Chapter 59 A heartless and evil man...
Hannah stood at the entrance of the corridor tactfully, dealing with the little girls who wanted to come over and say hello to Irene.
Leo showed just the right amount of panic, pretending that he didn't mean to let Irene know about this. He froze in place unconsciously, and like everyone who was about to lie, his eyes flickered unconsciously and his gaze was erratic.
Irene stopped, tilted her head, crossed her arms, and prepared to listen to his excuses.
It looks like a cute kitten that has caught the tail of a mouse that is trying to escape, and it is proudly tilting its chin up, waiting for human praise.
Leo's Adam's apple moved slightly. He found that after four years, Irene had not changed at all, but he had changed a lot.
It was Irene who also leered at him. Four years ago, he would be nervous and flustered, and would anxiously think about what he had done wrong.
But now he...
The panic has changed.
Leo curled up the tip of his tongue and pressed it hard against the roof of his mouth, but the roots of his teeth still felt very itchy.
He lowered his head to avoid Irene's gaze. His chest seemed to be on fire. His voice was slightly hoarse, as if he couldn't speak.
"I always hear you coughing when I pass by your room every night recently."
Passing by? Irene raised her eyebrows. Passing by in the middle of the night.
Even a three-year-old child wouldn't be fooled by this.
Now she understood why the water in the cup on the bedside table was hot every time she touched it. It turned out that Mr. Snail came to heat water for her in the middle of the night.
Irene deliberately frowned and pretended to be dissatisfied: "How can you enter a girl's room in the middle of the night? What if I'm not wearing pajamas?"
When she said the second half of the sentence, Irene deliberately lowered her voice, conveying a tacit understanding between the two of them.
She thought Leo was still the little boy who blushed when teased, and was still waiting with a smile for Leo to explain to her in panic.
When she thought of Leo nervously defending herself, Irene couldn't help but burst out with the evil taste in her heart.
Isn't the real fun of talking about someone younger than you is to take advantage of his thin-skinnedness?
The atmosphere suddenly became quiet, so quiet that Irene could hear her and Leo's breathing.
After a while, she heard Leo explain in a very soft and sincere voice: "Yes, that white silk is very comfortable, right? I saw you always wearing it. I bought it from France, and you picked the most expensive one."
White...silk!?
There was a hint of pride in Leo's tone, as if he was proud that Irene could pick out the most expensive clothes in the closet at a glance.
If his expression hadn't been so serious, Irene would have almost thought that Leo was teasing her on purpose.
Who would talk about the style of girls' pajamas in such a serious tone?
Of course Irene knew what pajamas she had been wearing these days. There were seven or eight nightgowns prepared for her in the closet. She picked out the one that she thought was most suitable for sleeping and also the one with the least fabric.
It is called a nightgown, but in fact it is just a longer suspender.
As soon as Leo said this, Irene's mind went blank and she briefly lost the ability to think.
So, not only did he go into the room and pour her some water, he also looked at what she was wearing as she was sleeping on the bed.
According to friends who have slept with her, Irene has a terrible sleeping posture. Not only does she lie on her back with her legs spread out, but sometimes she even takes off her pajamas in the middle of the night and puts them back on when she gets cold.
So is the pajamas that Leo saw still on her?
Irene's vision went dark and her ears felt hot. She glared at Leo angrily, her cheeks and neck turning red.
Leo still had a faint smile on his face, as if he didn't realize that her question just now was just a joke, and he even answered it seriously...
Now, she was the only one left feeling embarrassed. Irene took a deep breath and pretended to be calm, "Yes, it is indeed very comfortable."
"It's really hard for you to remember to buy me pajamas in France," Irene said with a forced smile, flicked her skirt, and walked to the end of the corridor without saying a word.
"Wait a minute, miss. You're going the wrong way. This is not the direction to the living room," Hannah hurriedly picked up her skirt and chased after her.
A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corners of Leo's lips, but it didn't last long before it was interrupted by a voice behind him.
"Boss."
"Yeah," Leo nodded nonchalantly, "Have you found out why she came here?"
"I basically found out. It is said that Mrs. Irin's factory has too much inventory. She has been looking for major tailor shops and clothing factories to sell the inventory, but the response is not very good. She came to see you this time, probably to sell the inventory."
Leo frowned slightly, "How did she negotiate with other clients?"
"I heard that they advertised their products as being of good quality and low price, and promised them a price 20% lower than the market price. It seems that they also promised kickbacks to some of the sales."
"Casting a wide net? Okay, I get it." Leo snorted disdainfully and said, "I remember asking you to sort out the evidence of her murdering her husband. Bring it to me."
"OK."
The rain was still pouring down on both sides of the corridor, and the leaves and branches were rustling. It was always like this in New Orleans, with sudden downpours. When working outside, one would often get soaked like a drowned chicken, and he had been soaked many times before.
But now, no matter how heavy the rain was, it would not wet his Irene. Leo half-closed his eyes, looking rarely relaxed.
Sure enough, power can help him protect everything he wants.
Including Irene.
*
"Long time no see," a familiar voice of surprise came from afar. Before Irene could react, Mrs. Irin ran over and hugged her tightly, and gave her a passionate kiss on the cheek.
Irene couldn't help but get excited. Although in her timeline she hadn't seen Mrs. Irin for just over two months, it was always easy for people to be drawn into other people's emotions, especially someone like Irene who studied art.
She kissed the person in front of her affectionately, her tone gentle, "Yes, it's been a long time, ma'am."
The changes in Mrs. Irin were visible to the naked eye. She wore long trousers that were convenient for riding and going out, and a hat. There was a scar on her forehead, and her originally long hair now just reached her shoulders. She was completely different from before.
"It's been five years. Fortunately, you are fine. I was almost scared to death when I found out you were missing. Later, I asked people in Mobile and New Orleans to inquire about you several times, but there was no news. I almost thought something had happened to you. Fortunately, you are back. I was so excited when I received the news from Hannah that I almost fell off my horse."
Mrs. Irin finished a long string of words in an exaggerated tone. Her eyes became red as she spoke. She made the sign of the cross on her chest. Her voice was so choked that she could hardly speak. Mrs. Irin tapped Irin's eyebrows again and whispered, "Thank God for blessing you. Thank God for sending you back to us."
When she said this, Hannah, who was standing next to the two of them, couldn't help but tear up. "Fortunately, the young lady is back. Fortunately, the young lady is fine. When I received the news, I was almost choked to death by the water."
Hannah said "luckily" several times in a row. Irene felt very sad. She herself did not expect that her departure would have an impact on so many people. Irene whispered a few words to comfort Hannah. After Hannah and Mrs. Irin calmed down, the three of them sat down.
The servant brought a few plates of snacks and black tea, then handed Irene a cup of warm water and cold medicine, explaining, "The doctor said that your illness has not been completely cured. You have to take medicine on time for a few more days."
The doctor is only responsible for prescribing medicine, so he wouldn't supervise these things. I didn't even have to think about it to know that these must have been prepared by Leo. Irene felt a warm feeling in her heart.
As soon as the servant left, Mrs. Irin asked jokingly, "I heard that Leo turned America upside down to find you?"
"It's not that exaggerated. How could such fake news spread so quickly?" Irene replied half-jokingly.
"NONONO, this is not fake news," Mrs. Irin said seriously, "I don't know about other things, but it's true that he turned New Orleans upside down. I saw him looking for you with my own eyes. We thought you were kidnapped. When Leo searched, he even searched the cellars and haystacks in the countryside."
Mrs. Irin patted her chest with lingering fear. "And he kept looking for you for several days until his body couldn't hold on any longer and he almost fell into the pond once."
"Yes," Hannah added, "He didn't even eat. He ignored us when we tried to persuade him. He was just like crazy. Fortunately, you are back, Miss. Otherwise, who knows how long he would have gone crazy."
Irene's grip on the teacup tightened unconsciously, her expression dazed, "Really? He didn't tell me that."
"Men always have to save face. It's normal that he can't say it out loud." Mrs. Irin smiled and changed the subject. "But speaking of it, where have you been these years? Why haven't you given me any news? I was almost scared to death."
As she said this, she slapped Irene's arm in dissatisfaction.
Irene pursed her lips and repeated the story she and Leo had agreed on. "I woke up on a ship and was in Southeast Asia for more than two months. I didn't have the chance to pass on any news. It was only this year when something happened to the enemy there that I had the chance to escape back."
Mrs. Irin rubbed the back of Irene's neck with concern, and the three of them chatted for a long time, from Hannah's profession to the situation in the United States. The hot tea on the table was replaced pot by pot, until the sky began to darken, and then they stopped.
Leo came once during the session, but seeing that he could not join in the women's conversation and was even a bit annoying, he had to return to his office in disappointment.
The war had just ended not long ago, and there were still some problems with house repairs and some work arrangements. Today he had been working while Irene was asleep. Now, while Irene and the others were chatting, Leo quickly finished tonight's work.
Nothing could affect the good time of the evening, and Leo worked as if he was injected with chicken blood.
When seeing Mrs. Irin off, Irin suddenly asked, "If I still want to engage in the clothing business now, is it appropriate? I am already a grown-up, and I can't rely on others to make a living when I come back."
Mrs. Irin pondered for a moment and gave a pertinent suggestion: "It can definitely be done. Although the war has just ended, the rich are still rich, and some people have even made a fortune from the national crisis. I have a feeling that the economy will definitely pick up in a while. You can observe and see. By the way, doesn't Leo have a cooperation with the government? You can ask him to ask. Economic matters actually mainly depend on policies."
Irin thanked her lady gratefully. She and Hannah watched as Lady Irin climbed onto her horse and waved to them in a heroic manner.
"Remember to write to me!"
"Okay!" Irene ran a few steps along the stairs with her skirt hem, and waved vigorously in the direction of Madam Irin until the figure of Madam Irin completely disappeared from her sight.
The sunset after the rain seemed particularly clear and bright. Irene raised her hand to block her eyes, half-closed her eyes, and asked Hannah beside her:
"Where is the store in New York you mentioned? I think from what Mrs. Irin said, it would be okay to pick up my old business again."
"New York?" Leo's icy voice came from behind. Irene turned around in surprise. The man was standing on the steps, looking down at her, his eyebrows seemed to be hung with ice chips.
"Isn't it enough that that woman tried to trick you into buying her stuff, but now she's trying to trick you into coming to New York?"
Irene frowned, "What do you mean by lying..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Leo interrupted her sharply.
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