The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Sean Sinclair was about to retort, asking when he had ever said such a thing, but then he suddenly remembered something from last year. On the way home one day, Leila Jennings was holding an umbrella in one hand and groceries in the other as rainwater streamed down the umbrella and onto the back of her hand.

He had thought about buying Leila Jennings a car for her daily use, and his assistant immediately presented him with several options, some costing in the range of eight or nine hundred thousand, others over a million.

He had indeed said those words back then.

’Leila Jennings doesn’t need such a nice car.’

He had originally planned to buy one, but that day he happened to need to send Sarah her research funds, so money was a bit tight. He decided to put it off for a couple of days.

Later, when he asked Leila Jennings if she wanted a car, she said no, and the matter was ultimately dropped.

Snapping back to the present, Sean Sinclair instructed his assistant, "Buy her a Porsche."

"Yes, President Sinclair."

After hanging up, Sean Sinclair planned to go home, but the thought that Leila Jennings wouldn’t be there made him stop in his tracks.

He ended up sleeping in the private lounge in his office.

The next morning, he was woken up by a barrage of calls from his sister.

He grabbed his phone and saw it was only eight o’clock.

"What are you making such a racket for so early in the morning?"

"Brother, I’m scared." Cecilia Sinclair’s voice sounded distressed. "Leila Jennings asked me to meet her tonight at ten at The Cole Crest Hotel."

"Go and give her a proper apology, and this whole thing will be over. For my sake, Leila Jennings won’t hold a grudge against you. But you’d better not do anything to hurt her ever again."

"Brother!" Cecilia Sinclair stomped her foot in frustration. "But I feel like she’s going to hurt me! The same time, the same place—if she’s not planning to harm me, then what is she doing?"

Her shrill voice grated on Sean Sinclair’s ears. He held the phone away from his head as he got up and left the lounge.

"Leila Jennings won’t hurt you."

"How do you know she won’t? Brother, please come with me tonight. I’m begging you, please, Brother!"

"I haven’t had any time lately." Sean Sinclair started to refuse, but then he remembered he had been so busy he hadn’t seen Leila Jennings in days. He then relented, "Alright, fine. You go there first."

Cecilia Sinclair’s heart finally settled with relief.

"Thank you, Brother!"

Her tone turned syrupy sweet in an instant.

...

That evening.

In the executive lounge of The Cole Crest Hotel, Leila Jennings and Cherry Cole were already seated. They had ordered juice and snacks and were eating leisurely, just waiting for Cecilia Sinclair to arrive.

As the time drew near, Cherry Cole picked up her bag and started rummaging through it.

"I brought something good."

As she spoke, she pulled out a small white bottle labeled "Vitamin C Tablets." She opened it and poured out a few small, white pills.

"What do you think? If we drop one into her glass right in front of her, it’ll scare her half to death."

"Want one?" Cherry Cole popped one into her own mouth. "So sour. No wonder they make effervescent tablets."

It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered buying effervescent tablets, but those would be too obvious.

Leila Jennings took one and ate it as well. Seeing that Cherry Cole was about to tear the label off the bottle, she reached out and took it from her.

"Don’t tear it off. This will scare her half to death, too."

After all, people who enjoy doing bad things subconsciously assume others will do the same.

Cherry Cole looked up. "Here she comes. Look at her, glancing all around. She’s finally learning what it feels like to be scared."

Leila Jennings put the bottle away and watched as Cecilia Sinclair walked toward them.

The moment Cecilia Sinclair sat down, she immediately blurted out, "My brother will be here any minute. Leila Jennings, if you dare pull any tricks, my brother will get angry, and when he’s angry, he’ll dump you sooner or later."

Cherry Cole snorted with laughter.

’Who’s dumping who, exactly?’

’Your brother’s the one who got dumped! Dumped, you hear me?’

’If Leila hadn’t promised Sean Sinclair’s parents she wouldn’t publicize the matter, she would’ve bought up all the ad space on the downtown billboards and subway screens to broadcast the joyous news of Sean Sinclair getting divorced on a loop.’

"What are you laughing at?" Cecilia Sinclair didn’t dare raise her voice at Cherry Cole, so she turned to Leila Jennings instead. "If you want me to apologize, I’ll apologize. Why did you have to bring someone else to watch?"

"Didn’t you bring someone along that night, too?" Leila Jennings retorted. "I’m being nice enough. The person I brought is hardly the same as the person you brought."

Cecilia Sinclair was speechless.

Cherry Cole gestured with her hand. "Please, Miss Sinclair. Let’s hear that apology."

"You want me to do it here?" Cecilia Sinclair glanced around the executive lounge, which had quite a few people in it, her face filled with revulsion.

Cherry Cole bent down, picked up a megaphone, and placed it on the table. "Here. This will guarantee everyone can hear you."

Leila Jennings: "?"

’Where did she get that from?’

Cherry Cole said, "I had it on the floor the whole time. You didn’t see it?"

Leila Jennings shook her head. She really hadn’t been paying close attention.

She picked up the megaphone and shoved it into Cecilia Sinclair’s hands. "Do you know how to apologize? Just state clearly what you’re apologizing to me for, and then ask for my forgiveness. That’s all. You don’t need to say too much."

Cecilia Sinclair stared at the megaphone in her hands and made an excuse, "How can you do something so vulgar in such a high-class establishment!"

Cherry Cole: "It’s my family’s hotel. I don’t mind, and no one else would dare to."

Cecilia Sinclair nearly ground her teeth to dust. "You’re doing this on purpose!"

Leila Jennings: "Yes, we are. I’m on a tight schedule. If you don’t start talking within one minute, I’m rescinding my offer to drop the lawsuit."

Cecilia Sinclair gritted her teeth, turned on the megaphone, but couldn’t bring herself to say a word.

’She had never been so humiliated in public before.’ 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Leila Jennings picked up her bag and stood up.

Cherry Cole also made a move to get up.

"I’m sorry!" Cecilia Sinclair squeezed her eyes shut and yelled. Everyone around them turned to look, and her face went deathly pale.

"I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have put something in your drink because I hate you and wanted my brother to divorce you, and I shouldn’t have hired someone... hired someone... Anyway, I’m sorry! Please forgive me!"

She shouted it all out in one breath.

Then she immediately ducked her head under the table.

Cherry Cole let out a merciless laugh.

Leila Jennings said calmly, "Get up and drink this glass of wine, and then I’ll forgive you."

"What?" Cecilia Sinclair looked up, only to see Leila Jennings take out a pill bottle, twist it open, pour out two tablets, and drop them into a wine glass right in front of her!

Cecilia Sinclair’s eyes instantly went wide.

"Leila Jennings, what are you doing!"

"Drink up." Leila Jennings pushed the glass toward her.

"I knew you were up to no good! You’re trying to hurt me!" Cecilia Sinclair swiped the wine glass off the table, and it hit the floor with a CRASH.

Cherry Cole raised her hand and beckoned a waiter over.

Leila Jennings said to the waiter, "Another glass, please."

The waiter immediately brought a new glass.

Cherry Cole poured the wine, and Leila Jennings once again tipped out two tablets, dropped them in, and pushed the glass in front of Cecilia Sinclair.

Cecilia Sinclair shot to her feet, grabbing the waiter who was about to turn away. "Didn’t you see that?" she said, her face a mask of terror. "She’s putting a dangerous substance in there! She’s endangering public safety!"

This was originally the crime she was accused of.

Now, she was pinning it on Leila Jennings.

Cherry Cole sneered, "So you do know what that’s about. But this is just Vitamin C."

The waiter murmured an apology and walked away.

Leila Jennings: "It really is Vitamin C."

Cecilia Sinclair: "Who would believe you!!!"

Convinced that Leila Jennings was up to no good, she pulled out her phone to call her brother.

Sean Sinclair hung up, because he had already spotted Leila Jennings and the others and was striding over.

"Brother, Brother!" As if seeing her lifeline, Cecilia Sinclair immediately grabbed Sean Sinclair’s arm and tattled, "Leila Jennings put drugs in the wine, and she’s trying to force me to drink it!"

Sean Sinclair looked over.

The tablets hadn’t dissolved yet and were still clearly visible.

He frowned slightly. "Leila Jennings?"

Leila Jennings shot Sean Sinclair a nonchalant glance, then stood up with the wine glass in hand. Standing before him, she said, "Cecilia Sinclair, do you know what it really means to be forced to drink something?"

She grabbed Cecilia Sinclair’s chin, and before anyone could react, the rim of the glass was already pressed against Cecilia’s lips.

Leila Jennings tilted her hand, and the wine went GLUG GLUG GLUG, pouring into Cecilia Sinclair’s mouth.

Cecilia Sinclair’s eyes flew open as she struggled and flailed.

Leila Jennings’s expression was placid. "This is what it means to be forced to drink."