Chapter 295\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, he feared nothing and no one, but he would always\u00a0<\/p>\n
listen when Charlotte told him off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was probably a habit that started back then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCharlotte\u2019s a lawyer. If I investigate her, she\u2019ll find out easily. She already won\u2019t accept me, what if she finds out and gets angry?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I\u2019ll help\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley pouted. \u201cIn Charlotte\u2019s eyes, we\u2019re thick as thieves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the difference between you looking into it and me doing it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho says I\u2019m thick as thieves with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick held back a laugh and shot him a look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a married man. I have no interest in siding with a lonely\u00a0<\/p>\n
single.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley\u2019s face fell instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who discriminates against lonely singles these days\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine wasn\u2019t sure what Leona liked to eat, so she made sure to ask for her opinion when choosing a restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona told her coolly that she had been sticking to a low\u2013fat diet for years, and even her occasional cheat meal was just a\u00a0<\/p>\n
simple, low\u2013oil, low\u2013salt home\u2013cooked dish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine felt quite ashamed hearing that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rubbed her nose and gave a dry laugh, \u201cSeriously, Leona, with that kind of determination, you could succeed at anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I always feel like it\u2019s not enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona\u2019s voice was quiet, faint, and seemed to carry a hint of\u00a0<\/p>\n
sadness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine found it strange and couldn\u2019t help but glance at her\u00a0<\/p>\n
again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Leona was just fixated on competing with her, why did she\u00a0<\/p>\n
keep showing that kind of expression?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was there some other story to her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, these were just Madeleine\u2019s wild thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She and Leona weren\u2019t close enough to pry into each other\u2019s private lives. Madeleine was someone who respected boundaries; if Leona didn\u2019t bring it up, she would never ask.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for watching the drama unfold, it was enough to just follow what was happening with her close friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, Madeleine chose a restaurant that was relatively on the lighter side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The restaurant\u2019s atmosphere was elegant, the lighting was soft, and it really did fit Leona\u2019s low\u2013oil, low\u2013salt requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The four of them sat down. Madeleine thoughtfully laid out\u00a0<\/p>\n
napkins for the two children and poured a glass of warm water\u00a0<\/p>\n
for Leona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been to this place with my best friend before. The food is\u00a0<\/p>\n
pretty good. You should try it in a bit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, you\u2019ve been abroad for the past few days, so you probably\u00a0<\/p>\n
haven\u2019t eaten much local food, right? Are you still used to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chinese food?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay if you\u2019re not. They have Western dishes here too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said, playfully sticking out her tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a bit of a fusion, not quite Western, not quite Chinese.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona didn\u2019t say anything. Watching Madeleine, she was reminded of high school.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Compared to back then, it seemed like Madeleine hadn\u2019t changed at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was just that back then, whenever Leona saw Madeleine\u2019s innocent smile, she always felt irritated and gloomy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking at it now, for some reason, it felt much more comforting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHere, take a look. These are some of the good ones I\u2019ve tried.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine brought the menu over and tirelessly went through it\u00a0<\/p>\n
with Leona, pointing out one dish after another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona pulled her thoughts back, looked down, and casually\u00a0<\/p>\n
pointed to two dishes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had never been particular about food; as long as it was\u00a0<\/p>\n
edible and kept her from starving, it was fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, then we\u2019ll order some other things. Come on, Mina, Kev, come see what you want to eat.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two little ones looked through the menu together, murmuring and discussing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about the grilled salmon? Madeleine likes this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Mom prefers the Sweet and Sour Crispy Fish.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, didn\u2019t you hear what Leona said? She has to watch her weight. The Sweet and Sour Crispy Fish is high in calories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kev opened his mouth, then nodded with some resignation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fine, he just wanted his mom to eat something she liked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two little ones didn\u2019t stop talking, but after all their back\u00a0<\/p>\n
and forth, they ended up ordering all of Madeleine\u2019s favorite\u00a0<\/p>\n
dishes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona sat across from them, silently watching everything, and a\u00a0<\/p>\n
strong feeling of\u2026 envy began to grow inside her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She realized that it seemed no one had ever clearly\u00a0<\/p>\n
remembered what she liked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Including her own parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 295\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since the day she was born, she was the family\u2019s hope. Her\u00a0<\/p>\n
family poured everything they had into her dance lessons,\u00a0<\/p>\n
always repeating the same thing:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve spent so much of the family\u2019s money on dance, you\u00a0<\/p>\n
have to make it big.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLeona, you have to be successful, or you\u2019ll be letting your\u00a0<\/p>\n
parents down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That thought was branded into Leona\u2019s mind, into her very life. Her world seemed to shrink to just ballet, training, and the goal\u00a0<\/p>\n
of constantly outdoing herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash ` 295 Chapter 295\u00a0 Back then, he feared nothing and no one, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29592\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}