Chapter 8 I Won't Change My Decision

Leona went upstairs in disappointment.

Once again, the living room turned silent.

Only then did the servants in the villa dared to come out as they traded meaningful looks at each other.

As soon as Elmer returned home, he noticed that the servants in the villa were very quiet. Something in the air felt quite strange. It was different from before.

He took off his coat and glanced at the direction of the master bedroom. "What happened?" he asked Keith Shaw, the butler.

"Mr. Hayes, Mrs. Barnes came here today," he began to explain. "She and Mrs. Hayes didn't have a good conversation, so Mrs. Hayes locked herself in the room."

Although Keith's expression was blank throughout, he showed great respect for Leona while talking about the matter.

He had worked in the Hayes family's old mansion, and had watched Elmer grow up. He was indeed a trusted subordinate of the Hayes family.

When Tiana went there today, he wasn't in the villa. He only learned what had happened through the servants.

Keith couldn't bear to see Leona so pitiful and said, "Mrs. Hayes hasn't eaten anything for a day. The servants tried their best to urge her to eat, but she still wouldn't come out."

"I see."

Elmer waved his hand at the servants, who were waiting for his order, and instructed them to go back to their regular duties.

Then, he said to Keith, "There's a gift in the car. Go and get it."

Before Leona's birthday, his grandfather had asked him to buy a gift when he came back.

He was not very happy that day. Although he had prepared it, he did not give it to Leona.

Later on, there was no good time for him to give the gift. So, he was slightly delighted that the gift would come in handy today.

As soon as he heard Elmer's order, Keith headed straight to the garage. His gait was faster than usual.

Since Leona liked Elmer so much, Keith figured that the gift would make her happy.

Elmer went upstairs and gently knocked on the master bedroom's door. He waited for a response but heard nothing.

He pulled down his tie and undid two buttons of his shirt. With a more relaxed tone, he said, "It's me."

There was a sound in the room. Not long after, Leona responded in a low voice, "Can I stay alone for a while?"

Elmer didn't say anything in reply.

The servant went upstairs with the key to the room. Then, using the key, Elmer opened the door.

Upon entering the room, he noticed that all the curtains were shut close.

The only source of light was the one coming from the door, illuminating Leona's curled up body in the corner of the bed.

She stared blankly at Elmer.

He was wearing a suit, and the collar of his shirt was slightly open. It made him look more casual and carefree. Despite that, Leona could still feel his strong indifference towards her.

Upon seeing his cold eyes, Leona couldn't help but look away.

When she heard Elmer come back, she didn't want to speak with him. She was afraid that he would defend Aurora and force her to have a divorce as soon as possible.

She didn't want to hear such words again.

However, when he spoke, his deep, magnetic voice was much softer than usual. "Let's have dinner first," he said.

Since she hadn't eaten for a whole day, Leona felt weak. Despite that, she still managed to force a smile. "Can I... Can I eat dinner alone later?"

She knew that when her mother had scolded her, all of the servants in the villa were watching in the corner.

Although no one dared to talk about it in front of her, the thought that they were completely aware of what had happened made her feel so embarrassed.

"Do you want me to feed you?" Elmer said indifferently.

"No, no!" Leona quickly denied it, shaking her head vigorously. She was afraid that he would misunderstand her.

"Then go downstairs and have dinner."

Leona pulled the thin quilt over her body and murmured, "I'll."

At that moment, she just didn't want to move.

Tiana's slap earlier must've drained all of her strength.

Standing at the bedside, Elmer looked down at her depressed face. He couldn't help but frown.

Before he could say something, Keith knocked on the door and came in. "Mr. Hayes, here is the gift."

Elmer took the gift bag and handed it to Leona. This time, his voice sounded less cold.

"This is my birthday gift to you," he said to her. "I didn't give it to you last time. Have a look and see if you like it."

For a brief moment, Leona stared at Elmer in disbelief. Slowly, a smile appeared on her face.

Finally, there was now some color in her face.

Before she could open the gift bag, she nodded and, in a soft voice, said, "I... I like it very much."

She liked any gift as long as it came from Elmer.

She was already happy when he came back for her birthday this year. She didn't expect that he would also prepare a gift for her!

Although, it was very obvious that it was his grandfather who had asked him to buy her a gift.

She took out the box from the gift bag and opened it. Inside, there was a necklace.

It was delicate-looking, and the pendant on its end was unique. It had her favorite painting on it.

This gift was obviously specially made for her.

The very sight of it made her burst in joy!

She often held art shows and mentioned this painting in front of Elmer once.

"I can't believe you remembered this painting," she said as she looked at him in awe.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes glimmering as she continued staring at him.

Elmer nodded. "I do remember this painting."

After all, he had a good memory.

Not only that, there was once a work of Aurora, which hung on the same spot where Leona's favorite painting was.

Unaware of this, Leona felt so pleased.

Holding the gift in her hand, she said again, "I like it very much."

Elmer helped her up and added, "It's good that you like it. This is also my compensation for you."

Then, he looked at her, the coldness returning in his eyes. "But I won't change my decision on divorce."

Leona's body stiffened. Her joy was short-lived, and she was left with nothing but heartbreak and disappointment.