"Wait. Let her stay."

The secretary couldn't hide her surprise. She turned to him and said, “But, Sir..."

His eyes had taken a serious look. "Just do as I say."

His words held a finality that she could not contest. She was his employee. Even if the secretary was on Alexis' side, she wouldn't tell her about Anika and Leonel. She stood frozen for a few seconds before walking out. As she left the room, she kept thinking of how Alexis deserved a much better man.

That night, Alexis came back late.

She was so tired that she haphazardly threw her bag on the sofa and gulped down a glass of water.

She could hear Leonel talking to the children upstairs. Alexis asked a servant, "When did Leonel come back?"

The servant smiled. "He arrived home early tonight."

Alexis nodded.

She saw an invitation on the table. However, it appeared to be a template as the space for the invitee's name was left blank. Alexis picked it up and found that it was about his company's annual gathering- a significant and grand event.

Alexis didn't have any warm feelings toward him, but she had taken it upon herself to give him a gift on a special occasion like this.

She took her bag, taking out a little box. Inside it was a small glazed maple leaf.

She had taken it from the tree she and Leonel had planted when they were young.

It would be a nice gesture. She wanted to give it to him at the celebration.

Alexis made a special trip to visit a renowned artist, learning the intricate technique of creating glazed maple leaves. She dedicated several days to crafting this gift, even scalding one of her fingers in the process.

The end result was stunningly beautiful.

After admiring it for a moment, Alexis carefully placed it back into her briefcase.

As she was about to head upstairs, her gaze landed once more on the invitation, which was paired with a photo of the host. In the picture, Anika looked young and radiant, but what really caught Alexis' attention was the unique shade of lipstick she wore.

Eventually, Alexis went upstairs, finding Leonel in the room with the children.

She watched them play for a bit before returning to her own room.