The Contract Wife Tries to Leave - Chapter 96
Did he hear it?
Ilian’s final words had been quiet, but loud enough for Leonid to have heard. That thought had been gnawing at Johanna ever since. Her heart raced irregularly with creeping anxiety.
What if Leonid misunderstood her relationship with Ilian? If that were the case, he could accuse her of violating their contract, which would be disastrous.
Inside the carriage, Leonid and Johanna sat across from each other in silence.
A few moments ago, Johanna had harshly rebuked her father before sending him off, despite his tearful apologies. Although Philip had fallen into Ilian’s trap, Johanna couldn’t forgive him, not even under those circumstances.
Leonid had discreetly paid off the coffee house owner and staff to ensure their silence. Watching that happen made Johanna feel like something inside her had been shredded.
She had only ever received help from Leonid, and all she had shown him were her shameful moments. She hadn’t expected him to so easily pay off the 40,000 rubles. Thinking back to that moment made her cheeks flush with heat. She was mortified to her core.
This wasn’t something Leonid should have had to deal with. After all, they were bound by contract, and while they maintained the appearance of a loving couple, he had no obligation to cover for her father’s disgrace.
She felt like she had begged for a handout, even though she hadn’t asked for help or expected him to resolve it for her.
Ultimately, this was all her father’s fault. He was a burden on her life, a shackle around her ankle. If he had tied Daniel’s life down in the same way… she might have wished her father would disappear altogether.
“…Aren’t you going to ask?”
Leonid’s voice cut through the silence, pulling her from her thoughts. Johanna looked up at him, startled. She blinked a few times, not quite understanding his question.
What was he asking her about?
“The loan shark following you around… Aren’t you curious how I know him?”
“Oh…”
Now that he mentioned it, it was strange that the two seemed familiar with each other. And not just familiar—they appeared to be on hostile terms. After a brief hesitation, Johanna spoke up.
“How do you know him?”
“…When I was a kid…”
Leonid absentmindedly reached into his pocket, only to realize he didn’t have his cigarette case with him. He sighed and instead pulled out a sour lemon candy from his other pocket, popping it into his mouth.
“I was kidnapped by a human trafficking ring. They were from Arberk.”
“I’ve read about it before… in an article.”
The man who had saved sixteen-year-old Johanna from being kidnapped by the same Arberk traffickers was none other than Leonid himself. Though he likely didn’t remember that she was the one he had rescued.
“Yeah, it made the news a few times. Back then and since then. People love bringing it up. I guess it was a pretty big deal for the country—the only hyper-dominant alpha heir of House Elderique nearly sold as a breeding stud to a foreign nation. That was quite a shock.”
“……”
“Anyway… that’s when I met that foul-mouthed bastard. His father was the one backing the human traffickers who kidnapped me.”
Johanna’s eyes widened in shock. She never imagined that the connection between the two could be so twisted. Her expression betrayed her surprise, and Leonid let out a small laugh before continuing.
“And it was Ilian Rediess who let me go. Of course, it was part of some deal.”
Johanna wanted to ask what kind of deal, but the words wouldn’t come. She simply listened silently to the story Leonid was telling her.
“So, what about you?”
“Huh?”
“What’s your connection to that loan shark bastard?”
The sudden, direct question left Johanna speechless, her mind going blank. Before she could gather her thoughts, Leonid pressed her even further.
“I know your father’s in debt to him, both now and before, so you don’t need to explain that.”
“……”
“And you entered into this contract marriage with me to get a large sum of money to pay off that debt, right?”
…Of course, he would have known all of this. He must have investigated everything about her and her family before their marriage. Hearing him mention the debt wasn’t surprising, so why…
Why was her heart racing so fast, and why was cold sweat starting to form?
