abcnovels
Chapter 345
Chapter 345
Chapter 345
Chapter 345 An Illusion
It was late at night, and the pitch-black sky grew increasingly dark.
Going by Han’s address, Leah arrived at the man’s private mansion in the city center.
The place was brightly lit. As soon as she stepped in the door, the strong fragrance of milk wafted into her nostrils.
“Mommy!” A familiar child clung to her leg.
In a flash, her eyes turned red-rimmed, and tears shimmered in them.
“I’m so glad you’re fine, Carlotta!” Crouching, Leah hugged her daughter tightly. The tears she had been keeping at bay for the entire day finally fell.
As she rested her head against Carlotta’s neck, she couldn’t help trembling slightly from the joy of seeing the latter safe and sound.
Meanwhile, Carlotta had also seen the news. Mistaken assuming that her mother was heartbroken over the loss of the house, she solemnly patted Leah on the back. “It’s okay, Mommy. Mr. Howard will support us for the rest of our lives! Our house is gone, but he has promised to buy me a new one!”
Stunned, Leah pulled away from her daughter. She stared at Han, who was slowly heading toward them, blankly. novelbin
Why did he make such a promise? Is he planning to first build Carlotta’s hopes up before dashing them ruthlessly?
“Don’t be sad anymore, Mommy! I’m perfectly fine. Besides, we’ll be able to live in an even bigger and better house in the future!”
Stretching out her tiny hands, Carlotta carefully wiped the tears off Leah’s face.
However, the harder she tried to console her mother, the more Leah felt like crying. Nonetheless, she forcibly held her tears back.
She inhaled deeply and composed herself before pinching her daughter’s chubby face with a smile. “Be good, Carlotta. We won’t be living here in the future. I’ll buy whatever house you want, so we don’t need Mr. Howard—”
“Leah, don’t forget that she’s also my daughter,” Han interrupted before she could finish speaking.
Irritation swamped him to see her excluding him from the family completely.
Leah was taken aback, the expression on her face complex. Before she could refute him, Carlotta’s delighted voice rang out. “Mr. Howard is also my daddy, Mommy? Yay! I’ve got another daddy now!”
Still ignorant of the complicated relationship between both sexes, Carlotta was merely happy that she had yet another father.
Mainly, she was thrilled because she sensed an inexplicable bond upon laying eyes on Han.
Her innocent remark had a faint smile replace some of the icy coldness in Han’s eyes. He reached out and scooped her up, his voice gentling significantly. “You can only have one daddy, Carlotta. It has always been and will always be me.”
Confused, Carlotta looked up from his arms and asked innocently, “But why? I like my other daddy very much too!”
At once, Leah’s heart jolted. Afraid that Han would fly into a rage because of that, she wanted to rush forward and snatch Carlotta back. Surprisingly, she noticed that he was still as calm as ever.
His expression remained impassive, but he lowered his head and patiently explained things to Carlotta.
As both father and daughter walked away, their shadows elongated under the illumination of the luxurious lights. The sweet aroma of milk in the air made for a sense of soothing peacefulness.
Out of the blue, it gave Leah an illusion that all was right with the world.
She rarely saw Han being so gentle, yet he seemed to be exceedingly patient with Carlotta.
Could it be that he really took her away from me by force to protect her better?
Spacing out, she stood there motionlessly. When Han saw that she was not following behind them, his eyes darkened a shade.
“Come along. It’s Carlotta’s bedtime.”
It was not until then that Leah trailed along with mixed emotions etched across her features.
Han took Carlotta to the bed in the princess bedroom he prepared for her, whereupon Leah immediately tucked the covers around her.
Then, she caressed her daughter’s head. “Be good and sleep, Carlotta.”
“Sleep with me, Mommy!”
Carlotta stared straight at Leah while lying on the bed, her eyes brimmed with anticipation.
Having planned to do exactly that, Leah naturally agreed, “Sure! Let me take a shower first.”
It was Carlotta’s first time spending the night there, so she had brought a change of clothes in fear that her daughter would have difficulty sleeping in an unfamiliar place.
When she came out after her shower and saw that Han was also in bed with a storybook in hand, she went over to the bed with a frown. “Thank you for keeping Carlotta company. You can go back to your room now.”
However, Han merely swept a placid glance over her. “Carlotta wants me to sleep with her.”
Startled, Leah swung her gaze at Carlotta. After ascertaining that it was indeed her daughter’s wish, she could only whirl around to leave. “In that case, take good care of her.”
Since the man was in bed, it went without saying that she would not sleep there anymore.
No sooner had she a few steps away than Carlotta’s tearful voice drifted into the air. “Do you not like me anymore, Mommy? You promised to sleep with me…”
Distressed upon hearing her choked voice, Leah hurriedly back to her and cajoled, “That’ll never happen, Carlotta. But you want Mr. Howard to sleep with you, so it isn’t appropriate for me to do the same as adults of different sexes should maintain a distance.”
Carlotta stopped sobbing. “But is he not my daddy? I saw on TV that other children’s daddies and mommies sleep together.”
That promptly rendered Leah speechless.
She averted her gaze in embarrassment, a blush staining her fair face.
The instant Han noticed that, the frustration within him lately dissipated silently. In spite of that, his voice remained cool. “What are you afraid of? Stop wasting time.”
With both the father and daughter ganging up on her, Leah relented and lay down beside Carlotta.
After pulling the covers over herself, she could seemingly sense the scorching heat radiating off Han. His cool musk lingered in her nostrils.
Slightly uncomfortable, she surreptitiously inched toward the edge of the bed.
He hates me beyond words anyway. Besides, I don’t want him to accuse me of deliberately seducing him if I get too close.
At her action, Han’s brows furrowed. He stretched out a long arm, pulling her and Carlotta into his embrace.
“We’re already in the same bed, so cut it out. I’m not going to make a move on you.”
Following his mocking tone, Leah’s face paled. She kept silent but did not bother resisting anymore.
The warmth emanating from him had her gradually grow drowsy.
That was the first time she slept peacefully in many days without being troubled by a jumble of thoughts.
At some point in time, the lights in the room went out.
The moonlight outside streamed into the room through the window.
Han silently gazed at Leah’s relaxed sleeping countenance with the illumination of the moonlight, his heart softening inwardly.
He reached out and stroked her cheek. A spark of desire flickered to life at the soft sensation.
His usually indifferent gaze was all but gone, gentling bit by bit under the bright moonlight.
“Leah…” Why is it that I always can’t stop myself from interfering in your affairs?
The next day, Leah hastened back to the studio at the crack of dawn. Carlotta, on the other hand, remained at Han’s private mansion.
At the mere thought that she slept soundly in the man’s arm last night, Leah couldn’t help frowning deeply.
“Sarah, our commissions have skyrocketed! Stop daydreaming and reply to the clients with me, quick!”
Serena’s urgent cry jolted Leah out of her thoughts. She quickly patted her cheeks to sober herself up.
Despite the sudden surge in design commissions on the online store, her anticipated sense of elation was nowhere to be found.
“Serena, I can’t shake off the feeling that something is off about this. Why would commissions spike when we didn’t do any promotion?”
Her intuition screamed at her that the matter was seemingly not as simple as it appeared.
Conversely, Serena did not want to pass up on such a golden opportunity. “I thought the same at first. But look, they’re all asking questions seriously. So, they’re probably not internet ghostwriters, yes?”