"Have you been dating someone else lately? Have you.... successfully gotten over me?" Leo suddenly asked.
Charmaine was taken aback. Why was he asking those kind of questions? What's wrong with him? "What... what does it have to do with you, whether I'm dating someone or not?" she looked away and then replied.
"I'm your fiance. I have the right to know." he responded.
Charmaine turned to Leo in surprise. "When I left, didn't I tell you to find someone else? I understand that we're not meant for each other, Leo. I've already told Grandpa to free us from that engagement." Charmaine explained.
"I don't care about what my Grandfather have to say. I am your fiance and I'm the only person you can marry." he declared. "Break up with your boyfriend and never see him again."
Charmaine was stunned. What's happening to Leo? Did he lose his mind while she wasn't around? Why was he being too stubborn about this now? He used to dislike the idea of marriage!
"No!", she refused and turned away. "I'm not going to marry you. I don't like you anymore." she announced.
Annoyed, Leo grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. Charmaine raised her arms in alarm and pressed her hands against his chest. "No problem! Then I just have to make you fall in love with me again." he refute with his lips curled in to a smile. Leo leaned closer but stopped before their lips met. He then chuckled and quickly kissed her forehead before letting her go.
Charmaine's heart was beating wildly as she held her chest. How did Leo become such a tease! It was impossible to hide her blushing face at the moment! What was Leo trying to do?
Suddenly, she remembered something similar that happened when she was only sixteen. In this same pavilion, while sitting on this same bench, Charmaine was telling Leo something but she noticed that he wasn't listening. Annoyed, she tried to tease him. She leaned closer and kissed his forehead. She then escaped laughing. Was it just a coincidence? Or did Leo did that on purpose? Does he still keep those moments in his heart?
Leo Ji smiled as he watched his flustered fiancee. He was glad to know that he can still make the woman's heart run wild! No rush! He still have a lot of time to make her his wife! But first he needs to find out who Luke Song really is!
***
"Mommy!" Luke ran towards them and gave Charmaine a hug. "Are you done talking?" he asked.
Leo Ji frowned. What's this little boy doing, acting like a cute innocent child in front of his fiancee, when he was being savage in front of him just a moment ago? What a fake!
"Yes. We're done. Do you want to go home now?" Charmaine asked before lifting him up and putting him on her lap. She then squeezed his little body into a tight hug.
Luke giggled and then glanced at Leo who was watching them. "Mommy, I'm friends with uncle Leo now." he told her. "He's a nice person!"
Leo narrowed his eyes. What is this brat up to? Is he mocking him? Charmaine however was saddened. The boy knew Leo was his father, yet he couldn't call him dad. Instead, he referred to him as uncle.
"Really? Do you like him more than me now?" she asked with a bitter smile.
Luke buried his face on her chest. " Of course I like you more! You're my mommy!" he declared.
Luke clenched his fist. This little boy has been indulging in Charmaine's warmth! He better be their son or he'll make sure he will regret taunting him so much!
***
"What happened? What did Chairman Ji told you?" Aya hurriedly asked when she saw them coming back home in the afternoon. Charmaine gestured Luke to go ahead first and she'll follow him upstairs later. She then led Aya to the living room.
"It's alright mom. You don't have to worry." she told her. "We didn't talk because of Luke. Leo doesn't even know anything about Luke but... the reason Grandpa Chen called for me is to talk about the engagement." she revealed.
"What exactly did he say?" Aya pulled her closer and whispered.
"Before I left, I told Grandpa I don't want to marry Leo anymore. He called for me to tell me I should consider going on with the marriage since I'm back." she answered. With her eyes downcasted, she played with her fingers as she went on relaying what happened. "I told him I still don't want to marry Leo... but Grandpa said I should think about it... or else if Leo finds out Luke is his son, he might want to take him away."
Aya sighed, then stared at Charmaine's sad face. She then asked, "Tell me the truth Xiaomin... do you still have Leo in your heart?"
Stunned, Charmaine turned to Aya with eyes widened. But unable to say a thing, she abruptly turn away shyly.
Aya shook her head. "So you still love him? Why not give it a try again then? Don't you think it's worth a shot?" she suggested. Aya herself wants Charmaine to find someone to love her. But she's now a mother and she believes that Luke should grow up with his family as a whole. Also, Charmaine still loves the man. Why not fight for her happiness?
"I don't know mom.... I'm scared." Yes. She's very scared. The premonition she had before had left her scarred. She didn't want to be maltreated again or ignored again. She didn't want to lose herself again. Although things are different now and Jienna isn't there to draw a wedge between them anymore, the cruel version of Leo still resides in her memory.
"Alright. But you have to be clear about one thing." Aya stated. "If you don't marry Leo, then someone else will. Leo might take Luke to live with him, and the boy will soon be calling Leo's wife his mother. Are you ready for that?" she inquired.
Charmaine was speechless. Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't even imagine Leo marrying another. How can she visualize his two beloved persons being claimed by another woman?