Chapter 112 An Old Friend of Yours
When Leo got home, Lydia was helping Emilia with her homework.
Watching Emilia counting on her fingers with a deep frown, Leo felt sorry for her. “Emilia was only five years old. Isn’t it too early to teach her primary school math?”
Hearing Leo, Emilia also pouted her lips, looking wronged. “Mom, I want to watch cartoons with dad.”
Lydia could only compromise seeing Emilia’s eager eyes. “Well, fine then, but only for half an hour.”
“Great! Thank you, mom!”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
Emilia cheered up immediately, got up and kissed Lydia on the cheek. After that, she rushed over to Leo excitedly, yelling she wanted to watch Peppa Pig.
“OK, I’ll play Peppa Pig for you.”
Leo settled himself down in the sofa and played Peppa Pig for Emilia.
Emilia started to giggle at once. Meanwhile, Leo also gave a happy smile when he saw Emilia laughing.
Lydia touched the spot on her cheek that was kissed by Emilia, gave a little smile and went upstairs to work.
Emilia fell asleep after watching the cartoon for a while. Leo carried her to her room upstairs, tucked her in carefully, and went to Lydia.
“Emilia is asleep,” Leo whispered.
“OK.”
Lydia glanced back at Emilia, who was sound asleep, and said nothing else. However, Leo didn’t mind it at all. Instead, he stayed by Lydia’s side and watched her work quietly.
Lydia was drawing up a project plan now. Just because she was the president of Atlas Beauty, she hardly had private time. She went to the office building for work in the daytime, while left the office building in the evening. At night, she worked from home. She worked like a tireless machine. Except her daily life, the rest of her time was filled with work.
“Before I came back, were you always like this?” Suddenly, Leo felt a little sorry for her and asked with mixed emotions.
Lydia stopped the job at hand, looked back at Leo and nodded slightly.
Leo went silent. Guilt made him unable to meet Lydia’s gaze. He could totally imagine how Lydia had gone through these five years. She must have worked so hard playing the role of both a mother and father at the same time. She had to meet the obligation as a mother, and provide Emilia with a rich material life, so she must work hard.
Custom was a funny thing, and Lydia was accustomed to being alone, which made Leo frustrated deep down inside his wife didn’t need to depend on him at all.
“I don’t want you to keep on working so hard like this,” said Leo seriously as she stared at Lydia.
Something changed in Lydia’s eyes slightly. After that, she smiled at Leo and replied, “Leo, it’s kind of you to say so, but I’m able to make this family better, and all you need to do is play the role of a ‘father’ well. You don’t have to worry about anything else.”
Leo fell silent. Even if Lydia had poured out her true feelings to him for once before, he was far from walking into her heart.
There was still a long way to go.
Leo couldn’t have Lydia alone take the family responsibility. As the only male in the family, he had to be responsible for this family too.
Leo’s gaze had gradually become firm. He took a look at the contents on the laptop screen and asked, “Is that the urban construction project approved by the government?”
Lydia threw a surprised look at Leo immediately and said, “How did you know that? The owner of the International Commerce Center is in charge of those urban construction projects at present, and he hasn’t decided which company he will delegate them to.”
Leo said nothing but asked, “So you mean, you will attend the dinner party held by Peter next week?”
“I won’t, but since the owner of the International Commerce Center will go, Atlas Beauty has to go too.” Lydia shook her head and continued, “I asked another two vice presidents to go on behalf of me. I’m not 100% sure that we’ll win the project, but we have to try.”
A smile flashed across Leo’s face and he snapped Lydia’s laptop shut.
“What are you doing?!” Lydia flared up and growled, trying not to wake Emilia up.
Leo, nonetheless, gave a confident smile and replied earnestly, “As long as Atlas Beauty wants to do it, the urban construction project will be yours.”
Suddenly, Lydia’s anger died down a lot, and she asked in puzzlement, “How so?”
Leo smiled without words, pretended not to have heard Lydia’s question and stretched himself. “Alright, time to go to bed.”
“Come on! Make your point! Why will the urban construction project will be mine as long as I want to do it?”
Lydia wanted to know the answer so bad, so she went to bed with Leo. Just as she was about to ask him, she heard his even breathing.
Leo fell asleep in the blink of an eye.
Lydia stared blankly at him for some time, slapped him hard and went to sleep as well.
Leo didn’t open his eyes until Lydia was fast asleep and breathing evenly. He got out of bed carefully, walked out of the room and made a phone call.
He just said, “I want Atlas Beauty to become the most famous business in Emerdale, or even the whole country.”
…
Next morning, Lydia went to the International Commerce Center very early because she had to hold a high-level meeting in the morning.
When the meeting was over, she asked Irene and a woman called Mollie to stay. There were three vice presidents in Atlas Beauty, and these two women were two of them.
Irene was gentle and demure, while Mollie was a woman of a comely face. At first glance, people would think she was a lady, but she cast a hostile glance at Irene from time to time.
It was a special kind of jealousy between women. No other reason was needed, but it was just because Irene was more beautiful than her, and that Lydia liked Irene more.
“The owner of International Commerce Center will also attend the dinner party this evening, so pull yourselves together.” Lydia stared at Irene and Mollie, saying earnestly, “You don’t have to win the urban construction project, but you have to try your best at least. Besides, protect yourselves.”
“OK, Ms. Henderson,” Irene replied obediently.
Mollie shot a glance at Irene and said with a smile, “Ms. Garcia is always skilled in social engagements. Whenever there’s a party, Ms. Henderson always sends her. Since you agreed so soon, I suppose you must have developed a strategy for dealing with the dinner party tonight.”
Irene straightened her face immediately. It sounded as if Mollie was paying a compliment to her, but in fact, she was suggesting that Irene was a party girl.
Lydia looked grim, but didn’t say anything.
“Not yet,” Irene said with a frown. “Ms. Henderson said we just need to try out best.”
“Try your best? You’re too modest, Ms. Garcia!” Mollie put on a mean face and went on, “Everyone knows that Cleo Entertainment paid back the one hundred million they had owed for years immediately once you attended that party, and they also paid interest at the same time. You have a way with men, Ms. Garcia.”
“Mollie!”
Irene was in a sulk, while Lydia shut Mollie up.
Mollie stopped talking and left the meeting room after Irene left.
When Lydia organized the papers neatly and was about to leave, Rachel rushed up to her and said with a grave look on her face, “Ms. Henderson, you have a visitor who calls himself ‘an old friend of yours’.”
“An old friend of mine?”
Lydia raised her brows. She searched her memory and found no such person.
Just at this moment, the sound of rhythmic footsteps came from the corridor. A man came up to them slowly.
“It’s been a long time, Lydia.”
The handsome man greeted Lydia in a gentle voice with a charming smile.