Love's Change of Heart

To grant Aidan more time to rest, she refrained from immediately calling him. Instead, she enjoyed her

meal, consumed the medicine, tidied up the kitchen, and changed her attire. Only then did she

approach Aidan to rouse him from sleep before departing.

While standing by his side, Leanna whispered, "Breakfast is still warm in the pot. You can eat it when

you wake up. I'll be heading to the studio first."

With her words spoken, she made a move to leave when he gently seized her wrist.

Aidan slowly sat up. "Wait for me. I'll go with you."

"It's alright, Zoe is waiting for me. I'll go with her," Leanna replied. After a brief pause, she added,

"You're still planning to go to the Crossley Group today, right?"

Aidan confirmed with a muffled sound, his gaze fixed on her as he spoke slowly. "You're a bit odd

today."

Leanna arched an eyebrow.

She paused for a few seconds, her eyes flickering before she involuntarily averted her gaze elsewhere.

Does he truly possess the nose of a dog? How else would he have detected the faint aroma of

medicinal herbs? Lost in her thoughts, Leanna instinctively lowered her head and sniffed herself.

That can't be possible. I changed my clothes, and I even wore perfume. There's no way I'm carrying

the scent of medicinal herbs.

Just as she was racking her brain and attempting to fathom where the flaw might lie, Aidan leaned in

closer, his breath warm against her skin. "You're oddly beautiful today."

Leanna was speechless. What is wrong with him?!

In that fleeting moment, Leanna's fist tightened, yearning to deliver a couple of blows to him.

Aidan's lips curved ever so slightly as he released her. "Alright, I won't jest with you any longer. You're

off to the studio, aren't you? Carry on."

Leanna took two steps, but she couldn't resist the urge to turn back. "You should refrain from using

those corny pick-up lines. Take a moment to reflect on your age. Those are meant for young couples in

the infatuation stage as a means to flirt and bridge the gap. When you use them, it just feels out of

place."

Aidan fell silent upon hearing her words.

Having won this round, Leanna found herself in high spirits. She hummed a tune as she departed.

On the way to the studio, Zoe noticed the constant smile adorning Leanna's face and asked, "Did

President Pearson share some secret wealth codes with you? Any chance you'd care to enlighten

me?"

Leanna became speechless, but she eventually snapped back to reality. "What nonsense are you

spouting? I merely exchanged a few words with him before leaving, and the way he was left

speechless was just too funny."

Zoe clicked her tongue. "Love leads people astray. I'll savor this serving of affection." With a shrug, she

added, "But I'm not envious in the least. After all, I have a boyfriend as well now."

Leanna paused. "You and Brandon…"

Zoe nodded, casually remarking, "We made it official last night."

Upon returning to her sanctuary, Zoe sensed the aroma of pizza still clinging to her, so she went to take

a bath.

After emerging from the toilet, she nestled into the embrace of the couch and reached for her phone; it

had a notification on it indicating a message sent from Brandon 10 minutes ago.

The text read, 'Zoe, after spending time together, you probably have a preliminary understanding of

me. I don't know what you think of me, but I genuinely regard you as an exceptional woman. I

recognize that our current acquaintance falls short of what is requisite for two individuals to embark

upon a romantic journey. Regardless, dating itself is a process of getting to know each other. I wonder

if you'd consider taking a step forward with me based on the current foundation.'

He followed up with another text, asking, 'Zoe, would you be willing to be my girlfriend?'

Zoe looked at the message and fell silent for a long time. She exited the chat with Brandon and scrolled

through countless conversations until she found Daniel's profile picture and tapped on it.

Little by little, she scrolled through their past chat records. Sometime later, she drew a deep breath and

resolutely deleted the remnants of their past exchanges.

Returning to Brandon's message thread, she composed her response, meticulously crafting each word.

'Certainly.'

With the dispatch of her reply, Zoe put down her phone and reclined on the couch. Let's consider this

as a fresh start for myself.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, Leanna busied herself with cleaning when a tiny toy tumbled to the

floor amidst her extraction of garments from the suitcase. Carefully setting aside the garments, she

slowly lowered herself onto the floor to pick the toy up.

The little guy was playing beside me when I was packing last night; he must have put it in there at that

time.

Clasping the toy within her palm, she became lost in her thoughts, sitting on the floor for an extended

interlude before rising to enter the bathroom.

After she finished showering and came out, Leanna opened another small bag and took out a box from

it that contained several sachets of medicinal herbs, accompanied by an array of syringes.

These were all given to her secretly by Waylen before she left.

Those were a week's worth. Waylen had repeatedly instructed her on how to take the medicine and

administer the injections; the medicinal herbs were to be taken twice a day, and the injections were to

be administered once a day.

Leanna let out a sigh and placed everything in the innermost compartment of the refrigerator, using

several food containers as a barrier.

Aidan was well aware of his limited culinary skills; he could at most do the dishes and prepare some

mushroom soup, though he had yet to be successful. For that reason, the odds of finding something

edible were a mere one percent when it came to opening the refrigerator. Besides, if something

obstructed his line of sight, it was guaranteed to escape his notice.

Leanna heated a sachet of medicine, and after consuming it, a wave of drowsiness washed over her. It

appeared that the medicine also possessed a soporific quality.

The moment Leanna's head grazed the pillow, she swiftly succumbed to slumber. She slept so soundly

that she remained oblivious to Aidan's return.

As she awakened, the world outside gleamed with morning's radiance, and the sun had already

ascended.

She stretched lazily and turned around as usual, only to find Aidan's eyes still sealed shut, his

wakefulness uncertain.

Without any need for contemplation, Leanna surmised that he must have returned late, and thus

refrained from calling out to him. Instead, she leaned closer and planted a tender kiss upon his lofty

nose bridge. But just as she prepared to rise, he gently held her waist and pulled Leanna into his

embrace.

In a low and husky voice that was tinged with weariness, the man uttered, "Secretly kissing me again,

huh?"

Leanna nestled against his chest, a mischievous smile adorning her lips. "I'm kissing you openly."

Gradually, Aidan opened his eyes, and his slender lips met hers. "Good morning."

"Good morning."

"What time did you come back last night? If you'd like, you can sleep a little longer. I'll call you when

breakfast is ready." Leanna glanced at her phone to check the time.

In a husky tone, Aidan replied, "I came back at 4.00AM."

Upon hearing his words, Leanna felt a sense of self-blame and guilt. "Is the situation with the Crossley

Group very tricky?"

Aidan held her tightly, closing his eyes once more before speaking slowly. "Not entirely, but the

Southwest Group is redirecting its course toward the domestic market, which brings about various

matters."

"Redirecting toward the domestic market?"

"Yes, it will facilitate things."

Leanna fell into a thoughtful silence, choosing not to press for further details. Instead, she gently eased

herself out of his embrace. "You go on sleeping. I'll wake you up later."

"Alright," Aidan murmured.

Leanna rose to her feet, tidied her hair, then entered the bathroom.

As she prepared breakfast, she retrieved a vial of medicine from the refrigerator and administered an

injection before disposing of the syringe in the trash bin. She then proceeded to heat the medicinal

herbs.

To grant Aidan more time to rest, she refrained from immediately calling him. Instead, she enjoyed her

meal, consumed the medicine, tidied up the kitchen, and changed her attire. Only then did she

approach Aidan to rouse him from sleep before departing.

While standing by his side, Leanna whispered, "Breakfast is still warm in the pot. You can eat it when

you wake up. I'll be heading to the studio first."

With her words spoken, she made a move to leave when he gently seized her wrist.

Aidan slowly sat up. "Wait for me. I'll go with you."

"It's alright, Zoe is waiting for me. I'll go with her," Leanna replied. After a brief pause, she added,

"You're still planning to go to the Crossley Group today, right?"

Aidan confirmed with a muffled sound, his gaze fixed on her as he spoke slowly. "You're a bit odd

today."

Leanna arched an eyebrow.

She paused for a few seconds, her eyes flickering before she involuntarily averted her gaze elsewhere.

Does he truly possess the nose of a dog? How else would he have detected the faint aroma of

medicinal herbs? Lost in her thoughts, Leanna instinctively lowered her head and sniffed herself.

That can't be possible. I changed my clothes, and I even wore perfume. There's no way I'm carrying

the scent of medicinal herbs.

Just as she was racking her brain and attempting to fathom where the flaw might lie, Aidan leaned in

closer, his breath warm against her skin. "You're oddly beautiful today."

Leanna was speechless. What is wrong with him?!

In that fleeting moment, Leanna's fist tightened, yearning to deliver a couple of blows to him.

Aidan's lips curved ever so slightly as he released her. "Alright, I won't jest with you any longer. You're

off to the studio, aren't you? Carry on."

Leanna took two steps, but she couldn't resist the urge to turn back. "You should refrain from using

those corny pick-up lines. Take a moment to reflect on your age. Those are meant for young couples in

the infatuation stage as a means to flirt and bridge the gap. When you use them, it just feels out of

place."

Aidan fell silent upon hearing her words.

Having won this round, Leanna found herself in high spirits. She hummed a tune as she departed.

On the way to the studio, Zoe noticed the constant smile adorning Leanna's face and asked, "Did

President Pearson share some secret wealth codes with you? Any chance you'd care to enlighten

me?"

Leanna became speechless, but she eventually snapped back to reality. "What nonsense are you

spouting? I merely exchanged a few words with him before leaving, and the way he was left

speechless was just too funny."

Zoe clicked her tongue. "Love leads people astray. I'll savor this serving of affection." With a shrug, she

added, "But I'm not envious in the least. After all, I have a boyfriend as well now."

Leanna paused. "You and Brandon…"

Zoe nodded, casually remarking, "We made it official last night."