That evening, accompanied by the cold air of Beverly Hills, for the first time, Leonel met his ex-wife, who still haunted his life now.
During their marriage, he never considered Chloe a remarkable woman, even though she had beautiful eyes that brought comfort with a glance. After their divorce, Leonel's life felt utterly dull.
Leonel's life felt lonely, uncomfortable, often frustrated for no reason, and lost in his thoughts when alone. All of this was due to his foolishness, which led him to enter a relationship with Ester, a woman who now made him regret a thousand times.
Leonel and Chloe faced each other, both feeling tense.
Chloe was tense because her feelings were mixed. The man who once held a special place in her heart, who had also caused her a lot of pain, and whom she had tried to forget, now stood confidently before her.
Leonel also felt tense, seeing Chloe in person after over a year of suppressing strange feelings in his chest, causing his heart to beat faster. He was genuinely happy; Chloe's face looked more beautiful and radiant, and he could even catch a whiff of her distinct scent, especially as he closed the distance between them.
The Mountain's owner was immensely grateful for his impromptu visit to Beverly Hills to meet his ex-wife, whom he still loved.
The day before that spontaneous visit, Leonel felt uncomfortable, frustrated by small mistakes, and suffocated even in wide spaces. He couldn't stop thinking about Chloe's closeness with Darren, which had been bothering him all day.
Leonel repeatedly thought about Chris's idea of coming to Beverly Hills to see Chloe's current condition. He was also supported by Agatha's scolding over the phone, where she wanted her son to fight for Chloe until the end.
Despite his successful position as the Mountain's leader, the man who now carried the widower status felt confused and even shattered. His success seemed insignificant when he remembered that no longer anyone could ignite his passion.
Empty.
Living amidst wealth with the desired throne couldn't make Leonel Grisham happy. His focus has been solely on Chloe since he saw his mother's post for the last time.
After returning from Beverly Hills, Agatha called her eldest son and expressed her desire for Leonel to fight for Chloe again. "The yellow rice is not yet cooked, Ben. Chloe hasn't married Darren yet, so you still have a chance to reconcile with her."
Agatha said those words explicitly when Leonel mentioned that he couldn't pursue his feelings for Chloe because of Darren.
"But, Mom, Leonel isn't sure if Chloe would want to be his wife again." Leonel felt pessimistic, afraid of Chloe rejecting him, and powerless against the jealousy burning in his heart for the past few days. Memories of Chloe's closeness with Darren infuriated him, making him angry at any time and place.
"Not sure? You must go to Beverly Hills, meet Chloe, and convince her to be your wife again. You have made many mistakes toward her, so, understandably, she's angry. That's why you have to fight to the bitter end. Are you willing to let Chloe become another man's wife? Mama wants you to reconcile, to fight for Chloe again, Leonel."
Agatha tirelessly wanted to see Chloe and Leonel rebuild their marital bond. No matter how Chloe was now or how close their relationship was at the moment, Agatha still wanted Chloe to be in her son's-Leonel's embrace, not with another man.
"You're the man who made mistakes, the one who mistreated Chloe before. Now, it's only right for you to fight desperately to win back Chloe's heart."
Agatha tried to seek support from her husband, and Robby finally spoke about many things, essentially asking their son to go to Beverly Hills to meet Chloe. Whether Chloe would consider reconciling with Leonel later was a matter for last; the most important thing was for the Mountain's leader to try to win back Chloe's heart.
"Mom sent Chloe's cafe address via message; hurry up and go there. Don't hesitate anymore, Leonel. The Mountain is stable now, and it'll be fine if you stay away for a few days. Your father will help monitor the Mountain while you're in Beverly Hills. You don't need to worry about the Mountain; focus on winning Chloe's heart again when you're in Beverly Hills." Agatha didn't give her son a chance to refuse her wish. She wanted Leonel to comply with what she had just said, feeling uneasy when she thought about how close Chloe was to Darren.
After ending the call with his mother, Leonel felt indeed pressured.
On the one hand, he desperately wanted to meet Chloe and confess that he couldn't forget about her and was tormented after their divorce.
On the other hand, he felt ashamed. He was sorry to face the woman he had mistreated all this time. Acting rudely, having an affair with another woman, and openly hurting her. How could he meet Chloe with all the embarrassing history?
Leonel pondered what he would do for the entire day, unable to focus on work and merely going through the motions, carrying out his tasks mechanically, without his heart being in it.
As evening approached, Leonel finally succumbed to his embarrassment. "Embarrassed? Pride? Shit! I don't care anymore. I'd rather feel embarrassed than be tormented like this! I've been trying to forget about Chloe for over a year, but what's the result? Until this moment, I'm still thinking about her. Fine, I don't care about my pride anymore."
Armed with Agatha and Robby's scolding and determination to visit Chloe, Leonel finally decided to go to Beverly Hills.
That evening, all the buried feelings in Leonel's heart finally peaked.
Beautiful.
When he saw his former wife's face, one word immediately came to Leonel's mind. The face he had longed for, the look that had appeared in his dreams several times.
"Why do you look more beautiful? Why do you look so different? And why have I been so foolish all this time? Where is my common sense to ignore a woman as beautiful and as good as Chloe, only for another woman who ended up ruining my life and causing so many problems?" Leonel wondered in his heart.
That evening, he wanted time to stop, to throw himself into the arms of the woman he missed so much.
But what could he do in his current situation?
"I'm just an ex-husband, just a man who hurt her. What can I do?" Leonel wondered in his heart once again.
"Hey," Leonel greeted stiffly. "How are you?"
His eyes sparkled; he was happy. All the embarrassment and pride burdened him had vanished, swallowed by his happiness.
Unlike Leonel, Chloe didn't feel the same way about her ex-husband. Her gaze showed deep resentment, as if her eyes were filled with blazing fire that revealed how much she despised the man standing before her. "What are you doing here?" the beautiful widow asked coldly. Her gaze appeared sharp.
Leonel continued to smile. He didn't care about Chloe's reaction; he was engulfed in his happiness.
"I want to eat. I'm hungry."
Confidently, Leonel responded as if there were no issues between them.
Chloe was annoyed by Leonel's attitude. "No manners," she muttered to herself.
The beautiful widow took a deep breath. "The cafe is about to close. You can find another cafe or restaurant that's still open."
Chloe's blunt response showed her displeasure towards Leonel's impromptu visit, making her uncomfortable.
If she could avoid it, Chloe would prevent it. She didn't want to meet the man from her past.
The unresolved heartache was being reopened. It became even more difficult for Chloe to forget the man who had once been her husband. Sharing a bed, feeling a sense of ownership, hurting each other—every memory of being Mrs. Leonel flashed before Chloe's eyes.
"There," Leonel said, glancing and pointing at the door. "It's still open, not closed yet." Leonel smiled again after saying that, and Chloe narrowed her eyes. "I'm closing now. That's why I'm standing up. You can leave and find another place to eat."
Seeing Leonel again after over a year, the man appeared more charming. Chloe even suspected that her ex-husband had been living a happy life all this time. Little did she know, he came there with careful preparations.
Leonel chose the best, most elegant, and most expensive clothes. He wanted to look charming, leaving a deep impression on his ex-wife.
Not only that, he even styled his hair at the salon and wore a long-lasting perfume that he thought smelled good.
Indeed, Leonel's efforts were worthwhile.
Her ex-husband's neat appearance captivated Chloe, momentarily thinking he was handsome and charming. However, the memories of the heartache he caused, the most painful ones, eventually reminded her that Leonel was just a past that should be forgotten.
It was true that she would continue to maintain a good relationship with Agatha and Robby Grisham. However, she still had to give Leonel a chance to be by her side.
Moreover, there was Darren. A kind-hearted man who had always been there for her, accompanying her all this time and making significant contributions to her cafe business. "No, I can't be like this. No matter how handsome Leonel is, he's still a despicable man who broke my trust and hurt me," Chloe thought to herself, staring sharply at Leonel, who continued to smile at her.
Chloe's cold tone and request for Leonel to leave didn't make the pride of the Grisham family's prodigal son waver. "Alright, if this cafe closes, you can ask your employees to go home. And you, can't you accompany me to a restaurant?" Leonel was shameless, behaving entirely differently from when he was in a relationship with Ester.
Chloe grinned. "What's wrong with you? Suddenly showing up, did you forget our current status? And how can you shamelessly ask me to accompany you for a meal? Have you lost your mind? Or did you bump your head on something? Or did you eat something wrong? No matter how often I analyze it, I can't understand what you're doing now. My logic can't comprehend it!" Chloe's eyes glared sharply as if they could pierce through.
"Can I ask you a few questions?" Leonel asked with a thin grin. "I have plenty of time to answer all your questions."
Chloe growled in frustration. She felt arguing with Leonel was pointless. This man was insistent and could cause trouble.
Meanwhile, Darren, who witnessed the conversation and Leonel's sudden arrival, felt the need to be cautious. He had kept a safe distance to avoid drawing attention to their closeness in the past, but now things were different. Chloe was no longer the wife of Leonel Grisham. She was free to approach him. Moreover, their relationship had advanced beyond being a patient and doctor.
"Shall we go home, Love?" Darren offered, leaning slightly closer to Chloe. Although Chloe's eyes seemed surprised, Darren ignored it. He wanted to show the man who had just arrived that Chloe belonged to him.
"Yes. Let's go home."
Does Leonel give up? Of course not. He had resolved since he stepped into his luxurious sedan to prove himself if he deserved to regain all of Chloe's attention. To redeem all of his mistakes. To show his ex-wife that he had changed.
"Is this how you welcome me, Chloe?"
Chloe's steps came to a halt. The beautiful woman in the violet dress sighed, half-frustrated. "I didn't expect your arrival, Leonel." She tightly gripped the bag hanging from her shoulder. "Go home."
"I just want to be accompanied by a cup of coffee and you as a conversation partner." Leonel didn't care about Chloe's cynical gaze or Darren, who now had his arm wrapped around Chloe's waist.
Damn it, Leonel felt like burning right there! He was urged to beat Darren to a pulp for daring to touch Chloe like that.
"Mr. Leonel," this time Darren spoke up. "Can you hear what Chloe is saying, can't you?"
"Coincidentally, I don't want to talk to you, Doctor."
Enough with this. Both would surely refuse to back down. Chloe knew very well Leonel's stubbornness and his hard-headedness.
"Wait for me in the car, Darren. I need to settle my business with Leonel."
There was some dissatisfaction, but Darren couldn't prevent what Chloe wanted. It included lowering his hand, initially resting on the woman's waist, with some coercion, even though Darren did it to show that Chloe was now close to him.
Darren sighed softly. "Alright then. Make good use of your time."
Chloe nodded softly. Secretly, she couldn't deny the triumphant smile on Leonel's lips. But Chloe would shatter that victory with countless rejections and expulsion. She would call security to drag Leonel out of the establishment if necessary.
"So... what do you want to talk about?" Chloe asked without beating around the bush. They were already sitting face-to-face.
"Did you forget I wanted a cup of coffee as a company?"
"You!!!"