Chapter 869

Connor was dumbfounded for a long moment before looking at Leonie and clicking

his tongue.

"A woman's heart truly is the most toxic thing in the world."

As if terrified Leonie would take the bowl away, he quickly snatched it up and drained the broth in three massive gulps. Then, his eyes darted over to Leonie's half-finished portion.

"Forget it, forget it. If you're that desperate, you can have it all."

Connor grumbled as he wiped his mouth. "Next time your mom makes this, tell her

to make a batch for me too. You women have it so easy. I wish I could get

pregnant."

Gwyneth laughed so hard she almost choked on her own soup.

Connor shot her a cold glare.

"Is this funny to you? Guess I'm just here for your entertainment. It's obvious your husband is keeping you glowing."

Connor had tagged along with Leonie mainly because he was genuinely worried about Gwyneth. He hadn't known how she was doing lately.

The last time she had fallen into the ocean, the incident had made headlines all over Greenvale.

But during her time in the hospital, Hawthorne had guarded her room like a hawk, leaving Connor zero chance to get close to her.

When he asked Leonie for updates back then, she had kept her mouth shut and flat- out refused to let him visit the ward.

Leonie had her reasons-she was terrified Connor would start a brawl with her uncle over Gwyneth.

As for Connor's obvious crush on Gwyneth, Leonie didn't think too much of it. She thought Gwyneth was wonderful, so having a few admirers was only natural.

Except, whenever she saw Connor fussing over Gwyneth, a strange, inexplicable wave of jealousy would bubble up inside her.

Regardless, she knew her uncle and Gwyneth's relationship was rock solid. Nobody was breaking them up. Reminding herself of that always put her mind at ease.

Gwyneth boldly decided to poke the bear. "If you want Leonie's mom's soup so badly, why don't you just have Leonie take you home?"

Connor scoffed dismissively.

"Go home with her? Why the hell would I go anywhere with her? Have you seen how she treats me? She beats me nine times in three days. If I go to her house, I won't make it out ale

Gwyneth hadn't meant it maliciously, but she couldn't help marveling at how incredibly dense Connor was when it came to romance. Her hint couldn't have been more obvious. Leonie clearly caught on, blushing fumously but Connor remained completely clueless.

"Soup? You want my mom to make

double portions for you? Keep dreaming You're lucky you got half a

bowl. Gwyneth, stop giving him terrible ideas. I would never take him home. If he steps foor or my property, I'm releasing the hounds."

To prove her point, Leonie signaled the tiny puppy zooming around the patio, urging

it to attack Connor.

Connor shot the little furball a look of absolute disdain.

Acting as though it actually understood human speech, the dog fearlessly charged

at Connor's shoe. Connor narrowed his eyes. "Take one more step and I'll stomp on

you."

Terrified, the puppy let out a sharp yelp, scrambled backward, slammed into the table leg, and tumbled over itself.

After bullying the dog, Connor went right back to bickering with Leonie. Gwyneth sat back, highly entertained by the chaos.

Under Leonie's strict supervision, Gwyneth finished her bowl, while Connor shamelessly polished off the rest of the leftovers.

Bored, Connor wandered over to Gwyneth's easel and frowned at the canvas.

It was a portrait, still in the sketch phase, but even an idiot could tell who the subject

was.

"This guy is seriously ugly."

Connor grumbled his critique softly, not daring to speak too loudly. Losing interest rapidly, he turned to head back inside.

But Leonie materialized behind him like a ghost.

"Connor, what are you muttering about now? Are you trash-talking my uncle?"

Then her eyes landed on the canvas, and she gasped in awe.

"Gwyneth! Is this my uncle? Oh my god, this is incredible!"

Connor couldn't resist throwing in a jab from the sidelines. "He's an old geezer. Your eyes are broken."