Chapter 97
Leopold leaned back in his chair, eyes squeezed shut.
Lydia was so freaked out she barely dared to breathe. She'd never seen him this mad before.
After a few minutes, Leopold calmed down a bit and said, "You go ahead. I gotta head to the office."
"Okay, but what about Mrs. Neville..." Lydia started.
"Don't worry about her!" Leopold snapped.
Meanwhile, on campus, Ethan called Agnes into his office and handed her a cup of tea. "You seem out of it. What's going on?"
He'd noticed her looking lost at the school gate and decided to check in.
Agnes just stared at him, not saying a word.
Ethan looked confused, "Did I do something to upset you?"
Agnes shook her head.
"Mr. Perez, why doesn't Leopold marry Lydia?" she asked bluntly.
Ethan was taken aback for a second and then retorted, "Why should he marry Lydia?"
Agnes looked down at her teacup, a bitter smile on her face. "He treats her so well. Wouldn't it make sense if they got married?"
Ethan remembered Kelly asking the same thing. Both Kelly and Agnes had it wrong. "His care for Lydia is more like an older brother looking out for a younger sister. The three of us feel the same way. But his feelings for you are real, romantic love. Agnes, do you realize no one else would dare to be so bold with Leopold? Do you think he can't handle you? You're totally wrong. You've heard about his ways, right?" Ethan said.
He paused, and Agnes couldn't help but jump in, "He did mess with me, using my weaknesses to scare me."
Ethan laughed, "Agnes, I'm talking about physical harm or other harsh methods. Has he ever done that?"
No, he hadn't, but Agnes thought what he did was bad enough.
"Whatever went down between you two today, if it's about Lydia, it's pointless. Honestly, at first, I didn't want you getting too close to Leopold; your personalities clash, and you know it. But at Lydia's birthday party, I saw how he looked at you, Agnes. That was love. I've known him forever and never seen him like that. Trust me, his kindness to you isn't just because you're his wife," Ethan said.
Agnes felt like Ethan was being too good of a friend, singing Leopold's praises non-stop. "Maybe you're right, but that's assuming Lydia's not around. As long as she's there, Leopold doesn't even see me."
Ethan shook his head, "Agnes, give him some time. Lydia's been in his life for over five years. Even though you've been married to him for a while, you've only really been together for a few months. Give him time to figure things out. I don't care about others, but I believe Leopold will make you happy. We all know Lydia's not as innocent as she seems, but we ignore it because Leopold and Clifford feel responsible for her happiness. But her happiness shouldn't come at your expense. If you ever feel wronged, speak up. Leopold won't ignore it. Most importantly, do what makes you happy. Both Leopold and I will back you up."
Agnes was momentarily speechless, nodding like crazy, her eyes full of admiration. "Now I get why you became the principal so young, Mr. Perez. I really admire your way with words."
Ethan shot her a look, "Oh, come on. The Agnes I know doesn't admire people easily!"
Agnes was taken aback. "Mr. Perez, I'm genuinely curious. Why are you so nice to me?"
"Go back and stop throwing a fit. Also, Leopold really cares about you. Compared to when you were with Michael, you're more gentle and elegant now, though you still need to work on that temper. Everything else is nearly perfect," Ethan said.
Agnes was confused. Not only did he dodge her question, but why bring up Michael out of nowhere?
"You know about Michael and me." She wasn't asking; she was stating a fact.
"Yeah, I saw him at the last party. Now, he runs the Wright Group and is working with ZL Group. Leopold's met him too." Ethan didn't mention that he and Leopold had completely ignored Michael at the time.
"Can you just answer me straight? I'm really curious! Why are you so good to me?" Agnes pressed.
Ethan shook his head, exasperated. "You have the curiosity of a cat. Fine, I'll tell you. You better remember!"
Agnes sat up straight, hanging on to Ethan's every word.
"I'm good to you just to make you happy, to fill you with joy!" Ethan said.
Agnes sat there, stunned, watching Ethan sip his tea. "That's it?"
"Yeah, what else do you want to hear?" Ethan asked, puzzled.
Agnes went silent.
Talking to someone on a different wavelength was exhausting. She forced a smile and waved to Ethan, "Thanks for the chat, Mr. Perez. Bye!"
"Okay, go back to your classes and remember to go home early tonight," Ethan said.
Go home? No way. Even though she was less angry, she still didn't want to see Lydia!
As soon as Leopold walked into the ZL Group Building, everyone could tell something was up. His already stern face looked even darker, and the employees who greeted him instinctively kept their distance, afraid of setting him off.
That heavy, icy vibe followed Leopold into the conference room. The finance director had barely started his report before getting chewed out.
The other execs didn't dare to breathe too loudly, carefully choosing every word. Even so, no one escaped his wrath.
Kevin quietly slipped out of the conference room to make a call, "Mrs. Neville, it's me, Kevin!"
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