Aurora scrutinized Leonard''s face, but it was a nk canvas, revealing nothing of his true feelings. One thing was certain, however: Joshua''s provocations had hit their mark.


    Her smile remained warm and elegant. "Leonard, wait here for a moment. I''ll go get you something to eat."


    "Don''t bother," he said. "I''m being discharged soon anyway. If you have things to do, go ahead. You don''t need to stay here with me."


    Aurora wanted to say more, but Israel cut in. "Aurora, there''s a mountain of work waiting for you at the office. You know Leonard''s fine now, so you can rx, right?"


    Seeing no other choice, Aurora turned to Leonard. "Alright then, Leonard. I''ll be going. Call me if you need anything. I''lle see you another day."


    Leonard gave a nomittal grunt.


    As he watched her leave, he recalled the conversation between Joshua and Ste earlier.


    "Didn''t you mention you liked the food at that one restaurant?" Ste had asked. "I spent some time studying the recipe, and I think I''ve got it down. I''ll make it for youter."


    Joshua had seemed stunned. "You... you learned it just for me?"


    "Not exactly," Ste had replied. "I liked the dish too. I can make it for Keen when he visits."


    But Leonard knew that if Joshua hadn''t mentioned it, Ste would never have thought to learn a new recipe. A strange light had filled Joshua''s eyes, and the corners of his mouth had curled into an unconscious smile. "Great. I''ll be the taste-tester for Keen, then."


    They had left,ughing and talking.


    When Joshua wanted something, Ste would learn to make it for him. In fact, he didn''t even have to ask; she offered it freely.<fn938a> Content originallyes from FιndＮovel</fn938a>


    For some reason, Leonard''s mind drifted back to the time he had captured Ste and Abby Murphy Ste had been in the hospital ther too, preparing a medicinal soup for Foreman Richards. It seemed that anyone who showed her a bit of kindness received it back in spades.


    Meanwhile, he had risked life and limb for Aurora, and all she ever gave him was


    a faint smile. She wouldn''t even bother to deceive him with a lie.


    From the day he had decided to devote himself to Aurora, he had never expected anything in return.. His love for her was his business herck of feelings for him didn''t matter. He had known from the begining that she was just using him as a stepping stone. He could give without expecting anything back, but even he couldn''t tolerate her consorting with his enemy. Did she see him as disposable, or did she simply not care about him at all?


    Deep down, no one gives without wanting something in return, even if they pretend otherwise. He used to be indifferent to it. But now...


    The stark contrast stirred something unfamiliar in Leonard. It wasn''t about whether Ste could return Joshua''s affection in equal


    measure. What mattered was that Joshua''s efforts were being


    rewarded. Ste treated him so well


    without even knowing his true


    identity, which proved she valued


    character over status. Even if


    Joshua lost everything one day,


    Ste would likely still treat him the same.


    And him? Leonard looked down at his own broken state and let out a self- deprecatingugh. He hadn''t even lost everything yet, and he was already being cast aside.


    Just then, Aurora, who had just stepped out of the room, saw a figure standing in the hallway.


    "Simone Lerman, when did you get here?"


    Simone was standing silently by the door. It was impossible to tell how long she had been there.