Charmaine covered her face with both hands as she silently sit on the car beside Leo. The man has been driving for half an hour now but he refused to utter even a single word. She hates it. She found this silent treatment very hard to tolerate. She wondered how she endured the seven years of her toxic marriage in the past! This thirty minutes feels longer than several hours and the pressure coming from Leo's presence added up to her headache.
Leo behind the steering wheel noticed Charmaine's odd behavior but didn't comment about it. He wanted to ask but he held back thinking it's not a good idea to start an argument inside a moving vehicle. Not that he wants to start one but seeing as she's a bit tipsy, he gathered it'll be hard to talk to her.
When the couple reached the house, Charmaine immediately dashed out of the car. She ran towards the manor, away from that suffocating space beside Leo Ji. Like a rabbit running away from it's predator, she scurried away from the man who makes her heart tremble in fear.
Leo furrowed his brows when he saw Charmaine's strange behavior. So, she wasn't avoiding him because she was upset... but because she was scared? Of what? Or could it be that she was just drunk?
Leo went upstairs and opened the bedroom door but Charmaine wasn't there. He went to look for her in Luke's room but he didn't find her. Where could she be?
Returning to their bedroom, Leo heard a small noise coming from the bathroom. He pushed the door open and found Charmaine sitting inside the bathtub with her clothes still on. Her head was lowered and her eyes were unfocused that it looked like she was staring at something in particular in the water. "What are you doing?" Leo asked.
Hearing his voice, Charmaine lifted her head and looked up. She stared at Leo's face and mimicked his words. "What are you doing?" she asked. "You're breaking me."
Leo raised his brows. Breaking her? She definitely is drunk. She becomes a different person when she's drunk. She easily lose her patience and becomes stubborn. "I'm hurting too, you know." he replied as he walked closer and sat on the edge of the tub.
Charmaine shook her head. You're destroying me. You're breaking my heart; you're taking away my freedom; you're hurting my friends!" she stated. She glared at him and yelled as if she was deeply wronged. "Take it out on me if you hate me, but don't hurt my friends. They're innocent."
Leo frowned. Now she's talking nonsense. She really isn't herself anymore. "Come on... I'll help you bath. Come here." he told her as he waved his hand.
"No... you have to promise me you'll let Xiao Jin go first!" she bellowed. Her eyes were cold. "He's just a child. How can you do such a thing! You have him beaten!"
Leo stared at the strange woman in front of him. Why is it that Charmaine speaks of weird stuffs when she gets drunk? Was it because of stress? Was he making things hard for her?
"Alright. It's my fault. I won't do it again. I'll try to do better next time." he tried coaxing her. "So can I help you bath now? The water would soon get cold." he added.
Charmaine stared at his face before slowly inching closer. Leo grabbed her arm and pulled her to his embrace. "I was jealous and I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry." he mumbled.
Charmaine didn't answer. She was like a lifeless doll in his arms. She allowed Leo to help her bath and remained silent until he's done bathing her. Inside her mind, her thoughts were sailing through the past.
"That Andrei... was he really not your ex-boyfriend?" Leo asked while he's putting a robe on her. He figured Charmaine won't lie when she's drunk.
"Who's Andrei?" she asked.
Leo furrowed his brows. What was that? "Don't you even recognize people when you're drunk?" he asked. "Do you know who I am?"
Charmaine sneered. It was like she was mocking him. "Oh. Who wouldn't know President Ji of Ji Group?"
Leo was unhappy with her tone, but atleast she remembered her. She didn't even remember Andrei so he probably weighed more in her heart, right? "Come on. I'll help you dry your hair." he uttered before dragging her out of the bathroom.
Leo made Charmain sit in front of the vanity mirror and then helped her blowdry her hair. While he was doing it, his mind wandered. Being jealous was a kind of feeling which is very unfamiliar to him. He was not naturally a jealous person and he has always been confident enough to not envy others but why... why does he lose all rationality when it comes to Charmaine? He was unable to defeat himself. Even he look down on his poor self control.
Glancing at the mirror, Leo realized Charmaine was looking at him. Her eyes weren't like the ones from before. She looked more docile and acquiescent now.
"I'm sorry." Charmaine uttered after their eyes met. "But I didn't invite Drei to go out. It was just a coincidence that we met." she explained.
"Oh. You remember him now." she remarked.
Charmaine didn't understand that comment but she didn't ask. She just continued to apologize. "I won't meet him anymore so please don't hurt him. I promise we were just friends. I only treated him like a sibling." she pleaded.
That statement again. Leo frowned as he recalled her saying something like that a while ago. What made her think he's going to hurt her friend? "That... earlier.... what did that guy whispered to you?" Leo decided to ask. He has been very curious about that. He wondered what that guy could've told his wife that made her so flustered!
Charmaine's expression turned sour and she lowered her head a bit. "Your husband is quite handsome. I like his style." she mumbled. "That's what he said. I think he likes you. It's been a long time since he last had a boyfriend. I'm a bit upset he was eying on you.... ", Charmaine explained.
Leo froze. What was that? He's actually gay?
***
6:30 AM
Laura still wants to sleep some more as her head was aching, but she was woken up by some movements on the bed. She slowly opened her eyes and caught the sight of a man's back as he got up in bed and left for the bathroom. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening.
She was in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar man. She checked herself and realized she was naked under the sheet. What's happening? What stupid things did she do last night? And who was that guy just now? Oh... she's really f*cked up!