Leonel hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I'm heading back," he said.

He glanced at Ollie. "I came to pick up the dog."

Evelyn clung to Ollie, unwilling to let her new friend go. She gazed at Leonel with pleading eyes. Leonel had planned to use Ollie to persuade Evelyn, but her look made him rethink his decision.

He was indeed carrying a heavy heart. Why make things difficult for his daughter though?

Without fully realizing it, he found himself saying, “Evelyn, if you like the puppy, you can keep it."

Evelyn's face lit up with joy. "Thank you, Mr. Douglas."

Leonel had hoped for a kiss from Evelyn, his sweet angel. But with Calvin still sitting beside her, he hesitated. Instead, he turned to Alexis. "I need to talk to you," he said. "Walk me out, will you?"

After saying that, Leonel was poised to leave.

Although he had only been with the puppy for a couple of days, it still recognized him as its owner and wanted to go with him.

It jumped off Evelyn and rushed towards Leonel.

With one hand, Leonel picked it up. He then smoothened its fur with his long fingers before returning it to Evelyn.

As he did, a touch of tenderness appeared in Leonel's eyes. “Take good care of it," he told her.

Upon hearing this, Evelyn's eyes narrowed in confusion. She didn't quite understand what he was trying to say.

"T-Thank you, Mr. Douglas," she said, her voice sounding like a kitten's.

Leonel stared at Evelyn's face for a while. He wanted to tell her that he was her father, but when he saw Calvin and Alexis sitting side by side, his heart stung, forcing him to say nothing.

Leonel got out of the bedroom as quickly as possible.

Upon leaving the villa, he looked up and saw the last rays of sunset on the horizon, flooding the sky with a golden light.

He stopped in his tracks to admire the picturesque view in front of him. However, after a while, he began to feel a dull pain in his chest, and his heart started to race. With trembling fingers, he took out a cigarette and lit it.

"Leonel," Rena called softly as she slowly approached him from behind.

When she saw him smoking, she couldn't help but frown. "You've got bad lungs. Didn't the doctor tell you last time to smoke less?"