“It’s okay, Leon. See, you’ve already bought me dinner and apologized to me. Besides, I don’t believe it’s your fault. I know it’s difficult to be under the spotlight all the time I have the impression that you are constantly being watched no matter what you do, right?” Anna said this while sipping the tea.
Leon laughed before saying, “It’s not a big deal; I’m used to it. But if I don’t do modeling, I will not be able to make ends meet.”
“How come?” Anna asked in surprise.
“Oh, I’ve dropped out of school since I was 10 years old and have worked various odd jobs. If I hadn’t been discovered by a modeling agency agent when I was 13, I would have died of starvation that winter.”
Hearing that, Anna looked surprised at Leon.
She had always assumed that he was the type of person born into a wealthy family and became a model solely because he found it interesting
Leon touched his hair awkwardly before explaining, “Actually, nothing on the Internet about me is true. According to my company, people nowadays dislike celebrities with tragic past. So they made up a family background story for me. But, I don’t even know who my parents are yet!”
Anna said. “Oh I’m really sorry about that. Well, let’s not talk about it. ”
Leon took a deep breath before explaining, “It’s fine. You see, I’m not even bothered by it anymore. In fact, I believe it is quite good. I was adopted at five years old after growing up in an orphanage.”
“Back then, I thought I could live a normal life like everyone else. However, later on, my adoptive mother died in an accident, and my adoptive father beat me when he was drunk. I couldn’t take it any longer and fled their home, working part-time to support myself. By the way, I heard that you adopted Scott, right?”
Anna nodded and couldn’t help but feel sorry for Leon.
Many people knew that Anna had taken Scott in. So, it was no longer a secret.
Leon pursed his lips as if in regret.
“If only I could meet someone like you at that time,” he said after a brief glance at Anna.
He then took a sip of the wine on the table before coughing and exclaiming, “Urgh! This is awful!”
Anna handed him a glass of water and said, “Come on, drink some water.”
Looking at Leon, Anna somehow thought of the scene in which she met Scott for the first time.
Scott was only 12 years old when Anna met him in the underground boxing ring, and he was skinny because of malnutrition. Anna was only two years older than him, but she appeared much taller.
Anna did, in fact, change Scott’s life. In any case, being a singer was preferable to being a boxer in an underground boxing ring for Scott.
After pulling herself back to reality, Anna comforted Leon, “Don’t be sad. You didn’t meet me back then, but you’re doing well now, aren’t you?”
Leon laughed bitterly before saying, “Truth to be told, I did meet someone like you back then. But I had a feeling that accidents would always happen to my beloved ones.”
He showed Anna a photo in his wallet and said, “Look, she’s really pretty, isn’t she?”
Anna saw that there were a grown girl and a teenage boy in the photo. Leon looked to be about 15 or 16 years old, and the girl was very sweet and lovely.
Anna thought she did look like that girl. She realized then why Leon had been so enthusiastic toward her when he first saw her. Plus, she understood why he was willing to wait for her in the cold weather fora long time just to have dinner with her.
“Is she your girlfriend?” Anna asked.
Leon smiled tenderly at the girl in the photo before saying, “Yeah. Her name was Chris, and she came from a wealthy family. After two years of modeling at my previous agency, I had a few unfortunate incidents. As a result, I left the agency. However, I had to pay them a substantial sum of money. Chris paid the money for me and helped me a lot. It was because of her that I was able to continue modeling later on. Well, we were actually supposed to get married later.”
“But what happened?” Anna asked, knowing it didn’t seem to end well for them.
Leon said, “It’s most likely all due to fate. She died two years ago after being diagnosed with congenital leukemia. She gave me everything she inherited from her father, and that’s why everyone thinks I’m wealthy.”
Leon finished the two bottles of wine and then told Anna about the story of himself and Chris. And Anna was overwhelmed with sorrow. She hadn’t expected that Leon, who appeared to be an innocent and cheerful man, would have such a miserable and twisted past.
Anna grabbed his glass and said, “Leon, you should stop drinking. And we should leave now.”
Then Anna went to the reception, take out her card and tried to pay the bill. But Leon stopped her.
He handed the waiter his credit card and said, “I’ll pay it! I can’t let you buy me dinner.”
Anna smiled, resigned, and asked the waiter to take him into the car and drive him back to the hotel.
When she looked in the rearview mirror, Anna noticed Leon, who was in the back seat. His face was flushed from the alcohol, and he was mumbling something.
Anna shook her head, asking, “You haven’t had much to drink, have you? Why are you so drunk?”
Leon clung to his hug pillow before saying, “Chris, I promise you. I’m never going to drink again.”
Hearing that, Anna sighed.
Several minutes later, she told the bellhop to take Leon upstairs after she pulled up in front of the hotel. She then took the room key from his jacket pocket and pushed open the door.
Having made sure that the waiter laid Leon down on the bed, Anna switched on the lights and then shut the curtains.
After that, Anna turned on the air conditioner and poured another glass of water for him, which she placed by his bedside.
She was aware that many celebrities rose to prominence through chances. She thought Leon’s story was very sad, almost as if fate deliberately played a joke on them.
On the other hand, Anna believed that he wasn’t lying because no one would make up such a ridiculous story to gain sympathy from others. Anna stood at the curb to call a cab after leaving the hotel. While she was still immersed in Leon’s sad story, she saw Wayne standing across the street
Because it was so dark, Anna thought she had got the wrong person. She could see, however, that Wayne was still wearing the black coat she had given him earlier in the day.
Wayne had just gotten out of a taxi. And Anna started to dash to the crosswalk and attempted to speak with him.
Just as Anna was about to cross the street, the traffic light turned red. While she was standing still and waiting, she called Wayne.
At that precise moment, Anna noticed another woman walking out of the same cab. They then proceeded to walk shoulder to shoulder toward the mall.
Although Anna was far away, she could see Wayne take his cell phone from his pocket. And she could see the woman next to him staring at his phone screen.
As soon as she got through to Wayne, Anna asked a bit anxiously, “ Where are you, Wayne?”
“’m working overtime at the company. What’s wrong, Anna?”
Anna tightened her grip on the phone and said, “Really? But how come I can hear car horns?”
“Well, I’m downstairs buying dinner,” Wayne replied.
“You haven’t eaten yet? How about I come to get you? It’s late; you should stop working.” Anna pinched her thighs, trying to devise an excuse for Wayne.
However, she really couldn’t think of any.
Instead, Wayne replied, “No, thanks. Anna, don’t wait up for me. I’ll be back later tonight. Bye.”
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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