The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Leila looked up slightly and said calmly, "I’m having dinner with a friend and her mother."

Cherry Cole nodded.

That she was friends with the eldest daughter of the Cole family, and on such familiar terms with Ms. Neville, surprised Sean Sinclair and Sarah Lynch yet again.

Sean Sinclair’s gaze lingered on Leila’s face. It was the same simple, unadorned face as always, but perhaps it was her high-quality clothes or the elegant restaurant, because she looked particularly radiant.

Sarah Lynch noticed this, her red lips tightening into a thin line.

"Sean," she called out, reminding him that Ms. Neville was the one who mattered.

Sean Sinclair turned his attention back to Ms. Neville. "Ms. Neville, hello. I’m Sean Sinclair, from Stellaxis Technologies."

"President Sinclair," Ms. Neville said with a smile.

Sarah Lynch also spoke up. "Hello, Ms. Neville. I’m Sarah Lynch. Samuel Jacobs is my grandfather."

Ms. Neville looked slightly surprised. "So Mrs. Sinclair is Mr. Jacobs’s granddaughter. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard Mr. Jacobs mention his granddaughter was married, especially to President Sinclair of Stellaxis Technologies."

At her words, Sean Sinclair shot a panicked glance at Leila.

"Ms. Neville, you’ve misunderstood."

"Yes, Ms. Neville, you’ve misunderstood," Sarah Lynch quickly interjected. It would be less awkward if she explained herself rather than letting Sean do it. "Sean and I are not in that kind of relationship. I’m not Mrs. Sinclair."

"Mrs. Sinclair is the woman sitting across from you."

Ms. Neville froze, her gaze shifting to Leila.

Sean Sinclair reached out and grabbed Leila’s arm. "Leila is my wife."

Seeing Ms. Neville’s surprised expression, Sarah Lynch turned to reproach Leila. "Leila, why didn’t you say anything to Ms. Neville?"

Ms. Neville’s brow furrowed as she watched Leila try and fail to pull her arm free from his tight grip.

"President Sinclair, you’re hurting Leila."

Leila stiffened and looked up at Ms. Neville, stunned. She never expected Ms. Neville to say that.

Only then did Sean realize how hard he was gripping her, and he let go.

Leila gave Ms. Neville a grateful look, then turned to Sarah Lynch. "I’m not in the habit of announcing my family connections at every turn."

Sarah Lynch, who was constantly bringing up her status as "Mr. Jacobs’s granddaughter," was suddenly at a loss for words, the corners of her mouth turning down.

Cherry couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

Ms. Neville said, "It doesn’t matter. Cherry doesn’t pick her friends based on their family background."

"Exactly," Cherry said, lifting her chin smugly as she pulled Leila back into her seat.

Ms. Neville looked at the pair. "President Sinclair, your family is still waiting for you."

It was a clear dismissal.

Sean hesitated, his eyes fixed on Leila. He couldn’t just ask her to leave; it would look bad in front of Ms. Neville. He had no choice but to say, "Wait for me downstairs."

"Okay," Leila said.

Sarah Lynch and Sean Sinclair returned to their table.

Leila turned to Ms. Neville and Miss Ellie, bowing her head slightly. "I’m sorry about that."

They both smiled and said it was no problem. But Miss Ellie kept glancing at her until, meeting Leila’s questioning eyes, she finally asked, "Was that your husband?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Not for much longer," Leila replied with a faint smile.

Ms. Neville understood immediately. The couple was in the middle of a divorce.

’But President Sinclair didn’t seem like he wanted a divorce,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so quick to claim Leila as his wife. Of course, maybe he’s worried about how a divorce will affect company shares, so he can’t let the news get out yet.’

Ellie said meaningfully, "Your soon-to-be-ex seems to have a taste for ’tea’."

Cherry added, "Green tea, to be specific. It’s disgusting."

"Alright, let’s just enjoy our meal and not talk about other people," Ms. Neville said, smiling at Leila. "Eat more. You’re too thin."

"Thank you, Auntie," Leila said with a genuine smile.

Back at his table, Sean couldn’t manage a smile. He kept glancing back, but all he could see was a figure in green. He couldn’t even make out her profile.

Sarah Lynch’s expression soured even further.

"Sean, Sarah, what’s wrong? You just went to say hello, and now you both look miserable," Cecilia Sinclair said, following her brother’s gaze. "And who’s that woman? Why did you grab her like that? If I were Sarah, I’d be furious."

Sarah Lynch forced a smile.

"That’s Leila," Sean said.

"What!" Cecilia Sinclair’s voice shot up in disbelief. A waiter quickly came over and politely asked her to keep her voice down so as not to disturb the other patrons.

Cecilia looked embarrassed.

"You’re saying that’s Leila? Leila is having dinner with the wife of The Cole Group’s chairman?" ’Even I don’t have those kinds of connections. How can Leila be friends with the Coles’ daughter and even have dinner with their mother?’

Mrs. Sinclair’s face instantly soured. She muttered under her breath, "Couldn’t even wait to start social climbing."

Mr. Sinclair lowered his voice. "She won’t succeed. What wealthy family would want their son to marry a divorcée?"

"What do you mean, divorcée?" Sean suddenly asked, looking at his parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair shook their heads.

"It’s nothing. Forget about Leila. We’re here to celebrate you today," Mrs. Sinclair said, turning to Sarah Lynch with a beaming smile. "Speaking of which, we all have you to thank, Sarah. My Sean is truly blessed to have you."

"You’re too kind, Auntie," Sarah said. Being accepted by Sean’s parents felt like she’d won back a point, and a smile finally returned to her face.

As they ate, Mr. Sinclair said, "This is just the beginning. Whether or not we win the bid is another story. Sarah, you and Sean have known each other for years. You should help him where you can."

"Dad," Sean frowned. "Don’t put Sarah in a difficult position. I’m confident I can handle it myself."

Pleased by his concern, Sarah Lynch’s smile widened. She said to Sean, "It’s alright, Sean. Your father is just looking out for your career. Of course, I’ll help in any way I can."

"Sarah, you’re the main person in charge of this project. Just leaking a tiny bit of information would be enough," Mrs. Sinclair whispered.

Sean cut his mother off again. "She signed a non-disclosure agreement. If she leaks anything, she’ll be investigated."

Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair had no choice but to drop the subject.

Sarah smiled. "Thanks for looking out for me, Sean." She then thoughtfully cut his steak for him and pushed the plate back to him.

The gesture reminded Sean of Leila.

Leila wasn’t just a great cook when it came to Chinese food; she also cooked steak exactly to his liking and would always cut it for him, just like this.

He glanced back at Leila’s table again, only to see them all laughing and enjoying their meal.

Sean took a bite of his steak. It was suddenly tasteless.

He stood up.

Sarah quickly grabbed his hand. "Sean, where are you going?"

"To pay the bill," Sean said. He walked over to the cashier and asked to pay for Leila’s table as well.

The cashier replied, "President Sinclair, there’s no need to pay for Ms. Neville’s table. The woman sitting next to her is our owner."

’It was at moments like these that Sean felt the chasm between himself and the truly wealthy. When he went out, people showed him respect. When the Cole family went out, they were surrounded by their own network.’

’And somehow, Leila had suddenly broken into that circle.’

’She used to be just a wife who revolved around him. How had she suddenly become someone with so many secrets?’

Sean’s expression grew more and more agitated.