Leo pushed Chanel away. "That's my wife. I think you should go now." he told her.
Chanel retreated. He really had a wife? Maybe a live-in partner? But so what? They aren't registered yet so she can still fight her way into his life!
"She doesn't care about you. She just left like that after seeing you with me. What kind of a wife is that?"
Leo ignored her and left her in the living room. He run upstairs to talk to Charmaine and give her an explanation but the door to her room was locked.
Inside the room, Charmaine was leaning behind the door. That scene she just witnessed, why does her heart suddenly hurt so much? There was a mixed feelings of pain, emptiness, anger and self-pity along with it. In a split second, the previous life she lived in a dream flashed before her eyes. Was it being repeated in this lifetime? She looked down at her wet hands and clothes. She looked shabby. She can't compete with Chanel Aikens looking like a rag.
"Charmaine, it's not what you think. Let me explain!" Leo yelled as he knock on the door. There was no answer though. He stood there and knocked for a while until Luke heard him and peeked from his room.
"Hey dad! Why are you being so loud?" the boy asked.
Just when he was about to answer his question, the door in front of him swung open, revealing a fresh-looking Charmaine Song! She had just finished changing her clothes that was drenched in the rain. She didn't say anything and just walked pass Leo and went downstairs.
"Woah... she looks mad. What did you do again this time, dad?" Luke teased him.
Leo shook his head and followed Charmaine again, this time back to the living room. He saw her walk passed Chanel and headed to the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee, Miss Aikens?" Charmaine asked while she made herself a cup of cafe latte. "I reckon Leo must have forgotten to offer you anything? Please excuse him. He's always like that."
Chanel Aikens furrowed her brows. It was awkward for her but Leo's so called wife was strangely very calm. What's going on? "Are you really his wife?" she asked.
Charmaine raised the cup of coffee to her lips and leaned against the kitchen counter. "What if I am?" she said with an amused expression. "You see, Leo is always like that. She likes playing with different women. If you like him, you have to get used to it, too." she said before turning to adjacent room: the dining. She laughed at herself a bit. She already said those lines to Chanel Aikens before. It felt so weird to say it again.
"Charmaine, listen." Leo said as he continue to follow her. She saw her sit at the dining table and he sat next her. "I wasn't flirting with her alright?"
Charmaine looked in Leo's eyes and then nodded. "Alright." she replied before taking a sip of her coffee again.
Leo sighed. Charmaine's lack of expression bothered him a lot! "I have security monitors installed around the ground floors. I have solid evidence to prove that I'm not cheating."
Not cheating. Those words echoed in her mind. When she saw Chanel Aikens flirting with Leo just now, she felt a sense of deja vu. She had seen that scene before, only Leo didn't try to explain himself like he was doing now. He just sat there and looked at her with his cold eyes. Somehow, the Charmaine Song in her dreams was revived today. That tough woman who fought her tears and lived a loveless marriage for many years hoping to win her husband's heart someday. She has long forgotten about that woman, but today she came back to remind her of who she was and what she was fighting for.
"Let's go!" Charmaine stood up and looked outside the window. The rain had stopped. It's time to claim what was hers.
To where? Leo wanted to ask but since Charmaine was unusually mad, he just shut his mouth up and followed behind her. She went back to the kitchen and then to the living room.
"You're still here, Miss Aikens?" she said when she saw Chanel sitting in the living room.
"Leo and I aren't done talking yet." she replied.
"Oh! Well I'm sorry but I think you need to cut your visit short. You see... it's my birthday today and we're heading out right now to celebrate it outside." she informed the other woman. Since Leo heard that, Leo didn't ask and went upstairs and told Luke to prepare since they're eating out. He just left the women who were still having a stand off.
In Chanel's mind, all these were just a set up. How could she believe that Leo was already taken? And how can she admit to herself that her father was right about Leo? Was he really just another playboy?
"You can kick me out of the house but you can't kick me out of his life."she said, indignant. But Charmaine just sneered at her.
Charmaine sneered but didn't answer. Talking to her was just a waste of her time. A while later, Leo descended the stairs with Luke. The boy stared at the woman before looking back at his dad. "Dad, who's that woman?" he asked. No wonder his mommy was angry. His daddy let a random woman in. "Mommy, are we going now?"
"Yes. After I get my purse." she told the child before heading upstairs.
Leo turned to the woman who was staring at his child. Did she finally realize something? "Miss Aikens, I'm sorry for keeping you so long. As I told you, I'm thankful of your offer but I'm not buying it since I can't afford it."
Chanel Aikens lowered her head. She didn't expect Leo Ji to be so heartless. He even made it sound like she came for a business dealing! Was that really his son? He sure looked like him a lot. "Okay. I'm leaving now." she said before finally showing herself out.
Leo Ji sighed. He wondered if he has already dodged a bullet. A few seconds later, Charmaine met them at the garage. She went inside the car and threw a brown envelop above the dashboard.
"Let's go!" Charmaine blurted.
"Where do you wanna go?" Leo asked.
"To the Civil registry office." she answered, her face devoid of expression.
Leo froze and stared at her face. She wouldn't meet his eyes and she couldn't read her expression. "What? Did you say Civil registry office?"
Finally, Charmaine turned to him and met his gaze before she announced... "Yes. We're getting married."