The moment Leon Sterling heard this, his gaze fell on her. "Why is he looking for you?"
"Hazel Sinclair, get a grip. He’s trying to tempt you into doing something immoral."
Hearing this, Hazel Sinclair finally sensed that something was off. She looked up at him, sized him up, and then asked in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"How is Luke Lancaster tempting me?"
Seeing him purse his thin lips, his expression exceptionally grave, Hazel Sinclair furrowed her brow and asked, "Are you worried I’m going to cheat on you?"
Called out by Hazel Sinclair like that, Leon Sterling lowered his head, momentarily unsure of how to respond.
Because he really was worried that Hazel Sinclair would cheat on him.
The thought of Luke Lancaster inviting Hazel Sinclair to be his partner, the thought of his own wife smiling at another man, made Leon Sterling incredibly agitated.
"I forbid you from being with him, and I forbid you from attending that banquet," Leon Sterling snapped his head up to look at her, his tone exceptionally stern and serious.
"And who are you to forbid me?" Hazel Sinclair shot back, her voice turning sharp. "If I go to this banquet, Luke Lancaster will spend money on me."
"He said he’ll bid on anything I like at the auction."
As Hazel Sinclair spoke, she sneered, her scrutinizing gaze sweeping over him from head to toe.
"You don’t work hard to earn money for me to spend, so of course I have to spend someone else’s. It’s your own fault for being such a disappointment." Hazel Sinclair’s words were filled with rage, and she made no effort to hide her displeasure and anger.
"You’re just a failure. A failure who’s making me suffer with you. You don’t work hard, you don’t even think about getting your company back, you just mope around all day." Hazel Sinclair pointed a finger at him, her tone anything but friendly.
Leon Sterling grabbed the finger Hazel Sinclair was pointing at him. He looked into her eyes with his dark ones and said earnestly, "I will work hard to make money. Being a failure is only temporary."
Hearing this, Hazel Sinclair let out a dry laugh and started speaking sarcastically, "Oh, please. Anyone can say that. Anyone can make empty promises."
"When has one of your promises ever come true?"
But as she spoke, tears slowly began to well up in her eyes.
Feeling her eyes moisten, Hazel Sinclair immediately pulled her hand back and threw out, "If you don’t have money, then don’t stand here making empty promises, and don’t get in the way of me making some."
She found her pajamas and headed for the bathroom, glancing at the crestfallen, deep-in-thought Leon Sterling as she passed the sofa.
Hazel Sinclair lifted her head, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said triumphantly to the system, ’How was that? My persona should be a little more solid now, right?’
’The image of a money-grubbing, snobbish gold digger must be firmly planted in his mind now.’ Hazel Sinclair walked into the bathroom, stuffed her pajamas into a plastic bag, and tossed the dress she was wearing into a basin on the side.
[You acted brilliantly. Tomorrow, when the ’little sun’ heroine goes to comfort the male lead, their relationship will ease up a bit,] the system praised.
[Keep up the act for the next few days. You have to deal a severe blow to the male lead’s psyche, so severe that he’ll actually want to jump into a river.]
Hearing the system’s words, Hazel Sinclair, who was in the middle of her shower, froze for a moment.
’I’m just trying to establish a persona. Once the disgust-o-meter is full, I can take my reward and leave. Crushing Leon Sterling to the point where he wants to jump into a river is absolutely out of the question.’
"No way. If he really jumps into a river, I won’t be able to sleep at night," Hazel Sinclair refused outright.
While applying body wash, some foam accidentally got into her eyes. Hazel Sinclair hurriedly rinsed them with water, but in her haste, she also accidentally bumped her head on the nearby door.
The pain made tears instantly stream down Hazel Sinclair’s face. When she came out of the shower, Leon Sterling was standing outside holding a shoebox and a white bag.
"Shoes to go with your dress..."
Leon Sterling hadn’t even finished his sentence when he saw Hazel Sinclair’s reddened eyes. He froze completely.
She had been crying...
’Was it because she feels her life is too hard?’
’I really am a failure. I can’t even provide a comfortable life for my own woman.’
"What’s wrong?" Leon Sterling asked nervously.
"Nothing," Hazel Sinclair shook her head, rubbing her still-uncomfortable eyes. "You bought me shoes?"
Her voice was soft and sweet, making her sound especially docile. Hearing her speak, Leon Sterling’s heart melted into a puddle.
’I really am useless,’ he thought. ’If I weren’t, I would be the one taking Hazel to the banquet today. I’d be the one buying her whatever she wanted.’
"Mhm, shoes to go with your dress. And socks."
Hearing this, Hazel Sinclair’s eyes immediately lit up. She reached out for the shoebox and gave Leon Sterling a sweet smile. "Thank you."
When Hazel Sinclair smiled, Leon Sterling’s heart sped up again.
His gaze was fixed on her as he said, "You’re welcome."
With the matching shoes here, Hazel Sinclair could finally shoot her video.
She walked to the closet, opened it, and took out the Lolita dress. She looked up and called out to Leon Sterling, "Quick, turn around. I’m going to try it on."
Leon Sterling obediently turned his back so he wouldn’t see her. Hazel Sinclair quickly took off her pajamas and pulled the dress over herself.
When it came time to pull up the zipper, Hazel Sinclair struggled with her hands behind her back but just couldn’t get it, much to her frustration.
After several attempts, Hazel Sinclair had to give up on zipping it herself. Her arms were sore, and the zipper was stuck, refusing to budge.
Hazel Sinclair called out, "Leon Sterling, can you help me with the zipper?"
At her command, Leon Sterling turned around. The sight that met his eyes made his breath catch in his throat.
Skin as fair as jade was exposed before him. Contrasted by the dark red and black gauze of the dress, it seemed even whiter, practically glowing.
The dress reached just below her knees. Hazel Sinclair hadn’t put on the black socks he’d bought, so her legs were bare.
Fair and straight, they were impossible to look away from.
Leon Sterling was stunned, but Hazel Sinclair, anxious to get the dress zipped up, urged him again.
"Did you hear me, Leon Sterling?"
"Coming," Leon Sterling swallowed, his voice hoarse.
He walked over and helped Hazel Sinclair with the zipper. A piece of black gauze had gotten caught in the teeth, which was why she couldn’t pull it up.
After fixing it and zipping up the dress, Leon Sterling said, "There."
Hazel Sinclair turned to face him, then did a little twirl and asked with a smile, "So? Is it pretty?"
Looking at the smile on Hazel Sinclair’s face, Leon Sterling felt an unusual heat rise within his body.
"Pretty. It’s beautiful and suits you perfectly."
Getting the satisfactory answer she wanted, Hazel Sinclair paid him no more mind. She grabbed the socks, put them on, then opened the shoebox to take out the shoes Leon Sterling had picked out himself.
A pair of dark red leather shoes with bows—very pretty. Hazel Sinclair put them on and found they were a perfect fit.
After fixing her hair, Hazel Sinclair took out her phone and started taking selfies.
She propped up her phone and started posing, but no matter what she did, the photos didn’t turn out well. They were either too dark or the candid shots were unflattering.
"You take them for me," Hazel Sinclair said, a little annoyed, finally shoving the phone into Leon Sterling’s hands.