[121] b
“I’m glad to meet you here,” Leonel told Chloe, who stopped eating. Chloe’s eyes looked annoyed when they locked gazes, and then she stared blankly in Leonel’s direction.
“Why are you here? Did you follow me?” Chloe snapped at him again, eliciting a small chuckle from Leonel.
“Am I mistaken if you think I followed you? I have the job that accidentally led me to meet you,” Leonel came up with an excuse. In reality, he did follow Chloe to this restaurant intentionally. It was all for one purpose: to regain her attention.
Upon hearing that, Chloe nodded quietly. She didn’t want to prolong the conversation with Leonel this morning.
“Oh, by the way, I replaced the ice cream you ordered earlier. It spilled because of me,” Leonel said, handing the cold drink to Chloe.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
“Thank you, but you didn’t have to go through the trouble of getting it for me,” Chloe said to Leonel again, but he didn’t care. He still gave it to Chloe so she would drink it. Chloe also couldn’t understand why Leonel showed so much concern for her. During their marriage, Leonel was indifferent and cold, never showing this kind of attention to Chloe.
He wouldn’t even offer her a drink, let alone ask about her well-being.
“Are you going to the cafe alone now?” Leonel asked Chloe again, to which Chloe nodded softly. Of course, she went alone if Darren wasn’t there.
“Of course,” Chloe replied curtly. Her tone was cold, and she didn’t want to be bothered.
“I hope you can be more careful when you have to go alone, especially on busy roads like this,” Leonel said.
“Do you think I’m a child who has just learned how to drive?” Chloe said, shaking her head slightly and chuckling, seeing Leonel’s excessive concern. “Besides, Brad always drives for me. Your advice earlier is pointless, Leonel.”
Upon hearing that, Leonel looked embarrassed. “There’s nothing wrong with being worried about you.”
“Did my warning yesterday not make it clear?” Chloe retorted with a slightly louder tone. “Are you pretending to be deaf now?”
“No.” Leonel smiled broadly. “I’m just genuinely concerned about you, Chloe. I can still vividly remember how that accident almost took your life. There’s nothing wrong with what I said earlier, right?” Leonel concluded. Meanwhile, Chloe shook her head slightly and ignored what the man said.
There was a long pause intentionally created by Chloe. She didn’t want Leonel to talk to her too much. She chose to enjoy her food instead. She didn’t care if Leonel had eaten or not. What was he doing here, anyway? But it did pique her curiosity.
“Why are you here by yourself? Do you have some business to take care of? Or are you just trying to find out about me?” This time, Chloe didn’t stay silent. She wanted to find out why Leonel suddenly appeared in the same restaurant as her.
“I had a sudden job that I needed to do at this restaurant, but the client canceled it due to more important matters. So, I’m free for the next few hours today, and coincidentally, I ran into you. Isn’t this much better?” Leonel explained to Chloe again, but she furrowed her brow, not understanding.
“Since when does Mountain work with restaurants?” Chloe chuckled. “Do I only have Mountain?”
Leonel laughed. “Do you think I only have Mountain?”
Chloe sighed in annoyance. “What did you say? Coincidence? God, it’s ridiculous how fate plays between us.”
“You’re right,” Leonel said, nodding briefly. “How about if I call it… destiny?”
Chloe furrowed her brow.
“But I do believe this is destiny if we’re meant to return to how we were before,” Leonel said confidently. Meanwhile, Chloe was taken aback by Leonel’s self-assurance. Then, according to Chloe, her smile turned bitter upon hearing that he quickly forgot the painful past.
Meanwhile, the remaining food at the corner of Chloe’s lips was bothering her, leaving some sauce on her upper lip. Leonel quickly wiped it with a tissue and gave her a faint smile.
“You’re always like this, never clean when eating,” Leonel said to Chloe, observing his hand at the corner of her lips.
“Don’t overdo it!” Chloe snapped at Leonel at that moment.
“I’m not overdoing it; I just want to pay more attention to you, Chloe!” Leonel concluded, making Chloe clean the corner of her lips herself. She brushed away Leonel’s hand, which was still there.
At this moment, Chloe felt that the time that used to be filled by Darren was now filled with Leonel. It was as if the time when Chloe hoped for Leonel’s attention. Although it wasn’t everything about Leonel, now she was getting it when their relationship was no longer bound. Chloe truly couldn’t understand Leonel’s mindset. Especially now, Leonel’s change in attitude had reached a hundred and eighty degrees.
It also made Chloe uncertain. Before, Leonel was cold, indifferent and didn’t care about her, often neglecting Chloe. Back then, Chloe had hoped for all of that from Leonel. When they divorced, Leonel started to show his true self. The one she yearned for and wanted to reach, even if it was just a little Leonel glanced at her. It made Chloe think more because she didn’t want to fall into a trap that would only reopen her wounds.
“Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m like this, Chloe,” Leonel began before Chloe interrupted him, saying something to complete his sentence. “I do want to make amends to you, not just with words of apology. I know that won’t be enough. No matter how many apologies are uttered, I’ve already inflicted a deep wound in your heart. Allow me to make amends now. Allow me to pour out everything I have in my heart for you, Chloe. I’m here not with a feeling of guilt but as a fighter who wants to reclaim and have an equal chance with you.”
Chloe stared intently at Leonel, who seemed eager to speak further.
“Allow me to get close to you again. At that time, you did give me a chance, but Josh, oh my, I can’t say that Josh didn’t ruin my plans to win you back. But that’s the reality, right? I was busy with Mountain. Meanwhile, I wanted to improve myself before you, Chloe.”
Chloe remained silent.
“I’m serious about this. I fell in love with my ex-wife when it was too late. But when it comes to love, there’s never such a thing as ‘too late,’ right, Chloe?”