Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Without a second thought, Leo immediately strode toward the center of the dance. floor.
On the other side, Joe stood up from the booth he was in upon seeing what happened. His face turned
pale as he moved forward.
But the next second, both of them halted simultaneously.
A loud bang could be heard. On the stage, as Cullen brushed against the hem of Madison’s attire at
her hip, he was suddenly thrown over her shoulder and crashed to the floor heavily.
Everyone was startled by this scene, and the place fell silent. Only the sound of the saxophone music
lingered in the air, complementing the scene in a very comedic way. Madison did not lower her head to
look at the person on the floor. Instead, she glanced at Leo from a distance on the stage.
She withdrew her gaze, glanced at the person by her feet with an air of superiority, and tilted her head
slightly.
‘Sorry, Mr. Wilkinson,” Madison said. “I’m not particularly good at loving someone and loving what that
person loved by extension, but I excel at redirecting anger. Your good buddy’s here. I’ll leave now. Ask
him to sort out the divorce proceedings as soon as possible when he is free.”
Leaving these words behind, she lifted her foot, stepped over Cullen, squeezed into the crowd in her
high heels, and disappeared.
Cullen held onto his waist as he got up from the ground. His immediate reaction was to look for
Madison.
Unfortunately, he could not see her with so many people around. He had taken just a few steps when
his line of sight was blocked.
“Please step aside,” Cullen said.
Cullen pushed the person beside him without glancing to see who that person was.
“Cullen Wilkinson!”
Leo could not take it anymore and spat out his full name. “I asked you to look after her,” he said. “Is this
how you do it?”
Leo thought, ‘His hand almost touched her…
91%
Leo was filled with anger thinking about the scene earlier.
Leo thought, Thank goodness that girl reacted quickly, or else this guy would’ve taken advantage of
her!”
“What’s wrong worked up?”
with me?” Cullen said. “Wasn’t it just a dance with Jessica? Why are you so
Cullen slowly withdrew his gaze from the crowd when he was certain Madison was not amidst them.
The shoulder throw made him feel like his waist had taken a hit. At this moment, his hands remained
on his back, supporting it as if he were a pregnant woman.
But he was not angry. Instead, he was smiling in a silly manner.
“Tsk, I haven’t seen her in so many years, and her personality is getting increasingly strong,” Cullen
said. “She is much more interesting than when we were kids, and all she did was follow you around.
Hey, Leo, do you have Jessica’s contact info? Help me. I’m determined to win her heart!”
Leo squinted and said, “Did you knock your kidney or brain? Don’t forget. Madison is still my wife.”
“Oh, I know, but aren’t you getting a divorce?” Cullen said. “Besides, you don’t treat Jessica as a wife
either. If it weren’t for Edgar, you wouldn’t have married her.”
Cullen’s words exposed Leo’s thoughts, rendering him speechless.
Not content with that, Cullen touched his waist and added another remark while Leo remained silent.
“I have to say,” he said. “Your wife is amazing!”
Leo was at a loss for words.
Leo did not want to engage
in a meaningless conversation with Cullen. He recalled the scene of Madison giving Cullen a shoulder
throw.
He thought, ‘She has such a petite figure, yet she managed to bring down Cullen before he touched
her. Her reaction and speed aren’t what she should have. At the very least, she was just a petite girl
who knew nothing but to run to Grandpa to complain three years ago. When did she learn to fight?”
Leo’s black eyes turned serious. He glanced at his good friend, who was savoring the beauty’s
mocking remarks. “The things I asked you to investigate. How much have you found out?” he asked.
3
Cullen was not thinking about that shoulder throw. It was the dance that was worth savoring in his
mind.
This was especially the case concerning the sense of desolation when Madison mentioned not having
the time or the need to practice dancing while being abroad. It truly evoked his affection.
“I truly don’t understand you,” Cullen said, “Jessica was a young girl when she went abroad alone.
What could there be to investigate? When we were dancing, she mentioned that apart from classes,
she worked part-time to earn money. I reckon the stingy couple from the Hale family probably didn’t
even send her money for her living expenses.”
Cullen had a caring and attentive nature toward the women he loved. He felt outraged thinking about
Madison being alone and likely in a pitiful state when she was abroad.
Cullen immediately put on a stern face and questioned Leo when he recalled that. Madison had been
married to Leo when she went abroad.
“This doesn’t make sense!” he said. “She’s married to you then, so why wouldn’t you give her any
money after sending her abroad? Wow, you let a young girl fend for herself abroad. Are you human,
Leo?”
Leo raised his hand to wave Cullen’s finger away, ordered a drink, and sat in the booth. Then, he said,
“Before you ask me these questions, use your brain and figure out where she got the skill to throw you
over her shoulder.”
As for Cullen’s question, Leo also wanted to know why Madison had not withdrawn a single cent from
the money that he transferred every month.
It was as if she disappeared after going abroad. Even her phone became unreachable.
Apart from getting some information from her mother occasionally, there was complete silence for the
rest of the time.
He thought. ‘She ignored me out of anger, so why should I actively provoke her and cause her to have
unnecessary thoughts? But now, it seems I’ve indeed gone too far.
Cullen also ordered a drink. He lazily leaned back on the couch, indifferent to Leo’s questioning. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
“As a young girl living abroad, she has to learn something to protect herself, right?” Cullen said.
“What’s wrong with a shoulder throw? She was lucky it was me today. If she were to encounter a per
vert, Jessica’s skills wouldn’t be of much help.”
Leo’s fingers that were holding the glass tightened slightly. His gaze turned gloomy as he said, “Don’t
call her Jessica.”
“Why?” Cullen said. “Your grandpa gave her her formal name while I gave her her nickname. I want to
call her that way.”
Cullen argued childishly. Reflecting on the past, he felt emotional. “If I had known she’d grow up to be
so beautiful, I should’ve pursued her back then,” he said.
He looked at his right hand, still missing that dance.
Leo snorted coldly, a hint of smugness appearing in his look. “At that time, she wasn’t interested in
you,” he said.
“Yeah,” Cullen said. “She considered herself your wife back then, interested in anyone else.”
o naturally, she wasn’t
Cullen did not argue with him. Instead, he started envisioning the future.
He kicked Leo lightly and turned his head to say, “By the way, news about your divorce has been
circulating in the circle. When will you finalize the divorce proceedings? If I can pursue her quickly,
maybe I can catch up and get married around the same time as you and Sally.”
Leo kicked back and said, “Get lost!”
That kick was solid. It was different from Cullen’s playful kick earlier when he reminded and questioned
Leo.
He wailed and heard Leo’s indifferent voice.
“The Wilkinson family will turn its nose up at the Hale family,” Leo said. “Even if Madison is still a
member of the Hale family, your family members may not necessarily allow her to marry into your
family. It is unlikely that they will allow her to marry into your family now, considering that she has
severed ties with the Hale family.”
Cullen shook his head, slumped onto the sofa, and said, “You’re overthinking things, Leo. My brother
needs a marriage that is beneficial for business purposes, so family background is important when he
marries. I’m different, though. My mom will be happy as long as I bring a wife home.”
Leo lowered his eyes and looked at the whiskey in the glass. “Even so, the prerequisite for you to
marry her is that she wants to get married to you,” he said.
In other words, even if the Wilkinson family did not look at her family background, it was a different
matter whether Madison would want to get married to Cullen.
There was another layer of meaning in Leo’s words. When Edgar asked him to marry Madison back
then, it was based on the premise that Madison was willing to marry him. Cullen was not dim-witted.
Men showing off to each other was akin to peacocks.
competing to display their tails.
He smiled meaningfully and slowly looked at Leo.
“But Leo, even if Jessica doesn’t want to get married to me, you would still divorce her, right?” Cullen
said. “You delay the divorce and obstruct me from pursuing her in every way. Could it be because you
like her and don’t want to divorce her?”