Chapter 52 You want to marry me?
Leila didn’t answer.
Mason looked at her, recalling a remark Caleb had made before: “I heard something before, not sure if it’s true or not, but I heard that about six months ago, the CEO of a listed company wanted to keep Leila as his mistress, and Leila nearly knocked his head off.
Mason stood in front of her, his tall figure looming over her. “Leila, do we have to be like this?”
Leila retorted, “For someone like you, you can have any kind of woman you want.”
Mason looked at her, his voice low, “Indeed.”
Leila asked, “So…”
Mason smiled, “So, since you see me as so outstanding, why aren’t you even a little touched?”
Mason pressed against her from behind, his large hands around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder as he chuckled softly, “Leila.”
“Mr. Ramirez, honestly, if I hadn’t read so many gossip news reports about you before, I really wouldn’t believe that you’ve had so many affairs.”
Leila’s words were laced with sarcasm.
Mason didn’t refute as he held her, his voice low as he chuckled, “Well. I don’t need to have had countless affairs, but if I’ve had a few more girlfriends, I shouldn’t be so fixated on you.”
Finishing his sentence, Mason lowered his head and lightly nibbled on Leila’s crimson earlobe, his voice husky, “Leila, do you think I’ll ever fall in love with you?”
Leila could clearly feel her skin shiver under his touch. “I think you have a sense of humor.”
“If you hadn’t provoked me that night, I wouldn’t have become so infatuated with you.” His expression was quite meaningful.
Leila looked at him calmly, “You just said you wouldn’t marry a woman you don’t love because that would hurt both parties.”
Mason deliberately twisted her words, “So, you want to marry me?”
Leila took a deep breath, the anger in her chest having nowhere to go, “If I wanted to marry you, would you actually do it?”
“You could try.”
Leila’s phone suddenly rang from her pocket.
“Let go,” Leila demanded.
Mason tightened his hold on her hand instead of releasing it. He leaned closer and reached into her pocket, retrieving her phone and answering the call.
As the call connected, Shirley’s excited voice came through the phone, “Leila, guess where I am right now?”
Leila tried to maintain her composure. “Where are you?”
Shirley giggled, “S city!!”
Then she asked triumphantly, “Surprised? Unexpected? We have a shoot scheduled in S city tomorrow morning.”
Leila remained silent.
Mason, who was holding her from behind, chuckled softly.
Sharp as ever, Shirley noticed something. “Leila, why do I hear a man’s voice on your end?”
Leila shot Mason a glare and replied, “No, it’s the TV.”
Shirley teased, “Hmm, I thought it was that bastard Mason chasing after you to S city.”
Shirley continued to badmouth Mason on the phone.
Meanwhile, Mason leaned closer to Leila’s ear and whispered, “Badmouthing behind my back, hmm?”
Leila wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t argue.
Shirley kept talking, not hearing Leila’s response, and lowered her voice a bit, saying, “Leila, do you know about Mason’s fiancee?”
Worried that Shirley might say something shocking, Leila hurriedly interrupted, “Where are you?”
Shirley replied, “On my way to your hotel.”
Leila said, “I have some things to take care of here. Let’s talk when you get here.”
Shirley didn’t detect the unease in Leila’s tone and continued, “I’ll give you all the details when I arrive. But let me tell you one thing now. Mason’s fiancee is head over heels for him. You know that model who was rumored to be with him recently? I heard Jennifer went straight to her shoot location today and got into a big fight with her.”
Leila remained silent. Whenever Mason’s name came up, Shirley hardly had anything good to say about him. While Mason appeared composed on the surface, in reality, his large hand had already slid from the edge of Leila’s clothes over her stomach, pushing upward.
Leila struggled a few times but couldn’t break free, so she clenched her teeth, afraid of making any unusual sounds that Shirley might pick up on.
Mason became even more audacious, his hand covering her soft, full chest, as he whispered seductively in her ear, “Leila.”
Leila pressed her lips together and remained silent.
With a mischievous grin, Mason continued, “Why not break up with Samuel and be with me?”
Leila squeezed out two words, “Dream on.”
Mason made a noncommittal sound and chuckled even more, “I understand. You just love the joy of cheating.”
The call with Shirley still ongoing, Leila found it increasingly difficult to stand next to the door.
Just as Leila was about to hang up the call and give Mason a piece of her mind, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Both Leila and Mason froze.
The next moment, Shirley’s cheerful voice came from outside the door, “Leila, open up, surprise!!”
Leila and Mason exchanged a glance of panic.
Seconds later, Mason found himself pushed into the bathroom by Leila.
The door opened, and Shirley hugged Leila triumphantly, saying, “Aren’t you happy to see me in a different city?”
“Yeah.”
Shirley continued, “I’ll make you even happier!”
With that, Shirley let go of Leila and pulled someone over from the wall.
It was Samuel!
Shirley exclaimed, “Even happier now, my brother’s here too!”
Leila was stunned on the spot.
Inside the bathroom, Mason, infamous as the ‘third party’ and ‘home-wrecker,’ listened to the commotion outside, feeling very unhappy.
A few minutes later, Shirley and Samuel sat on the sofa with Leila, continuing their conversation from the phone call.
As they discussed Jennifer, the daughter of The Powers Family, Shirley couldn’t help but sigh.
“You know that girl, she’s got the looks, the figure, and comes from such a good family. Why does she have to like Mason?”
Leila was completely calm by now. She sat on the single sofa on the side and opened a food delivery app.
“Have you two had dinner?”
Bringing up food, Shirley immediately switched from talking about Jennifer. “Not yet. Have you eaten?”
“A little bit, but not enough,” Leila replied.
“With whom?” Shirley inquired.
Without looking up and intentionally ignoring Mason, Leila replied, “Mr. Moore.”
Shirley nodded in understanding. “No wonder you couldn’t enjoy your meal. Dining with such a big shot is stressful. Who has the mood to savor the food?”
“What do you guys want to eat?”
Shirley hopped off the sofa and leaned in next to Leila, sitting on the armrest. “What are the specialty dishes?”
Leila handed her the phone. “Take a look yourself.”
Shirley naturally took the phone and scrolled through it for about seven or eight minutes before handing it back to Leila. “I’ve made my selection.”
Looking at the items in the cart, Leila glanced at Shirley uncertainly. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely!” Shirley affirmed.
“You don’t want to try any of S city’s specialties?” Leila inquired skeptically, “Fried chicken and skewers with beer-how is that not a specialty of S city?”
Shirley replied earnestly. “Every place has its own unique style of fried chicken and skewers, right?”
Leila was at a loss for words.
After settling Shirley’s order, Leila handed the phone to Samuel. “Take a look and see what you want.”Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
Samuel, who had been leaning over to text a colleague, looked up at Leila’s question. “I’m not picky. I’ll eat whatever you two are having.”
The takeaway arrived. As the three of them ate and chatted, Leila and Samuel talked about work, “I heard that if you secure the Premier Construction project, the commission will be substantial.”
Leila smiled, “Well, it seems news travels fast.”
Samuel raised his beer bottle for a toast. “That’s good news. You’re earning your commission based on merit.”
Shirley chimed in, “That’s true, but in this society, there are plenty of people who envy you.”
After downing two bottles of beer, Samuel stood up. “I’ll go to the restroom.”
Leila had already forgotten about the person in the bathroom and continued chatting with Shirley.
A minute later, there was a loud “thud” from the bathroom.
Leila and Shirley froze simultaneously.
Leila suddenly remembered something, and the skewer in her hand slipped through her fingers…