Love's Bitter Edge (Eva and Leonard)

To my surprise, Zack chose the same bar-Silent Bar-as the venue for our meet-up.

"A friend of mine owns this place. I'm here to show some support," he explained casually.

When he saw me, a flicker of something unreadable crossed his face-admiration, perhaps?

"Seems like life in Erewhon suits you. The surgery must have gone well, huh?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, thanks to all of you. Looks like I'll be sticking around for quite a while longer."

My health had indeed improved tremendously. Andrew liked to joke it was because he was so charming and my good mood kept me thriving. I'd laugh it off every time, but the truth was, I genuinely felt happy here.

I could breathe, work, and simply live away from all the mess back home. It was a gift I didn't take for granted-except for the occasional ache of missing my family and friends.

We chatted for a while before I noticed some familiar faces across the bar. My colleagues were gathered at a table, and unsurprisingly, Mackenzie was the center of attention. She had gone all out, wearing a designer cocktail dress that made her stand out even more. "Did you see something interesting?" Zack's voice pulled me back, and I realized he was following my gaze. "Do you know them?"

I nodded. "My colleagues."

He glanced at them again, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You're such a workaholic. Even in a place like this, you're thinking about the office?"

I smiled but didn't respond. In reality, I was the one benefiting from this arrangement. If not for Jack and Astrid, I wouldn't have much to do here other than pass the time quietly.

"Oh, by the way, how's Alisa doing? She must be pretty far along by now," I asked, shifting the topic.

At my question, Zack pulled out his phone eagerly. "Glad you reminded me. Your cousin is incredible walking into board meetings, belly and all, and still calling the shots like a pro."

He showed me a photo of her sitting

at the head of a conference table, exuding authority. Everyone around

her looked tense, not daring to breathe too loudly. "I snapped this at the fast meeting I attended.

Ov

Intimidating, huh?"

"But Julian mentioned her legs are swelling badly. She probably won't be able to keep working much longer."

He continued with a hint of amusement in his voice, "Because of your patents, Julian's standing in the Pope family has skyrocketed. His mom is even treating Alisa like a queen now." "Julian must be exhausted," I remarked.

"No kidding. Before I came here, he handed me a whole stash of things to bring to you. Poor guy's lost a lot of weight, and he's gearing up to manage the company now. It's getting harder for him to make it to the hospital regularly."

Zack shook his head with a rueful smile. "He's still grumbling about Leonard. He says if it weren't for him, you could've stayed at home to manage the company and take care of their kids. You could be closer to home."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. Julian wasn't the type to let his family obligations drag him into the company. It must've been Alisa's condition that forced his hand.

"He has his plans," I said, trailing off. We didn't push the topic further, but the mention of the Harmon family lingered in my mind.

Luca lost the power struggle and ended up in a psychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, Leonard emerged victorious, consolidating control over the company. It was clear he'd become the heir to the Harmon family.

I had anticipated Leonard's success as his skills made him the obvious choice, but Luca's downfall was shocking.

"How did Luca... end up like that?" I asked Zack, unable to hide my curiosity.

"He tried to take a shortcut," Zack said, sipping his drink. "He kidnapped Leonard's child."

The weight of his words sank in as he continued, his tone somber, "Amelia went to negotiate with him but accidentally pushed him off a building in the chaos."All rights © NôvelDrama.Org.