Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 77: The Walls Around Her Heart

Chapter 77: The Walls Around Her Heart

Why is he this close?

And why is it getting harder to breathe?

Viviana blinked her eyes.

"My birthday’s coming up in December," Leander added. "... 27th"

"Oh?" Viviana bit her lips looking into his eyes. "I’d love to gift you. But... You might know that I don’t have any money on me."

And aren’t I trapped in this bedroom? How am I even going to buy him a gift?

"Ah yes..." Leander let go of her waist. "Here," he offered her a card from his pocket.

Viviana wetted her lips looking at that black-colored metallic card with an image of the centurion and his name written on it.

A devilish thought came to her mind. She can accept that card and make a run for it after cashing enough money!

"No!" Leander placed the card back in his pockets. "It would be my money," he mumbled.

He is not that pathetic to get gifts with his money.

Viviana was disappointed, a little.

She watched Leander scurrying around the closet. He opened one of the drawers and took out some bills of money. He then walked to her with a smile.

"Here," he gave her.

Viviana looked at the old bills in her hand. There were a 50-dollar bill and a couple of 20-dollar bills, folded many times. Something clicked in her head. She used to fold notes like this and store it in her house at odd places.

Does he have that habit too?

"Do you recognize it?" Leander asked and she looked at him.

She took a step back because her neck hurt when she looked at his face when he is standing close to her.

"Should I?" she asked and looked closer at the bills.

"We got it from your house. One of the 20-dollar bills was in one of the boxes of receipts and the other was in one of the albums...?" he looked at her, confused. "The 50-dollar bill was in the cloves spice jar."

"Ah, really?" She grinned. "I forgot I kept them there... I often forget where I store money and when I find them it’s like a gift, I give myself." She held the bills to her chest.

Her mother didn’t have this habit. She got the habit from watching Leona’s mother. She loved storing the big bills she has for future use. She does take them back from time to time, but she forgets some bills. When she does deep cleaning of her house, she finds around two hundred dollars each time.

This time too is a surprise. She emptied her bank account and found all the hidden money and gave it all away as she was planning on dying. She didn’t want to leave a single cent to her name. It’s not like she has someone who can inherit her money.

But the places he found them...

"You really went through my stuff, huh?" she raised her brows.

Leander said nothing and let out a sigh. He was looking for every detail about her in the days she was unconscious. She left nothing of importance behind and it only made him curious. He still couldn’t find out who received the money she had in her savings account. Someone smart must have helped her with it. There was no trace of where that money went.

But still, in this day of electronic transfer, there are bound to be clues left. He has commissioned one of the best in the field to look at it. It might take some time, but he surely will find out who that valuable person she wants to protect is.

Viviana looked at the money. She didn’t know what she could get for him—for 90 dollars. And she doesn’t know what to get a man. Her father would be happy with a pen, a shirt or a tie. Father Flannagan loves hand kerchiefs. He’d also say that the shoes she buys him doesn’t wear out.

What would Leander like?

"You’re a Capricorn. I would have thought you were a Leo," Viviana said.

"What?" Leander didn’t understand head or tails of what she said. But she said "Leo" again.

"Never mind," Viviana waved her hand.

When he walked so confidently toward conflict, his unwavering attitude, his protective instinct, and his no-nonsense demeanor... He also seemed stubborn and prideful. But then she remembered how he was very flustered last night. Maybe he is a Capricorn.

"Your birthday is in January, right?" Leander asked. "What do you want for your birthday?"

"Nothing. I don’t celebrate my birthday," she shrugged.

When she was adopted, her parents registered the day she was adopted as her birthday—January Sixth. After her parents’ death, she didn’t like celebrating her birthday. And she is not a child to celebrate her birthday still. Her real birthday is already over.

And will she be alive till January? She didn’t think so.

"Where and how should I buy your gift?" she asked.

She wondered if he would ask her to do the shopping online.

"We’ll go together," Leander said.

His eyes turned dim. She had no problem asking him questions, but when he wants to know about her, she dismisses him. He did not like she is putting up walls against him. She still thinks that he is a danger to her.

Viviana didn’t notice the change in his expression and kept the money in one of the drawers. She didn’t think Leander would bring her out. So, she decided not to hang on to his word.

Leander observed her. As always, she is so unpredictable. She just feels like air in his hand. He knows nothing about her except that she does not like others to get hurt in her place. And so, he used that to try and get her close to him. But it only angers her.

He wanted to know how she spends the money. Maybe that will tell him more about her.

"What?" he asked as she stood leaning on the door holding her back.

"Nothing..." Viviana smiled. But her face looked a bit pale as if she was in a lot of pain.

"What is it?" he roared. "You are obviously in pain!"

He found that he cannot take her attitude anymore. How longer is she going to keep her thoughts to herself? When will she share them to him?

"I said it’s nothing!" Viviana glared at him.

Her back was hurting. She knew that her periods will arrive and it’s going to be a hell of a week. It’s been three months since she last got her periods and she will have to endure thrice the pain of what a normal woman will endure during her periods. And there will be a lot of bleeding.

She’s lived with this pain ever since she got her periods. She’s been fine enduring it alone. What could talking about the pain do? No one can bear that pain for her. She is the only one she can depend on.

Leander looked at her with his jaws clenched. He wanted to shout at her. But holding himself back, he left the room.

Viviana flinched as he banged the door shut.

What is wrong with him?