Only you in my love

Valerie shook her head and smiled bitterly. "No, he didn't say anything. He just took me to Lexingport City and we're living together. I heard from my cousin that he had been looking for me all the time. He was worried that I might have a hard life. Although he has been good to me these days, he's never mentioned anything about getting back together. Actually, what happened to us in the past was only a misunderstanding, and we've already made it clear." The owner listened intently, and after a while, she said, "Maybe he cares about his dignity and feels embarrassed to say that. All men are like that, you know. And based on what you said, I'm sure he likes you too."

"Really?" Valerie's face lit up. The joy she felt then came from her heart, which made it even more convincing.

"I think what you said makes sense. You have experience with this, right?" Michelle nodded and said sweetly, which made the owner burst into laughter.

"Well, should I send you the flowers tomorrow?" the owner asked Valerie.

"Actually, I'll take them now. We won't be celebrating his birthday here, but in the Hot Spring Resort in the neighboring city. We're leaving later," she answered with a smile.

"Wow, the Hot Spring Resort. If ever you want to buy flowers in the future, you can call us, and we'll have them delivered to you. You don't need to go here personally," the owner said as she picked up one of her business cards and handed it to Valerie. Valerie took the business card and kept in mind what the owner had said. Judging by her actions, Valerie knew she was a business-minded woman.

Michelle tilted her head and asked, "What's the Hot Spring Resort like? Is it a fun place?"

"It's a place where you can't go inside even if you're rich," the owner replied. Then, she turned to Valerie. "What flowers do you want to buy? Once you've chosen, I'll move them out for you."

"Thank you. I may have to buy a lot of flowers, and the two of us might not be able to carry them all at once. I don't want to return just to pick up the remaining flowers." With a frown, Valerie turned to Michelle. "Can you help me move the flowers later? I can drive you home later once we're done."

"Okay," she agreed. It had always been difficult for Michelle to say no whenever other people asked her for favors.

"Thank you." Valerie was so happy that her smile almost reached her ears. Her plan to fool Michelle was working.

'To think this stupid person is my rival for Leon's heart. It's insulting!

Since she's this stupid, I won't be wasting too much time on her.

I could focus the rest of my energy on winning Leon over.'

Once Valerie picked the flowers, the three of them carried the bouquets and placed them into the trunk of the car.

Michelle opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat at the front.

"Where do you live? I'll drive you home first. Type your address here." Valerie motioned her fingers at the navigation search bar on her phone.

"Thank you so much.

By the way, where are you from?" Michelle asked while Valerie was driving.

Valerie was still thinking about how she could naturally bring the topic to Leon's family. If Michelle knew about his true identity, then she would realize the large gap between them and conclude that they weren't a good match for each other. Fate seemed to be on Valerie's side since Michelle herself brought up the subject.

"Do you know C Island?"

"Yes, I do!" Michelle's eyes lit up. She turned to her and started talking. "The people there are so rich! Their seafood is also very delicious! Are you from C Island?"

Valerie nodded. "Yes. My ex-boyfriend and I are both from C Island."

"Then why are you here? Are you travelling here?" Michelle tilted her head in curiosity.

"No. He came here to look for me. You see, we had a big fight, and as soon as we broke up, I left C Island." Valerie turned her head to look into Michelle, who was listening intently to what she was saying. "I'll tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone else." "Okay, I won't tell anyone." Michelle raised her hand and placed it over her mouth.

"He is the prince of the C Island." Valerie reverted her eyes to the road as she turned the steering wheel. She played it cool and tried her best not to seem as though she was showing off. Even then, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upwards. From Michelle's point of view, she could only see the side of Valerie's face but not her eyes.

If Michelle had seen Valerie's eyes, she might've been able to figure out what she was trying to do.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret," Michelle said.

"Thank you." Valerie smiled. "He's very good to me. I remember one time, when I was sick and all of the servants were asleep, he called the doctor for me so I could have some medicine. However, it didn't help that much, and my head still ached very badly. The pain was so excruciating that it was almost impossible for me to catch a glimpse of sleep.

Every time I tried to open my eyes, the light would dazzle me and my headache would get worse. I asked him to turn off the lights. Then, as I tried to get some rest, I heard his footsteps growing closer along with the sound of pouring water. He tiptoed in the dark because he was afraid he might disturb my rest."

The scene flashed right before her eyes as though it was an old movie. She remembered back then when she was trapped in the castle and was sick.

When Leon tried to wipe her face with a warm towel, she moved her head away from him and tried to slap his hand away. However, she was in so much pain that she missed and hit the right side of his face instead.

Although there was no visible palm print, her nails scratched his delicate face.

Despite that, Leon still stayed by her side and took care of her the whole night. When she woke up the next day, he didn't blame her for the scratch on his face.

Still, she never bothered to apologize, much less look at him.

Whenever she harked back to this memory, she would wonder why she disliked him so much before, even though it was clear that Leon loved her. At first, she really did have a crush on Leon. But after he locked her in his castle, she felt he was too stubborn, and was scared of him.

She had only been twenty years old by that time. Back then, she didn't like her freedom to be hampered, nor did she want to associate with people she considered as terrible.

As the memory played fluidly inside her mind, Valerie stopped.

"He's a very gentle man."

"Wow. Based on your story, I also think he's very gentle." Speaking of this, Leon's handsome face flashed right before Michelle.

The thought of him made her almond eyes twinkle. "My brother is also a very gentle person. I like him very much."

Valerie caught a glimpse of Michelle's face lighting up in joy. Seeing this made her frown as she clutched the steering wheel more tightly.

After a while, she was able to rein back her emotions and reverted to her usual self.

"My ex-boyfriend is really one of a kind. He's not only gentle to me, but also to his friends and even strangers. That's the type of man he is. He especially has a soft spot for his sister, even though they're not biologically related." When Valerie dropped the hint, a sly smile appeared on her face.

As Michelle continued to listen to the woman, her smile only grew wider and her eyes brighter.

The idea that the sister being mentioned in the woman's story could be her never passed her mind.

Once they had arrived at the gate of Michelle's home, the car stopped.

Michelle got out of the woman's car and waved goodbye to her.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Valerie Feng." Saying this sentence was the last piece of Valerie's plan. Thanks to her story earlier, Michelle already had an idea of what her relationship with Leon looked like. With Valerie's introduction, Michelle now knew whom she was talking to this whole time.

Valerie knew Michelle knew her name since she heard it from Wynn by accident.

Although he despised her a lot, Valerie still wanted to thank him for helping her unintentionally.

If Michelle hadn't known her name, Valerie would have to say "Leon is my ex" and this would sound intentional.

However, since Michelle did know her name, all Valerie had to do was to introduce herself, and Michelle would be able to connect everything together herself.

The story that Valerie told Michelle about how gentle Leon was with her in the past would definitely be etched on Michelle's mind.

She wouldn't be able to brush it off and forget it.

With the pieces of her plan all falling successfully into their rightful places, the grin on Valerie's lips grew even wider. Her smile was so joyous that the red shade of her lipstick looked brighter than usual. After all, it was a smile that was celebrating victory. Meanwhile, Michelle had a hard time wrapping around her head what she had just heard.

Before she could say anything, Valerie continued to speak. "Thank you for your help today. If you need me, I'll be staying at the LC Hotel. You can go there to find me."

Then, she drove away, leaving Michelle with her jaw slacked open.

'My name is Valerie Feng.' The words echoed inside Michelle's ears as she continued to stand still.

When the implication fully dawned upon her, she felt a shiver ran down her spine, traveling all the way to her legs. The light from the setting sun shone on Michelle's face, which was now as pale as a sheet.0000000