Only you in my love

Bryant got up and fetched a warm towel for Valerie, giving her some time to calm down.

When he returned, he gently wiped her face with the towel. The moist warmth of the towel had a soothing effect on Valerie for her body eventually stopped trembling.

Bryant asked her, "Earlier, you implied that Leon threatened you. What did he say?"

Valerie held onto the towel. The fluffy white fabric was now stained with all the colors of her makeup: different shades of brown, black from her mascara, and red from her lipstick and cheek tint.

Now bare-faced, her skin was smooth and fair like a baby's. In contrast, the towel looked as if it had been dropped into a muddy puddle.

Valerie gripped the towel in her hands.

She answered, "Leon blamed me for the rumors about our relationship. He told me to do something to stop them and asked how long it would take. Finally, he warned me that he didn't want to wait too long." When she recalled Leon's dangerous smirk, her scalp tingled as if something had crawled up her spine.

Bryant frowned in concern. "So he wants you to stop the rumors from spreading further. Did you tell him how long it would take for you to do that?"

"No, I didn't." Valerie's voice wobbled as she started to cry again. "He didn't mind the rumors before. Why should I be the only one to stop them? And what can I do? Should I explain myself to everyone, one by one? How can I make it clear that we're not a couple? I don't know how to explain it in a way that won't make me lose face."

She dropped her head to rest on her knees as she continued to speak. "How could he do this? How could he blame it all on me? He's the only one who benefits out of the rumors. I know that he threatened me because he's worried that Michelle might hear the rumors and misunderstand."

Her arms hung limply by her sides, but her hands curled into fists as she complained about the injustice.

"It's been three years, Valerie, but you still don't know Leon at all." Bryant felt a headache coming on so he massaged the space between his eyebrows. "To that guy, there are only two kinds of people in the world: people he cares about and people he can use. When he cares about someone, he would do anything for that person, no matter the cost. You, of all people, should know that."

Valerie's back stiffened.

Yes, she knew. She used to be on the receiving end of Leon's thoughtfulness.

Bryant continued, "As for the people he doesn't care about, he finds ways for them to be of use to him, and he would make the most of it. When rumors about you two arose, he used you as a shield so that other women would not approach him.

He said and did nothing to refute those rumors because, in that way, he was taking advantage of you." Bryant smiled helplessly.

Should he should feel lucky that Leon regarded him as a friend?

But they weren't just friends. They were also connected because of business. Although the Feng Group was listed under his name, the chairman of the board was Nina and the second largest shareholder was Leon. When Vance and Donald reached the age of majority, they too would have executive positions.

Bryant was merely a manager with a high pay grade. His own shares in the company were less than ten percent.

If he failed to make the Feng Group successful, he would be held responsible for it, and the Feng family on C Island would also be implicated.

So his and Leon's vested interest in the group was greater than their friendship.

But because they were friends, Leon treated him with kindness and patience.

Bryant and Valerie fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. It got so quiet in the room that one could hear a pin drop. The man sighed occasionally while his cousin hiccupped.

Bryant's words made Valerie feel even more depressed. "But...he said that we were friends. He shouldn't have used me like that."

Bryant got up once more to sit on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. He pressed his fingers together and pressed his forehead against them. He looked as if he was struggling with something, but after a pause, he turned to look at her. "Valerie, do you really want me to spell it out for you?" Valerie slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes were swollen, making her seem like a delicate and pitiful lily that had been buffeted by strong winds and rain.

This was her usual trick.

Seeing a weak and helpless woman usually stirred a man's desire to protect her and be her hero. This had worked for Valerie before.

But it obviously had no effect on her straightforward cousin.

They maintained eye contact for a while until she looked away first.

"In public, I'll be your ally because I'm your cousin. If I don't side with you, you would really be alone and helpless." Bryant looked at her seriously. "But no else is here now. It's just the two of us so I'll make some things clear."

Valerie sucked in a breath, realizing that her cousin knew more than he let on.

She was afraid of what he might say for no one wanted to hear their own dark past from other people's lips.

But there was nothing she could do now but to listen.

"You might feel uncomfortable with what I'm going to say," Bryant said, trying to make her mentally prepared in advance. "But I hope that you can face your past and turn over a new leaf. Don't repeat your mistakes. I'm on your side not just because you're my cousin, but because I think I can prevent you from going astray."

He paused. When Valerie said nothing to protest that, he felt both satisfied and surprised.

Valerie was behaving abnormally today.

Recently, she had become absent-minded and unable to sleep well. It seemed that she was frightened by Leon, but she didn't say anything. Tonight, she seemed obedient and willing to listen to him.

Either something of critical importance happened or she had finally calmed down from her mental breakdown earlier.

Anyway, he had to take this opportunity to shed some light on her past actions in hopes of making her realize that her attitude toward Leon had been wrong from the beginning.

"First, let's talk about whether Leon regards you as a friend or not. And my answer is he did," Bryant said. "He felt bad back then and wanted to make it up to you. From the start, he really wanted you two to stay friends, but it was you who wanted more." Valerie looked up at him in disbelief.

She spluttered but no words came out. 'That's impossible. I made sure not to let any feelings show on my face when I told Leon that we were friends.'

As if he had read her mind, Bryant answered, "You forget how powerful Leon is. You can't hide anything from him. And, again, it was you who offered to be his female companion, to ward off other women from getting close to him. He refused you, remember? He said it was inappropriate for a friend to do so, but you insisted.

He saw through your plan that time. Since you refused his friendship, he decided to use you like a tool instead. When you attached yourself to him, you practically offered yourself for him to use. Why would he turn down such a good opportunity? I warned you back then, but you said that you didn't care."

Valerie reflected, 'That's right. It was because of my own insistence.'

She used to think that she still had some leeway, but it turned out that she had already crossed a line a long time ago.

"I..." Suddenly, she didn't know what to say.

"Now, let's talk about something that happened seven years ago. I've been keeping it to myself all this time but you were the one who proposed to get close to Leon, didn't you?"

Valerie's expression morphed into one of fright. She shifted backward unconsciously, but with the wall behind her, there was nowhere else to go.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Bryant."

Bryant looked eerily calm. Sensing that his gaze was putting a lot of pressure on her, he looked away and stared at nothing in particular.

His eyes glazed over as he continued to speak.

"Back then, you got attracted to Leon during the charity dinner, didn't you? You had feelings for Baker, but you loved yourself more. So you couldn't help but want someone better than Baker, and Leon was an excellent target. Many have fallen prey to his charms. Like most people, you knew that he was out of your league so you didn't think too much about it. But that day, he approached you, and you inevitably fell in love with him.

You couldn't control your feelings, and ever since you were a child, you hated not being in control. That's why you acted the way you did when Leon kept you in his castle. Your fear made you think that he was paranoid and terrible."

Valerie really wanted to escape, and her feet started turning toward the door.

Feeling as if she had been stripped in broad daylight, she was angry and ashamed because what Bryant said was right.000000000000☐☐☐☐