The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

"Stop fooling around." Sean Sinclair drove Cecilia Sinclair home and then returned to Norsen.

None of his things were there, but Leila Jennings was.

The car drove straight to Norsen No. 20. The lights were on. The clothes and pickled vegetables Charles Jordan had mentioned weren’t in the yard; Leila must have put them away.

The courtyard gate was unlocked.

He walked in, stood next to the camera by the gate, and raised his hand to press the doorbell.

The doorbell rang countless times, but the front door never opened.

"Leila, can you hear me?" he said to the camera, his tone pleading. "Please see me. Whatever problems we have, we can talk them out. Starting this month, I’ll give you every cent I earn to manage. You’ll have full control over our finances."

"Leila, we haven’t seen each other, had a proper conversation, or even shared a decent meal together in such a long time."

He truly missed the past four years.

"Sarah and I..." His voice faltered. "There’s really nothing between us. Those are just rumors."

"If you don’t want me to be close to Sarah, I promise I won’t."

"Just open the door and see me. I’ll agree to anything."

Only silence answered him.

But Miss Moss heard his every word.

When Sean Sinclair rang the doorbell, Miss Moss received a notification, and the feed from the gate’s camera was streamed to her phone.

Miss Moss listened to Sean’s near-penitent speech, shaking her head. ’Such empty promises.’

Then she sent the recording to her young master.

Nathaniel Cole, Leila Jennings, and Cherry Cole had just returned from the riverside.

Cherry had a little to drink and was clinging to Leila’s arm, nuzzling against it. Nathaniel was half-worried she might drool on Leila.

"That’s enough," Nathaniel chided. "Spineless."

Cherry yawned and said, "You’re just jealous. Too bad you’re not a girl."

Nathaniel Cole: "?"

’Was that even a coherent thought?’

Cherry: "That’s why you can’t be friends with Leila."

’Who wants to be friends with her?’

Nathaniel glanced at Leila, who was feigning sleep with her eyes closed. She had been listless all evening.

’Sean Sinclair really is repulsive.’

He told Cherry, "Quiet down."

Cherry nodded and went back to sleeping on Leila’s shoulder.

On the way, Nathaniel watched the video Miss Moss had sent.

"Sean Sinclair?" Leila had opened her eyes at some point, her gaze now fixed on his phone screen.

Nathaniel turned to meet her eyes, handed her the phone, and took out his Bluetooth earbuds.

They each put one in.

Sean Sinclair’s words flowed clearly into Leila’s ear.

Nathaniel watched the flicker of emotions on Leila’s face. One moment she was frowning, the next her brow would smooth out. He couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

"So?" he asked.

Leila took out the earbud, handed Nathaniel’s phone back, and said, "I don’t have time for him. I have to meet Sean Sinclair’s mother tomorrow."

Nathaniel had already heard about Leila’s plans from his sister.

The Leila of today wouldn’t be swayed by a few sweet words from Sean.

On the cruise ship, when Sean had carried Sarah Lynch away, Leila had calmly taken out her phone to take pictures for evidence.

However, her iron-clad defenses made him worry for himself.

He was afraid Miss Moss’s comment about a "long road ahead" was becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Leila had been hurt by Sean. She was like someone who had nearly drowned; now she would take a long detour just at the sight of water.

That night, Nathaniel mentioned the matter to Ms. Neville.

A message came back from her quickly.

Strategist:

[You can teach her how to ’swim’ again.]

[But this will require lots and lots of patience and lots and lots of love.]

[You’ll need to understand why she can’t go near the water, guide her toward it, and allow her to linger and test the waters at the edge.]

[You have patience; we’ve been cultivating that in you since you were a child.]

[You also have lots and lots of love. You and your sister had it from the moment your father and I first dreamed of having children.]

[Mom will always support you, even if you’re tackling hell mode right from the start.]

...

「The next day.」

Leila Jennings opened her eyes. Cherry was still asleep.

She carefully lifted the covers to get out of bed. After washing up, she went downstairs, where Miss Moss was already making breakfast.

"Miss Jennings, breakfast is almost ready. I knew you were used to getting up at this hour."

"The young miss loves to sleep in. Miss Jennings, you go ahead and eat. I’ll make something for her when she wakes up."

Leila sat down. "Thank you, Miss Moss."

"You’re welcome." Miss Moss smiled as she brought over the last item, a plate of cut fruit. "Miss Jennings, when are you planning to move? A monkey has recently moved into Norsen. It likes to make a racket for no reason. So annoying."

’A monkey in Norsen? Miss Moss had to be taking a jab at someone. The only people who could get her this worked up were people connected to Nathaniel... or to me. And the only person connected to me was Sean Sinclair, who’d been spouting nonsense in front of some stranger’s villa last night.’ 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"You’re talking about Sean Sinclair?"

Miss Moss chuckled. "I really can’t hide anything from you, Miss Jennings."

"How did he move in?" Leila hadn’t thought about it in detail last night. Not only could Sean get into Norsen, but he had also gone to someone else’s villa and shouted her name.

Miss Moss said, "He came to deliver money."

As soon as she said it, she tapped her own mouth lightly. Her tongue had slipped.

Leila looked at her quizzically.

Miss Moss explained, "He rented a house in Norsen. Norsen was developed by the Cole Group, so isn’t that just giving money to the young master?"

Leila nodded and asked, "Then why did he go to someone else’s house and shout my name?"

"That’s an empty villa. No one lives there. The young master had me trick him into going over there. He was worried President Sinclair would disturb you." Miss Moss’s eyes darted slyly as she smiled. "The young master cares a lot about you, Miss Jennings. You hold a very special place in his heart."

Leila took a sip of milk and gave her a resigned look. "Did the audiobook you were listening to last night have that line?"

"Miss Jennings, how did you know!" Miss Moss looked shocked.

Leila smiled faintly. "Because I could hear it leaking from your headphones."

Miss Moss: "..."

"It must be the headphones. I’ll get a new pair."

After breakfast, Leila called Mrs. Sinclair.

"I have time today. Let’s meet."

"Okay!"

Mrs. Sinclair was eager to discuss the matter, and they agreed to meet in half an hour.

The moment she saw Leila, Mrs. Sinclair asked, "If I help you get the evidence, are you going to sue to get it back, or will you negotiate privately? If you’re going to sue, then I won’t help you."

The lawsuit would be against Sarah Lynch. Her son could choose not to appear in court, but his reputation would definitely be affected.

A man’s pride is more important than anything.

As his mother, she had to consider her son’s public image.

Leila corrected her, "You’re not helping me. You’re helping yourself get your son’s assets back."

Mrs. Sinclair had no rebuttal and returned to her original question. "Are you going to sue or negotiate privately?"

"Sue," Leila said firmly. A private negotiation wouldn’t get the money back; Sean Sinclair would definitely intervene.

"No," Mrs. Sinclair said, standing up.

"One hundred million." Leila threw out a number that stunned Mrs. Sinclair. "Sarah Lynch spent at least one hundred million of Sean’s money in just over three years. A lawsuit is the only way to get it all back."