The little girl was very clingy. When Leo awoke in the night, he felt someone standing by the bed and saw the little girl holding a doll as soon as he turned on the light.
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
The July weather was somewhat stifling, and Leo slept with the air conditioning on. It was a bit cold, so he kept the blanket on.
Holly, holding a doll, stood trembling slightly by Leo's bedside, looking at him with innocent eyes. "Brother, I'm scared."
"Scared of what?"
Leo looked puzzled at the terrified little girl.
The curtains were drawn, so Leo got up and pulled them open. It was raining heavily outside, but Leo slept soundly as the windows were closed, and he didn't hear the commotion outside.
Holly looked pitifully at Leo, holding her doll tighter, her body trembling intensely.
"Don't be afraid, Holly. Brother is here."
Leo squatted down, gently rubbed Holly's head, and comforted her softly.
With Leo's height of one eighty meters, Holly seemed even more delicate at one fifty-five next to him.
"Brother, hug."
Holly plunged into Leo's embrace, holding tight with her head buried in his chest.
Initially, Leo's body was a bit stiff, but he didn't feel uncomfortable afterward. As he looked down at the furry head in his arms, he found the touch quite comforting.
The little girl was scared of the thunder.
"Don't be afraid, Holly. Brother is here."
Leo gently patted Holly's back, comforting her softly.
The little girl was trembling quite intensely.
"Brother, can you come with me back to the room?"
Holly lifted her head, gently biting her lip, her eyes damp and pleading as she looked at Leo.
"Alright."
Leo chuckled lightly, picked the little girl up horizontally, and walked into her bedroom.
The little girl appeared a bit chubby, but once held, felt light and weightless.
With utmost care, he laid the little girl down on the bed and covered her with the blanket.
"Brother, don't leave. I'm scared."
Holly grabbed Leo's arm, gently biting her lower lip, her eyes moist and revealing her fear.
Suddenly, thunder crashed outside, and the little girl shuddered, grabbing Leo's hand tighter, her fear evident.
"Alright, brother won't leave; brother will stay with you."
Leo sat by the bed, tugging the blanket over Holly softly and gently.
Why did he feel so defenseless toward this little girl? His heart usually wasn't soft, unsure of why he couldn't be firm with her.
Damn, this feeling wasn't good.
"Sleep well, Brother is watching over you."
Holly blinked at Leo, "Brother, come up and sleep."
She patted the empty spot beside herself eagerly, her eyes genuine, without any hidden motives, extremely pure.
"Brother just needs to watch over you."
Leo was stunned momentarily; did this little girl not understand the concept of male and female differences?
The little girl appeared soft and lovable, looking incredibly innocent, like a white sheet of paper, as if she was raised pampered by her family.
"Then brother must keep his promise and not leave."
The little girl's eyes were wide open, looking at Leo with trust.
Holly clutched Leo's hand, falling into a deep sleep. When asleep, the little girl was extremely quiet, as quiet as a porcelain doll.
——
"Brother, good morning."
Holly woke up early, immediately seeing Leo's face upon waking, and quickly flashing a bright smile.
"Morning."
Leo hadn't really slept the whole night, keeping watch over Holly, and only dozing off briefly.
"Brother is going back to his room now."
Leo gently patted Holly's head, then walked out of her room.
When he opened his door, seeing the situation inside, he was flabbergasted.
The window was open, the room a complete mess, various knife marks slashed across the blanket, and the wardrobe doors were ajar; in essence, the room was disorganized.
No, when he left the room last night, everything was fine, but now it was in disarray, with the window obviously pried open.
The room was permeated with an unfamiliar scent.
Leo was somewhat obsessed with cleanliness; his room was usually orderly, faintly scented with Gucci perfume, without any other smells. But now, there was a distinct unfamiliar odor mixed in the air.
Incense, or?
Leo didn't dare imagine. If Holly hadn't been scared of the thunder and sought him out last night, he might not be here now.
"Brother, why is your room so messy?"
Holly walked over to Leo, who stood puzzled at his room's doorway, glancing inside curiously.
"It was accidentally messed up."
Leo said slowly, aware it was an assassination attempt, someone wanted him dead.
There were indeed many people in the world who wanted his life; after a period of calm, it seemed it had started again.
"Brother, why does your room smell like ether?"
Holly raised her head, looking at Leo with a bewildered expression, her eyes filled with curiosity like a little child knowing nothing.
Ether?
Leo frowned slightly, "Holly, how do you know the room smells like ether?"
Leo bent slightly, looking at Holly, asking seriously. The odor was not very pungent, almost negligible.
Since his room always smelled of Gucci perfume, with some unfamiliar scent mixed in, Leo instantly noticed the difference.
Holly immediately recognized the unfamiliar substance as ether.
"I just smelled it."
Holly blinked, speaking with pure innocence.
Ether could cause unconsciousness. On a rainy day, people usually sleep deeply, but without Holly, he might have ended up like the blanket on the bed, never seeing today's sun.
"Holly, be good and go wash up, then have breakfast downstairs."
Leo stroked Holly's head, softly encouraging her to go downstairs.
As Holly went downstairs, Mrs. Hayes was just coming up, "Master, let me tidy up."
She'd been with Leo for a long time; incidents like these were not new, but this was the first time Leo emerged unscathed.
"Alright."
Leo replied briefly, then headed over to the hallway to make a phone call.
"Investigate who attacked me last night."
Leo spoke concisely.
"Damn, you were attacked again! How are you, is it serious?"
On the other end of the phone, Noah Raines jumped up from the sofa.
Leo's identity was special; being attacked was a common occurrence, always ending up with minor injuries.
"It's fine, just investigate it."
After speaking, Leo hung up, considering the little girl downstairs might be getting anxious.