Chapter 377
Chapter 377:
The memory hit him like a lightning bolt. Back when he was obsessed with unraveling Tess’s identity, Janice had asked if they should stop pretending and make it real.
Was that the moment?
Reflecting on the way she had looked at him then, it finally dawned on him how much she had meant those words.
“You like me, don’t you?” he asked.
Janice hesitated briefly but then walked away, not sparing him another glance.
As Aiden watched her retreating figure, he felt an unbearable weight pressing down on him, almost pushing him over the edge.
He believed that speaking from the heart might be enough to bring Janice back to him, but he had underestimated the strength of her resolve.
Just like the day she walked away from the Edwards family, she had made her choice, and once she did, she never looked back.
She was right. He had never truly understood her. Yet, deep down, he longed for another chance to truly know the woman he had lost.
Drawing in a deep breath, his gaze hardened with newfound determination. “Janice, you’ve stepped back into my life, and I can’t bear to see you walk away again.”
He placed a trembling hand over his chest, as if trying to steady the ache within.
Janice stepped back into the dining room, a frown etched on her face. “What’s happening here?”
The room felt tense. Everyone wore a grim expression. Leah’s face was ghostly pale, as though something had shaken her to the core.
Leah wasn’t one to scare easily, so what could have rattled her this badly?
Janice’s eyes fell on a gift box sitting in front of Leah. Curiosity piqued, she walked over and carefully removed its contents.
Her expression darkened the moment she saw what lay inside—a letter accompanied by a blood-stained brooch.
New adventures await at gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs﹒𝚌o𝓂
“Is Leonidas back?”
At the mention of the name, Leah’s body trembled, and she sank heavily into her chair. “Didn’t he leave the country? Why is he here? Is he back for revenge?”
“Leah, take a breath and calm yourself.”
Janice shot Glenn a quick, apologetic glance.
Glenn gave a small nod of understanding before standing to his feet. “I’ll check on the kids. You all carry on.”
Once Glenn stepped out, Janice took a seat next to Leah, placing a reassuring hand on her arm.
“Leah, don’t worry. If he’s really back, I promise he won’t get anywhere near you.”
There was an icy determination in Janice’s eyes as she spoke, and somehow, her steady voice seemed to calm Leah’s frayed nerves.
“I’ll keep you safe, Leah.” Costello’s quiet words carried the weight of an unshakable vow.
“Exactly. The three of us are here, and that madman won’t get a chance to touch you.” Prescott pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, trying to muster some courage, though his shaky legs betrayed him. It wasn’t just Leah who was scared; even Prescott couldn’t hide his fear of Leonidas.
“You guys know Leonidas Miller?” Aiden walked in, catching the tail end of the conversation.
Instantly, all eyes turned to Aiden, their faces reflecting a mix of surprise and curiosity.
“You know Leonidas, too?” Prescott’s voice carried disbelief as he stared at Aiden.
“I ran into him once while I was abroad.” Aiden sat next to Janice, his face calm and detached, as though her earlier remarks hadn’t bothered him. “He’s utterly unhinged. Everything he says and does screams insanity.”
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