ELLA.
What in the hell was he doing here?
The question exploded inside my head the very mont my eyes landed on him.
How did he even get this address?
More importantly, how did he know that this was where I lived with the triplets?
My heart instantly skipped a beat as dozens of questions flooded my mind all at once. I had never told him where I lived. Not once. I was certain of it. I had always kept my personal life separate from work, especially when it ca to the triplets.
So how was he standing right here in front of the house?
"Micheal, what are you doing here?" I asked imdiately the mont Leonard finally put down.
My voice ca out sharper than I intended.
A wave of embarrassnt washed over almost instantly. Without wasting another second, I hurriedly adjusted my dress and smoothed down the wrinkles that had ford. My cheeks burned with humiliation as I beca painfully aware that Micheal had witnessed the entire scene.
I avoided looking directly at him for a mont as I tried desperately to regain my composure.
"You weren’t at work, Ella, so I was worried," Micheal blurted out quickly. "I had to ask for your address because you weren’t returning any of my ssages."
The explanation ca out in a rush, as though he had rehearsed it beforehand.
The mont he finished speaking, my eyes imdiately shifted toward the triplets.
Their expressions had changed completely, as the warmth that had been there monts ago had vanished—their faces had darkened visibly and their jaws were clenched.
Their eyes were fixed on Micheal with an intensity that made my stomach tighten.
The atmosphere around us suddenly felt heavy—dangerously heavy.
"And who did you ask?" Leonard questioned calmly, raising one brow as he stared directly at Micheal.
His tone wasn’t loud, it wasn’t aggressive but sohow that made the question even more intimidating.
A strange feeling of uneasiness imdiately settled inside .
I didn’t know why.
Perhaps it was the way Leonard had asked the question.
Or perhaps it was because I suddenly realized that Micheal hadn’t actually answered how he had gotten the address.
"I know this is also your house, sir," Micheal replied instead. "I was surprised actually, but I really needed to see my friend."
His voice sounded slightly strained, as though he was carefully choosing his words and as though he was trying very hard not to say the wrong thing.
"That wasn’t what he asked you," Lurgard spoke up this ti, his voice slightly louder than before.
A clear warning lingered beneath every word and the smile on his face had disappeared completely.
His gaze remained locked on Micheal.
"Exactly, Micheal," Lawrence added smoothly.
He calmly slipped both hands into his pockets before taking a slow step forward. His movents were relaxed. The kind of calmness that made a person even more nervous.
"Because I don’t actually recall us adding an address to Theresa’s file."
A sudden laugh escaped him, the sound was soft and almost amused. Yet sohow it made the tension in the air feel even thicker.
He shook his head lightly before looking directly at Micheal once again.
"So how did you get it, Micheal?" he asked.
The question hung heavily in the silence that followed, and no one spoke, nor did anyone move.
Everyone was waiting, including . My curiosity had completely taken over now.
Slowly, I raised my brows and stared at Micheal, while waiting and watching, expecting an answer.
Because now, I wanted to know too.
Micheal cleared his throat softly, obviously preparing to say sothing.
His lips parted slightly, and for a brief mont, it looked as though he had finally gathered enough courage to answer the question that everyone was waiting for.
But before a single word could leave his mouth, Leonard suddenly cut him off.
A smirk slowly spread across his handso face as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Relax, Micheal. It isn’t ti yet..." Leonard said casually.
A small smirk played on his lips as he spoke, his tone light and almost amused.
To anyone listening, the words might have sounded harmless, ordinary, even but there was sothing about them that imdiately caught my attention.
Sothing that didn’t sit right with .
My brows slowly furrowed as confusion settled over .
What exactly was that supposed to an?
It isn’t ti yet?
Ti for what?
The statent sounded strangely specific, as though Leonard was referring to sothing only he understood.
I found myself staring at him, trying to read his expression and trying to figure out if there was so hidden aning behind his words.
But Leonard simply stood there looking completely at ease. The faint smile remained on his face, making it impossible to tell what was going through his mind.
I wasn’t the only one confused, turning my head slightly, I glanced toward Lurgard and Lawrence.
Both n wore almost identical expressions, as their brows were knitted together and their eyes narrowed slightly as they looked at Leonard.
For a brief mont, they exchanged glances. The kind of glance that silently asked a hundred questions without a single word being spoken.
Then their attention shifted back to Leonard once again.
Clearly, they were just as puzzled as I was, yet one person stood out.
Micheal.
Unlike the rest of us, he didn’t appear confused and he didn’t ask any questions, he didn’t look surprised and he didn’t even look uncomfortable.
Instead, he remained remarkably calm.
His expression barely changed.
It was almost as though Leonard’s words made perfect sense to him and almost as though he understood exactly what Leonard ant.
That alone made my confusion deepen.
If the rest of us were lost, why wasn’t Micheal?
Why did he seem so calm?
The more I thought about it, the stranger the situation felt.
"As you can see, Theresa is fine," Leonard continued, his smile brightening slightly as he spoke.
The words were delivered politely and almost warmly, yet there was an unmistakable finality in his tone.
A clear dismissal.
"You can leave now."
The smile never left his lips, If anything, it widened, yet sohow, the atmosphere felt even more awkward than before.
The tension in the air was impossible to ignore.
Taking a slow breath, I tried my best to pretend everything was normal.
I tried to ignore the strange silence.
I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling twisting inside my stomach.
Most importantly, I tried to ignore the fact that everyone seed to be staring at one another as though there was so secret conversation happening that I wasn’t a part of.
"Sir..." Micheal began, his voice hesitant and uncertain, as though he desperately wanted to say sothing important.
But before he could continue, I quickly interrupted him.
"Micheal... let see you off," I said imdiately.
The words ca out faster than I intended.
Honestly, I didn’t want him standing there any longer.
The triplets clearly didn’t want him around.
That much was obvious from the looks on their faces and if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t want him around either.
Especially not right now when everything already felt so complicated.
Without giving anyone the opportunity to object, I reached for his arm.
My fingers wrapped around his sleeve, and I gently pulled him toward the door.
"Co on," I muttered.
Thankfully, he didn’t resist.
A few monts later, we stepped outside and the cool air imdiately hit my face. I released a long breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.
Then I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.
The mont the door closed behind us, I turned to face him fully.
"What’s going on, Micheal?" I asked imdiately, my voice firm and direct.
I needed answers.
Micheal looked at for a few seconds before lowering his gaze.
"I... actually..." he began, his voice trailing off uncertainly. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing visibly before he forced himself to continue. "I was just concerned. I didn’t see you at work, and then the video that went viral... I figured you might need company."
His explanation sounded sincere.
Genuine, even.
The concern in his voice didn’t seem forced, and his eyes held a level of honesty that should have reassured .
Yet, despite that, sothing still felt off.
Sothing I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
Taking a slow, steady breath, I folded my arms across my chest and continued staring at him, waiting patiently for more.
"I... actually... I..." Micheal started again.
But once more, the words refused to co. His mouth opened and then closed. He looked away, and then back at .
His fingers twitched nervously by his side.
It was obvious that he was struggling.
And that only made more curious.
Slowly, I raised my brows.
What exactly was he trying so hard to say?
Why was it so difficult?
What words were trapped inside his head that he couldn’t bring himself to speak?
And more importantly...what exactly was going on inside Micheal’s mind?
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