Chapter 26 Complicated Relationships

Chapter 26 Complicated Relationships
No, I couldn't trust him so easily. After all, Leo was still a stranger to me, and no matter how impressed I was with him, I still couldn't trust him completely.

"So, what would happen to me if I decided to trust you?" I asked. I was sure Leo still sensed my hesitation. To me, both he and Rocco D'Angelo were dangerous, and it was impossible for me to trust either of them.

What I experienced yesterday should have opened my eyes and made me realize that I might have been trapped in a dangerous circle.

"Is everything I'm going to give you worth your safety?"

"My safety? I was fine until you came to me and trapped me here. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in danger!" I said with emotion, making it sound like I was blaming Leo for what happened to me.

The memory of shooting someone dead would be a nightmare I would always remember. If it weren't for the wine I drank to get me drunk, I would have stayed awake all night with unimaginable fear.

"Then why did you come to this town? Who helped you get here? Was it Kiyose? Or Alex? Who asked you to follow me all the way here? If you wanted your money, you could have told Alex and he would have given you whatever you wanted? Is that why you came here?"

"I came here to look for you!"

"Who asked you to look for me? Aren't I just a stranger to you? A stowaway who slept in your room for three nights? So what's so special about me that you left your safe town just to chase after a thug like me?"

"You don't understand anything!"

"What don't I understand, Hana? What?"

"You started this first, you made me—" I was at a loss for words. What was I thinking? Why did I feel so down?

"Made you what?" Leo asked. I wished this conversation would stop here. Maybe I should just go back to Kyoto and live my life as before.

"Mutualistic symbiosis."

"What?"

"You said we could have a symbiotic relationship. A mutually beneficial one. Like you said, I desperately need money, and I came here to collect on your promise to give me a suitcase of money." I said something I hadn't planned on saying. Something I hadn't truly intended. I did desperately need money, but that wasn't what I wanted from Leo.

"Is that so? So you came all the way to this city just to collect on my promise?"

"Yes," I said, my voice trembling.

"Is that so? Haha..." Leo laughed bitterly. This was a truly shocking confession because I didn't want him to know that I was actually in love with him.

"Oh, shit!"

"Leo, I'm really sorry. I-"

"You don't have to apologize. Damn it, I'm just embarrassed that I even thought you were in love with me. Okay, I'll give you the money I promised you! I want you to know that I'm not a man who breaks promises!"

"I know you can't break your promise."

"But promise me, after I give you the money, never return to that house again. Where you live is up to you. And one more thing: quit that job and start a new life in a new city, where no one will know your real name."

I kept quiet, reluctant to answer because, honestly, I really wanted to forget all the bad memories I'd experienced so far. But if I said anything, it would only make me look like a pathetic beggar, asking for too much of what I deserved.

"You'll forget me, right?"

"How do you know if I'll forget you or not?"

"Because I don't think I'll be able to forget you, Leo!"

"You really want to test me, huh? Why are you treating me like a jerk?"

"It's because you're the only one who says you adore me. You're the only one I feel truly sincere about! I feel like I really need you, Leo. And I think you might be useful to me."

"What?" Leo looked shocked by my shocking confession. He tried not to believe it, but he knew I wasn't joking.

"When I found out that you were so rich, I thought that I could use you for my own personal gain. You were so nice to me that it made me so big-headed. I'm sorry, Leo. I know that I was very silly, I shouldn't have said such disgusting things to you. I'm really sorry!"

My tears flowed, my chest felt so tight. Flashes of painful memories I'd endured over the years always drove me to suicide. My family treated me like a cash cow, even from a young age, I'd been forced to accept the situation.

Leo smiled bitterly. He felt deeply hurt, but it still wasn't enough to make him hate me.

"Hana, I've always dreamed of meeting you. Mom always told me how sweet you were, she always told me about the times she spent with you, and that made me unconsciously fall in love with the Hinata Hanase she told me. A story told over and over again and beautifully packaged, unknowingly fostered a strong emotional bond. I fell in love with you from the first day I saw your photo, whether it was your childhood photo that mom showed me or your 20-year-old photo that I saw on your personal profile. It's okay if you fell in love with me for a reason, because I—"

"Leo, I just don't want to suddenly fall in love with you after I know how rich you are now. I don't want to take advantage of your feelings like that!"