Chapter 28
She spun on her heel, ready to make her exit.
Red-faced and fuming, Selina called out to her retreating figure, “Come off it. Your mess. has nothing to do with me. I just can’t stand you snatching him from Suzan! Suzan and Curtis were childhood sweethearts, head over heels for each other. If they hadn’t broken up, you wouldn’t have had a chance to swoop in and marry him while he was on the rebound.
You might call yourself the adopted daughter of the Richardson family, but let’s face it. Everybody knows you’re someone living in the maid’s room. You can’t even hold a candle to Suzan!”
Leanne’s footsteps halted.
All the scorn and contempt she had endured for two years and all the nights of painful insomnia were laid bare in a raw, painful instant.
“Selina!” Penelope scolded, her usually gentle face stern, “How dare you speak to Dr Castillo like that?”
Then she turned to Leanne with an apologetic tone. “Dr. Castillo, Selina has always been like this, bad-tempered and tactless. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“It’s okay,” Leanne said softly, “She’s right.”
She turned to face Selina, clenching her fist tightly in her pocket until her knuckles turned white, but her expression remained as calm as still water.
“But now that he’s mine, there’s no changing that. Curtis isn’t some prize to be won. He’s a heartless player. If Suzan values him so much, she’s welcome to try and take him back.”
Selina opened her mouth to retort, but her gaze shifted to something behind Leanne, and her face suddenly changed, a mix of surprise and awkwardness. “Curtis?”
Leanne’s hand twitched, and she turned around.
Curtis stood at the entrance, holding a paper bag.
He wore a sleek charcoal suit, the color casting an icy pallor over his face.
The look he gave Leanne was indifferent, and his lips curved in a faint, cold smile.
“Did I come at a bad time?” He said with a mocking tone, “Talking behind someone’s back? You should at least check your surroundings first. It gets awkward when they hear you in person.”
Leanne frowned. “What are you doing here?”
Curtis leaned casually against the door frame. “I had a hunch someone would be
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Chapter 28
bad-mouthing me bright and early. So, I made a special trip to listen in. What tales have my dear wife been spinning about me behind my back?”
Leanne wanted to explain, but what was there to explain?
Curtis was exactly the heartless cad she had described.
“Am I wrong?” Leanne asked.
Curtis’ lip twisted sarcastically. “No, you’re spot on. Being the wife of a scoundrel like me must have been so hard on you.”
Leanne’s fingers in her pocket were numb from the tight grip, but she still retorted, “You are one to talk.”
The atmosphere between them was thick with a cold detachment.
Curtis’ striking appearance and demeanor made him stand out in the hospital corridor, drawing curious glances from passing medical staff and patients.
Selina shrank into her bed, her earlier bravado gone. Feeling guilty for her daughter’s instigation, Penelope attempted to mediate.
“It’s all Selina’s fault for running her mouth. Please, you two…”
Curtis cut her off with a detached expression. She does run her mouth. For you and President Turner, I’ll let it slide this time. But if it happens again, I won’t mind stepping in to teach her some manners.”
Selina felt a chill at the back of her neck and quietly pulled the blanket higher to cover her mouth.
Curtis glanced at his watch before he left, his gaze sliding over Leanne’s face with the chill of frost.
Outside the hospital, Jake saw Curtis striding out of the main entrance with an imposing aura. He hurried out of the car to open the door for him.
Curtis slid into the car and casually tossed the paper bag aside.
Sensing the dark mood, Jake asked cautiously and confusedly, “Isn’t that outfit for Mrs. Richardson? There’s a cold front coming the north. The weather report says it’s going to get colder…”
Curtis crossed his legs, his face poker-faced. In a voice colder than ice, he said, “She can freeze for all I care.”