novelraw Chapter 423: Over the years, why have you been so cheap to keep choosing me?
Chapter 423: Over the years, why have you been so cheap to keep choosing me?
Night descended, and the city lights began to glow.
Delphine only left the hospital after Cloud Summit had settled to rest. Leah hadn’t returned since going out to pay respects to her parents; she called once midway through, speaking hesitantly about something she had to handle.
In recent days, the South Sea has been enshrouded in a strange and unspoken tension: the Squire siblings remain low-profile and reclusive, while Beatrice Carter and her father fell victim to a kidnapping, later embroiled in a car accident—plunging her into a haze of confusion and suspicion.
If anyone possesses the clearest understanding and judgment of the South Sea’s situation, it is undoubtedly Ignatius Leclair.
When she arrived at the Cloud Summit, Maximilian was personally waiting outside for her. Upon seeing her approach, he smiled and said, "Mr. Leclair is in his private suite on the eighth floor."
Delphine nodded and headed upstairs.
The door was ajar. She pushed it open and stepped inside. The room’s lighting was dim. A man sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, his sharp features marked by an icy demeanor as he sipped red wine. The air was rich with its velvety aroma.
Ignatius Leclair was dressed in a gray bathrobe, his hair lightly tousled. His face remained as striking as ever, exuding the elegant bearing forged from aristocratic heritage. Noticing her standing hesitantly by the door, he extended his hand and said indifferently, "Delphine, come here."
His words carried an understated sense of possession and control.
Delphine walked over, noticing the chaotic scattering of cigarette boxes, a half-empty bottle of wine, and coffee on the table. She immediately understood his mood was far from good.
Ignatius Leclair was frighteningly disciplined, making this display of heavy drinking and smoking highly out of character.
"How did you know about Leah’s situation?" She sank into the armchair opposite Ignatius, reaching for the wine as she drank to boost her courage.
Ignatius’s phoenix-like eyes burned intensely. When he saw her take a sip, his brow furrowed slightly. He chuckled faintly, his gaze growing darker and more profound as he spoke deeply: "I met her once in the past. But the changes were too drastic for me to recall immediately."
"What was Leah’s life like before?" Delphine’s heart tensed slightly. If Leah had left an impression on Ignatius, it meant her earlier social circle overlapped with his.
The man narrowed his eyes, his deep gaze fixed calmly on the plain, flawless woman before him. "When I saw her back then, she looked like a rebellious delinquent. Whether her life was good or bad is something you’ll have to ask her yourself. Outsiders saw her as a spoiled little Miss, yet to Leah Squire, she nearly lost her life in Imperial City."
Imperial City? Delphine felt a chill thread through her chest. So Leah had spent much of her life in Imperial City—it made sense that the South Sea bore no traces of her presence.
"Who was she before? What was her name?" Delphine demanded anxiously. Griffith Squire had never mentioned Leah’s past, hinting there might be reasons for secrecy.
Ignatius’s eyes grew increasingly profound. Downing the last of his wine in one gulp, he stood up. His towering and lean figure, illuminated faintly in the already dim suite, cast an even heavier shadow.
Delphine’s body stiffened instinctively.
Ignatius leaned down and pulled her into his arms; his cool, pine-tinged fragrance enveloped her. Burying his head at the hollow of her collarbone, his voice dropped into a low, raspy tone: "Delphine, I thought you were asking about more than just Leah Squire. Your father’s affairs, Beatrice Carter’s situation—you must have countless questions for me."
Delphine froze, her body suddenly rigid. In that instant of startled realization, Ignatius had lifted her and carried her toward the master bedroom’s plush bed.
She felt the softness of the bed beneath her before snapping out of it. She reached out to push him away, her expression hardening as she said coldly, "I’ve always been curious—South Sea offers a wealth of women at your leisure, yet somehow, for all these years, you’ve remained ludicrously obsessed with picking me of all people."