The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

The first thing that came to Leila’s mind was to politely turn Nathaniel down. "Thank you, President Cole, but I can take a taxi."

"Get in." Nathaniel didn’t sound like he would accept anything else. The door was already open.

"Thank you, President Cole." Leila ducked into the back seat, and as she settled in beside him, she caught the faint scent of alcohol.

’He drank quite a bit at dinner too,’ she thought. But he didn’t seem drunk at all. He could hold his liquor.

The driver turned around and asked, "Where to, Miss Jennings?"

Leila gave him the name of her apartment complex, but then the thought that Sean and Sarah had already headed there made her correct herself. "Actually, just drop me off at a nearby hotel."

Nathaniel thought of how they first met at the hotel. She was there with half her face swollen.

"So he hit you last time?"

Leila paused for a moment and understood what he meant, so she nodded.

Nathaniel let out a cold laugh and muttered, "All show and no substance."

Leila lowered her eyes and didn’t argue back. She stayed silent the entire time—until she noticed the car had passed quite a few hotels without stopping. She turned to Nathaniel, asking, "Where are you taking me?"

"You’ll know when we get there."

Leila grew a bit nervous at the vague answer. She sat with her back straight and even took out her phone.

Nathaniel noticed the move and asked with a gaze on her, "What is it?"

Leila answered honestly, "I’m prepared to call the police just in case."

Nathaniel was lost for words and decided not to talk to her anymore.

The car drove all the way to University Town and pulled over close to University A. Leila was familiar with this area, and she also knew that the apartment complex in front of her was very expensive to rent. She had barely been able to afford it back in the day.

"Nath!" A girl wearing pink pajamas and fluffy pink slippers came sprinting out of the apartment. Even her pajama hood had little ears on it.

The window rolled down, and Cherry smiled at her as she opened the door. "Hey, Pretty Leila! My brother texted and said you’re spending the night here. I’m so excited! I nearly died when I found out!"

The car cruised all the way to University Town and pulled up near University A. Leila knew the area well—she also remembered that the apartment complex in front of her came with a hefty price tag. Back in the day, she could barely scrape together the rent.

"Nath!" A girl in pink pajamas and fluffy pink slippers came bounding out of the building. Even her hood had little animal ears on it. The car window rolled down, and Cherry beamed at her as she swung the door open. "Hey, Pretty Leila! My brother texted me that you’re staying over tonight. I’m so excited I could die!"

Leila glanced at Cherry, practically buzzing with enthusiasm, then shot a look at the stoic Nathaniel. "So this is where you were taking me."

"Cherry, take good care of her."

"Count on me!" Cherry hooked her arm through Leila’s and made a series of enthusiastic promises.

Nathaniel gave Leila one last look. "Alright. I’m heading out."

As the car pulled away, Cherry bounced up the stairs with Leila in tow, then swung open the door. "Ta-da! Welcome to my place, Pretty Leila! Make yourself at home—eat whatever you want, drink whatever you want, crash in whichever room you want. If you feel like it, you can even bunk with me!"

Ever since Leila had helped her out and marked up the problems on her thesis, Cherry had been completely in awe of her brilliance. She kept wishing she had a sweet, pretty sister instead of a cold, sharp-tongued brother.

Leila wasn’t quite as outwardly expressive, but she didn’t mind the warmth. "Thanks. I’m fine with anything."

"Then take the room next to mine!" Cherry pushed open a door to reveal a bedroom done up in calming blues. "I thought this color suited you—not too loud, not too boring. I think you’ll like it, Pretty Leila. But if it’s not your thing, there are two more rooms with totally different vibes." Cherry threw open each door like she was showing off her treasures.

Leila raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed. "You’ve really got range."

Cherry scratched her head with a sheepish grin. "I get bored easily, but I hate rearranging stuff all the time. Plus it’s a hassle when family visits, so I just decorated three extra rooms in different styles and crash in whichever one I’m in the mood for."

Leila nodded. It was clear Cherry had been raised with a silver spoon, but unlike Cecilia—who was spoiled rotten in the worst way—Cherry was actually endearing.

Cherry couldn’t resist a little gossip. "So, Pretty Leila, this is the first time my brother’s ever brought a girl to my place. How did you two even meet?"

"Oh, we just happened to be in the same elevator, and I forgot to scan my card. He reminded me." Leila had almost completely forgotten the moment until Cherry brought it up.

Cherry’s eyes went wide with sudden realization. "Oh man, it was you—the one the hotel manager, Ross, mentioned. Pretty Leila, holy crap, my brother... he finally gets it!"

But Leila had no idea what she was talking about.

Cherry waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing, nothing at all! It’s just... our family owns the hotel you stayed at, and my brother told Ross to make sure you were taken care of. And Ross couldn’t wait to spill the news to my parents. See, my brother’s never shown any interest in women, and my parents have been nagging him about it for two years with zero results. So when he suddenly starts going out of his way for a woman... let’s just say it raised more than a few eyebrows around here."

Leila was genuinely taken aback. So the stranger who had offered her a warm coat the other day was Nathaniel? She didn’t quite know what to say. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"It’s no big deal, really. Don’t overthink it. My brother’s just... you know..." Cherry trailed off, fumbling for the right words, then gave up. "Forget it!"

With that, Cherry grabbed a fresh towel and toothbrush for Leila and chirped, "Get some good sleep, Pretty Leila!"

The moment she closed the bedroom door, she whipped out her phone and texted her brother: [Nath, this is your perfect chance to get closer to her! Why’d you ship her off to me? You’re both adults. Adults need to spend time together to build chemistry, you know?]

Nathaniel replied: [How would she explain that to her family if I didn’t send her to you?]

Cherry: [What? Are her parents really that strict?]

She was about to type more when another message came in from Nathaniel: [It’s not what you’re thinking. Stay out of it, kid.]

Cherry smirked and typed: [You’re hopeless.]

A voice message popped up: [Keep this from Mom and Dad!]

Cherry pouted, and then another message followed: [Or I’m not taking you to the tech industry networking gala.]

Her expression did a complete 180, and she immediately fired back with a string of syrupy sweet nicknames. That gala was a big deal for her—word had it that some of Mr. Thorne’s former students would be there, the absolute heavy hitters in chip research. She had to meet them and soak up whatever knowledge she could.

Leila had just settled into bed when her phone rang—it was Rhea. "Hey, Rhea."

"I’ll have you come over to my place tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. Sean won’t stop you from being with me," Rhea said.

"Thank you, Rhea." Leila felt a lump form in her throat. There were still people in this world who cared about her—the orphanage director, her mentor, and Rhea.

"Don’t be afraid. Even if Thorne hadn’t asked me to look after you, I’d still have your back as long as I’m around." Rhea’s voice was both warm and firm, and Leila felt an instant sense of safety hearing it.

"One more thing. There’s a tech expo next week, and I’ve already gotten the invitation. You don’t need to man the booth since you’ve already seen the prototypes. But I do want you to come to the banquet. Everyone there will be top talent in the field, and most of them are young. It’s always good to network and make connections. The project’s wrapping up soon, and I don’t want you holed up in the lab with no human contact. Besides, your research is about to hit the market, and there aren’t that many bidding companies—just the usual suspects. You should at least get a sense of who they are for your own reference. Officially, you can’t be involved in the bidding process due to conflict of interest rules, but your input matters since you’re the lead on the project anyway."

Leila understood that Rhea was pushing her to expand her circle, to help her move past the shadow of her failed marriage. She replied softly, "Okay, Rhea. Thank you."