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5.78% Win My Husband Over to Find My Child / Chapter 31: Her Expression Sank Further

Chapter 31: Her Expression Sank Further

"Calix, please help me find a young girl. I only know her given name, not her face."

Sitting alone inside the bedroom, Calix recalled everything Leslie had just told him about. Incredulity flickered in his eyes, expressing his disbelief but, he could tell she was telling the truth.

"I'm looking for a girl aged five named Calliope. She should be in an orphanage somewhere. Sorry... I have no other information aside from her name and age. I can't even... describe how she looks right now."

Leslie looked a bit frightened and doubtful when she started her narration. Instead of the casual smile she often gave him, her countenance manifested her fear of not being believed.

"A young girl? In an orphanage? What's her relationship with you? Why are you looking for her?" 

Calix didn't get any form of answers from Leslie, whether a right one, vague or even excuses. Instead, she apologized for holding back the information from him.

"My relationship with that girl... I'm sorry that I can't tell you yet. But, please help me to find her. This is my only request."

Calix was unable to say anything. He couldn't find the right words to reply, to ask Leslie as she continued pleading. She was on the verge of tears.

"Once I find her and... once I wake up, I'll leave if that's what you want. I don't want to keep bothering you either. But... please. Please find her for me."

"When I saw Amelia... I thought of the child. They... they're around the same age... I have to find the child."

Despite sounding utterly strange, Calix didn't have the heart to doubt Leslie. Her words and the little expressions on her face carried her raw honesty. 

"Are you really asking me to find a child living in an orphanage somewhere in this country? And... you only know her name and age?"

To Calix's questions, Leslie quickly nodded.

"Please, Calix. I can only rely on you now."

Following her last words, Leslie bowed deeply to Calix, earning his surprise. He didn't expect her to lower herself like that just for the sake of getting his help.

After much pondering, Calix told Leslie to have another discussion tomorrow. Both of them were already tired thus, unable to think more coherently.

Instead of looking relieved, Leslie's expression sank further. Her lips trembled so much that she couldn't speak. She also lowered her head, trying to hold back from crying.

In Calix's eyes, Leslie seemed to be so afraid of him rejecting the request in the end.

"Leslie, let's talk again tomorrow. I just need to wrap my head around it first. Don't be scared, en?"

Under Calix's gentle persuasion, Leslie nodded albeit reluctantly. He told her to sleep on the bed yet, she said she wanted to wander around the courtyard house.

Calix let her, thinking that Leslie needed some time to think after bringing up her request. She also might require some space for herself.

"Haa..."

Calix glanced at the wall clock. In less than thirty minutes, midnight would strike. He didn't realize that he had been sitting on the couch for long since Leslie left.

"To find a child? Calliope?"

Frowning, Calix roughly ran his palm over his face. After exhaling another deep sigh, he pushed himself to stand.

This couldn't be done. He needed a good sleep before thinking about how to answer her request.

But...

Calix had a hunch that Leslie might distance herself from him if he turned her pleas down.

Despite thinking that, Calix couldn't find it in his heart to reject Leslie's request. Something was telling him that he had to help her look for that child no matter what.

Alone in the bedroom, Calix fell asleep on the spacious bed. Leslie never reappeared that night.

The next morning.

"Where is she?"

Calix walked down the jogging trail while keeping a lookout for Leslie. Sweat dripped from his forehead, trickling down to his chin. He had just finished a few laps in the backyard.

Right now, Calix was exploring another part of the garden. He thought to run from one end to the other side of the huge garden.

When Calix woke up at dawn, he found no traces of Leslie. He was not sure whether she had returned but went out again or not. 

"Uh, so hot."

Calix took off the damp T-shirt worn over his body, exposing his fit abdomen to the cool morning air. He put the clothes over his right shoulder. His attention was still on looking for Leslie.

"Did she fall asleep somewhere?"

At seven in the morning, the backyard was quiet. Only the sound of leaves rustling and water trickling into the pond could be heard by him.

"Hurm... maybe she has returned to the bedroom."

Following the assumption, Calix dropped the idea of resuming jogging. He could go to the office a bit later today. Edward had been notified of his staying the night at the ancestral home.

"..."

Calix abruptly backtracked. He swore that his eyes caught who he was looking for when he walked past a flower bed just a moment ago.

Turning his head around, Calix dropped his jaw in disbelief. Leslie's figure was reflected in his eyes.

There she was!

Calix immediately ran to where Leslie was. He couldn't believe that she was sleeping on one side, using the ground as her mattress. 

Leslie slept right next to the flower bed. A tree nearby provided shade through its long extended branches.

"...haha."

Calix let out a hollow laugh. He didn't forget to look around him before carefully touching Leslie's shoulders. He had to wake her up before someone came to this area.

"Leslie, wake up. It's morning ah," Calix patted Leslie's back a few times, "Hey, how could you sleep here?"

"...en."

"Leslie, it's a brand new morning now."

Being stirred awake by Calix's action, Leslie squinted her eyes before slowly opening them. A low grunt escaped her lips.

"Ca... Calix?"

Leslie rubbed her eyes and blinked them repeatedly. Gradually, her eyesight regained its clarity. She saw Calix crouching next to her, almost hovering over her as he tried to wake her up.

"I looked for you everywhere ah. I thought you..."

"Ahhh!"

Leslie's scream froze Calix.

"..."

What now?

"What..." Calix hunched away from Leslie, "Did I scare you? Sorry."

Leslie sprang up from the lawn. She was surprised to see Calix's bare upper body before she realized that he was in his sportswear.

"N-no... no, I was just shocked. I thought... never mind."

Leslie was too embarrassed to say what she had initially thought. She refrained from looking directly at Calix but, something fished her curiosity.

"Calix..." Leslie blinked, her eyes lowered to CEO Xu's chest, "What... what's that?"

On Calix's broad chest, a thick and jagged scar ran across it.


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Chapter 32: We Actually Shared The Same Experience

Afraid that she might be unable to control her emotions, Leslie told Calix last night that she would wander around in the courtyard house. She didn't go into anyone's bedrooms, unwilling to pry into their privacy.

Leslie simply hovered from one waiting room to the next, the family lounge, dining room, kitchen and the large yard. The huge courtyard house was quiet, saved from white noises.

During her nightly adventure, Leslie even came across several bodyguards who kept watch around the ancestral home.

Some of them played card games and enjoyed hot coffee while the others were on high alert.

Leslie peeked a look at the wall clock inside the guard post. She didn't expect that it was already two in the morning.

Still reluctant to return to Calix's bedroom, Leslie headed to the backyard. In the end, she opted to lie next to a flower bed.

Somehow, being surrounded by nature alone right now helped to dispel a part of her uneasiness.

Basking under the faint glimmer of the moonlight, Leslie took her time to reflect on what she had just told Calix. He didn't ask her much yet, shock was evident on his face.

"There's no turning back," murmured Leslie softly as she wandered her eyes from the moon to the night sky, "I've admitted that I still keep some secrets from him."

Leslie knew that she should make up plausible excuses for why she wanted to look for a little girl. The fact that she only knew the child's given name and age aroused suspicions.

Yet, Leslie couldn't bear lying to Calix when he was the only one she could rely on. That was the reason she promised to tell him the truth eventually.

Perhaps...

She might even disclose that she wasn't the soul of the woman he had gotten married to despite knowing the huge risks.

"He said we'd talk about this further. I wonder... how will I face him tomorrow?"

Shaking her head, Leslie forced herself to stop thinking about the matter right now. She threw her gaze around the traditional garden.

The courtyard had a more special charm during the night. The lawn reminded her of an enchanted garden.

"I've always dreamed of sleeping alone in a pretty garden like this. I should make good use of this chance."

If she did it when she was a normal human, she might wake up in a kidnapper's lair. Being a soul that no one could see — aside from someone named Calix, had its own advantages.

For example, being able to sleep under the night sky without worrying about being robbed or kidnapped.

Sigh... this was indeed a rare chance.

"Hurm, if only Poppy's here. She'll absolutely love it."

Hanging on to the hope of reuniting with her precious daughter, Leslie closed her eyes. She let the soft grass of the lawn be her mattress while the wind sang a lullaby.

Well, sleeping in the backyard was indeed a good experience.

But, she didn't expect to be woken up by the half-naked Calix.

"Calix... What's... what's that?"

Leslie had already forgotten her momentary embarrassment. Her enlarged eyes landed on Calix's upper body. To be specific, on the thick and jagged scar across his broad chest.

"Oh... sorry. I let you see this."

Calix abruptly wore the T-shirt back, hiding the flattened scar under the soft fabric. He scratched one side of his face, looking a bit guilty.

Leslie pursed her lips, holding back from asking anything about the huge scar. She ran both hands through her long hair, trying to smoothen the tangled locks.

Calix took in the hints of suppressed curiosity from Leslie's countenance. Chuckling, he threw himself on the spot next to her.

"...Calix?"

Surprised, Leslie looked down. Calix crossed his arms, supporting the back of his head. He let his long legs sprawl on the ground. The morning dewdrops seeped into the fabric of the jogger pants.

"Six years ago, I got into an accident. That's where the scar came from."

"..."

Leslie was slightly stunned when Calix directly opened up about his untold past to her. She wondered if the questions on her face were too obvious.

"It's kinda huge. Sorry... you shouldn't tell me if you don't want to. I won't ask."

Discomfort tugged at Leslie's heart. She knew that Calix was an easygoing person but, how could he readily tell her about something so gruesome?

That kind of scar was usually the result of a life-and-death accident. The novel mentioned nothing about it thus, her curiosity was piqued.

Calix was one of the main supporting characters on the male lead's side. The author might choose not to delve deeper into it or, his past might be revealed in the later chapters.

Calix's soft laughter echoed in the morning air. His smile widened into a cheeky grin, "I'm telling you now because I want to. It's not like you were the cause of the accident."

"Still..." Leslie trailed off, concern brimming in her eyes, "It's not an easy topic to talk about. I'm not your family or close friends, so..."

Calix raised his brows, cutting Leslie's words off, "Aren't you my family now? Leslie, you're my wife ah."

Leslie sighed in helplessness, "Calix, you know why I said that."

They didn't get married because of love and affection. It was purely business, stemming from Calix's side. Even though he treated her well, it was just him being a decent human being.

Being nice to the opposite gender didn't mean the first party was romantically interested in the second party.

"Well, I know," Calix replied, his tone was a bit subdued, "I dragged you into my mess. But, since you're under my wings now, I wanna tell you more about myself."

Leslie was robbed of her words. In the awkward moment, she brought her legs close to her chest before hugging them. Tilting her head in Calix's direction, she put her chin on top of her knees.

"I'm curious about it but, I don't want to cross your boundary."

Leslie's frankness reminded Calix of their conversation last night. Guilt pricked into his heart.

"Leslie, you know what, I have the same experience as you."

"The same experience?" repeated Leslie slowly, "What do you mean? What kind of experience?"

Calix stared right into Leslie's eyes. His expression softened before he let words out of his mouth.

"The accident caused me to be in a coma too. For almost half a year."

Leslie gasped, "W-what? You? In a coma?"


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
hansora hansora

Will there be something important about CEO Xu's past accident and come? ;)

Heiress' Househusband!

My new book is up now! Please show your support :) Thank you!

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