leah shook her head as she wrote down a few names. "I don't know yet. We need to hold an internal company-wide competition first. If there's anyone who shows greater potential, I'll have them represent the company in the Contest."
Susan could not help feeling worried about this. "Dream Designs is a newly-established company. This is a crucial period for you; I don't think it's wise to let someone else handle something so important. Not
only that, if you lose, you won't be able to get governmental support funding or be listed in the Who's Who for new, influential companies."
Naturally, Leah was aware of how important the International Design Contest was. "I know. It's just that if I enter the competition and don't place, it will certainly affect the solidarity within the company. Anyway, if there's someone here who's even more talented than I am, I plan to let them represent Dream Designs; I'll stay here and see to any company matters."
Susan sighed at Leah's insistence. "You'd better be extra discerning then," she advised. "Don't send anyone with a questionable background or credentials. I'm not trying to be an alarmist or scare you; I'm telling you this as someone who's been in the business for a long time. There are deep waters in this industry, deeper than you might think."
Her concern warmed Leah's heart. "I'll be careful, I promise. Thank you."
After hanging up, she was about to continue drawing up several plans when she heard someone coming into the room.
"Aren't you coming home?"
Han's sudden appearance in her own office gave Leah a fright. "Didn't the front desk stop you?" She had given clear instructions that Han was not allowed to come in as and when he pleased.
Han gave a derisive snort. "Who's going to stop me? Anyway, this building belongs to me."
Leah's forehead creased. "You gave it to me, so it's mine. I'll pay you back for the rent or hand the building back to you someday, I promise!"
Han lifted his brows. "Well, yes, the building is yours, but you're mine." To him, there was no difference.
He was not aware of it, but his voice had taken on a slight teasing note, and Leah's cheeks turned faintly pink. Now that this man's secret identity had been exposed, he was not even bothering to pretend anymore. It was as if he had become an entirely different person.
In the blink of an eye, however, he seemed to revert to what he had been in the past when he had been pursuing Leah.
"Why don't you go home first? I've still got some work to finish up here." Leah deliberately turned her gaze away. A trace of embarrassment flickered in her eyes, gone in a flash.
However, Han took hold of her wrist, stony-faced, and drew her to the door with him. "You need to balance work and rest, you know."
Leah put up only a token resistance, then abandoned the struggle altogether. Once they were out of the room, however, she was not prepared for the sudden temperature drop after the warmth of her office. She immediately cowered behind Han, shivering.
Han saw her ducking behind him out of the corner of his eye, reached out, and enfolded her in his arms. "If you're cold, you should stop being shy and make the first move."