He went to look for Amelie? S-So he heard everything I said to her?
Laura felt her mind go blank. Her legs buckled and she almost fell, but she managed to hold onto the wall just in time.
âLeo!â A silvery voice sounded.
Amelie! Laura stared at her boss and Amelie, but they didnât run into each other. Instead, Amelie was getting further away.
The next moment, Elyse showed up. A smile curled her lips, and her gaze was filled with love-love for Leo. She approached him and held his arm tightly. Oh, so it was just Elyse. The boss almost ran into Amelie, but he missed her.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Look at me, getting scared out of my wits.
âWhy did you bring me here, Leo?â asked Elyse quietly. She remained smiling, though there was confusion in her eyes.
Leo patted the back of her hand. âJust a checkup, thatâs all.â
âI just did a full-body checkup, though.â She put on her best elegant smile.
âOne more time for good measure.â Leo stared into Elyseâs eyes.
He had made an appointment for a checkup of her eyes. The doctor told him the donor was a girl named Amelie, but the doctor in Quinn Town told him the one who consulted him about living donation was someone called Elyse. He only knew one Elyse, and that was Elyse Clayton. She was the one who donated her cornea to him. Leo chalked the inconsistency between the doctorsâ testimonials as a slip of the tongue. Measure twice and cut once, though.
Elyse touched her eyes, which were her most beautiful trait. They glistened and gleamed all the time.
When she met Leoâs eyes-ones that were also filled with love-she would put on a timid, sheepish smile.
Leo took that smile in another way. He thought she wouldnât want him to find out she donated her cornea to him. That was why he didnât tell her he wanted to verify that the donor was her. âYou should go in now,â he muttered.
Laura watched as her boss took Elyse away. She was still confused about the whole situation. She didnât hear the conversation Leo had with the doctor, so she had no idea that they talked about the donor, and now, Leo was taking Elyse to the ophthalmologistâs room.
However, she did know that Elyseâs sight was almost perfect. Is he trying to find out who the donor is?
Dammit. Laura stood around and waited until Elyse had gone into the room alone, then she called her.
âYes, Laura? If itâs alright with you, can this wait?â asked Elyse softly.
Standing before her were tons of machines that were built to check oneâs eyesight. The ophthalmologist was already waiting for her. The old Elyse would have flown into a rage just from this call, but now she had to make herself out to be a polite and mature woman, so she spoke softly.
âDonât hang up!â said Laura quickly. âThis is important!â
Oh, is it? Elyse covered the microphone on her phone and apologized to the ophthalmologist, âSorry, doctor, but can I take this call?â
âOf course.â The ophthalmologist nodded. He was surprised that Elyse was so polite. She was a top celebrity who had starred in popular dramas and appeared in many ads. Most celebrities like her would be arrogant and insufferable, but not her. Thanks to that, the ophthalmologist was willing to give her some leeway despite his packed schedule.
Elyse approached the window and whispered, âOkay, speak.â
Laura took a deep breath. âElyse, Mr. Alston is looking for the donor of the cornea.â
Elyse was unfazed by the news. Instead, she said calmly, âIs that so? Well, thatâs good, then. I shall thank them personally if he manages to find them.â
Wait. Why isnât she panicking? Lauraâs heart was racing. âThe donor is a high school girl, and it was a living: donation.â
âWhat?â Elyse finally looked surprised. Living donations werenât something most people dared to do.
Hmm, but then the Alstons did put up a huge bounty for it. Some people would even sell their kidneys for that kind of money. A corneaâs nothing. Going blind in one eye is a lot better than losing a kidney.
The donor is a teenager, isnât she? Teenagers will do anything for money, huh.
There was no time to analyze the whole affair, so all Laura said was, âThis whole thing feels off. Be careful.â
âYeah. Why is Leo searching for her?â A frown furrowed Elyseâs forehead. Even if it was a living donation, the Alstons must have spent enough money to keep the donor away from them permanently.
They have no reason to come back. Unless⦠somethingâs wrong with Leoâs eyes.
She denied that thought immediately. Leo goes for an eye checkup every year, and Laura has shown me the results. Theyâre all normal.
âListen to me, Elyse. Whatever you do, just make Mr. Alston think your eyesightâs gone bad. Really bad,â suggested Laura. She might be Leoâs assistant, but she was also Elyseâs confidant. She was the one who helped Elyse in her relationship with Leo.
âWhy?â Elyse wondered why she had to do that. âI donât want to lie to him.â She came back this time determined to marry Leo and get her happily ever after. Furthermore, she promised herself that sheâd treat him well.
âElyse, a white lie wonât kill anyone. Certainly not a relationship. In fact, itâd help you guys,â Laura persuaded patiently.
Laura liked Leo as well, but Elyse was leagues better in the looks department alone, let alone everything else. She envied the fact that Elyse was a celebrity. Dating a celebrity would be better than dating an assistant, or that was what she thought. She knew she wouldnât be worthy of Leo, so Laura expressed her love in another way-by helping Elyse get Leo.â Justâ¦â Laura took a deep breath. âJust do as I say. Make him think youâre the donor.â
âBut this is insane!â
Not even the old Elyse would do that, and she was properly crazy back then.
Laura gripped her phone tightly. âElyse, listen to me. That girl donated her cornea without asking for anything in return. If Mr. Alston finds her, he will return the favor. And think about it. Why did the girl donate her cornea willingly?â
âUmâ¦â Elyse gripped her phone tightly as a sense of crisis overwhelmed her. She was clear about the implications. There was only one reason for that girl to donate a part of her willingly. Love. I used to be young once I know how far crazy people can go. She opened her mouth, but her chest suddenly felt heavy. It stopped her from saying anything.
Laura continued, âYou finally got back with Mr. Alston after going through so much. Thereâs no need to cause more problems. Just make him think youâre the donor, and heâll stop the search for that girl.
Then, you can move on to the next stage of your relationship. You said youâre taking this seriously, so make him forget the past. Take his attention completely Bring back the good old days.â
Oh, that was Elyseâs dream.
Laura struck a nerve, which left Elyse feeling that Leo wasnât treating her as he used to, and she had been trying to make him look at her once more. Should I do it? She clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her flesh and her knuckles turned white, and finally, she steeled her resolve.