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Chapter 171
Chapter 171
Chapter 171
But her response was so swift it reeked of deceit.
Curtis wanted to stop her, to make her look into his eyes and say it again.
Just as he took a couple of steps forward, the group had already reached the summit. Joy and Selina were leading the charge, and upon seeing Leanne, they scrambled toward her.
“Curtis, you scoundrel! I knew you had a hand in her disappearance!”
“I’m beat! We turned around and you were gone; we nearly doubled back to look for you. Skyler said you took a shortcut, and this one,” Selina pointed at Leanne, panting like she’d run a marathon, “ran like her life depended on it!”
“Where’d you guys come up from? There’s a shortcut and you didn’t tell us? Where’s the team spirit?” she added, hands on her hips.
“It wasn’t my doing.” Leanne said smoothly, cheekily shifting the blame, “I was kidnapped.” “I was nearly chewed out by these two along the way.” Skyler arrived, looking equally winded, and with a sigh of resignation, said to Curtis, “You owe me big time for this one.”
Curtis’ expression was unreadable, but when he spoke again, his usual indifference had returned, “That original painting you liked last time, come by and pick it up place.”
from m
my
Skyler was taken aback by the generosity, “Seriously? I was just saying, you don’t have
to-”
Curtis, with a weary look, cut him off, “Got a smoke?”
As Skyler reached into his pocket, Jeremy pulled out a pack and offered it up.
Curtis glanced at the cigarettes and looked up, making silent eye contact. No words were exchanged. He took one and headed toward the cliff’s edge, “Thanks.”
The morning sun burst forth, painting the skies with golden hues, awakening the slumbering landscapes in a dazzling display.
Exhausted and sprawled on a large rock, Joy and Selina were suddenly reinvigorated by the spectacle, their excited screams echoing through the valley.
The first rays of sunlight bathed Leanne, the grandiosity seemingly soaking into her very
essence.
She squinted in the brilliant light, feeling a sense of expansiveness-as if all her burdens were lifted in that moment.
What did love matter, after all? In the grand scheme of mountains and seas, sunrises and
sunsets, love was but a fleeting moment in life.
As Joy posed for a perfect selfie, a lithe figure suddenly leaped up beside her, startling her enough to nearly toss her phone off the cliff.
Devin caught his breath, “Man, I’ve never worked so hard for a sunrise!”
Joy handed him the camera, “Perfect timing. Take a picture for us.”
Curtis and Jeremy had drifted downwind for a smoke while Skyler and his girlfriend, Grace, were cozying up for a couples photo. The girls were one photographer short
Devin took the camera, snapped a picture, and blurted out, “Done”
“What kind of shot is that? I wasn’t even ready! Joy exclaimed, furning as she reached for
the camera
Devin, clearly annoyed, readjusted the lens and settings. “Always with the drama. Hurry up and get in place!
He took a group shot of the three girls, followed by individual poses. Joy and Selina were the kind of people who could give models a run for their money, cycling through a multitude of poses in a minute
Finally, Selina called out, “Hey, come on over! Let’s take one big group photor
Jeremy joined the girls, standing like a true gentleman by their side. Skyler and Grace moved in from the other end
Curtis flicked his cigarette away and strolled back with a nonchalant gait. Content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
As the group’s eyes fell upon him, Skyler intuitively wrapped his arm around Grace and stepped aside, making room for Curtis
Right next to Leanne
As Devin clicked the shutter, he couldn’t help but wonder why on earth he agreed to make the trip back up to be their go-to guy for the day
Chapter 172
As the dawn broke, the descent from the mountain revealed a world bathed in sunlight, a stark contrast to the night before. Warmth embraced them, a comforting change to the chill they had faced during their ascent.
The campground was already bustling with early risers as they decided to pause for al break and grab some breakfast.
Leanne went to fetch some hot water while Suzan took a seat in one of the lounge chairs. Leanne had no intention of making small talk; she simply turned on the tap and filled her bottle.
Suzan watched her, puzzled by the air of confidence that seemed to emanate from her. She remembered a different Leanne from their school days one who was often bullied. There was that high school bully who had a crush on her, and the rumor was he had once dragged her into the boys’ bathroom.
Suzan, a privileged young lady, could never understand the struggles of an orphan like Leanne, nor did she care to. All she saw was someone weak and easily dominated.
Even though Leanne was stunningly beautiful, living under the watchful eye of the Richardson family, Suzan had never considered her a threat or equal.
It was unfathomable to Suzan that Curtis would eventually choose to marry Leanne.
Curtis had always been popular with the girls, breezing through several high school romances without ever seeming truly invested. None lasted long.
Suzan had thought she was different, but after dating Curtis, she realized she all the others to him.
e was just like.
She couldn’t understand how Leanne, a girl from such a humble background, could have such luck. An orphan had become Mrs. Richardson of the illustrious Richardson family, married into wealth, pampered by Curtis. Gone was the country girl who had first arrived. at the Richardsons’, replaced by someone who even in the simplest of clothes, exuded an air of elegance, as if she were born into wealth,
“Leanne, sometimes I can’t help but be jealous of you.
taken in by the Richardsons and even marry Curtis You’ve got no parents, yet you get
false sweetness.
Suzan
said, her voice dripping with
Leanne turned off the tap and faced her. “Jealous? You think losing my parents early is a
stroke of good fortune?” She detested when people brought up her parents
disrespectfully. “Would you like to trade places with me?”
“You’ve got it all wrong,” Suzan replied, maintaining her smile. “I’m envious of how, even after such a short time together, Curtis seems unable to forget you.”