Chapter 3
I didn't get home until almost midnight the next day.
It had been three years since I'd last been back, and the villa looked pretty much the same. The only real change was that the irises I'd planted in the yard were gone, replaced by vibrant red roses, their thorns all neatly trimmed away.
The maid followed my gaze and smiled, explaining, "Mr. Sawyer planted these especially for Ms. Ryan. He was worried she might get pricked if she picked them, so every morning before he leaves, he checks for any new thorns and trims them off."
I gave a soft "mm" in response, then turned away and headed inside.
The living room was empty as I expected.
The maid was probably new. Seeing my reaction and afraid I might read too much into it, she quickly explained, "Ms. Ryan hasn't been feeling well lately, and her attempts to get pregnant keep failing.
"She got upset today, and after Mr. and Mrs. Ryan tried to comfort her, they were pretty exhausted, too. They went to their room to change and wait, but as soon as they hit the bed, they were out like a light."
I smiled kindly at her. "No worries, could you help me bring my bags to my room?"
She answered with a short "yeah" and carried my bags upstairs. Maybe the noise was a bit too much. When I reached the third-floor landing, I ran into someone unexpectedly.
Leon was in a bathrobe, the collar hanging open to show off his toned chest, his hair still damp.
I glanced at the cup in his hand but didn't say a word.
Given everything that happened between us, there was no way we could pretend nothing had ever happened.
I followed the maid and walked right past Leon.
But his eyes never left me.
He grabbed my wrist, forcing me to turn around. Under his relentless gaze, I pulled my hand back indifferently. "Leon, that's out of line."
His eyes flickered, and he let go, his hand dropping to his side, clenching and unclenching.
After a long pause, Leon finally spoke, his voice guarded. "Why are you back?"
I was exhausted, and I couldn't understand why everyone believed Leon could instantly forget about me and fall in love with Amelia, yet no one thought I could move on from him after three years.
I lifted my head, as I was about to speak, when the bedroom door behind him swung open.
Amelia walked out wearing a silk camisole, red marks still lingering on her collarbone. "What took you so long?"
The moment she saw me, the teasing glint in her eyes vanished, replaced by surprise. "Charlotte? Why are you back?"
Amelia noticed how close Leon and I were; there wasn't room for another person between us.
Wearing her slippers, she grabbed Leon's arm and tugged him back a step. "You're barely back and already catching up with Leon? Charlotte, don't tell me you're still hung up on him."
Her loud accusation made the master bedroom door on the second floor swing open.
My parents, still in their pajamas, rushed over. The first thing they did was fuss over Amelia, then immediately started in on me. "You're back, fine. And you're already upsetting Amelia?"
I rubbed my temples, exhausted from the overnight trip and jet lag. I wasn't in the mood to deal with any of this. "It was a coincidence. There's a camera in the stairwell. Go check it if you want. I'm heading back to my room."
As soon as I mentioned the camera, their attitude deflated.
Back when we were kids, Amelia would always try to frame me on the stairs whenever Leon ignored her.
I stubbornly refused to admit anything, so my parents secretly installed a camera, hoping to catch me red-handed.
But instead, they ended up catching Amelia faking a fall and yelling for Mom and Dad.
Their faces were absolutely classic; they couldn't look at me. When I stared them down, all they managed to say was, "Don't mess with Amelia."
Our maid, May Lewis, shot a look at everyone, then glanced at me with a touch of sympathy in her eyes.
As I opened the door, I heard Leon's calm voice drift up from downstairs. "No need. I was getting water and happened to run into her. She greeted me, and then Amelia showed up."
His voice came out light and airy, yet it felt like a whole century had passed in between. It was as if the word burned his mouth.
I closed the door and flopped onto the bed.
My phone buzzed with a message.
I opened it up; it was from a black profile picture, saved as Julian.
Our chat had been dead for six years. The only thing was a location he sent me three years ago, straight from the wedding venue, with nothing but a question mark at the end.
The latest message was sent at 8 PM tonight, when I was still on the plane.
Julian: [I'm coming over to your place tomorrow at noon.]
I thought about it for a bit, then finally texted him: [You really want to go on a blind date with me?]
Julian: [You don't want to?]
He shot back a reply almost instantly, and I was honestly surprised he was still awake this late.
Figured, these workaholic CEOs never slept. No wonder they all ended up wrecking their stomachs.
Leon was no exception. Who knew if Amelia ever bothered to take care of him?
I stared at that line of text without any resistance in my heart.
Me: [Not really, merely not expecting much.]
He was typing, and it dawned on me. I'd basically given him the kind of brush-off at a blind date.
I wanted to take it back, but honestly, I was being real.
Maybe I was being a little petty about being pushed into this whole matchmaking thing.
My phone buzzed with a new message.
Julian: [Looks like I'll have to impress you tomorrow, so maybe you'll look forward to our next meeting by at least one point.]
I stared at the screen and couldn't help but laugh.
Me: [Do your best.]
The glow from my phone faded from my face.
I turned off the light and stared at the ceiling. It felt like coming back had left me a crack to breathe through after all.