Chapter 1169: Chapter 1169: I Dreamed of a Man Who Died for Me

In the dim and cramped space, the atmosphere was tense and heavy. Leah felt a dull pain spreading through her limbs. She was tightly protected underneath someone. That person covered her ears, looked at her with bright, focused eyes, and silently mouthed, "Leah Squire, live well."

Leah jolted awake from the dream, her body trembling, all her pores constricting, the pain making it hard to breathe. For a moment, she thought her body and face were covered in warm blood. Tears rolled down as she pressed against her chest, her face showing a pained expression. It took a long time for that sense of trembling to slowly fade away.

The night was deep, the light outside the window was bright, and the winter snow fell softly, lighting up the night as if it were daytime.

Leah’s hands trembled unconsciously. It was the first time she clearly dreamt of things from the past, so real and bloody.

She got up, put on slippers, draped a knitted cardigan over herself, and went downstairs. She sat in front of the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window, staring blankly at the dark cyan streetlights outside.

The living room light was turned on, and Delphine came downstairs, looking at her sitting by the window. In a low voice, she asked, "Leah, haven’t you adjusted your jet lag yet?"

Delphine was a light sleeper at night, especially tonight since Ignatius Leclair was still here. It was her habit to wake up and check on the two kids, kissing their little faces to feel at ease.

No one knew when Ignatius Leclair and Richard Shaw had left.

"Delphine, I dreamt of a man dying for me," Leah raised her head, hugging her knees, looked at her with a hoarse voice, eyes filled with fear and anxiety. "That wasn’t a dream; it was a real part of my past."

She had forgotten much of her past. Having such a dream made her realize that perhaps her past carried some heavy burdens, and she had forgotten all these years.

Delphine was also shocked. She didn’t know much about Leah’s past. Ignatius Leclair might know something, but that man was cold and ruthless, not giving her a second glance, so how would he speak?

"Don’t think too much. If it’s something important from the past, Griffith Squire will definitely tell you. He’s very capable and will handle it well."

Leah fell silent for a moment, fearing it was too important, that Griffith Squire shouldered it all, choosing to keep silent with her.

Back then, Griffith Squire even mixed memory-suppressing drugs into her medicine for her to take, just so she wouldn’t remember the past.

Delphine reached out and hugged her, softly comforting her, "Didn’t someone see Griffith Squire two months ago? Maybe he’ll be back soon."

Leah nodded, hoping so.

Because of filming a while ago, Delphine, along with the Land Family’s second son, Cassius Turner, got injured. She not only needed to visit Cassius Turner but also take Nicholas Carter to visit his great-grandmother at the Howard Family, keeping her busy during the day.

Leah would stay at home to help her look after the house, and she also arranged some furniture and little things around her home.

Richard Shaw sent messages every day, never asking when she’d return to the Shaw Mansion, just telling her he was staying in a little cabin, what he did that day, and how long he could stand and walk. He also mentioned what Casimir Shaw was up to, sharing these mundane things, then always ending with a line: Shall I come fetch you, hmm?

Every evening, Richard Shaw would come over, wait for about an hour, then head back to the little cabin by himself. This routine continued for several days.

The man was neither hasty nor impatient, seemingly showing a bit of patience.

Had it been usual times, Leah’s anger would have subsided, and she would have gone back. But the dream on her first night back in the Imperial City was too real. She experienced fear for the first time, instinctively rejecting the serene life before her. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Very soon, Hawk Howard returned to the Imperial City, arranged to meet her, and informed her that her two cats had been donated.

Leah thought of the two fluffy snowballs. Although Hawk Howard took care of them most of the time, donating the little darlings without asking felt irritating.

"Caspian, why did you give away my two daughters?" Leah grumbled through gritted teeth.

"Because I knew you wouldn’t be going back to Switzerland anymore. They were given to cat lovers who will treat your daughters well." Hawk Howard rarely chuckled, "I’m at Slow Time waiting for you. If you drive over now, you might get a wave of local specialties."

Leah had returned because she was annoyed with Richard Shaw. She never thought of buying specialties. Coming back empty-handed and staying at Delphine’s house didn’t matter much to her. But upon hearing Hawk Howard brought local specialties, her eyes lit up instantly. She quickly grabbed her coat, hat, and purse, laughing, "I’m coming right away. Make sure to guard my specialties."

Delphine only had one car for commuting, and usually had to drive around. Upon returning, Leah had gotten herself a car, perfect for her drive to the meet-up.

When Leah arrived at the place Hawk Howard mentioned, she realized it was quite hard to find. The Slow Time café was hidden in an alley. She circled twice before finally locating it.

An old-fashioned wooden door with "No. 7 Mansion, Slow Time" written on the wall.

Leah pushed the door open and found the inside spacious. An Attendant led her all the way to a private room on the second floor. Looking at the scenery outside, Leah realized that this café’s windows faced a man-made lake garden, with flying snow silver needles of winter scenery, and the lake’s surface was lined with ice, creating a unique atmosphere.

"Caspian, how did you find this place?" Leah said while taking off her coat and hat at the entrance of the private room, separated by a classical screen, "Do you know I had to circle around twice to find this place?"

Her words were cut off abruptly, Leah stared blankly at the handsome, devilish man sitting across from Caspian, drinking tea. The coat and purse in her hand fell to the ground, tears suddenly streaming down as she angrily shouted, "Griffith Squire, you bastard! You couldn’t even call me to let me know you’re safe?"

After cursing, she squatted down to pick up her coat, hat, and the scattered things from her bag, her tears falling uncontrollably.

Griffith Squire stood up, walked over to help her pick up her items, smiling, "Leah Squire, my brain just got better, and you’re about to scold me foolish."

Griffith Squire saw her glaring fiercely, looking very formidable. He reached out to hug her, softly apologizing, "Brother’s wrong, don’t be angry."

Leah wiped her tears, crying, "I thought you were dead. Three years, and you’d surely turned to bones."

Her crying was sorrowful, and Griffith Squire could only keep apologizing.

Hawk Howard quietly watched as the sibling duo cried and apologized, seeing their deep bond. Suddenly, he was reminded of the deep connection they had back then; Crystal Landon trusted him a great deal, being closer to him than to most people. It’s been nearly ten years; she had a real brother now, but had forgotten him.

Caspian Howard’s eyes showed a hint of sadness. Across from them, the Squire siblings had finally calmed their emotions and sat down to drink tea.