“You look surprised,” Leilani says.
Leonie glares at her and quickly begins to shed tears.
“I’m sorry, Leilani,” Leonie blubbers, “I know our birthday is the same day and you also wanted Mrs. Bamford to have a birthday party to you. But Mrs. Bamford said Waylen would have a separate party for you, so she planned this one for me alone.”
Though Leonie’s transformation is a little unexpected, Leilani looks on with a cool smile. She’s curious to see what game Leonie is playing. Leonie assesses Leilani’s indifference and continues to cry.
“Mrs. Bamford is still mad at you because you forced her to have the party for you,” Leonie stage whispers, “Or have you already forgotten about that?”
Leonie reaches into her purse and pulls out a phone. She presses a button and a recording begins to play. The assembled guests can clearly hear Leilani’s voice asking for a birthday party. Though the recording has been heavily edited, Leilani recognizes it from her conversation with them the night before.
The guests turn to each other in surprise and begin to speculate about the recording. They all want to know why Leilani is so petty, why she’d force Mrs. Florence Bamford to have a party for her. Leonie smiles at the crowd’s reaction.
“I don’t have any improper desire towards Waylen,” Leonie sniffles, “You don’t have to be so defensive with me. Even your jewelry is the same as mine but if you mind so much, I won’t wear this ring anymore.”
Everyone’s eyes dart between Leilani and Leonie’s hands. Their whispers grow louder as they realize the rings look the same.
“No, they look similar, but the color is obviously different,” one voice rings out above the rest, “Miss Summers’ ring is obviously a fake.”
“Fake?” gasps another guest, “Didn’t she say Mr. Bamford gave it to her?”
“Who knows?” says another.
Leilani frowns. She knows a lot about gemstones, but diamonds have never been her specialty. Without examining Leonie’s ring more closely, she can’t tell if it’s real or not.
“Is Leonie’s ring really fake?” Leilani wonders, “Waylen would never give anyone a fake ring. Is it possible then, that he didn’t actually give it to her?”
Leilani feels something like hope rising in her chest.
Leilani stares at Leonie at a temporary loss for words. If she rejects Leonie’s offer, she’ll look petty and childish. Leonie has all the skills of an award-winning actress, and the guests are eating out of her hand. They whisper back and forth, praising her generosity and sweetness.
“Since Waylen didn’t hold a birthday party for you, I’ll celebrate your birthday!” Leonie announces.
Some guests begin to applaud her kindness, and Leonie leads Leilani to a large pink cake. Leonie’s statement has the intended effect, and the gossiping crowd murmurs again.
“How pathetic—her own husband won’t even throw her a birthday party,” some women whisper, “How dare she ruin Leonie’s birthday party? She’s so spiteful! Shame on her.”
“Why did the Bamford family ever choose her to marry Waylen?” asks a man.
“I heard that they’re on bad terms with each other and have already signed a divorce agreement,” says another man.
“Don’t talk about Leilani, like that,” a woman whispers, “I can understand her. After all, Waylen is away, and she must be feeling quite lonely without him on her special day.”
Leilani holds yesterday’s video recording and photos in her hand. Originally, she wanted to expose Leonie’s attempt to kidnap her last night, but it seems Leonie has outsmarted her this time. Leilani worries that the crowd won’t believe anything she says. She feels stuck and despair starts to rise in her chest.
“Who said her husband won’t throw her a birthday party?” a loud voice shouts.
A man walks into the yard, followed by a large group of bodyguards. The man is handsome and arrogant and moves with the grace of a nobleman. When the ladies present sees him, their hearts all begin to palpitate with excitement. The guests fall silent as if they’ve been frozen in place, and they turn to stare at him with rapt attention.
The bodyguards behind him, escort two identical bearded men. They push and shove the men roughly as they walk. Leilani looks at her husband with astonishment.
Yesterday Robert wouldn’t even tell me Waylen’s whereabouts,” she thinks, “How is he here today?”
Leonie glances between Waylen and the two kidnappers she hired. Her face flushes with panic and she begins twisting her dress in her hand. Mrs. Florence Bamford looks equally horrified.
“Waylen, you are back so soon?” Florence asks in a weak voice.
“Come here,” Waylen commands, looking intently at Leilani.
Leonie uneasily walks a few steps toward Waylen, but she’s frightened by his fierce eyes.
“Leilani, Come here!” Waylen repeats.
Instead of waiting for her to approach him, he crosses the distance in a few short strides and wrapped her in his arms.
“Mr. Bamford, what about these two people?” Robert asks, limping behind Waylen.
“Let them point out the person who wanted to hurt my wife!” Waylen snarls.
He surveys the crowd aggressively and the people gossiping about Leilani lower their heads with guilt and embarrassment.
“Waylen, I…” Leonie stutters, gnawing her lower lip.
“Are you scared?” Waylen asks Leilani.
He presses his palm onto the back of her hand and folds his hand around hers. When he came back home, he heard from servants that Leilani was almost kidnapped. He immediately asked one of his bodyguards to investigate it. Leilani still hasn’t recovered from the astonishment of seeing him and subconsciously nods her head.
“Don’t worry,” Waylen whispers tenderly, “I’m here. No one dares to touch you now.”
After feeling helpless and alone, Waylen’s presence fills her with warmth. She wants to lean into his embrace but reminds herself of all the times Waylen has ignored her suffering in the past.
“What if the one who dared touch me is someone you’re close to?” she asks him.
“There’s no exception to what I just said!” Waylen growls.
“Really?” Leilani asks, “What are you going to do to punish them?”
“Leilani! You are such a devil!” Mrs. Florence Bamford hisses, “Can’t you show me some respect?”
“I never said it was you, Mrs. Bamford,” Leilani says, raising her head from Waylen’s chest, “But perhaps you’re feeling guilty.”
Mrs. Florence Bamford coughs with rage.
“Waylen, it’s none of Mrs. Bamford’s business,” Leonie says, stepping in front of Mrs. Florence Bamford, “It was all me! You can punish me or beat me, but Mrs. Bamford is our elder, and I won’t allow you to raise a hand against her.”
“Waylen it’s Leonie’s birthday today,” Mrs. Florence Bamford says, “We can talk about it later.”
Mrs. Florence Bamford is desperately trying to control the damage to the family’s reputation. She knows that this confrontation on the lawn will likely appear in every gossip magazine in the morning. She’s terrified of making a fool of herself and ruining the family.
Waylen’s eyes sweep fiercely towards the two strong kidnappers who eye the bodyguards worriedly. Their legs seem to tremble in fear and they look at Leonie mournfully.
“Point to the person now!” Robert says, kicking them with his good leg.
“Miss Summers paid us to kidnap Leilani,” one of the men whispers.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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