Leda had always been the image of grace and propriety–a woman raised to be above reproach, never someone to shamelessly chase after another woman’s man. But this time, she was staking every shred of her dignity.
She loosened her hold around Ablett’s waist and, with a practiced composure, slipped her arm through his. A smirk flickered in her eyes as she turned to the other woman. “Miss Griffiths, don’t you think we’re rather alike?”
At those words, Blanche was transported back to the first time she’d met Leda. No wonder she’d found her so familiar–their presence, the impression they left, there was an undeniable resemblance.
“You’re nothing more than a distraction for Ablett when he’s angry with me,” Leda continued, her tone edged with superiority. “Now that I’m here and all misunderstandings are cleared up, it won’t be long before he comes back to me
“He’ll never marry you,” Leda declared with certainty, tightening her grip on Ablett’s arm for emphasis.
Ablett stood motionless, his gaze resting on Blanche. He watched the sorrow flicker across her face, sorrow for him. For a moment, something sparked in his usually calm, dark eyes.
“Is that really true?” Blanche’s voice was barely above a whisper, but her eyes shone with a peculiar light.
The iron–willed Director–General, caught up in a melodrama of mistaken identities and stand–ins? The idea seemed absurd; she simply couldn’t reconcile it with the man she knew.
She lowered her head, letting her hair fall forward to mask her expression. Her voice trembled, shoulders quivering, her whole posture radiating heartbreak and helplessness. “If that’s how it is… then I’ll step aside.”
She turned to leave, but Ablett reached out and caught her hand.
For the first time, Ablett took the initiative to grasp Blanche’s hand. His voice was soft, almost pleading. “Listen to me.”
He was never one to beg for forgiveness or speak gently–at least, not with anyone but her.
But the moment he caught hold of her, Blanche wrenched her hand free.
1/3
10:01
She ran toward the shoreline, her solitary figure making his heart twist with an unfamiliar, uneasy pain.
“Don’t go, Ablett,” Leda called out, sensing his intent. She clung to his arm, refusing to let him follow.
Ablett’s brow furrowed slightly. Instantly, his male assistant stepped forward and pried Leda’s hand away from his arm.
Leda watched as Ablett strode after Blanche, his tall, commanding silhouette betraying a hint of urgency she’d never seen in him before. Anxiety and disappointment gnawed at her.
She shook off the assistant’s restraining hand and hurried after him.
To Leda, Ablett was like the distant moon–cold and aloof to everyone except her, to whom he’d shown the faintest glimmer of warmth. He would never chase after another woman… would he?
Blanche reached the water’s edge, and Ablett was just a few steps behind. His chest heaved with breaths, his usual composure shaken; a strange, turbulent feeling
stirred within him.
He recalled the first time he’d seen her. At the time, his eyes were drawn to the book she was holding, and then, gradually, to her serene, delicate face.
He had paused in his tracks, watching as she turned away, leaving behind a pink cell phone under a tree.
A staff member found the phone. Ablett nodded for them to wait for her, then lingered nearby for several minutes himself.
She had come running, breathless, a gentle smile softening her features as she bowed in gratitude and reclaimed her phone.
It was the sort of trivial matter he’d usually leave to assistants to handle. But that day, he’d stayed.
Later, their paths crossed again–she won first place in a computer programming competition.
In front of him, she’d shown off her skills, even hacking into his computer us if she could also break into his heart.
Her innocent face was full of pride and stubborn resolve.
In her, he saw a reflection of his younger self.
10:02
Chapter 218
He’d been labeled a prodigy from an early age, thrust into the adult world before he was ready, made jaded by the ugliness he’d witnessed. He learned to keep people at arm’s length, his interest reserved solely for his work in science and technology. Romance had always seemed irrelevant–a distraction he’d never allowed himself.
