CHAPTER 833: CHAPTER 833: HONEY~

For these past few years, Leah Thorne always knew he didn’t love her.

She once heard his conversation with his mother; all the affection and favoritism he showed her were merely methods of revenge—to lift her high into the clouds and then slam her down, breaking her into pieces.

But now, Leah wondered if he... might love her too?

"Water..." The man’s hoarse murmur reached her ear.

Leah quickly came back to her senses. He was thirsty and needed water.

Leah poured a glass of water and brought it to his thin lips, but it flowed from the corner of his mouth, soaking his collar quickly.

This way of giving water was inconvenient.

Leah thought for a moment, then took a sip of water herself and leaned down over his thin lips.

He was lying there, and she kissed his lips, feeding him the water from her mouth.

Mouthful by mouthful, she fed him a glass of water.

The sleeping man tasted the sweetness of the water and instinctively took the lead, drawing in her lips.

A kiss supposed to be the sweetest thing, but Leah tasted the bitterness.

His mouth was bitter.

So was hers.

...

The next morning.

Justin Xavier slowly opened his eyes; he was now in Leah Thorne’s apartment.

"Leah, Leah..."

He called Leah’s name but got no response. The room was quiet; Leah wasn’t there.

Justin Xavier got up and with his long fingers picked out a gray shirt. The shoulder blades on the man’s back spread open, looking straight and handsome, with those criss-crossing whip marks adding a touch of rebellious wildness.

Putting on the gray shirt and buttoning it up, he stretched his long legs out of the room to look for Leah.

But after searching everywhere, he couldn’t find Leah.

Where was she?

Because Leah had hidden behind the curtains before, Justin Xavier, tall and leggy, stood by the curtains, took a deep breath, and with a "whoosh," pulled the curtains open.

But this time, behind the curtains was empty.

No one was there.

The dawn sunlight hit Justin Xavier’s narrow eyes; he found it glaring.

Leah Thorne was gone.

Countless voices echoed this sentence in his ear: Leah Thorne was gone.

He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Leah Thorne’s number.

The melodious ringtone sounded once, and then the call was answered.

She picked up.

"Hello, Leah, where are you now? Didn’t I tell you not to wander off?"

"Justin Xavier," Leah’s calm voice came through the phone from the other end, "let me go."

Justin Xavier, hand on hip, furrowed his handsome brows, restrained his temper, and spoke softly, "I’ll give you a chance to talk properly; my back still hurts, I don’t want to hear this."

"Justin Xavier, yesterday when your grandfather was hitting you, I was there too. Your grandfather made you choose between the world and beauty, which one do you want?"

Justin Xavier’s handsome face showed no emotion, "Didn’t you hear my answer?"

The world and beauty, how would he choose.

He chose beauty.

"Justin Xavier, your answer doesn’t matter at all; what matters is, I told you before, you’d better never step down from that position, don’t lose the power, money, and status you have now, otherwise... I’d be the first to kick you away when you’re left with nothing."

After saying this, she directly hung up the phone.

Justin Xavier dialed her number again, but what came was a mechanical female voice: Sorry, the phone you dialed is switched off.

She said she’d kick him, and then she turned off her phone.

Justin Xavier repeatedly dialed her number, as if unaware that she had turned off her phone, dialing back and forth over a dozen times, his entire handsome face darkened, the veins on his forehead throbbing, he raised his hand ready to smash his phone.

But he held back.

In the study, Old Master Xavier had said why not ask Leah’s opinion.

He had not replied then, because he knew Leah wouldn’t give him time.

She was eager to escape; she had been waiting for this day for too long.

Justin Xavier held the phone and thought about how he lost the girl who once loved him so deeply.

At her 18th birthday party, she’d had a bit to drink, her cheeks slightly red, and in his room, he pinned her to the wall and took her first time just like that.

She was in pain, crying softly, her voice like a canary, so delicate it seemed it could break at any moment, she said, "Brother, it hurts..."

His eyes filled with terrifying desire, focused only on his own comfort, speaking harshly to her, "Don’t cry!"

Frightened, her tears hung on her cheeks, then timidly extended her small, soft white hand to embrace his neck, enduring the pain and awkwardly pleasing him, kissing his handsome cheek, "Brother, it doesn’t hurt at all... I’m happy... I’m finally yours..."

Justin Xavier still clearly remembers her obedient compliance that night, but everything changed from the moment he slapped her.

He spent many years making her fall in love with him, then personally pushed her away, losing her love.

...

Soon Justin Xavier found Leah Thorne. Bayside was just this small, he could stir up a storm here, finding someone was simple.

Leah hadn’t gone anywhere; she just opened a presidential suite in a hotel, and when Justin Xavier entered, Leah was brushing her teeth in the bathroom.

Their gazes met in the mirror, Leah showed no surprise, because she knew he would quickly find her.

Justin Xavier looked at her, she was wearing the hotel’s white bathrobe, with her tea-colored curled hair casually draping over her shoulders, slightly messy, wearing one pink slipper, with the other having fallen off, much like a little girl suddenly deprived of adult care.

Justin Xavier picked up the other pink slipper, walked to her side, then slowly knelt on one knee, his voice low, "You’re old enough and still barefoot, you’ll catch a cold, lift your foot."

A daily short story by Jude and Isabelle

The academic conference concluded, and Jude Crawford left with his secretary Riley Sutton.

From afar, Jude Crawford saw that cold yet breathtaking silhouette in front, Isabelle Willow.

Besides Isabelle Willow, several young gentlemen stood surrounding her, their eyes bright as they asked for her wechat.

Isabelle Willow waved both hands in refusal, clearly wanting to be free.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, she lifted her head and looked over.

Their eyes met, the girl stood on the street, quickly smiled, then sweetly called out, "Honey~"

Jude Crawford paused.

The girl had already run over, the evening breeze fluttered her skirt, her steps light and joyful, she came to his side, reached out her little hand to wrap around his muscular arm, clinging to him like a koala.

Her little head leaned closer, she blinked her watery eyes looking up at him, calling out sweetly once more, "Honey~"