Chapter 138

Chapter 138 That’s Presumptuous of You

Zoe kept quiet for a while before speaking up, “Does this mean you won’t be seeing Aidan anymore?”

Leanna paused as she considered this, and finally said, “That’s right.” Her marriage to Aidan had been

the first step toward a long-running mistake, and it was high time she brought an end to it.

“But I don’t think he would let you go that easily. Besides, he likes you, doesn’t he?” Zoe countered.

There was a long stretch of silence on Leanna’s part before she said with a smile, “That doesn’t signify

anything, and now that he’s getting married to someone else, he won’t pay attention to what I’m up to.”

Zoe sighed. “You make a point. It’s not as if these rich folks are romantics to begin with anyway.

Marriage is just a means for them to make a profit or even past their time.”

Not wanting to arouse the Pearsons’ suspicion, Zoe did not stay in Leanna’s room for long and hurried

downstairs.

Meanwhile, the other journalist from Lux Magazine had finished interviewing Aidan and left with Zoe.

That was when Aidan turned to ask the maid, “Where’s Leanna?”

“Miss McKinney has been in her room all this while,” the maid answered dutifully.

Upon hearing this, he headed for the garden as he spoke curtly over his shoulder, “Have her come

downstairs.”

“Yes, sir,” the maid replied dutifully.

In the bedroom, Leanna was lost in thoughts as she gazed out the window when she heard a knock at

the door.

…

Moments later, Leanna found herself reluctantly arriving in the garden, whereupon she saw Aidan’s

lone figure. She walked up to him slowly and asked, “You wanted to see me, President Pearson?”

He was sitting at the round garden table. He brought the cup to his lips and took a sip of coffee, then

said coolly, “Don’t you feel better being outside?”

She did feel better, but she wouldn’t admit it to Aidan outright. For the past few days, all she wanted to

do was get some fresh air. Save for Justin, the Pearsons generally hated her, and her presence on the

family estate was treated with contempt. The only time when she got a reprieve from the suffocating

tension was in the evening when she could stroll around the garden with Justin, but she stayed in her

room throughout the day.

That said, Aidan was not doing much better with the Pearsons’ hostility bearing down on him. However,

he was relatively unfazed by it, and his easy disposition here was like a curveball thrown in his family’s

direction.

He’s probably the only person who can be unfazed by those who hate him, Leanna thought in

amusement, secretly admiring his cavalier demeanor.

Just then, one of the maids served up a platter of fruits. When the maid left, Leanna looked at Aidan

from across the table and asked, “Don’t you have to be at the company, President Pearson?”

“It’s my day off,” he answered plainly as he set his cup down.

There was none of his usual obnoxious wit when he said this. Somewhat startled, she replied, “Oh.”

Then, she took a bite of fruit, swallowed it, and said, “Thank you, President Pearson.”

He propped his elbow up on the back of the chair and regarded her with a raised brow, then asked

insouciantly, “What are you thanking me for?”

“For letting Zoe visit me,” she said. She had been bored out of her mind these days, and there was no

one in the house whom she could open up to until Zoe came. Even though their meeting had been

brief, it took a load off her shoulder.

Aidan, on the other hand, was nonchalant as he drawled, “Is that what she’s called? I thought she went

by some other name.”

Of course, you did. Leanna resisted the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation. She should have known

better than to think he could keep up a proper conversation without being a jerk.

The sun was breaking through the clouds in the distance, casting its rays on the garden and basking it

in a warm, golden glow. It was getting warm enough to make Leanna sleepy, and she couldn’t help the

yawn that escaped her.

Just then, the baby kicked her. Deciding that it was playtime, the baby then followed up with several

more kicks, and before long, he was actively moving in her.

At once, Leanna snapped out of her drowsiness. Her hand fluttered over her stomach as she felt the

baby’s movements, dipping her head and smiling lovingly at each subtle kick. When she looked up and

saw Aidan gazing at her with his obsidian eyes, she blinked, then asked self-consciously, “What are

you looking at?”

“What are you smiling at?” he countered just as quickly.

Her smile slipped as she retorted, “I don’t think you’d want to know.”

He frowned, displeased by her unwillingness to share. “That’s presumptuous of you. Are you assuming

you know what I want even without telling me?”

Not wanting to continue this useless bickering, she sighed and said, “The baby’s kicking.”

Aidan stared at her speechlessly. She had told him that he wouldn’t want to know, and she was right.

Sighing, she took his silence as her cue to go back to her room, but she was just about to get on her

feet when a large hand gently pressed against her belly.

“I don’t feel anything,” Aidan said quietly as he lowered his gaze.

She froze at this sudden shift in the atmosphere. Recovering from her initial shock, she pointed out

softly, “Not there.”

He moved his hand to another spot on her baby bump inquisitively. “Here?”

“No.” It wasn’t something she could give directions for, so she took his hand and guided him to a lower

part of her belly. “Here.”

He had only just put his hand on the spot when he felt the strong and certain kick against his palm. The

little one didn’t seem like he would stop and even followed up with several more kicks.

Aidan asked, “Is he always like this?”

“Not always,” Leanna said. “But he’s been going at it these days. He’ll stop once he tires out.”

“How long will that take?”

She gave him an incredulous look. He didn’t think I was timing these movements, did he?

He did not probe further when he did not get a response from her the first time, but he kept his dark

gaze on his hand, waiting for the next kick.

The little one appeared to be shifting and turning in there, like how one would toss and turn in bed, and

the kicks started up in a new spot. Aidan followed the movements, and where the kicks were, his hand

went.

This lasted for a good ten minutes. Leanna didn’t think anything of this at first, choosing to believe that

this was the first time, and probably the only time, Aidan would behave like a father. He was likely

thinking of ways to get rid of the baby, or wishing that the baby never came into existence in the first

place. Nonetheless, she couldn’t ask him to leave—not here, not now.

As the seconds ticked by, she got a little uneasy. She and Aidan were not exactly at close distance, but

this moment was getting too intimate for comfort. Clearing her throat, she said, “Uh, President Pearson,

my legs are falling asleep.”

Upon hearing this, he looked up at her. “Huh?”

She parted her lips and elaborated, “I’d like to stand up if you don’t mind.”

It was only then that he snapped out of his reverie and took a step back. Subsequently, he wordlessly

reached out a hand to her.

She eyed his hand like it was some alien creature. He saw the confusion on her face and drawled

impatiently, “Well, you wanted to stand up, didn’t you?”

Realizing that he was offering to help her get on her feet, she quickly reached for his hand and allowed

him to pull her up. When she was firmly standing on her two feet, she muttered, “Thanks.”

He merely shoved his hand into his pocket and said nothing.

Presently, Leanna was moving around to loosen her joints when she looked up to see Georgina

approaching them.

Georgina smiled as she greeted her, “Miss McKinney!” Then, she turned to look at Aidan. “Oh, you’re

here too, Aidan. Wonderful.”

Aidan hummed indifferently in response and made no other reply.

Leanna was self-conscious all of a sudden. She thanked the heavens that she had thought about

getting up from the chair earlier. Things would be that much harder to explain if Georgina had caught

them during the somewhat-intimate moment just now.

She nodded at Georgina and flashed her an apologetic smile as she said, “I’ll be going back to my

room now, Miss Crossley. Please excuse me.”

Georgina’s gaze flickered over to Aidan for a brief second, then she offered with a chuckle, “I’ll walk

you back, Miss McKinney. Someone’s got to make sure you don’t fall over your own feet now that you

can’t see them.”