Chapter 12

Leonard waited at Sebastian’s house for an hour and a half. The atmosphere grew chilly as time passed. It was as if they were in a fridge. Sebastian made several angry phone calls to remind Lisa. She was already on her way back, but the morning rush hour traffic delayed her. Meanwhile, Sebastian looked at Leonard as the former grew more impatient. He wanted to strangle his stepdaughter to death. Finally, Lisa entered the house. Sebastian reprimanded her angrily, "What took you so long? Don't you realize Leonard stopped everything to come and get you, yet you're taking your time getting home? How old are you to be running away? Leonard was worried sick about you! Come here and apologize to him!” Leonard sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, watching coldly. He had already drunk four glasses of water by then. His lower back was sore, and anger filled his stomach. He might have lost his composure even before Sebastian if not for his upbringing. Lisa disregarded her stepfather entirely. Instead, she turned to Leonard and wore a distressed expression on her sweet face. "Dear, didn't you tell me to leave last night? You told me to leave, so that’s what I did." Leonard felt embarrassed. After all, they were in front of her parents. He scanned Sebastian's face and gained confidence that the latter was not defending his stepdaughter in any way. "I only told you to leave the room, not the house. Pack your things at once and come with me." "No." Lisa shook her head firmly and said, "You told me to leave, so I left. Now you expect me to follow you just because you want me to? No. I’m not a ball you can toss around.” Leonard grew irritated. Sebastian was the first to voice Leonard’s thoughts. "What else do you want from him? Leonard went out of his way to come and get you. Go with him and stop playing hard to get!" Lisa remained firm in her decision as she sat down. "I won't. I feel more comfortable living on my own. I don't want to deal with other people's nasty attitudes. It would be embarrassing if they told me to leave, and I didn't, right?" "Lisa, this is your last chance. Come with me right now," Leonard's eyes narrowed. His patience had reached its limit. "Leonard, please don't be angry. I'll try to persuade her." Sebastian pulled Lisa into the downstairs guest room. "If you force me to go, you'll risk exposing I'm not the actual daughter meant to marry into that family," Lisa threatened. She knew what Sebastian was about to say. "Stop using that as a threat." Sebastian pointed at her and warned, "Lisa, your mother lives with me, and she’ll never leave. I may not have control over you, but she’s within my grasp." "How dare you?!" Lisa's eyes flashed with anger. “Then listen to me and do as I say!” Sebastian's eyes were full of malice. Lisa looked at him and finally compromised. "Fine, I'll go." She opened the door but glanced back at Sebastian before leaving. "I hope you just said that as a threat to make me go back. If you ever lay a hand on my mother..." Lisa's voice turned ominous, "I’ll make you pay. You know what I'm capable of. My mother means everything to me." Then she turned and walked out, leaving Sebastian to shudder. Lisa's eyes made him feel like a fierce beast was watching him. He was extremely remorseful and regretted agreeing with Isabella to have Lisa train in combat when she was younger. ‘It turns out the little brat has prepared herself for the worst.’ … When they returned to the living room, Lisa turned to Leonard and said, "Let's go." Leonard raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sebastian standing behind her, unsure of what had transpired. Nonetheless, he felt relieved that Lisa had quickly agreed to return with him. He sneered. "I thought you were being stubborn with your decision?" "Why should I be stubborn?" Lisa spoke hushedly, only audible to Leonard, "I'm not a man." Leonard was puzzled, his expression almost slipping. He did not expect the look on Lisa's face when she said that. "Dad, I'm leaving!" Lisa thundered, leaving the house with her suitcase. Leonard immediately followed behind. … After starting the car, Leonard looked at Lisa sitting behind him through the rearview mirror. He could not guess her thoughts as she lowered her head. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders and showed only her fair chin. She appeared eighteen at first glance. She resembled a blooming flower, innocent and pleasant. However, Leonard felt disgusted as he recalled her earlier words. ‘Apparently, modern girls are more intelligent, with some becoming sexually active in high school, not to mention college.’ Leonard tugged his tie in discomfort. "Lisa, where’d you go last night?” he dropped his voice and asked, “You weren’t fooling around with random men, were you?" Lisa regained her senses and looked at Leonard blankly. "Don't worry. Despite my dislike for you, I still have my principles. I won't cheat on you." "You’re unpredictable, so who knows?” Leonard sneered. "When have I been unpredictable?" Lisa responded. "Then where’d you go last night?" Leonard asked again. "Do I need to report everything to you?" Lisa became guarded and almost bristled like a hedgehog. "If you're unsatisfied, divorce me. Kick me out again and never ask me to return." It was the first time Leonard encountered such a stubborn woman who was unafraid to argue. His head throbbed, and he furrowed his eyebrows. "You think I wanted to come and pick you up? My father forced me to." In other words, he did not want her to come back. Lisa sneered, "Some people claim you're a business genius, a legend, a boss, yet your father still controls you. In my opinion, your reputation is baseless." Leonard almost spewed blood from his rising anger. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, took a few deep breaths, and decided not to engage in an argument. "Lisa, I don't like you either, but if you dare cheat on me, I’ll make your entire family pay." Lisa smiled. "I'm more forgiving than you. I wouldn’t be upset if you were sleeping around." Leonard was silent. He did not want to deal with her anymore and stepped on the gas pedal, swiftly taking Lisa to his family’s home. "Get out. I need to rush to the office." Lisa had no desire to see him either, so she grabbed her luggage and exited the car. "Wait,” Leonard suddenly turned and rested his slender arm on the steering wheel. "Don't forget our agreement. Make my parents hate you as soon as possible." "So you want to cooperate?" Lisa's face brightened with a cute smile. "Then show some sincerity and treat me with respect."