Hearing this, Leon Sterling raised a hand and rubbed her back soothingly. "It’s okay. We can have it for dinner. We’ll eat out for lunch."
The taxi they had called arrived. Leon Sterling got in first, then took Hazel Sinclair’s hand and helped her inside.
The air conditioning inside the car cut off the scorching heat from outside, and they instantly began to cool down.
Hazel Sinclair looked down at her dress. It was beautiful; she had fallen in love with it the moment she saw it while shopping.
The weather was sweltering, and wearing pants would be too hot, which Hazel Sinclair was unwilling to do.
But since her dress and her face had attracted all this trouble, Hazel Sinclair thought, ’Maybe I won’t wear a dress when I go out tomorrow. I’ll wear a mask, too.’
When they arrived, Hazel Sinclair got out first and stood to the side, waiting for Leon Sterling.
As they walked into the mall, Leon Sterling’s large, firm hand held Hazel’s, and he asked, "What are you in the mood for?"
"I don’t know," Hazel Sinclair said, shaking her head.
When eating out, the hardest decision is always what to get.
"Well, is there anything you’ve always wanted to try but never have?" Leon Sterling asked, his eyes fixed on her.
After a moment of thought, Hazel Sinclair replied, "Yes. I’d like to try steak."
"Okay, then we’ll go get some steak."
They found a steakhouse, and after walking inside, they began to order.
Hazel Sinclair stared at the menu, struggling to decide which type of steak to get. Finally, she looked up at Leon Sterling and asked, "I’m not sure which one to pick. Can you help me decide?"
"If you want to try them all, we can just order one of each," Leon Sterling said with a smile, not even looking at the menu.
He just wanted Hazel to be able to live more comfortably.
"Okay, one of each it is. But you have to finish whatever I can’t eat," Hazel Sinclair said, nodding very seriously.
"Deal."
After ordering, they both sat there, scrolling on their phones.
Leon Sterling looked at the messages on his phone and replied calmly.
[Leon Sterling: I’m under no obligation to return early.]
[Leon Sterling: Besides, Hazel doesn’t want to go back yet.]
Evelyn Kendrick let out a laugh of pure exasperation when she saw the two messages.
’She pulls a stunt like this at the drop of a hat, scaring the hell out of everyone. We’re all worried sick.’
’And what about Hazel Sinclair? She just runs off to another city without a care in the world.’
’Now that we’ve found her, we tell Leon Sterling to bring her back, and he just keeps making excuses.’
’Hazel Sinclair had better pray I don’t find them, or she’ll be the one crying and begging for mercy.’
[Evelyn Kendrick: Ha. You shameless pair. Just you wait until I find you.]
[Evelyn Kendrick: And tell Hazel Sinclair she’d better grow a thicker skin, because the day she returns to Veridia, she’s going to get a tag-team beating from the Sinclair Family.]
When Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair learned that Hazel had fallen into the ocean and gone missing, Mrs. Sinclair fainted on the spot and had to be hospitalized, while Mr. Sinclair was overcome with grief.
Her three siblings had been searching the waters around the area nonstop.
Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair were wracked with guilt. After finding out what Hazel had been through before the incident, they blamed themselves, believing that their past words had made Hazel resent them, ultimately leading to this situation.
She hadn’t dared to tell them about her problems—the cyberbullying, being framed—and had shouldered the burden all on her own.
After reading Evelyn’s message, Leon Sterling looked up at Hazel across the table. "When are you planning on going back?"
"Hmm, let’s see... maybe at the end of the month. I need to talk to my landlord about getting my security deposit back." Hazel still couldn’t bring herself to just abandon the deposit. Even though she had plenty of money now, her past experiences made it impossible for her to be so extravagant.
"I gave you two million, and you’re still worried about that small amount?" Leon Sterling asked, perplexed.
"Of course I care," Hazel nodded. "That’s enough to live on for a whole month if I’m frugal."
Leon Sterling was taken aback for a second, then chuckled. "That’s true."
The dishes they had ordered began to arrive. Leon Sterling took his knife and fork and cut up all four steaks. After trying a bite of each, Hazel Sinclair picked her favorite and started eating it.
She barely touched the others.
They were seated by the window, so passersby could see them dining as they walked past.
A few young women got excited when they saw Leon Sterling’s handsome face.
’He’s so handsome!’
Halfway through their meal, there was a knock on the window, and a phone was held up against the glass.
The young woman completely ignored Hazel Sinclair, her gaze fixed on Leon Sterling. She pointed to her phone and seemed to say, "Hey handsome, can I get your number?"
The glass was quite soundproof, but by holding up a QR code, her intentions were obvious to everyone.
A sour feeling twisted in Hazel Sinclair’s stomach. ’He’s my man,’ she thought. ’How dare another woman try to hit on him?’
She watched Leon Sterling, waiting to see how he would handle the situation.
Leon Sterling merely shot the woman an indifferent glance before picking up his phone.
When Hazel Sinclair saw him pick up his phone, her eyes widened. ’Is he actually going to add her?’
In an instant, Hazel was fuming, and an unhappy expression crossed her beautiful face.
The woman outside saw this and grew thrilled, confident in her own good looks.
She even ran a hand through her hair, thinking he was taking the bait.
But a moment later, Leon Sterling simply showed her his phone screen.
It read: "Married. My wife is sitting across from me."
Only after reading the message did the woman finally notice Hazel Sinclair sitting opposite Leon Sterling. The moment she saw Hazel’s beauty, her own seemed to pale in comparison.
She glanced between the two of them before running off in embarrassment.
’Damn it. How is such a handsome guy married already?’
Hazel Sinclair fixed her eyes on him and said sarcastically, "Well, aren’t you popular? Can’t even have a quiet meal without attracting admirers."
"Right back at you," Leon Sterling retorted.
After all, they had just come from the police station a short while ago.
"Leon Sterling, if you ever dare to flirt with another woman, I will divorce you," Hazel Sinclair said, looking straight at him.
Her face was void of expression, and her tone was ice-cold.
Leon Sterling speared a piece of beef with his fork and held it to her lips. "I’ll never give you a reason to divorce me."
Hazel Sinclair opened her mouth to eat the meat, then said, "You’d better keep that promise."
They both went back to eating without another word, but Leon Sterling was in an excellent mood. He could sense Hazel’s irritation.
’And that irritation is because someone hit on me. Doesn’t that mean I have a place in her heart?’
After their meal, they went to the supermarket to buy ingredients. He was going to make pickled fish and fried pork ribs for Hazel that evening.
While paying at the checkout, Leon Sterling spotted some condoms on a nearby rack and picked up two boxes.
Seeing this, Hazel Sinclair lightly slapped his arm, then leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "You’re just going to grab them so openly?"