The question would surely go unanswered.

Leona Grant lowered his head and kissed her again, his hand gently stroking her hair.

Her warm breath ghosted against his chest—ticklish, warm, and exceptionally sweet.

He couldn’t resist pulling her tighter, as if trying to knead her into his very being. Leona Grant held her domineeringly, a soft light in his eyes as he whispered, "After getting used to you, it’s so hard to love anyone else."

"Annabelle Linton, did you appear in my life just to show me that the man everyone sees as invincible and flawless could also be brought to his knees, utterly humiliated and willing to compromise everything?"

"So if I give you my embrace, my affection, all my passion, my reckless courage, my life, my concern, my anxiety—if I give you everything, can you just give me a single glance from the corner of your eye? Please?"

"The gentle mountains, the soft rivers, the countless stars in the sky—none of them are half as beautiful as your eyes. My vision is narrow; I can only see you. My heart is small; it can only hold you. I love you. I’ve told myself a million times to let you go, but why is it that the moment I see you, I pathetically want to risk it all one more time? Even when I know that charging forward without a second thought will only leave me with nothing but scars."

"Why are movies always so merciful, always letting people who missed their chance meet again? Can we... can we start over, too? I promise I won’t let you down this time."

Leona Grant pecked Annabelle Linton on the lips, his voice as gentle and captivating as flowing water. "The only highlight of my life so far has been meeting you. It’s as if every other person I’ve met since was just to show me how wonderful you are."

"I love you, Annabelle Linton."

After speaking, Leona Grant gave her a contented hug and closed his eyes.

Half an hour later, he got out of bed, gently tucked the blanket around her, and pressed a light kiss to her lips.

After checking that everything was in order, Leona Grant stood up and started to walk away.

But after a few steps, he couldn’t help but walk back and kiss her again. Finally, seeing that he couldn’t stay any longer, he steeled himself and headed out.

The moment the door closed softly, the last sliver of light lingered on Annabelle Linton’s sleeping face.

Leona Grant stood at the door, watching her, the light casting a faint shadow across his gentle features.

After a long moment, he finally closed the door. "Good night, my wife."

...

When Annabelle Linton woke up the next day, she immediately started pacing in a panic.

She wouldn’t be able to rest easy for a single day until she saw that Aaron Wyatt was safe.

She was too frantic to stay still for even a moment. She tried calling Leona Grant, but he wouldn’t answer. Still, she didn’t dare to leave.

She was afraid that if she left, that bastard would actually kill Aaron Wyatt.

And so, Annabelle Linton spent the entire day pacing around the villa, her heart burning with anxiety, but she learned nothing.

This went on for three whole days, leaving Annabelle Linton at her wits’ end.

On the fourth day, Annabelle Linton heard he was coming back. She quickly tied on an apron and went into the kitchen.

During those three days, she had sent people to look for Aaron Wyatt, but they found absolutely nothing. This made her understand with painful clarity: the price for angering Leona Grant was Aaron Wyatt’s life.

Yes, she had given in.

Faced with a matter of life and death, her pride and self-respect meant nothing. Leona Grant was deranged; he was capable of anything.

Now, the only thing she could do was curry his favor.