Mason’s voice came through the phone, low and slightly weary, “Are you home?”


    Le replied softly, “Yes.”


    “Mm, spend some time with your mom, and get some rest,” Mason said.


    Before he could hang up, Le, in a barely audible voice, called out, “Mr. Ramirez.”


    Mason almost froze, his finger hovering over the screen to end the call. “Yes?”


    Taking a deep breath, Le said, “We need to talk.”


    There was a brief silence on the line.


    Mason didn’t say whether they would talk or not, nor did he hang up.


    Afterposing herself, Le addressed her unease, “I’ve been dealing with a lottely, things that caught me off guard.”


    Mason had just finished a video conference and was feeling tired. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a sip of his coffee, “Mm.”


    Encouraged by his response, Le continued, “As you know, I’m in a difficult financial situation. My mother’s treatment for kidney disease requires a lot of money.”


    In a deep voice, Mason interjected, “So?”


    Le continued, “So, right now, my priority is to focus on making money.”


    Realizing what she was about to say, Mason lowered his voice and said, “Get to the point.”


    Le spoke calmly, “The recent challenges I’ve faced have seriously affected my ability to concentrate at work. So, I want to take advantage of these two days off to resolve these issues. You’re the first.”


    Le’s tone was serious and earnest. Mason set down his coffee cup on the table and chuckled, scratching his brow with his fingertips, “Go on.”


    Le went on, “You’ve helped me a lot recently, but you’ve also been persistent in pursuing me. I don’t know your true intentions, whether you genuinely have feelings for me or if it’s just physical desire.”


    Mason teased, “Exin the difference.”


    Carrying her suitcase across the courtyard of the apartmentplex, Le replied, “If it’s genuine feelings, I’ll give you an answer. If it’s just physical desire, I hope you’ll respect my wishes and let me go. I really don’t have the time or energy for anything extra.”


    Le finished saying what she needed to say and proceeded to carry her suitcase upstairs.


    Mason fell silent for a moment before spoke in a low, solemn voice, “Le, do you think I have genuine feelings for you, or is it just physical desire?”


    When Mason asked that question, Le had just reached her apartment and was taking out her keys to open the door. She replied truthfully, “I don’t know.”


    After saying that, Le carried her suitcase into the apartment and reached out to switch on the living room light. Just as her fingertips touched the switch, she heard Mason’s voice on the phone, “Le, I have feelings for you.”


    Le’s breath caught, and her hand paused on the switch.


    Not hearing a response from her, Mason chuckled softly, “I have feelings for you. Give me your answer.”Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Le was speechless.


    Mason teased, “You said you would give me an answer, didn’t you? Why aren’t you saying anything now?”


    Le pressed her lips together, and her finger hovered over the switch. With a click, the light turned on.


    “I… don’t like you. We’re not from the same world. I don’t want to climb up, and I don’t want you to stoop down.”


    With her words spoken, there was a long silence from Mason’s end of the line.


    After more than a minute passed, Mason’s maic voice sounded through the phone,ced with a smile, “Le, are you kidding me?”


    Le replied softly, “No, I’m not.”


    Then, there was another brief silence between them.


    Le expected Mason to be persistent or pushy after saying such things, but she didn’t anticipate his response. “If you’re sure you don’t want anything to do with me, then next time, remember to turn me down.”


    Le simply replied, “Okay.”


    Mason continued, “And as for the favors I’ve done for you, you don’t need to worry about them. Helping you with your difficult situations is a piece of cake for me. It’s not just you; I treat everyone around me well.”


    Hearing Mason’s words, Le suddenly remembered what Shirley had said before about him being generous to women. Giving houses, cars, arranging jobs, and household registrations were all normal for him.


    Le responded, “Okay, got it.”


    With their private conversation reaching this point, there wasn’t much left to say between them.


    Le pursed her lips, intending to bid him goodnight and end the call when suddenly Mason asked, “Le, can I know what makes me inferior to Hunter and Samuel?”


    There was a hint of confusion in Mason’s tone. It was clear he wasn’t pressing her; he was simply curious.


    Le sat down on her suitcase, thinking for a moment before replying sincerely, “You’re not inferior, you’re excellent.”


    Le’s answer was genuine. Mason couldn’t help butugh, “Then why I can’t?”


    Le fell silent.


    Mason continued, “Le, do you have ss prejudices against me?”


    “Mason, I rejected you. You can’t keep bothering me.” She referred to him as Mason, not Mr. Ramirez, which showed equality, not ss prejudice.


    With that said, without waiting for Mason’s response, she hung up the phone.


    Seeing the ckened screen, Mason smirked and pinched the bridge of his nose.


    His face became serious again as he leaned back in his chair, with a hint of self-mockery in his tone, “Indeed, people always trip over the same old paths…”


    The first time he fell for her and now the second time.


    “An ungrateful woman.”


    …


    Le thought she had made herself clear to Mason. After staring at her suitcase for a while, she got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Later, lying on her bed, Mason’s words from the phone call shed through her mind.


    “Le, I have feelings for you.”


    “I have feelings for you, give me your answer.”


    That night, Le slept less soundly than the night she met Keith in S city.


    In her dream, Mason was digging something on a vastwn with a shovel. Le watched him from afar for a while before curiously walking closer and asking, “What are you digging?”


    Mason nced at her and said with a smirk, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m digging a hole.”


    Le asked again, “What are you digging the hole for?”


    With a smirk, Mason replied, “Of course, I’m waiting for you to jump in.”


    Before Le could react, he threw down the shovel, reached out, and pulled her into the hole.


    Le screamed in her dream.


    When she opened her eyes, it was six ten in the morning.


    Ley on her bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, before getting up to freshen up and then heading to the market to buy groceries.


    After wandering around for a while, she bought a lot of groceries and fruits that Dasha liked to eat. By the time she finished shopping and packing everything, it was eight thirty in the morning.


    Le took a taxi to the hospital. As soon as she arrived at the ward after getting off the elevator, she heard a conversationing from Dasha’s hospital room.


    “Sis, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry. What if something unexpected happens to you? You should make some ns for the future. There are some things Darren feels awkward saying, so I have to say them for him. You know, my son Max recently got a girlfriend. If everything goes well, they n to get married by the end of the year. But the problem is the wedding house…”


    It’s her aunt Elsa.


    Elsa hesitated, her eyes fixed on Dasha, waiting for her response.


    Dasha sat on the hospital bed, visibly trembling with anger, even though she hadn’t spoken a word.


    Just as Dasha was about to speak up, Le’s cold voice sounded from the doorway, “You’re already talking about getting married, but you haven’t prepared the wedding house yet? If the bride finds out about this, the wedding is as good as doomed.”


    With Le’s words, the room fell into instant silence.


    Elsa didn’t expect Le to return, and her expression froze for a moment before she forced a smile and said, “Le, you’re back? When did you get back?”


    Le handed the things she was carrying to Tessa and said in a t tone, “Last night.”


    Taking the items, Tessa whispered in a voice only they could hear, “Your mom hasn’t taken her medicine yet.”


    Le responded with a simple “Okay” and walked to the bedside to get the medication for Dasha. As she handed it over, she said, “Aunt, what were you talking to my mom about just now? Go ahead.”


    Upon hearing Le’s words, Elsa nced at Dasha but remained silent. She dared to bully Dasha but didn’t dare to cause trouble in front of Le.


    When Keith had just had his ident, and Le and Dasha had moved back to the old house, she had instigated Darren to evict the mother and daughter. However, they ended up being threatened with a knife against Darren’s neck by Le and forced out.