The Pretend Wife (on hold)

Chapter 21

Leon cleared his throat, giving Mia a blinding smile. Mia harrumphed coldly, waiting for his next explanation.

His ideas about living together were too bizarre and inappropriate for her to accept. He had messaged her last night to inform her about the next thing she should do.

She wouldn't want to do that even if he gave her his entire company in exchange.

"Why don't you try to negotiate?"  His voice was pleasing to the ears, making Mia narrow her eyes.

Who was he calling on the phone just now?

It was such a miracle that someone as stubborn as him backed down willingly.

Mia appeared to be doubtful as she stared at Leon's nonchalant attitude. It was hard to glean whether he was just playing or was he serious about it.

"Why are you asking about something like that all of a sudden?" Mia asked, sipping on the coffee.

Leon stopped, his clear eyes momentarily took a glance at Mia's expressionless face before looking away. He put his hand on his chin as if pondering her question. "Why do you want to know?"

Mia's forehead wrinkled slightly, forming a little frown. She tilted her head unyieldingly. She wanted to know to what kind of extent he was willing to compromise.

She pressed. "Is that such a hard question to answer?"

Leon didn't even look up to look at her. He paused briefly before answering with shrug. "I don't know when, but Mom wants to see you."

Mia almost spurted the coffee inside her mouth. She took a napkin to rub and clean her lips. When she was done, she gazed at Leon as if he was crazy.

"The gaze you are looking at me right now is asking me whether I am insane," Leon stated calmly. "It can be true."

"You are serious?" Mia asked, feeling yet another headache coming. She felt as if she couldn't get a little bit of rest, both physically and mentally.

"Of course," Leon answered with a shrug.

"Do you agree just like that?" Mia sighed in resignation. She bit on her lips.

Leon coughed a little, his hands playing with the glass of coffee while his eyes didn't meet hers. "It's just that, for the past five years, Mom had asked for you..."

Mia almost forgot about this. She had gone for almost five years. How did this man handle his mother then? What kind of excuses he had prepared in store for her?

Her mind couldn't help but wandered a little. But it was also none of her concern. It didn't worth the headache to think about it. Just let Leon handled the rest.

"Did you have a substitute?" Mia asked, her voice was slightly strange.

She didn't know when, but Mia could notice that somehow her entire person had undergone some changes. She had become less indifferent and more talkative. She'd take this change in a good way.

"What substitute?" Leon had a confused look on his face as he gazed at Mia.

Mia was a little surprised. "I meant, I was gone for five years...?"

Leon shook her head, smirking with no good intention. Mia ignored this as she waited for his further explanation.

Leon wanted to tease her, but seeing her cold expression, he decided not to perturb her for today. "I created excuses that you were sick. Ahem... that's also why I told Mom that we haven't had a child yet..."

Mia's eyes flashed slightly.

"Every time Mom comes here, I told her that you are on vacation." Leon continued.

Mia was a bit speechless by his skill to lie through the teeth that even his mother got fooled. Is being such a crafty and scheming person had been deep-rooted into his bones that it was now akin to his second nature?

She was still doubtful, but under Leon's solemn face, she couldn't find any plausible reason to refute his claim.

Mia hesitated slightly. Truthfully, she still wasn't ready to meet Leon's mother. It had been years since the last time she met her.

"Can you give me some more time?" Mia finally decided to be honest. "I am still not ready."

In order to wrest some control from Leon's clutch, she had to be able to negotiate well. She had to match his scheming ways, somehow.

Leon blinked, his guise turned a little bright as a devilish smile decorated his face. "As I've said, we need to do more preparation. Living together is one of them. If you agree, I may be able to talk it out with Mom."

Mia frowned as she retorted. "You said you would let me negotiate."

Leon's eyes widened slightly as he folded his hands on the table. With a seemingly harmless smile, he made a gesture with his hand. "Go ahead then, I am waiting for your negotiation."

Mia's lips couldn't help but twitch slightly.

"I don't want to go to your house," Mia said, refusing vehemently. She had somehow found an odd thought about Leon a while ago. Now, she just wanted to test whether her conjecture was true.

"How about me go to yours, then?" Leon's smile widened.

Mia took it back. He wasn't an easy person to negotiate.

"What I am going to do at your house then?" Mia decided to ask. Her feet were beginning to feel sore for sitting too long. "Cleaning your house, doing dishes, and cooking?"

Those were supposed to be a maid's job. But Mia couldn't think of any other job.

Leon shook her head. "Of course not."

"Then?" Mia coldly asked.

"Hmm, let me think about it first." Leon shrugged.

Mia's eye twitched. She was just so annoyed that she couldn't help but smile right now. The not so genuine smile brought a surprise to Leon's eyes.

"If you agree, I will think about it. It wasn't that hard though." Leon shrugged. "I mean, I just want you to get used to living in my house. Mom loves her tea. If she asks you to have tea time together, you should've been familiar with the house already. Lest you would make a mistake of putting the salt instead of sugar."

Mia rolled her eyes. He wasn't speaking from experience, was he?

"If you don't agree, how about spending Friday and the weekends in my house?" Leon glanced at her. On the weekends, he would stay at home more, making it so that she would see him more often.

Mia shook her head. "I don't want to have a sleepover."

"No problem. You can come home afterward." Leon shrugged nonchalantly.

Mia blinked, a little bit surprised. "How about three days not in weekends in each week?"

Leon shook his head. "No."

"Two days?"

Leon raised his eyebrow, letting out a deep chuckle. He didn't seem to be bothered by her words. "I don't agree with your suggestion of three days, what makes you think that I would agree to two days?"

Mia kept her silence. She began to sip on the previously boiling coffee that was now no longer warm, waiting for Leon's next words.

"Nope." Leon finally said. "If you say four days, I will even take you home afterward."

Mia shook her head. "Four days without you having to take me home and we have a deal."

Mia wanted to spend the weekend with Aiden. Spending some more time with Leon on workdays wouldn't matter much anyway.

Leon's eyes had traces of amusement, but thankfully he didn't open his mouth. Mia tried to appear as unbothered as she could be. She began to take her own attention somewhere else.

"Alright." Leon nodded with his fingers supporting his chin.

Mia nodded curtly in acknowledgment. She had unwittingly noticed him glancing at his phone several times throughout the discussion. It seemed that he was also talking to someone while having a conversation with her.