Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 64: A Tempest Came Raging to the Manor

Chapter 64: A Tempest Came Raging to the Manor

Despite the initial obstacle, Leslie finally enjoyed her time being at the poolside when Aunt Wendy came with the food.

The housekeeper prepared two types of sandwiches, one jug of watermelon juice and a huge bottle of mineral water. She put thin slices of strawberries into the juice.

"Mr. Calix," Aunt Wendy called Calix who was gliding through the water, "I’ve brought four glasses for you."

"Thank you!" Calix shouted from the middle of the swimming pool. Water droplets dripped from his face, "I’ll bring the plates downstairs myself."

Aunt Wendy nodded. She glanced at the two glasses, confusion was written on her face.

"Why does he need four glasses?" Aunt Wendy shook her head in helplessness, thinking Calix rare, "Never mind. The drama will start soon."

"..."

Leslie refrained from laughing. Aunt Wendy was certainly bewildered by Calix’s request. The housekeeper wouldn’t ever know that one of the glasses was for her, a soul.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Hearing the loud sound, Leslie wondered if Calix purposely exaggerated his movement. He swam back to where he started.

Not long after, Calix climbed up from the pool, dripping water everywhere on his path.

"You can read the novel and eat now," Calix roughly wiped his wet face, his hair sticking out messily, "You don’t know how confused Aunt Wendy looked when I asked for four glasses."

"I can use one glass for both drinks," Leslie averted her eyes from Calix whose perfectly toned body was exposed to her sight, "Wanna have some? Let me pour the drink for you."

While Leslie doing that, Calix grabbed the towel he tossed to the chair next to hers. He randomly rubbed his face and hair before placing the fabric on his shoulders.

"Your drink," Leslie moved the glass closer to Calix.

"Thanks."

Leslie and Calix sat in silence as they enjoyed the watermelon juice and bite-size sandwiches. Instead of returning to the pool, the young man lay on the lounge chair, sunbathing.

Ignoring the man who slowly turning into a cooked shrimp under the hot sun, Leslie started reading the novel.

The book was quite worn out with crumpled edges and spine, the signs of being reread countless times by someone.

Unable to hold herself back, Leslie asked while still looking at the first page of the thriller novel.

"Do you like this story, Calix? Seems like you read this book again and again."

Calix turned to Leslie, trying to recognize the book. His eyes flickered with recollection.

"Oh, yes, yes," Calix quickly admitted, "The mystery’s simple but, the writing hooks me. I’m so mad at the real kidnapper. You should read it ah."

Leslie had read the synopsis. The book told the story of a mother whose daughter got kidnapped. During her frantic searches, she got framed as the abductor.

"I wonder who’s the real kidnapper," Leslie raised her brows, catching her attention, "I should give it a try."

Calix smiled, saying nothing more. When Leslie was immersed in her reading, he jumped out of the chair and ran back to the pool.

The day was particularly relaxing, even for Calix. He did get a few calls from Edward but, all of the inquiries were solved within minutes.

But, the night started with a turbulent storm.

Before the tempest came raging to the mansion, Leslie was spending her time reading one of the diaries. She picked the recent one from the pile before bringing it to her bedroom.

Sitting on the bed next to her body, Leslie carefully read the diary contents. Mimo lay on a spot next to her, playing with its paws.

The more Leslie read it, the deeper her frown was. At the same time, her feelings became knots of sorrow and silent fury.

"...how could they do this to her? Isn’t she their family too?" whispered Leslie stiffly, trying to hold back her anger.

Charlene didn’t write in the diary every day. There were spans of days and even weeks, depending on her feelings.

In most of the entries, Charlene vented how sad and dissatisfied she was with the Li family, especially her parents.

No matter how much she was wronged and bullied by Gladyes and scorned by Old Madam Li, Rowan and Bianca didn’t step up to tell her tormentors off.

[...if they can’t defend me, why did they give birth to me?]

Despair clawed into Leslie’s heart. Unaware of her, her eyes were stung with tears.

"Huh?"

Leslie blinked. Lifting one hand, she softly ran her fingertips over her eyes. They were damp with clear droplets of tears.

"Mimo... am I reliving her feelings now?"

Mimo jumped onto Leslie’s lap. Brushing its paws on her right arm, it replied, |Yes. The memories you received came along with the original host’s feelings. Leslie, are you so sad now?|

"I am sad... and mad," Leslie sighed. Putting down the diary, she picked Mimo up, "I can feel how helpless she was... enough for her to want to stop living."

Charlene mentioned that she had ideas to run away from the country. But, she had no energy left to keep her survival ongoing.

|Maybe... that’s why she wants you to live a new life for her, Leslie.|

"...yeah, maybe."

Leslie closed her eyes, recalling the first time she met Charlene. The latter kept telling her to live well after finding Calliope. She was adamant about leaving this world.

"I hope that... her soul will find a place where she can feel at peace," prayed Leslie in earnest.

|I’ll wish for that too, Leslie.|

Despite knowing that this world was inside a book, Leslie couldn’t treat Charlene’s life as something on a piece of paper. The latter and everyone else felt so alive to her.

"Mimo, I’ll go out," Leslie put Mimo down on the bed, "I think I need fresh air."

|I’ll stay here.|

Smiling, Leslie gave Mimo a few pats on its head. She put the diary inside the locked drawer of the bedside table. Then, she made her way out of the room.

"Is Calix downstairs?"

After dinner, Calix invited Leslie to watch a movie but, she rejected it. He said he would be downstairs in the lounge if she wanted to join him afterward.

Leslie floated downstairs. Because Calix was not with her, she didn’t feel like walking.

"Hurm... the lounge is... there."

Leslie changed her direction. The corner of her eyes caught something as she hovered passing the huge windows on the hallway.

"Eh... a car?"

Passing through the wall, Leslie watched a car parked on the porch of the manor. Two men stepped out of the vehicle, one of them was familiar to her.

"Huh? Xander?"

Perplexed, Leslie dazedly looked at Xander and another young man marching to the front door. She quickly returned inside, wanting to alert Calix.

"Calix! Calix! Where are you?"

Ding dong!

Ding dong!

It seemed like Xander and the other man pressed the bell before Leslie could get to Calix. The young man emerged from the lounge, confused to see her standing not far from the main door.

"Leslie? Who is it?"

"It’s..."

The intercom echoed, cutting Leslie mid-sentence.

"CALIX! Open the door! It’s me and Xander ah!"

"..."

Calix was speechless. He stared at the intercom screen in disbelief.

"What? Are they trying to ruin my night now?"

Leslie had nothing to say, also thinking the same as CEO Xu.