The short message was simple and clear, but with order meaning: Tonight, I will be back in New York at 10 p.m. You must be earlier than me.
At this time, Irish knew that Joseph had taken a business trip.
She felt nervous suddenly. Anyhow she was afraid.
Leo saw her strange expressions. He grabbed her phone immediately and saw this text message. He was annoyed after seeing that.
Showing the phone, his voice was not pleasant. "Is this your state? Is this his attitude? What role do you play?"
What role? She was a mistress.
She was a complete mistress.
At least before they had quarrels, Joseph would not have treated her in this way.
This attitude equaled ordering her to wait for him.
Irish didn't say anything and stretched to take her phone back.
Leo clenched her hand again and said firmly, "Irish, just leave him."
Irish also made great strength and pulled her hand back. She said lightly, "It takes time to leave."
"Okay. I will wait for you." Leo frowned.
"No." Irish shook her head resolutely. Her look was direct as her voice, "Leo, please forgive me that my thoughts haven't changed still. I will not fall in love with you. You are the most important friend for me,
but I couldn't regard you as a lover."
"Irish, don't you feel that you are cruel?"
"If I promise you, it will be crueler." Irish always refused Leo directly because he was her precious friend. Something needed to be clear among friends; otherwise, there might be a continuous misunderstanding.
She didn't want to let Leo misunderstand. She wanted to be responsible for him.
Leo clenched his fist with a serious expression, "You know what? When I came to Chicago to find you and found that he nearly killed you, I decided that I would punish him. If he treats you well, I will accept it. But the fact is that he doesn't make it, so I will not let him slip away. You are the apple of my eye."
Irish sighed, "Why?"
"Do not do it for me." She shook her head, "I'm not worth it."
Leo didn't agree with her.
At this moment, Leo's phone rang.
He took a glance at the phone and frowned. Finally, he put the phone down.
But the phone rang again.
Irish lowered her head to drink deliberately to give some place for him to pick up the call.
He picked it up.
Irish could guess it was from a woman, but she couldn't clarify it.
Leo replied without any patience, "Rosy. I have enough of you."
Was it Rosy?
Irish stopped drinking. This name was so familiar...
She searched this familiar name in her memory and finally thought of Joseph and the woman holding his arm.
Leo shut down his phone. Then, seeing Irish in a daze, he asked what she was thinking about.
She asked after a while, "Who is Rosy..."
"She's Vincent's daughter. You know Vincent, right? He's the owner of Bright Corporation."
Irish felt uneasy.
So her guess was right that the girl called Rosy was really from a rich family. He was Vincent's daughter, who had cooperation with the Runestone Group. So Joseph and she...
"Is she also in New York?" Irish couldn't stop asking.
Leo answered simply. It seemed like he didn't want to talk too much about her. But his answer also made her sad. She must have been here because Joseph was here.
"You know Rosy?" Leo knew that Irish didn't take an interest in strange people, so her concern must have reasons.
Irish thought about it for a while. She shook her head and said, "No, I just think this name sounds good."
She didn't want to share the experience on the island with Leo for two reasons. One was that she didn't want to recall it, and the other was that it would be more terrible if Leo knew it.
She would rather be an ostrich during this period, hiding her head in the sand.
She didn't need any concerns or conflicts for her.
She would rather be air, and nobody could find her.
Leo didn't ask her. Looking at her for a while silently, he put some dishes in front of her and said lightly. "Do not only eat dessert. Eat more staple food. You look skinnier."
Irish had an impulse to cry. It was almost 9 o'clock when they finished dinner.
Irish didn't drive her car.
Outside the restaurant, Leo was to send her back. He said that he would wait for Joseph and negotiate with him.
Irish shook her head anxiously.
Leo put her into the car. Irish was anxious. She said, "Leo, could you please not intervene with us?"
She felt regretful as soon as she vented.
He just cared about her. Why did she forget it?
Leo was also silent. He clenched the wheel tightly. The shadow of his side face was a little tolerant and lonely.
After a while, he lowered his voice and said, "Irish, it's just out of concern."
Irish felt sorry. She lowered her head and crossed her hands, "Sorry. Leo, I shouldn't say that to you that way."
Was it because she knew that he would not be angry that she could be impolite?
Irish, do not take it for granted that everyone should care about you. Irish thought.
Leo looked at her and sighed lightly after a while. He pulled her clenched hands and held them tightly, "Do you really think that you can get along well with him?"
Irish nodded lightly.
He loosened her hands.
Looking at her for a while, he said, "Okay. I'll send you back."
Irish nodded again.
****
There were bright stars on the other side of the city.
Jay drove slowly with Lilith after dinner.
Later Lilith saw a fountain. She said to Jay, "How about stopping for a while?" Jay stopped. Lilith went off from the car first.
She walked directly to the fountain, looking at the shadows of the water against the light.
In the water, she looked so beautiful.
Jay walked forward and embraced her from her behind.
There was no verbal contact between them.
After five or six minutes, looking at the water against the light, she said lightly, "Jay, don't you feel that there is little contact between us?"
Actually, Lilith wanted to ask about it all the time. Jay had been back for several days.
She could still remember the scene when he came to find her.
That day she kept hanging outside, and the only thing on her mind was Jay's safety.
She didn't know when Jay could come back and when his task could be finished.
Once, she called Lenard and asked something about Jay. Lenard said that Jay had finished the task and could come back to New York soon.
She expected that day, every day. However, over half a month had passed when Jay finally came back.