"I did! I went to him some time ago, but he simply refused my offer. He was not even willing to give me his phone number. I'm surprised that you don't know this, it was all over the news." Dorothy said dejectedly, momentarily looking so sad that someone who didn't know her manipulative nature might have believed her.

  "I think he has already then given you his answer, and quite clearly so. You should forget about it, move on. Why do you come to me now? Don't you see that your efforts have caused us much trouble already?" Leena said grimly. She was not happy with what Dorothy had done, and made no secret of it. She wouldn't have spoken such harsh words had Dorothy not disturbed their peace and threatened their life together.

  "I'm so sorry, I never realized that to be the effect, I just wanted to say 'thank you' to Kevin," Dorothy apologized guiltily. Despite the seemingly earnest apology, she was gnashing her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms. What she had truly realized now, was that she had underestimated Leena. She had mistaken Leena for a mere pushover, and had believed it would be a piece of cake to use her. But now Leena had proven herself to be a clever woman, and Dorothy knew from her tough stance on the issue that she would fight if her limit was challenged.

  "Never mind. Glad that we can talk it out. If you really are grateful to my husband, please leave us in peace. That would be the best reward. We all know that you are a public figure, who can easily catch the media's attention and make the headlines. Remember, we don't want to be any part of your story. Can you understand my meaning, Miss Lu?" Without batting an eye, Leena voiced her worries firmly. She knew that it was a bit mean to speak to Dorothy in this way, but she had to. She wanted nothing to do with this woman anymore, as she knew instinctively that this woman wanted more than simply returning Kevin's favor. Leena hadn't figured out her true purpose so far, but subconsciously she felt it wise to keep her at a distance.

  "Of course, I understand your concerns." Dorothy responded, biting her lip. Her plan fell through, and she didn't know how she was going to explain everything to that woman.

  "That's all I want to say, and I no longer see the ne

  ldn't come here otherwise, you know." Unthinking, Leena's answer gave her away.

  "What? I knew it! I knew you were not so kind as to simply visit us! Here you are, all reluctantly because your husband isn't at home." Belinda teased. "You heard her, my baby, she isn't here to see you. That was merely sweet talk. The truth is, all of us are nothing compared to your uncle Kevin!" 'An?eye?for?an?eye, and a?tooth?for?a tooth, ' Belinda thought, making fun of Leena by talking to her unborn child.

  Her words made Leena giggle, the game continuing. "Is it good mothering to teach your baby to bear grudges at such a young age? I wonder if Duke knows about your parenting skills." Leena could not help laughing. What was more, she suddenly realized that there might be others who held the same idea as Belinda, believing that Leena had forgotten about her family after marrying Kevin. Or else Belinda wouldn't have said that she didn't care about them all.

  "Are you talking about me?" Duke's deep voice interrupted from behind. They looked up at his appearance on the stairs. He descended slowly before they answered his question, his cold eyes studying the two women he loved. Of course, his attention was quickly caught up by Belinda's pregnant belly. He frowned, remembering again what Tom had said about the decreased absorption rate of the baby, which was the reason why Belinda's belly was relatively small. This problem had been troubling him constantly, and he was quite worried about Belinda's health.