“Leonie made you chicken soup to help with your recovery,” Leilani says as she crosses the room and sits near the couch.
Waylen frowns, smelling the rich aroma of the soup. He doesn’t understand why the two women entered or why Leilani seems to act so nice to Leonie. Leonie places the tray on the table and sits on a chair. She stirs the soup and moves to feed Waylen.
“Waylen, I heard that you caught the flu so I made chicken soup for you.”
“Put it down,” Waylen says coldly as he turns to look at Leilani.
Leilani smiles, “It’s the first time Leonie has ever cooked, and she did it just for you. Don’t disappoint her—just try it.”
Leonie raises the spoon and moves it toward Waylen’s mouth. Waylen frowns and locks the screen on the tablet.
“It’s good when it’s hot,” Leilani assures him.
“Then drink with me.”
“Leonie made it for you,” Leilani objects.
“I don’t think Leonie will mind,” Waylen insists.
“I won’t,” Leonie chimes in, “I’ll ask the servant to bring another bowl for you Leilani.”
Leonie shoots a quick scowl in Leilani’s direction as a servant enters the room with another bowl of soup. Leilani quickly tastes the soup, watching as Leonie forces a friendly smile. The soup isn’t inedible, but it doesn’t compare to what the chef makes.
“Is it bad?” Waylen asks.
Leilani swallows and forces herself to smile, “No, it’s delicious. Very fresh. I have to say I’m surprised by Leonie’s skill.”
Waylen continues to ignore the spoon of soup hovering by his mouth.
“Do you really like it?” he asks Leilani.
“Yes, it’s fine,” Leilani says.
“How about I ask her to cook for you every day?” Waylen asks.
Leilani’s handshakes slightly and she spills some of the soup back into the bowl, “That’s the chef’s job.”
“Well if Leonie’s cooking is as good as you say, we don’t need a chef anymore,” Waylen says.
“Waylen,” Leonie’s voice is low with uneasiness and anger and her eyes have gone frosty.
“What the hell has Leilani done to make this man fall for her?” Leonie wonders, ‘She practically has him wrapped around her finger. But she doesn’t deserve him.”
Leonie holds the bowl so tightly it almost breaks and she mentally curses Leilani. She swore to herself that she’ll find a way to make Leilani regret everything.
“Leonie is a guest here,” Leilani says coldly, “She doesn’t have to cook.”
Leilani looks at Leonie and can see how pale the other woman has become. She’s obviously angry and hurt by Waylen’s words.
“She eats and lives at my house. It’s not too much for me to ask her to do a favor for you,” Waylen insists maliciously, “Since you’re preparing for a pregnancy, it will be good for her to help you out. She can cook for you for as long as you like.”
Waylen turns to Leonie and adds, “Unless you’re not up for this Leonie?”
Leonie’s eyes start to water and her hands shake uncontrollably as she holds the bowl, but she forces a winsome smile.
“I didn’t know Leilani wanted to get pregnant, but I hope you have babies soon,” she says shakily, “Of course, I’d be happy to cook for Leilani.”
Leilani frowns deeply. She was expecting Leonie to object and is surprised to see her agree so easily. Leilani feels uneasy—as if Leonie knows something she doesn’t. Leilani’ can feel her heart pounding nervously in her chest and she begins to feel faint. She pouts the bowl onto the table and some soup slops over the side and splashed onto her dress. She leans down to examine the wet spot.
“Excuse me, I’ll go and get changed,” she says.
Leonie stares coldly at Leilani’s back and places her bowl on the table.
“Excuse me, I think I’ll go and check on her,” Leonie says.
A fair hand stops Leilani from opening her bedroom door.
“Are you pleased now that Waylen has ordered me to cook for you?” Leonie asks.
“Why would you think that pleases me?” Leilani asks.
Leilani pushes Leonie’s hand away, opens the door crosses her bedroom to the dressing room. Leonie follows her across the room.
“You won’t be so smug later,” she says darkly.
Leonie throws herself onto the settee in Leilani’s dressing room. Her long fair legs are exposed as her dress rides up. Leonie tilts her head and charmingly arranges all of her hair on one side of her face.
“Who knew that Waylen wants to get you pregnant just as badly as I do?” she asks.
“Please,” Leilani says, “We both know Waylen isn’t the one who wants this baby—it’s his grandfather.”
“You’re very smart,” Leonie says as she allows her hair to drop behind her ear, “I really don’t know why Waylen’s grandfather wants you to have children with Waylen so badly that he’d have my sister imprisoned”
“Imprisoned?” Leilani thinks, “Did Leonie just tell me that Waylen’s grandfather is keeping Diana as a prisoner?”
She feels chills creeping down her back and seizing her entire body.
“No wonder Diana never answered my emails,” Leilani thinks, “She can hardly write back if she’s locked away. But why would Mr. Francis Bamford be so insistent that I have children with Waylen? Why can’t it be somebody else?”
Leilani smiles softly at Leonie, “You mean Waylen’s grandfather is threatening to keep Diana locked away unless Waylen has children with me?”
Leonie gives Leilani an appraising gaze.
“Waylen’s grandfather gave him four years. He agreed that if you didn’t get pregnant at that time he’d insist on a divorce. He failed to anticipate lance’s self-control—he never thought his grandson would refuse to touch you, much less to look at you. He decided to hold Diana until you got pregnant.”
“What if I don’t get pregnant?” Leilani asks.
Leonie looks at Leilani. Leilani looks as if she’s just been hit by a truck, and Leonie can’t help but delight in her suffering. She hopes to bring Leilani down once and for all.
“Then he won’t release my sister,” Leonie says, “But he’ll find a new Mrs. Bamford for Waylen anyway.”
Leonie fiddles with her hair.
“Now you know why Waylen wants to get your pregnant,” she says, “Do you think he really loves you or wants you to have his children? No. He’s only doing it to save Diana.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Leilani asks, “Weren’t you worried that you’d lose your sister forever?”
Leilani grits her teeth and Waylen’s words echoed in her mind: “Maybe we should make one of our own. How about a dozen—we can have a football team. Then eleven girls and one boy.”
She almost let herself believe that they’d raise children together—she’d even imagined what they’d look like. Though she thought she was strong, the walls she built around her heart have slowly been collapsing under his attack.
“I really believed that he treated me differently because he was starting to develop feelings for me,” Leilani thinks, “But he was doing it all for his childhood sweetheart.”
“Obviously because Waylen wouldn’t want you to know,” Leonie says, “If you knew it would be harder for him to get your pregnant.”
Leonie’s words snap Leilani out of her reverie. She sneers at the other woman.
“I wonder who stands to gain if I don’t get pregnant and your sister doesn’t come back?” Leilani asks coldly.
“Leilani!”
Leonie is shocked that Leilani has analyzed the situation so quickly and thoroughly.
“Will you get pregnant then just to spite me?” Leonie asks.
“Of course,” Leilani taunts, “I made an agreement with Waylen that we’d have a dozen children—enough for a football team. He knows that I like girls so he said we’d have eleven girls and one boy.”
Leonie suddenly gets up, clenched her fists tightly and glares at Leilani, “Have as many children as you want. Then you can spend the rest of your life watching Waylen sneak around with my sister.”
“Or maybe you can watch him get with me and Diana for the rest of your life,” Leilani mocks, “I’m his wife and Diana can be his mistress—it seems like a nice balance. But I wonder where that leaves you, hmm?”
“Is that all you’ve got? Tough talk?” Leonie challenges.
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.
Leave a Reply