Chapter 11

"No, stay here," Leslie insisted apologetically, "Lisa, I believe you, and Chris isn’t going to blame you. The main reason Chelsea feels insecure is because Chris and I got married. “She even ran away from home a while ago. He can't discipline her for certain things because he's afraid she'll run away again." "Leslie, I’m fine. I'm just worried about you. Your life might not be so smooth ahead, considering his daughter’s temperament," Lisa expressed with distress. Leslie shook her head and said, "Life has never been easy, but I’ve always been tolerant, like during my parents' divorce. I agreed to have you and your mom move in with us. Besides, Chris told me about his daughter before we married. “I’m willing to stay here. I have no regrets. Even if I fail in the future, I’ll give it my best shot and won't look back with regret." Lisa found herself at a loss for words. Eventually, she stayed the night and slept in Leslie’s room. Chelsea had insisted on sleeping with her father and did not want Leslie to join them. … After a good night’s sleep, Leonard went downstairs for breakfast. He went down relatively late. David, Melissa, Jeffrey, and Michelle were already seated at the dining table. "Everyone’s here. Let's have breakfast." Leonard sensed something was amiss but could not quite pinpoint it. Instead, he picked up his plate and was about to eat. Bang! David slammed the table and declared, "Put everything down! Our family abides by certain rules. We can’t start since not everyone is here yet." Leonard was startled. He remembered why he felt so much calmer this morning. Indeed, someone was missing. He had forgotten that he was married. "Where's Lisa?" Melissa asked, dissatisfied, "What time is it? Does she even have manners? How dare she make the whole family wait—” Jeffrey interjected, "Mom, she’s young. It's natural for her to want to sleep in.” "She’s already married into our family and should understand our rules." Melissa looked at Michelle and said, "Make sure you teach her the household rules. You must discipline her and ensure she doesn’t disgrace our family.” Michelle retorted, "Mom, I don't dare to teach her anything since she's got a temper. Besides, it seems she ran away last night." "What?" David asked, "What's going on?" He glared at his son. "Did you say something?" Leonard was shocked. He had instructed Lisa to go to another room last night, but she left the house instead. He firmly denied, “I didn’t say anything, Dad.” David sneered because he knew what Leonard was up to. “You must’ve said something nasty to her. Plus, none of you told me she left until this morning. Have you considered what could’ve happened to her? “We're in an affluent neighborhood, and public transportation isn't easy to get here. What if something terrible happened to Lisa?" Michelle felt guilty and defended herself. "I only found out this morning." David ignored her and instructed Leonard, "Bring Lisa back immediately and fix the mess you made." Leonard's face turned red with anger. "Dad, I have to go back to the office." David turned to Jeffrey. "Okay, since that's the case, that other woman's treatment—" Leonard stood up, clenched his teeth, and said, "Okay, I'll go." "You can go after breakfast," Melissa chimed in. "Don't worry. Skipping a meal won't kill you," David snorted coldly. Leonard was too furious to have an appetite, so he grabbed his car keys and headed out. After getting the address from his assistant, he drove straight to the Jones family’s house. The family lived in a small townhouse with a small garden. When Leonard rang the doorbell, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron answered. She was startled by the tall and handsome man standing at the doorstep. "I'm looking for Lisa," Leonard said lightly. "Excuse me, are you—" "Leonard," he uttered coldly, his thin lips making Isabella nervous. Isabella was shocked to see such a refined man at the door. She turned to Sebastian in the living room, exclaiming, "Honey, Leonard’s here!" Sebastian almost dropped his bowl and anxiously rushed over. “Leonard! What brings you here? Please come in.” Leonard furrowed his brows, disgusted by Sebastian's subservient demeanor. Considering Sebastian's social status and capabilities, Leonard figured the former was only fit to be a manager in his company. Sebastian had lucked out when he married his first wife, Josephine. Otherwise, someone like him would not be fit to be Leonard's father-in-law. Rumor had it that Sebastian cheated on Josephine over a decade ago, divorced her, and married a kindergarten teacher. Leonard held a deep-seated disdain for Sebastian. Naturally, it heightened his desire to divorce Lisa. He cut to the chase, "Where's Lisa? I'm here to see her.” "Lisa?" Isabella was puzzled. "Isn’t she taking care of you at your place?" "She ran away from home last night. She didn't come here?" Leonard narrowed his eyes. ‘Did something happen to her since there were no cabs available so late at night near my place?’ "She didn't." Isabella became nervous and asked, "Why’d she run away? Did you mistreat her?" "Nonsense! Why would I mistreat Lisa?" Sebastian angrily pushed Isabella aside and hastily said to Leonard, "Please don't be angry. It's my fault for not disciplining my daughter properly. She has always been stubborn. I'll call her and tell her to come back immediately." Sebastian quickly dialed Lisa's number. … Lisa was enjoying a dessert Christopher had prepared. "Leslie, I finally see Chris's other talents apart from his looks and brains. His cooking skills are incredible." Lisa was feeling blissful when her phone rang. Sebastian scolded her when the call connected, "You foolish girl! How could you run away? Leonard came looking for you! Come home immediately!" Lisa's expression turned cold as she replied, "Fine, I'll be back soon." However, she showed no urgency and continued eating her breakfast leisurely. Leslie observed the situation and grew anxious. “Aren’t you going to hurry?” "Yeah, I should eat faster," Lisa responded. "You should see how Chelsea looks at me. She wants me out of here as soon as possible." Lisa no longer wanted to stay but admired her stepsister for enduring so much for love’s sake. ‘Perhaps I’ll be willing to bear a child for Leonard for the sake of love. Ha, as if!’