Chapter 28 Selfishness (1)
"Erin?"
A young voice full of surprise suddenly sounded behind her.
Irene turned around as usual when she heard the voice. About three or five meters away from her stood a strange man wearing a tight suit and with sleek hair, frowning at her.
The moment the two people's eyes met, the man's eyes suddenly lit up, flashing with surprise.
Hiss, oh no, could this be someone the original owner knew?
Irene swallowed hard, what she feared would come true.
Leo, who was the center of attention of the crowd, also turned around at the same time. The boy turned his head to look at the man, as if he had automatically detected the word "Erin" on his radar.
"Why are you here too?" the man strode over with a surprised smile on his face.
Irene had no choice but to go along with what he said: "I'm going to visit my aunt in New Orleans for a few days."
"Travel before marriage?" The man's tone was familiar, as if he had known the original owner for a long time.
He even knew that she was going to get married soon, so it seemed like they were really close to her.
It’s better to say less and make fewer mistakes at a time like this. Irene nodded and calmly distanced herself from the man.
"Why aren't Qiao or Lily with you?" The man looked around, his eyes vaguely obscure, and he asked again: "Did you go out alone?"
How did this person know so many details? Irene made up an excuse, "Joe and I haven't gotten married yet, so of course he can't go out with me. Lily suddenly felt a little unwell before she left, and she plans to take the bus to New Orleans the day after tomorrow."
As soon as the words fell, the expression of the man in front of him changed, revealing a bit of excitement that could not be suppressed, and even his breathing became rapid. The man's tone was excited.
"So, we are the only two old acquaintances left on this ship, Irene. Do you know how much I have missed you for so long?"
He looks like a passionate and romantic man.
Seeing this tone and attitude, Irene's pupils suddenly shrank. Could this be the original owner's ex-lover?
He may even know the original owner and her family, and they may be acquaintances such as neighbors or friends.
Irene's eyes went dark, as if she saw the scene where her whereabouts were exposed in front of Tina.
This is not the scariest thing. The scariest thing is that if he knows the original owner very well, he might find out that she is a fake.
When she thought of this, Irene couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
She didn’t want to be a charcoal-grilled witch…
She must not reveal the fact that she was not the original owner. Irene clenched her teeth and her brain worked rapidly.
This meant that she had to at least hide the fact from the man in front of her—the man who was suspected to be the original owner's ex-lover.
Irene's eyes went dark. She didn't even know the name of this old lover, let alone how to get along with him.
How to get along with an ex-lover...
Irene tried hard to recall how her roommate and her first love, who had three trips back and forth, got along before she traveled through time.
Half a minute later, the woman forced a smile towards the man, with tears in her eyes.
Like a poor woman who was forced to separate from her lover against her will.
"Please respect yourself," Irene frowned slightly, trying to pretend to be choked up, she gently pressed the corners of her eyes, "I'm about to get married."
After saying this, she pretended to be heartbroken and tried to escape from this crematorium.
"I know you still have me in your heart. It's not easy to talk here," the man said affectionately, with tears in his eyes. He grabbed Irene and said, "Let's go to my room and talk."
As he said this, he wanted to pull Irene away from the crowd.
Who wants to go to the room with you? Irene was frightened to death and shook her wrist vigorously.
But the man's grip was so strong that it held Irene's wrist like a pair of pliers, and she couldn't get away at all.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that there was some relationship between the two people, so no one came forward to stop them.
Irene secretly groaned in her heart, but on her face she tried her best to restrain her reluctance to leave the man.
"There is no possibility between us, please let go..."
A hand suddenly reached out from the side and pinched the man's wrist.
His fingertips were delicate and white, and his long sleeves were hanging down. Before Irene could see his movements clearly, the man suddenly wailed and let go of Irene's wrist, his tone was angry.
"I'm talking to my friend, why are you butting in?"
The voice became quieter as time went on. The man stared at Leo's delicate and beautiful face, and his anger dissipated unconsciously.
Leo pulled Irene over, stood sideways in front of her, and stared coldly at the man in front of him.
The man's Adam's apple moved slightly, not caring about the presence of his ex-girlfriend who had just been reluctant to leave, and began to explain haltingly:
"Hello, Miss. My name is Ange. This lady is my good friend. We just wanted to find a quiet place to reminisce about the past. Please don't misunderstand that I am the kind of person who is unfriendly to women."
Wow, you can still make such an excuse! Irene was so scared that a disgusting expression appeared on her pale face.
Leo looked back at Irene, disgust was clearly visible on the woman's face. He waved away Ange's arm, which was stretched out to kiss his hand, and looked at Ange as if he was looking at a dirty and disgusting dung beetle.
Irene snorted coldly. The dead man didn't even take a piss to look at himself and still dared to covet Leo.
She held onto Leo's thin arm, and a rare sense of security welled up in her chest. Ever since she traveled to this time and space, her life seemed to be continuously instability.
The complicated family relationships and all kinds of hasty things that happened on the way to escape forced her to open her arms to protect the people behind her.
Hannah was very young and Leo was mute, so it seemed that everything had to be done by her alone.
She planned the route with all her heart, thinking about where they would settle down in the future and how they would make a living.
And he almost lost his life for his work.
She tried her best to do everything to the best of her ability, but after swallowing a few sips of wine, she couldn't help but think -
Would her life have been better if she hadn't traveled to this world?
She won't run around in a panic, she won't be forced to take responsibility for others, and she won't be entangled in her feelings for Leo.
I am both worried about losing Leo and afraid of having Leo.
Irene hid behind Leo, with her head down and a gloomy expression.
But ever since she saw Leo knock down seven or eight strong men in the attic without using a gun, a small idea had emerged in her heart, consciously or unconsciously - if she could be with Leo, she would be much safer.
This fragile thought took root in Irene's heart after the boy revealed his stunning beauty.
So she deliberately seduced Leo, and her seemingly upright behavior concealed her dirty selfishness.
God knows how excited she was when she realized that Leo was peeping at her through the study window. From that moment on, she realized that if Leo didn't take the knife back from her then, he would never take it away again.
The boy has become her possession and has become her umbrella for survival in this era.
And now, this is the second time she has been protected behind Leo. The boy is growing up little by little, and his feelings for her are growing stronger.
She could hide behind Leo, share work responsibilities with Leo, or hide Leo under legitimate reasons - turning the boy into a puppy curled up beside her.
So she agreed to let Leo sell the carriage and took Leo to negotiate with Mrs. Edward.
Irene clearly realized that all she did was to give herself some support in this world where she had no relatives.
But what is the price of this reliance?
The boy's eyes looked at her more and more passionately, flashing with excitement and joy.
Leo, who is as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, stays by her side with his sincere heart.
But is she worthy?
Her dirty intentions, her extremely selfish thoughts, her original intention of treating young men as tools...
Irene clutched Leo's sleeves tightly, her fingertips turning white. The original purpose of rescuing Leo had obviously been achieved, but why was she so sad? Her heart felt like an ice cube that had been frozen and then smashed, so cold and painful.
How could she deserve such pure love?
She is no match for Leo.
*
At this time Edward also came hurriedly. After all, he was a rich and powerful man in Mobile. Edward whispered a few words to Ang, and Ang reluctantly bowed to them, turned around and left angrily.
As soon as Edward appeared, Irene quickly lowered her head and, while Edward and Angel were talking, quietly slipped into the crowd, fearing that Edward would find out that Leo knew her.
She slid over to the table, picked up the wine glass, and her eyes fell on Leo involuntarily.
Edward was diligently pouring wine for Leo, unaware that Irene, whom he almost killed, was standing less than five meters behind him.
The young man stood in the crowd, dazzling like the sun, and the flashing light almost burned her eyes.
Irene swallowed the sweet wine, but a bitter taste rose in her throat.
She drank one cup after another, people of all kinds passed by her, and all kinds of accents flowed into her ears.
But there is no familiar sound.
She was like an outsider, forced into this world.
Although this seems to be the case.
"You bitch—"
An angry roar rose in the air, and Irene almost choked on her wine. She quickly put down the glass and looked back.
All he saw was glass fragments exploding in the air. The sharp and thin crystal slag passed over the corner of Leo's eye, leaving a deep red mark. Tiny blood oozed out of the wound, then gathered together and condensed into blood beads, which fell on the boy's eyelashes and were wiped away by him.
Irene's body froze, and suddenly the voice that she had imagined countless times in her mind rang in her ears.
She turned her almost frozen neck stiffly, and she seemed to hear the creaking sound of the machine turning.
The anger and the clarity that frightened even herself were intertwined, like a layer of fire burning on ice.
She clearly remembered the woman hiding in the crowd with a jealous smile on her face.
The woman had been silent until Edward's admirer smashed the wine glass and scratched Leo's face. Then she sneered and cursed.
“You deserve it.”
These words fell right into Irene's ears.
A salty taste rose in Irene's throat. She looked at the woman who was having an affair with Edward in agony, her face burning with pain.
She originally thought that she would be satisfied with Leo after seeing him injured, but she didn't expect that when she felt guilty and distressed for Leo, her attention would still be focused on work.
Like a selfish and indifferent human machine.
Irene clearly saw her dirty and dark side.
A worried gaze fell on her. Irene turned her head away in embarrassment, picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp.
She knew who the owner of this gaze was.
It was Leo—the Leo she was totally unworthy of.
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