Love's Change of Heart

Chapter 80

The dim glow from the moon illuminated the man's sharp nose, thin lips, and defined jaw. He tilted his head up a little to look at the sky, but he didn't seem to realize her presence. Leanna's first instinct was to turn and run away, but she saw Jonathan standing some distance away from her. He gave her a curt nod.

Leanna was speechles; she had no choice but to walk toward Aidan before stopping in front of him. "What are you doing here, President Pearson?" she asked.

He didn't move from his seating position and simply spoke in a voice that sounded even more sinister than usual. "Did you tell Jonathan to send you my schedule?"

She didn't know what to say in response. He can just say that he doesn't want to share it if he doesn't feel comfortable with the idea. Why is he being so petty? Leanna didn't know what he wanted from her, so she stood around for a while before questioning him again. "When did you get here, President Pearson? Have you eaten? If you haven't, we could—"

"When he said his parents were teachers back in his hometown," Aidan stated out of nowhere. Leanna frowned as she processed his words for a moment. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Aidan gradually turned around before staring at her blankly. "I just happened to overhear you guys talking. If you were so afraid of being heard, you guys should have whispered to each other behind locked doors," he commented. Leanna had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. She didn't want to get all petty with him.

"I'm surprised to see that you actually seem attractive to other men. There was that engagement with Zayn a while ago, and there's now a man who's willing to take responsibility for the baby. Men are just

streaming into your life!" Aidan continued.

"Well, it's still nothing in comparison to all the women you have in your arms, President Pearson," she retorted. He was speechless for a moment, but he then scanned the outfit that she was wearing before pressing his brows together. "What are you wearing?"

She flicked her hair back and looked away while speaking. "It's fashion—you wouldn't understand it." He scoffed and stood up to fix his shirt before walking past her and leaving the site. She stood in her spot for a few more seconds before she turned around. By then, Aidan was already bending down to get into the black Maybach that was parked nearby. She was still rather dazed even after the car drove off. Did he leave just like that? Didn't he come here to interrogate me? Or did he just come here to criticize me because he was in a bad mood? I don't understand, she thought.

When Leanna got home, Naomi was watering the plants on the front porch.

"Did you clarify things with that person?" Naomi asked without looking at the woman who had just walked into the house.

"Yeah," Leanna replied after some silence.

Naomi stood up straight. "Well, if my guess is right, you rejected Harry, didn't you? Why do you still seem so gloomy if everything has been dealt with?"

Leanna parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but she hesitated for a long time without finding the right words. "I bumped into my ex-husband on the way home," she finally uttered.

"Did you guys get into a fight?" Naomi asked.

Leanna shook her head. "He just showed up out of nowhere and made some odd comments before leaving. I don't even know what he was doing there."

"Maybe he misses you," Naomi uttered flatly.

Leanna gazed at Naomi quietly. "Don't say that, Ms. Fletcher. You're scaring me," Leanna finally said.

"Well, you guys are divorced, yet he came all the way to Highside just to see you, didn't he?" Naomi said.

Leanna sat on the chair and looked up to the skies before sighing. "I don't know what's going on in his mind. He often acts in an incomprehensible manner, yet he'll somehow find a way to rationalize it. One way or another, it's a fact that he hates me."

"Are you an idiot? Why would he marry you if he hates you?" Naomi asked while she continued watering her plans.

"Well, things were… complicated back then. I got pregnant, and his parents forced him to get married. This made him see me as a manipulative, scheming woman who went out of her way to get what she wanted," Leanna explained.

"Did you clarify things with him after that?" Naomi asked.

"I did, but he doesn't trust me. He still thinks I'm finding excuses for myself," Leanna replied. Naomi let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, I guess the divorce is good news if he doesn't trust you."

"That's true." Leanna sprawled on the table and gazed into the distance as she spoke. "But I have a feeling that his attitude toward me has changed after we divorced—he's even weirder nowadays. I can't understand him at all," she uttered.

"How immature," Naomi commented with a smile. Leanna nodded in response. That b*stard is pretty immature sometimes, she thought.

…

The next morning, Leanna heard the sound of hushed voices outside the window the moment she woke up. Everyone seemed to be discussing some serious matter as they all had stern looks on their faces. After she got out of bed and washed up, she headed out to join the group of middle-aged women who were chit-chatting outside. "What is it?" she asked.

Wendy, the lady next door, responded in a whisper. "I heard that there's a developer who's about to purchase our land and turn it into a resort."

"This is way too sudden. I've never heard any news about this in the past. If they demolish this area, then where are we going to stay?" another lady asked.

"Yeah. We've stayed here for decades, and our children are no longer in town. Where are we supposed to stay?" someone commented. NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.

"This area is definitely going to change if this building is turned into a resort. I'm afraid it'll be hard to find another place like this that's suited for retirees," one lady uttered.

"I know, right? The air is clean, and the environment here is so good. I don't want to leave!" someone said. Leanna seemed to realize something after hearing all their words. I think I know why Aidan came yesterday. He isn't going to set me free, after all. Leanna pressed her lips together as she turned around to leave.

She had only taken a few steps away when Naomi came out of their house. "Where are you going this early in the morning?" she asked.

"I… have some stuff to deal with," Leanna replied. "I'll head out now, Ms. Fletcher. Don't count me in for lunch."

Naomi nodded. "Slow down. What's the rush?" Leanna slowed down and took a breath upon hearing Naomi's words. Her footsteps were no longer as hurried after that. She texted Jonathan to ask him where they were, and Jonathan seemed to have been prepared for this question—he sent her the location of a hotel almost immediately.

Leanna gritted her teeth as she waited by the side of the road to hail a cab. Once she got to the entrance of the hotel, she was about to go in when she saw Aidan coming out with a group of people around him. She caught sight of Harry in the group.

However, Harry didn't seem to notice her. He received the news from his superiors once he arrived at work that morning—a huge figure from Highside had the thought of building a resort in the area. Harry's leader sent him and a few other colleagues to escort the well-known person paying a visit.

When Leanna saw the large group of people, she took a step back and hid in a corner before texting Jonathan again. 'When will you guys be done?' she asked.

'Not any time soon. It'll probably end at night,' Jonathan replied. 'President Pearson says that you can wait for him in his room if you have something to say,' he added.

Leanna was speechless. Who does this guy think I am? she thought. After taking a deep breath, she jabbed her fingers against her phone screen to type her message. 'Thank you for the offer. I don't need it!' After texting the text, she stormed off angrily.

After sending her text, she stormed back in the direction she came from. When she got to her next destination, she emerged from the cab to find that there were about 8 black cars waiting around by the two sides of the peaceful river. One of the cars was the black Maybach that Aidan had sat in the day before.