Love's Change of Heart

William stood in the living room. After he exchanged greetings with Lloyd, he glanced in their direction.

He was as polite as ever. "Mr. Jackson, Miss McKinney."

Lloyd's gaze was calm, and he slowly remarked. "It turns out that everybody is acquainted with each

other."

William merely smiled as he said, "I had a stroke of luck to meet Mr. Jackson once while I was abroad.

After returning to Highside, I was also fortunate enough to visit the Jackson Family. As for Miss

McKinney, I worked with President Pearson in the past. So, thanks to a series of coincidences, we've

met each other on several occasions."

Lloyd seemed extremely averse to hearing Aidan's name. So, he gestured for William to take a seat

and instructed the servant to serve some tea before he diverted to the topic, "I heard that you were

born in Highside, Mr. Morris. Which part of Highside did you come from?"

William mentioned the name of a place. "I have been living abroad for many years. Upon my return, I

discovered that the place I used to live had long since changed. It's no longer the same as before."

"It looks like you're a person of nostalgia, Mr. Morris. So many years have passed, but you still returned

to Highside in the end."

"It's not really about nostalgia. My company plans to enter the domestic market, and the only place I'm

familiar with is Highside."

The conversation between the two men flowed back and forth. Although the conversation seemed to be

nothing more than a simple chat, Lloyd was actually trying to discern the truth.

To be honest, he had already thoroughly investigated William's background long before they agreed to

cooperate. Therefore, it stood to reason that he had known that William was acquainted with Mr.

Jackson. Hence, he had mentioned their relationship on purpose.

As for William being acquainted with Leanna, there was another factor between them—Aidan. The two

of them had never met in private, aside from the few times they had met each other. So, in all

likelihood, there was no connection between them.

Lloyd had previously suspected the relationship between William and Mr. Jackson. Nonetheless, the

straightforward and candid manner in which William had answered his questions without hiding the fact

that they were acquainted with each other made him relax and let his guard down.

During their conversation, Mr. Jackson would occasionally add a few words here and there. On the

other hand, Leanna was completely unable to join in their conversation. She remained in her seat,

bored out of her mind. She lowered her head and pulled at the tiny threads of lint that had gotten stuck

to her clothes while she was carrying the miscellaneous items earlier.

William's gaze would inadvertently land on her whenever he was speaking. He seemed slightly absent-

minded during those instances, but those moments were fleeting.

When their conversation was finally over, he climbed to his feet. "Then, I'll be taking my leave now."

Leanna was staring blankly into space when she suddenly heard him calling her name. Thus, she

quickly got to her feet in response.

He glanced at her with a bland smile. "Please send my regards to President Pearson."

She nodded. "Of course."

Lloyd said, "I'll see you out."

When the two men left the room, Leanna gathered her thoughts.

Mr. Jackson leaned against his walking cane and said, "Young lady, why don't you accompany me on a

stroll? I'll give you a tour. I'm sure they won't be doing anything of the sort."

She was intrigued by his offer, so she supported him by the arm and accompanied him for a stroll in the

garden.

He told her about the history of this residence and what the buildings used to be in the past while they

ambled along. He pointed at several statues nearby and explained, "Your father built that for you in the

past. It's a miniature Disney castle. You used to love that place. There was a period when you spent all

your time there, except during mealtimes and bedtime."

She glanced at the unfamiliar place. A vague image of a small castle flashed through her mind, but she

could not recall anything else.

They continued to walk forward. He added, "Do you see that large tree? It used to be a greenhouse

filled with various flower species that your mother used to cherish and nurture carefully. Some of them

are notoriously hard to raise. There was once when your father made your mother angry. In order to

cheer her up, you sneaked into the greenhouse and picked a bunch of flowers for her. She was so sad

and angry at the same time."

She said nothing. That's… just asking for a beating.

In the middle of his chatter, he suddenly sighed to himself. "Things have changed."

A long while passed before she finally asked, "Was there a huge fire here?"

He replied, "It was caused by the explosion. The fire practically burned down everything and erased all

traces in this place. Everything you see now has been reconstructed." As he said that, he turned to

look at her. "Child, I want you to know that your biological parents loved you very much. Perhaps, there

have been people silently watching over you and protecting you in places you don't know about." He

quickly changed the subject without waiting for her to answer. "By the way, where is your mother's

grave located? I wish to visit her."

When she heard those words, she fell silent for a moment before she responded. "I don't know." Then,

she added, "She passed away when I was very young. I don't have any memory of her, and I don't

know where her grave is located either."

He sighed. "How did she die?"