Chapter 104


    Chapter 104


    “You’re not twelve years old,” grumbled Joy, her tone dripping with disdain, “and yet you’re ying this


    cliquey game of ‘if you’re friends with me, you can’t be friends with her.”


    Every day, Selina would cling to Joy, insisting they share a meal, but when she faced Suzan, she


    suddenly couldn’t own up to it.


    And did Suzan even give a hoot about her little fan girl, Selina? During Selina’s days in the hospital,


    how often did Suzan grace her with a visit?


    Leanne yanked her wrist from Curtis’ grasp and called to Joy, “Let’s get out of here.”


    Before she left, Joy purposefully leaned close to Selina’s face, let out a hefty huff, and said, “Later,


    gator!”


    Leanne departed without a backward nce, leaving the remaining four in a silent tableau, three pairs


    of eyes trailing her exit.


    One pair wide with longing, another hesitating with unspoken words.


    Curtis’ expression was unreadable as he watched Leanne disappear beyond the door. He turned his


    gaze to Jeremy, a thin smirk ying on his lips that never quite reached his eyes, which remained a


    cold, detached hazel.


    “When did you get so chummy with my wife?”


    Jeremy was adept at responding in a way that wouldn’t create more issues for Leanne. “Selina seems


    to be around Leanne a lottely. I’ve run into them a few times when I was picking her up. But we’re not


    close.”


    “I see,” Curtis said indifferently, his voice trailing off with an implication, “You don’t need to


    be.”


    Then, Suzan spoke, “Curtis, Professor Harkins has arrived. We should head in.”


    Professor Harkins, fresh from the country and apanied by his student and assistant was busy


    discussing surgical techniques with Suzan at the table.


    Curtis sat back with a cigar between his fingers, only two puffs taken. The rest of it, untouched, pinched


    in his hand as he propped his temple, lost in thought.


    With her thin-skinned blushes, Leanne would turn a delicate shade of pink. But her earlobes were a


    different story. When they reddened, they resembled the lush hue of a ripe cherry, an allure that Curtis


    couldn’t resist teasing, knowing the sensitive spot would elicit a soft moan from her.


    With a gentle nasality, Leanne’s moans were endearing, stirring a protective instinct and a stronger,


    more possessive desire in him.


    Curtis was unsettled. Why was she blushing before another man?


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    Chapter 104


    Leanne was jolted awake by her ringing phone as she drifted off after her bath. After seeing Curtis’


    name on the caller ID, she muttered, “Weird.”


    What could he want in the middle of the night?


    She answered with a groggy, “What’s up?”


    “Why were you blushing?” Curtis asked.


    “What?” Leanne was initially perplexed, reflexively touching her cheek.


    Then, realization dawned. Leanne bolted upright in bed, scanning the ceiling while clutching her


    pajama top close, her voice rising defensively, “Did you put cameras in my house?”


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    “Am I that creepy?” Curtis snorted, “I’m talking about back at the diner. blushing?”


    Leanne éxhaled in relief, her fear momentarily giving her a chill.


    hy were you


    It wasn’t about being creepy, but calling in the middle of the night to ask such an inconsequential


    question was indeed unusual.


    “Why don’t you go help the street cleaners if you’re so bored?” she snapped back, her sleep disturbed.


    “I was just falling asleep.”


    “Answer my question, then sleep,” Curtis insisted, concerned, “What did Jeremy say to you?”


    “Crazy!” Leanne hung up, exasperated.


    Leanne got off work early from the hospital the next day and nned to hit the grocery store when she


    spotted a Lincoln parked under a roadside tree.


    A driver in a ck suit stood by the car, bowing as she approached.


    Leanne recognized him as the Richardson family’s chauffeur, usually seen with Maddox.


    But why would Maddox be waiting for her at the hospital?


    As she approached, the driver opened the car door. While bending down, she saw a warmly smiling


    face.


    “Mary?”


    “Oh, my dear girl, I’ve missed you something fierce!”


    Mary, at the age of seventy-nine, sat in the car wrapped in an extravagant fur-lined brocade coat,


    radiating regality and warmth.


    She smiled from ear to ear as she reached out to Leanne. “Hop in. It’s freezing out here!”


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