Chapter 1916


    Ernest stopped breathing


    He studied Norval''s face. His eyes sharpened as he intensified his re on the man


    Norval only raised his eyebrows slightly. He didn''t seem to mind Ernest''s intense re.


    He evenughed and said, "See, you can''t even refute it, right? You don''t have the advantage I have. I have more time to spend with her than you


    do."


    Ernest really couldn''t deny it. He knew that he and Leah had to experience being separated for a long time without each other''spany.


    Norval''s words showed that he understood their situation.


    It seemed that the man had done some work in advance and nned everything to his own advantage.


    However, Ernest wasn''t someone to be trifled with. He was rather intelligent, but he was good at hiding it. It seemed that it was time to reveal his


    strength.


    "Leah and I indeed have to spend a lot of time apart, but so what? Either way, we are in love with each other.” Locking at Norval, Ernest''s eyes were


    confident


    Leah did not like Norval and did not want to have any connections with the Qualls family. She was better off without them.


    Norval was stunned but then he smiled and said, "Mr. Jones, there are many people in this world who are in love with each other. In the end, they end


    up breaking up because they were unable to handle long-distance rtionships. You''re being a little too confident. Do you really think that you two


    would be the exception to a breakup?”


    Norval didn''t restrain himself because of what Ernest said. He started to take on a more aggressive tone as he continued to speak.


    Ernest smiled and retorted, "You can''t find other reasons to persuade me, can you? Now you''re just trying to make things difficult for us. But you


    seem to forget that Leah and I have deep feelings for each other. Nothing like what you said will happen to us. And I believe that even if it did happen,


    Leah and I will be able to eventually ovee these difficulties with cur own abilities.”


    Norvalughed.


    Ernest smiled back at him. They looked at each other with challenging glints in their eyes.


    Norval smiled and said, "So, you''re really nning to marry Leah?"


    Ernest smiled and replied, "l don''t need to tell you anything. You are nobody to Leah."


    "If you guys end up getting married, we''ll be family, won''t we?" Norval asked.


    Ernest shrugged. "That means that you''ve admitted your defeat, then? You don''t think that you are destined to be with Leah anymore?”


    Norval was stunned for a moment before his lips curled into a sharp smile. "Mr. Jones, you''re really smart. You can easily grasp the loopholes in my


    words. No wonder you''re a top student in a famous university."


    Ernest didn''t care for thepliment. He just smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Qualls, you are also rather eloguent. But I suppose [''ll leave everything up


    to Leah when the timees."


    "You haven''t answered my question yet," Norval said, "You haven''t given me a straight answer because you don''t really want to marry Leah, right?


    You''re just ying with Leah''s feelings.”


    "I''ve told you that this is between Leah and me. It has nothing to do with you.” Ernest thought that it was unnecessary to talk about this with Norval


    He and Leah would eventually get married. From the beginning of their rtionship, he had been faithful to Leah. He believed that Leah already


    knew.


    However, since he chose to keep quiet on the matter, Norval seemed to have found something on him. He continued, "Look at that, you still can''t give


    me a straight answer. You''re not sure if Leah will agree to be your wife, that''s why you''re so hesitant.”


    Ernest chuckled. "The more you talk, the less I will entertain you.”


    The two of them bickered with each other at the entrance of Norval''s room,pletely ignorant of the fact that the room next door had opened


    slightly. Leah was just about to walk out when she heard the conversation between Ernest and Norval.


    At that moment, she stopped and did not walk further.


    She stood at the door, listening to their argument.


    "You don''t want to answer me because you don''t have the guts!” Norvalughed mockingly. "It''s because you are just ying with Leah''s feelings.


    You don''t want to be responsible for her in the future.”


    Ernest chuckled and said, "No matter what, Leah is still my girlfriend. Stay away from her.” "If you want me to stay away from Leah, then tell me how


    true your feelings are for her," Norval said in a low voice again


    Ernest nced at Norval with a smile on his lips. "It seems that you''re not nning to give up. No matter what I answer, you will interfere with our


    rtionship.”


    "You''re right." Norval chuckled lowly. "As long as you seem even the slightest bit unfaithful to Leah, it means that I will still have a chance."


    Ernest frowned.


    Norval spoke again, word for word,


    ina detonmined tone, "As long as


    you are notsincere to Leah, she will


    figure it out. She''s really smart. Onee


    she finds out, she will leave youfor


    good: You dare not admit that you


    don''t want to marry her in front of


    ree. If she knows this, shewil


    definitely break up with you."


    Ernest sneered again. "Leah knows if my feelings for her are true or not. As for you, Mr. Qualls, there is no need for you to know what''s going on


    between me and her."


    Norval nced at Ernest from the corner of his eye and looked at the door next door. "Come on, just admit it. You don''t have any intention of marrying


    her, right? You''re just ying with her."


    "Whether I marry her or not is none of your business. You don''t even stand a chance," said


    Ernest coldly.


    He didn''t like being goaded. The more Norval acted like this, the less likely he was to answer his question.


    "I''m afraid [UE just wishful


    thinking." Noval smiled, and the


    yfulnessin his eyes deepened. He


    looked past Ernest''s shoulder lgles


    started-to say, "Leah is really a fool.


    She actually fell in love with a: rich


    young master like you. If shy knew


    that you didn''t want to marry her,


    she would probably be very sad.”


    Ernest sneered, "You keep criticizing my rtionship with Leah. You want Leah to hear about this, don''t you? You can forget that. I have never


    intended to toy with Leah. She is the only woman I will ever love in this life.”


    As soon as he finished, Ernest


    looked at Norval again with sharp


    eyes. "Mr. Qua Is, you said that you


    liked Leahsince you were young.


    Why didnt you take her back to yeur


    houseat that time? You let herstay


    away from her biological mather and


    livea life of torture caused by her


    stepmother. You should''ve realized


    at the time that the two of you would


    never be able to be together.”


    Norval pursed his lips as if Ernest had hit a sore spot.


    Ernest continued to speak in a cold voice, no longer holding back.


    "Mr. Qualls, I think that if the Qualls family had any sincerity in this matter you guys would have taken her back home to stay with her mother. Perhaps


    if you had done that, Leah would have fallen in love with you after years ofpanionship.”


    Ernest continued, "However, the truth is that Leah had not met such a nice fate. Her mother had ended up raising another man''s son instead.’N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    "Leah had no contact with her own mother at all. Her mother had raised you. While you were basking in her mother''s care, Leah was being bullied by


    her stepmother. You and your father selfishly kept Leah''s mother to yourselves as a happy little family,” said Ernest.


    "How could Leah love someone like you if that is the case? Do you still have any conscience left? Now that she has finally found love with me, you


    still want to mess it up.”


    "Mr. Qualls, I have to admit that you''re a smart man. However, you have misjudged the situation this time."


    "You''re too confident in yourself. You''ve overestimated your importance to Leah. You''ve also underestimated Leah''s disgust and hatred towards you."


    Norval pursed his lips and said, "Mr. Jones, you''re really eloquent, aren''t you? Well, what about you then? Are your feelings for Leah really sincere?”


    "Of course, they are.” There was a sharpness in Ernest''s eyes. "I''m done talking nonsense with you. Mr. Qualls, you''re a smart man. You should know


    how to proceed after this."


    After that, he turned to leave,


    "Hold on," Norval suddenly said in a low voice.


    Ernest turned to look at him at that. "Mr. Qualls, is there anything else?"


    "Remember this. If you do anything to hurt Leah, I won''t let you off,” Norval said threateningly.


    Ernest chuckled. "You don''t have the right to talk to me like that unless Leah confirms that she views you as her older brother.”


    After saying that, he left


    When he reached the door to his room, he saw Leah standing by the door with red eyes.


    He did not seem surprised to see her. It was as if he had already known that Leah was standing right at the door. That was why he had said those


    words.