You Are The Apple of My Eyes
Chapter 813 You Can't Meet Your Ex

While Michelle couldn't hear what was said on the phone, she could tell that something was wrong from the look on Leon's face.

Leon's expression darkened, his lips pursed and his posture erect.

Valerie was missing.

It meant she had run way.

His amber eyes narrowed slightly, looking straight ahead at nothing in particular.

He tightened his grip on the shopping bags and his knuckles turned white.

Michelle glanced apprehensively at his phone screen and found that whoever called had hung up already.

"Leon, what's wrong? If it's something urgent, you can go ahead. I can cook for you some other time."

Her voice brought Leon back to reality. His expression softened and he smiled at her. "It's okay. It's more important to go home and have dinner."

As for Valerie's disappearance, he decided to have some people investigate the matter.

He would ask Bryant to go over the situation in detail to figure out what was going on in Valerie's mind.

She would be in big trouble if she was caught.

The reason why he couldn't replace her in the past was that he wanted to give her freedom. Now, things were different.

Before Leon went to look for Bryant, Bryant had already been waiting for him outside Leon's apartment.

When Bryant found out that Valerie had left quietly, he felt like he was going to faint. He turned the whole place upside down looking for clues, but it was as though she'd vanished into thin air, which only served to make him more anxious.

In running away, she was disobeying Leon's orders and essentially was rebelling against her punishment. If she was found, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, Bryant's anxiety took over and he spoke up without even noticing that Michelle was there, too.

"Valerie "

As soon as Bryant mentioned that name, Leon gave him a murderous look, shutting him up immediately.

But Michelle heard what he said. She hadn't seen or even heard anything about Valerie ever since the latter had visited her at the hospital.

It was as though she had completely disappeared.

At the mention of Valerie's name, she cocked her head to the side curiously and asked, "Why? What's wrong?"

By Leon's orders, it was strictly prohibited for anyone to mention anything about Valerie in front of Michelle. They knew that Michelle was softhearted, so it wasn't hard to imagine she would beg Leon to lessen the severity of her punishment.

Leon, albeit strong-willed, was sometimes softhearted.

In particular, he was softhearted towards Michelle. Only she could change his mind.

"Nothing," Bryant answered with an apprehensive smile. He soon realized how lame his answer sounded, so he added quickly, "Valerie's just been in a bad mood as of late."

He hoped that this vague explanation would be enough to satisfy Michelle's curiosity.

Fortunately for him, it did. Michelle believed every word he said. In her eyes, it only made sense that Valerie was sad. After all, Leon was with her now.

'Does Valerie want Leon to comfort her?

I don't want him to meet her.

But if he wants to be there for Valerie, I can't stop him, can I?

It's his right to go and see her.'

But Michelle didn't like the thought of Leon meeting Valerie. She felt jealous.

With a frown on her face, Michelle took the shopping bags from Leon and headed for the kitchen.

"Leon, I'm going to cook now."

But even when she got to the kitchen, she had a sinking feeling in her stomach. From time to time, she peeked at the two people talking in the living room.

From her vantage point, she could only see Leon's back and the worried look on Bryant's face.

Unfortunately, she didn't know how to read lips, so she couldn't understand what they were talking about.

Her imagination ran wild and she reached the conclusion that Bryant was trying to persuade Leon to go see Valerie.

After all, Valerie needed Leon to comfort her.

A few minutes later, Michelle managed to unpack all the shopping bags. She then proceeded to place the ingredients in the fridge. When she opened the door of the fridge, the sudden burst of cold air made her teeth chatter.

This snapped her back to her senses.

She tightened her grip on the door of the fridge and slammed it shut. Then she turned around and walked out of the kitchen resolutely.

Her parents had always taught her not to be selfish, but she couldn't stand the thought of Leon meeting Valerie.

Bryant said, "Valerie's smart. She wouldn't do that. Please believe-"

"Leon." Michelle boldly interrupted their conversation. She knew it was impolite to do so, so she bowed slightly and apologized. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but can I say something?"

She took a deep breath to steady herself. The two people fixed their eyes on her, waiting to hear what she had to say. "Leon, don't meet Valerie."

Before either of the men could open their mouth, Michelle closed her eyes and continued, "I might be selfish, but I don't want you to see your ex. You're my boyfriend now. If Valerie is depressed because we're together, I'm really sorry. But you are not her boyfriend anymore. Being there for her isn't your responsibility anymore. She should be able to take care of her own self.

Leon, please don't go..."

Even when she was done saying her piece, her eyes remained tightly shut.

Seeing her closed eyes and clenched fists, Leon was torn between laughing and crying.

Mixed emotions were surging under his calm facade.

It turned out she finally learned to speak her mind.

He was always worried that she would hide how she truly felt. She was usually so shy and timid, and she rarely told him how she really felt.

Leon pulled her into his arms and patted her on the back reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't meet her."

"You've misunderstood Leon," Bryant said. "It's not that Valerie wants to meet Leon. I'm here to apologize for what she's done."

"What?" Michelle's eyes suddenly popped open. She heard a chuckle above her head.

"Silly girl," Leon teased.

So she really misunderstood the situation.

Then she humiliated herself and revealed how jealous she was of Valerie in front of the two men.

Now, Leon was laughing at her!

Michelle's fair face flushed red with embarrassment.

She pulled away from Leon's embrace and met a pair of mischievous eyes. She pursed her lips and started to walk away indignantly. "I'm going to cook now." However, Leon grabbed her wrist.

"Leon?" Michelle looked back at him in surprise.

Leon took a step forward, and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"From now on, speak your mind. If you are jealous, just say so. If I do something that makes you unhappy, just tell me."

His soothing voice enveloped her like a comfortable blanket.

Michelle felt that her life recently had been so amazing.

She was so happy.

"Okay, Leon." Michelle promised with a bright smile. This time, she went to the kitchen with newfound determination to cook a great meal. When he was done talking with Bryant, Leon rolled up his sleeves and went straight to the kitchen. "How can I help?"

The truth was, he knew nothing about cooking, but that didn't stop him from wanting to help.

At first, Michelle wanted to drive him out of the kitchen, but Leon insisted. Finally, she resigned herself and asked him to wash the vegetables.

From one busy bee in the kitchen to two, Leon and Michelle set out to cook a warm, hearty meal.

"Leon, it feels as though we've done this before." For some reason, their connection in the kitchen felt so natural and easy, as though this wasn't their first time to cook together. But this was their first time. Leon looked at her, perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

"Well..." Michelle tapped her chin as she thought about it. "Back home, Dad and Mom often cooked together."

But, unlike Leon, her father was skilled at cooking.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐