Chapter 1 Leo Harrell Doesn't Like Her_1

A thunderous boom overhead announced the onset of a downpour.

Sophia Cloud looked up at the rain flying across the night sky and dashed out, her legs carrying her quickly into the storm.

Arthur was sick, and the only person she knew to turn to was Leo Harrell.

The rain was torrential, forming small streams on the road that submerged Sophia Cloud's ankles.

Anxiously, she stood at the roadside waiting for a taxi, tears welling in her eyes as she thought of her son's feverish little face.

Fortunately, a cab stopped, and she hurriedly got in.

"Driver, to Imperial View Manor!"

Sophia Cloud typed these words on her phone, as an accident had damaged her vocal cords in the past, leaving her voice more grating than sawing wood. She had grown accustomed to using sign language and texting to communicate with others over the last two years.

Imperial View Manor was where Leo Harrell usually lived. In their marriage, apart from the wedding night when they shared a bed, Leo Harrell always returned to Imperial View Manor, treating his wife as if she barely existed.

The reason was that the person Leo Harrell loved was not her, it was Evelyn Smith.

After thanking the driver, Sophia Cloud stepped out of the car and the grand, antique-looking villa reminded her of Leo Harrell's icy cold eyes, making her shiver unconsciously.

Had Arthur not been so severely ill, and had she not been penniless, Sophia Cloud would have preferred not to see that face again.

But this was not the time for such thoughts; she needed to get the money as soon as possible to take her son to the hospital without any further delay.

The doorbell rang, and to her surprise, it was Evelyn Smith who answered.

Wearing only a silk slip, her bare shoulders gleaming and eyes seductively soft.

Sophia Cloud's gaze flickered but she quickly suppressed the discomfort in her heart and began typing feverishly on her phone to explain her purpose.

Evelyn Smith was already displeased at being disturbed, but upon seeing it was Sophia Cloud, the corner of her lips lifted as she asked, "Sister, what brings you here?"

After reading the typed message, a gloating expression crossed Evelyn Smith's face.

"Sister, let go of this fantasy. Leo detests you, which extends to disliking Arthur as well. Do you think he will give you the money?"

Sophia Cloud felt a shadow cross her heart, aware that Leo Harrell did not care for Arthur, as he had never taken on the role of a father.

But regardless of whether he was likely to or not, she had to see Leo Harrell in person.

Ignoring everything else, Sophia Cloud brushed past Evelyn Smith and began pounding on the door, making an unpleasant sound with her mouth in an attempt to draw Leo Harrell's attention from inside the house.

"What are you doing, sister?" Evelyn Smith looked at her with disdain, trying to stop her.

The abrasive sound Sophia Cloud produced was akin to rubbing styrofoam, enough to make anyone's skin crawl, and finally, Leo Harrell could no longer bear it and stood up.

"What are you doing here!"

The man looked down at Sophia Cloud from his greater height, a deep frown on his face and undisguised loathing in his eyes.

Sophia Cloud had thought she was numb to it all, but the glimpse of revulsion still managed to sting her heart.

She fought back tears and communicated wildly with hand gestures.

Leo Harrell barely glanced at her before a look of annoyance crossed his face — what could this woman possibly want other than money?

He turned and went inside, retrieving a card.

"There's two hundred thousand on this. Take it and leave at once!"

He flung the card at Sophia Cloud's feet, his disdainful tone as if he wished she would disappear from his sight immediately.

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Sophia Cloud picked up the card, two hundred thousand? She remembered Evelyn boasting that she had spent two million on a limited edition handbag.

"Leo, hurry inside, it's not good if you catch a cold from the rain," even though it was only two hundred thousand, Evelyn was not pleased. She did not allow Leo Harrell to show even a hint of softness, and she didn't want Sophia Cloud to get a penny. But, after all, in front of Leo Harrell, she had to restrain herself.

With a "bang," the door was forcefully shut.

The indifferent look in Leo Harrell's eyes flashed through Sophia Cloud's heart for a moment; she gripped the card, gritted her teeth, and walked away.

In the early morning hospital, after the doctors had finished diagnosing Arthur Harrell, the little guy had caught a chill due to the erratic weather recently, which had now developed into pneumonia.

Sophia Cloud was extremely anxious; she lifted her hands and started to gesture frantically. She wanted to ask how serious her son's illness was if it would take long to recover, and what they needed to be careful about.

This was just an ordinary hospital, and the doctor didn't understand her sign language, but he still patiently waited until she finished before he said, "I'm sorry, I can't understand sign language. You can type it out for me; if you have any questions, I will answer them."

Sophia Cloud's cheeks turned red, realizing she had been too excited, but then she thought that even a stranger was willing to respect her and listen to her until the end, yet her own husband did not care about her, nor did he care about their son.

And then there was Evelyn Smith, who, even though she had been her sister, showed not a shred of regard for their past relationship.

Evelyn was only half a year younger than her and was brought home by her father one day to the Cloud Family; since then, she became the foster daughter of the Cloud family. After the old master passed away and the Cloud family fell into decline, Evelyn left without hesitation.

Sophia had thought that Evelyn would leave the sea city far behind, and she was worried about her until after she got married, she found out that the person Leo Harrell loved was her once sister.

Sophia Cloud sat in front of her son's bed, shaking her head to force herself not to think about these messy things.

The nurse happened to knock on the door and come in, smiled slightly at her, and said, "Miss Cloud, the two hundred thousand you just paid is just enough for today's treatment and diagnostic fees. You'll need to prepare for the later medical expenses in advance."

Sophia Cloud froze for a moment, then immediately typed on her phone: How much?

"About five hundred thousand."

Five hundred thousand? She had braved the rain today to ask for only two hundred thousand, which was no small amount for her current situation.

Sophia Cloud nodded at the nurse to indicate that she understood, and after the nurse left, she dialed Leo Harrell's phone number.

No matter what, as Arthur's father, he had a responsibility.

The call was almost automatically disconnected when it was finally picked up, and Leo Harrell was silent, obviously not wanting to talk to her.

Just as she was about to send a message the next second, the call was disconnected.

Sophia Cloud bit her lower lip for a moment and then released it; forget it, she was also hoping for an immediate response which was why she thought of calling while sending a message.

Now she had no choice but to send a direct message asking for medical expenses.

Sophia Cloud clenched her phone tightly, waiting for a reply, a thin layer of sweat slowly seeping into her palm.

But what she didn't know was that inside Imperial View Manor, Evelyn Smith, wearing her nightgown, wrapped her arms around Leo Harrell's waist from behind, climbed onto his neck with her arms, snatched the phone away, cut off the call, and deleted the incoming message as well.

"Big brother Leo, there's thunder outside, I'm scared."

Evelyn Smith frowned, her voice trembling gently.

"Big brother Leo, will you stay by the bed and accompany me to sleep tonight? You know I'm most afraid of thunder."

Leo Harrell held her hand and turned around, recalling the little girl who used to cover her ears and tremble. A rare smile appeared on his face.

"Alright, I'll stay with you tonight; let's go!"

"Really? Thank you, Leo~"

Evelyn Smith deliberately widened her eyes, her pupils brimming with water and vulnerability, yet the deepest part of her eyes revealed a glint of triumph.