Chapter 214

Chapter 214

Sierra hadn't expected Leopold to reach out to her.

That afternoon, she was in the guest room Octavia had arranged for her, handling emails, when her phone rang.

"Ms. Evans, this is Leopold. Do you have time to meet?"

Sierra froze for a long moment.

Instinctively, she glanced out the window. The sky was still blue, the sun still hanging overhead.

"Sure. Where?"

"There's a coffee shop downstairs from the Seymour Group building. I'll wait for you there."

Leopold wouldn't contact her without reason—it had to be about Octavia. Sierra had her suspicions. She grabbed a jacket and headed out.

When Sierra pushed open the door to the coffee shop, she spotted Leopold immediately.

He sat by the window, eyes on his phone, either handling work or something else. His expression was calm, with a hint of concentration.

Sunlight streamed through the glass, falling across his profile. He really was a handsome man—the kind who could probably charm half the women in Emberfall City, maybe even half the men.

Still, Sierra thought, a man like this was only just barely good enough for Octavia, the best person in the world.

Sierra walked over and sat down across from him.

"Mr. Seymour."

Leopold glanced at her and nodded. "Ms. Evans. What would you like to drink?"

"I'm fine." Sierra looked at him. "You asked me here. What's this about?"

Leopold fell silent for two seconds. He picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, then slowly set it down. Clearly, he was thinking.

"I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Sierra blinked. "What kind of favor?"

Leopold met her eyes, his gaze serious. "It's about Octavia."

Meanwhile, at the Seymour Family estate.

Monica noticed Patrick wasn't home again.

She came downstairs in her pajamas, planning to have breakfast with Octavia, only to find the dining room empty except for the housekeeper clearing the table.

"Where's Octavia?"

The housekeeper replied, "Mrs. Seymour left early this morning. She said she was going to the office."

Monica pursed her lips. "The office again. She and Leopold really are a perfect match—two workaholics."

She poured herself a glass of milk, sat down at the dining table, and scrolled through her phone while she drank.

Before long, though, Octavia returned.

She carried a document folder, her face showing a trace of fatigue, but her eyes were bright—like she'd just finished something important.

"You're back?" Monica glanced at her. "Didn't you go to the office? You playing hooky already?"

"I finished what I needed to do, so I came back." Octavia set the folder on the table, went to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water, and drank deeply.

Monica was curious. "What were you doing?"

"The acquisition of the Obelon Media—it's almost done. The lawyers are handling the final steps. If everything goes smoothly, the company will be mine next month."

Monica's first reaction was happiness—she wanted to say congratulations. Then she felt a little awkward. Things between her and Octavia were much better than before, but she still wasn't used to saying things like that.

"That's great. You're really amazing." She lowered her head and kept drinking her milk.

Octavia sat down across from her, her tone casual but caring. "Monica, what have you been up to lately?"

Monica said, "Not much. Just staying home, going out to take photos sometimes."

Octavia asked, "Have you ever thought about joining the company?"

Monica looked up. "Me? Join the company?"

"You're a daughter of the Seymour Family. You can't just stay home forever, can you?"

Octavia's tone was serious. "Leopold's health still isn't fully recovered, and Patrick just got back. The Seymour Group is short-handed right now. Instead of sitting around at home, you might as well get some experience at the company. You should be able to help when it matters."

"Easy for you to say." Monica muttered, "I don't know how to do anything. What would I even do there?"

Octavia: "You can learn. Leopold wasn't born knowing how to run a company either."

Monica was quiet for a moment. "Why don't you ask Patrick? He has experience. He's way more qualified than me."

"You're both Leopold's family. Why should he be able to go and you can't?" Octavia smiled faintly. "Besides, he's probably too busy chasing after his wife to have time."

Monica froze. "Chasing after his wife? Who?"

Octavia picked up her water glass, smiling but saying nothing.

Monica shot to her feet, her chair toppling backward with a loud crash.

She didn't bother picking it up. She turned and ran out.

"Patrick! Patrick, get out here!"

The hallway was empty—no sign of Patrick. She ran to his bedroom door. It was open, but no one was inside.

"John!" Monica called out.

John appeared from the stairwell. "Miss Seymour, what is it?"

"Where's Patrick? Where did he go?"

John thought for a moment. "Mr. Patrick Seymour left early this morning. He said he was going to the airport to pick someone up."

Monica: "Pick up who?"

John: "I believe it was Miss Hayes."

"Miss Hayes?" Monica processed this, thinking of someone. Her mouth hung open for a long time.

She whipped around and ran back to the dining room.

"Octavia! You said Patrick's chasing after his wife—you mean Ellen? Didn't he hurt her badly enough? And she's still willing to talk to him?"

Octavia leaned back in her chair, watching Monica's shocked expression, and laughed.

"Who knows? Love's a strange thing."

Monica stood there, still looking incredulous.

Octavia laughed out loud. "I can't tell from that reaction whether you're happy or not."

Monica's expression shifted several times before finally settling into a mutter.

"Patrick's totally unfair. He didn't even tell me about something like this. I'm never talking to him again!"

She turned and ran upstairs.