Chapter 25 Blinding Lights

Chapter 25 Blinding Lights
Leo's eyes sparkled like city lights at night. I froze, unable to accept this strange, yet beautiful reality, even though I still felt a pang of fear deep inside.

Leo hugged me, and deep down, he made a bet. If I kissed him first, it meant I was happy too. But if I didn't, then I didn't want to be here in the first place.

My eyes welled up with tears, and for some reason, I felt the urge to cry. A profound dilemma was brewing. Never in my life had I felt so adored as Leo adored me. Whether this was a lie or not, I still felt happy.

A few years ago, a close friend who later became my girlfriend betrayed me when she learned that our sex tape had been sold on an adult website by an irresponsible individual. She accused me of spreading the video for money, and from that moment on, I felt that people like me were unworthy of love from the start, because they would always assume I was only looking for profit in a relationship, just as my mother only wanted a rich man.

"What was I thinking? Leo clearly didn't want my money because he must have known I had no money or possessions. My body? Did he just want my body? But a man like him can get any woman he wants. So what? What does he really want from me?" I thought to myself. I tried to guess what Leo's true motive was for me? Was it purely because my mother asked him to find me? Or was it because of Rocco D'Angelo?

I lifted my head, meeting Leo's gaze, which never once looked away from mine. Those eyes were so beautiful, and most importantly, he saw sincerity, a sincerity that was so great for me.

Unconsciously, my hand gently touched Leo's face and kissed his lips. Leo tried to hold back his smile, because even in this bet, he still won.

We kissed for minutes. The soft, loving kiss slowly turned into a passionate one. Leo heard a soft moan escape my lips as he gently stroked the skin of my back. I wanted him too much, and I knew it.

"You want to be with me, Hana?" Leo teased me with a question I didn't want to answer.

"You idiot, who said I was with you? Of course not! I came here to collect on your promise to me! You said you'd give me a suitcase of money!" I tried to deny it. I didn't want Leo to get a big head just because I was starting to really like being touched by him.

Leo smiled, trying to tease me because he knew I was lying. I'm not a good liar, and that's not something I can change easily.

"You're in love with me, aren't you?"

"You're getting big-headed, aren't you? I told you already? I don't have any feelings for you at all, Leo. I just want the money and the job you promised, so you—"

"So what? Why did you stop?"

My face immediately turned grim. For some reason, I felt annoyed after remembering what Leo had said at the casino.

"I'm just your date, you think?"

"You're mad because I said that?"

"I don't care! Besides, I'm not your girlfriend or wife, so at least you don't have to beat around the bush by saying something childish about me being just your childhood friend." The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I felt. I didn't know Leo was embarrassed to introduce me as someone more special than just a date.

Leo laughed happily at me. Maybe to him, I still felt like a spoiled, sulking child. But my heart couldn't deny that there was something I felt only when I was with him.

"To you, I'm no more your biological daughter than the woman you consider your mother, am I right? You can even date any woman you want. I'm sure no woman could resist you. You're so handsome, you're rich, what else could you possibly lack? You shouldn't have to date a girl like me—"

"Why do you think I think of you as just my adopted sister? We weren't raised together. I only saw a photo of you when you were five that your mother still keeps in her room."

"M-Mom still has my photo? R-Really?"

"Yes, why do you doubt that?"

"B-But she, she just left me without saying goodbye, without saying anything, and how did you find me? How did you know I was the Hinata Hanase you were looking for?"

"What era do you think we live in? It's not hard to find someone and when I get out of prison, my first goal is to find you and bring you to safety!"

"Why? Did mother ask you to do this? But why would she look for me again when she abandoned me 15 years ago? What's the point of her looking for you?"

"She wasn't looking for you, and she didn't ask me to look for you. Finding you and bringing you to me was my own desire; it had nothing to do with your mother. If you ask me why? I can't tell you."

"Rocco D'Angelo, he's mother's husband and also your adoptive father, right? Does this have something to do with him?" I asked doubtfully. Although I strongly believed this might have something to do with the man who destroyed my mother and father's marriage and was also the cause of all the suffering I've endured.

"Yes, it has something to do with him!"

"No way. Is he after my life, too, just as he's after yours?"

"I don't know what his true motive is, but he'll definitely look for you, sooner or later. That's why I feel like I can't just let you go."

I don't know what to say now. All this strangeness, all these unanswered questions seemed to be backfiring, one by one, and all I could do was try to trust Leo, and I hoped that this time I could trust someone.