Ernest said calmly, "But that's just one aspect of it. Although I am grateful that you didn't know how to appreciate her, that doesn't mean I forgive you for the hurt you brought to Leah." Hogan stood there in shock, starting at Ernest.

"You didn't treat her and her sister fairly. You were always biased towards Rowane. I have already gotten a clear picture of what type of person Rowane is. Even after being rejected, she is insistent on bothering us. Even if they're sisters, you shouldn't have been so soft on her. Especially considering who she is. It's clear from their father's affair that if Rowane had been a good person, Leah wouldn't have wanted to hurt her. But the problem is, she isn't."

Ernest was very calm and clear with each word he spoke.

Hogan stood there stiffly. Although he was only half a head shorter than Ernest, it suddenly felt like Hogan was only two feet tall.

There were no swords drawn, no acts of brutality.

All there was was a calm and composed attitude. Hogan looked at the tall man in front of him, and all kinds of emotions poured out in his heart.

He had to admit that he had lost completely.

To be such a humble, mature, and rich heir, Hogan felt like he couldn't do it.

He felt even more guilty. He realized that it was perfectly logical for him to have lost Leah.

He was very upset, but he had to admit that Ernest was a wonderful person.

Hogan was deeply impressed. Ernest deserved Leah much more than he did.

With a slight frown, he said, "Yes, you are right. People never know what they have until it's gone. I was the same. I always thought Leah and I were destined to be since we were children. She was always smiling at me, so it never occurred to me that she would reject me one day. It's a pity."

"It's a pity because you wasted your time enjoying getting attention from both women. All the while, you forgot that you could be hurting them. It's not that you didn't know, you just ignored it." Ernest's words cut right through to Hogan's soft spot.

Hogan's entire body went rigid, feeling even more awkward.

His face was slightly pale, but he still nodded. "Yes, I suppose I did it on purpose."

Ernest's face turned cold, and his lips curled into a

smirk.

When he thought about all the harm he had brought to her, Ernest was still furious. But he had been brought up well, so he didn't show it much on his face.

"So I deserved it. I didn't get her, but what about you? Ernest, are you confident that you will always love and protect Leah like how you do now?"

"I think I should thank you for reminding me what to do. From now on, Leah and Is business will have nothing to do with you. We'll each go our own way from now," Ernest replied as he got ready to leave. "Please wait a moment." Hogan stopped him. He was rather nervous, as though he was worried Ernest might leave without hearing what he had to say.

Ernest stopped and turned back to look at Hogan. "Yes?"

Hogan looked at him and said genuinely, "When I found out you were from the Jones family, I did some research on you. I know you're studying in England right now. I was just wondering, how long will you be there for?"

Ernest frowned slightly. He didn't expect Hogan to be so well-informed to the point where Hogan would know that he was studying in England.

Ernest raised his eyebrows and asked, "What does this have to do with you?"

"Don't get me wrong. I just wanted to remind you to talk to Leah often even when you're abroad. She's not good at being alone. I've learnt from my past mistakes. Now I just hope Leah is better off. I am saying all this from the heart, and I truly don't have any ill intentions," Hogan said seriously.

Ernest observed Hogan carefully. He did seem to be quite serious.

Perhaps it was out of kindness.

Ernest didn't want to probe further. He nodded and said, "Thank you for your advice. I will contact Leah often, don't worry about it."

"That's good. I'll keep an eye on Rowane on my end. I won't let her harass Leah anymore. Honestly, it's a little late for me to be finally realizing this. I know Rowane is often up to no good, but I never paid enough attention before. That's why Leah ended up suffering so much."

Ernest raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Do you like Rowane?"

Hogan was slightly stunned and immediately shook his head. "How can I like Rowane? I like Leah."

Ernest snorted and smiled a little ironically. He said honestly, "Maybe you never realized your true feelings. Friendly reminder, if you don't like Rowane, I suggest you don't get too close to her. Even though she's really problematic and annoying, she's still a girl. Don't flirt with her if you don't like her. That's all I have to say, the rest is up to you."

This time, Ernest headed upstairs as soon as he finished speaking.

Downstairs, Hogan stood in the cold wind alone. Did he like Rowane?

He asked himself, "How could that be?"

He liked Leah, but he had already lost her now.

His heart had been broken into pieces. How could he like Rowane?

Before he could come back to his senses, the phone rang. The caller ID showed that Rowane was calling.

He frowned slightly and answered the phone, "Rowane, what's the matter?"

Rowane's aggrieved voice came from the other side of the phone. "Hogan, my father is scolding me again. He wants to see my sister, but she won't come to the hospital to see him. I don't know how I'm supposed to get her here."

Hogan frowned when he heard these words. His patience was not what it used to be and so he said coldly, "Rowane, did you even listen to what I told you yesterday? Leah is sick, she has the flu. I have told you several times. Leah can't go to the hospital because she doesn't want to infect him. Why can't you be more considerate of your sister? Stop being so selfish."

"Hogan." Rowane's voice trembled slightly. "Why are you being so fierce to me?"

Through the phone, he could hear Rowane's voice sounding even more upset and even choked with sobs.

In the past, every time he heard her delicate voice, his heart would soften. But after being rejected by Leah, the only emotion he felt was annoyance when he heard her voice.

He didn't know what had changed him. He just felt really irritated. He said harshly to the phone, "If you think I'm being fierce to you, then that just shows how immature you really are." Rowane remained silent for a long time. This was probably the harshest Hogan had ever been to her in the past two days.

In the past, Hogan would never have spoken that way. Now, for some reason, after Leah got a boyfriend, Hogan was no longer as gentle to Rowane as he used to be.

This realization made Rowane very angry, but there was nothing she could do. She said pitifully, "I'm the one at fault, I shouldn't have blamed my sister. I was wrong, please don't be angry."

Hogan hung up the phone and rubbed the center of his forehead to relieve some stress. Then, he slid his phone back into his pocket. Lately, he was becoming more and more aware of Rowane's issues. The more aware he became, the more he regretted his past actions.

He raised his head to look at Leah's floor. Anguish and remorse filled his heart.

Hogan finally turned around and left. His figure looked exceptionally desolate in the cold wind.

Meanwhile, Leah did not sleep. Since Ernest left, she had been staring at the ceiling and waiting for him to come back.

Time ticked by, and soon half an hour had passed. Leah was starting to get worried since Ernest still wasn't back yet.

Just then, the phone rang. Leah thought it was a call from Ernest, so she quickly grabbed her phone. Sadly, it was a call from her stepmother.

Leah's mind went blank. To be honest, she didn't want to pick up the call, but she was worried that something might have happened to her father in the hospital. Eventually, she still picked up. Through the phone, her stepmother's voice sounded, "Leah, you are so arrogant. It's been ages since you last came to visit your father. He's already complained multiple times. Do you even still have him in your heart?"

After being criticized, Leah didn't back down either. "I have a cold. If I go to the hospital, I'll infect dad. He's already so weak, he can't take any more. I already told Rowane about this, why hasn't she told you?"

"Oh please, that's just an excuse for you to not come visit, isn't it? You just hate your father for marrying me. Fine, don't come. But shouldn't you at least offer to pay for some of the expenses? It isn't cheap for your father to be staying here."

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