Chapter 196

Chapter 196 Give Him a Chance As soon as Louis spoke up, there was no doubt about what everyone

thought of Aidan. As someone who was used to feeling awkward on behalf of other people, Leanna felt

very uneasy. However, Aidan acted as if he had heard nothing, as though their dislike for him was not

clear. Seeing that, Leanna could not resist scratching her forehead from embarrassment. Why did

Aidan insist on forcing himself over when he knew that none of them wanted him here? He was so

annoying. Just as he picked up his cutlery, Leanna hurriedly took some kitchen towels to blot the oil

away from his food. “Please make do for now, President Pearson. Do not force yourself if you cannot

stomach…” “When did I say I could not stomach this?” Aidan then picked up the food on his plate and

ate it without hesitation. Leanna frowned. When she eventually looked away, she found everyone else

at the table looking at her. She silently stared back. When they realized she was staring at them, they

hurriedly cleared their throats and looked away. Some turned to their food while the others took sips of

their drinks. She pursed her lips. In the end, she said nothing either. It did not matter. The more she

tried to explain herself, the more guilty she would look.

All she wanted was for the meal to end now so that they could all go home. After a brief moment of

silence, someone decided to start a conversation that finally dispelled the suffocating and awkward

tension in the air. After the meal, Zoe took charge of cleaning the dishes. When Elijah offered his help,

she declined. “Daniel and I can handle the task just fine. You should go…” She then shot him a look,

telling him to stay with Leanna so that Aidan did not have a chance to speak to her. Elijah went silent,

hesitating over whether or not he should do as she suggested. “You should be more proactive,” Zoe

whispered. “How can you back down at such a time? Go!” As she said that, she gave him a push

before dragging Daniel with her into the kitchen. Daniel protested, “I don’t know how to…” “You can

learn. Come, I will teach you. How can you come for a meal and do nothing?” Back in the living room,

Leanna was clearing the table. Aidan was about to offer his help when Louis dragged him away. “Let’s

have a chat.” “What about?” Aidan asked, turning to look at him.

They headed over to the balcony. “Leanna,” Elijah called out, walking over to her. She looked up with a

smile. “What is it?” Although he tried as hard as he could, he still could not ask her the question that

had been occupying his mind. Instead, he asked, “Are you really allergic to flowers?” “I am not. He was

lying.” “I see.” He was about to ask her another question when Daphne darted over, interrupting them.

“I’m sorry,” she said, shooting him an apologetic smile. “I have something I need to talk to Leanna

about. I need to borrow her for a while.” She then dragged Leanna away. Soon, he was the only person

left in the room. He was soon lost in his thoughts, staring at the bouquet he had brought. Meanwhile, in

the bedroom, Daphne clasped her hands before her. “I’m sorry. I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I

should not have brought him here.” She would never have given in to Aidan’s threats had she known

things would be so awkward. “I was wondering what you wanted to talk about,” Leanna replied, with a

soft laugh.

“He has been acting this way lately. Even if you didn’t bring him along, he would have found a way.”

Nevertheless, Daphne still felt bad about it. “I didn’t know there would be so many people here and that

your suitor would be here as well.” Leanna’s temple throbbed. “Don’t listen to Zoe’s nonsense…”

“Nonsense? Did you not see how he looked at you? How different is his gaze? There is also President

Pearson. There was so much jealousy flying in the air. If we had not all been talking, they might have

been fighting in the end.” Leanna pursed her lips and kept quiet. “Leanna, pardon me for saying this,”

Daphne said, “although I am not sure what exactly happened between you and President Pearson, I

know him quite well after having worked for him for so long. He is not a bad man, other than how

tactless he could be.” “Furthermore, none of the rumored relationships he had were true, no matter how

many rumors there were. I can guarantee that. It is just that…” she continued. “From what I can tell, he

cares about you. He pays a lot of attention to you, and what you think seems to matter to him. Can you

give him a chance?” Leanna shook her head.

“It is impossible between us.” Daphne sighed. “Well, let’s pretend that I have never said this to you,”

she said, smiling. “Let’s forget about it.” “Okay,” Leanna replied with a smile of her own. When they

returned to the living room, they found Louis sitting there alone. Leanna looked around. “Where are

they?” “They left.” “All together?” He nodded. “Yes.” “They did not go out to fight, right?” Daphne

whispered. Hearing that, Leanna dashed out of the apartment without thinking. Louis frowned at her

figure. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but said nothing in the end. “What did you say to

Aidan?” Daphne asked from beside him. His eyes flickered over to her before turning away. “Nothing.”

She did not believe that. “Why would he leave without a word if you said nothing?” “I just told him that

he was not welcome here. If he left without prompting, it would look more dignified.” “You really said

that?” Shock and disbelief colored her face. Louis shuffled uneasily, as if he sensed her admiring gaze.

“Something like that,” he said, scratching his neck. How amazing! “You go, bro!” Daphne praised him

as she patted him on the shoulder. “You sure have some guts.” Louis kept quiet. … Leanna dashed

down the stairs. She looked all over the place but found no signs of Elijah or Aidan. She heaved a sigh

of relief. Thank goodness they were not fighting. A cold wind brushed past her, and a shiver ran down

her spine. It was only then that she realized she had run so quickly out of the apartment that she had

forgotten to put on a jacket. She rubbed her shoulders and turned to head back home. Just then, she

felt a weight settling on her shoulders as a warm coat was placed over them. She turned and stared in

shock. “Didn’t you leave?” Aidan’s dark eyes pierced through her. “Why are you down here?” “I…” Her

mind whirred. “I came down looking for Elijah.” “Sorry to disappoint you, but he has already left.” “Oh.”

After a few moments, she tentatively asked, “What did Louis say to you?” “What do you want him to

say to me?” he shot back.