Chapter 262

That was a very small cake.

The cake boasted minimal decoration, adorned solely with plain white cream. Its singular embellishment was a lone birthday candle placed on top.

At this moment, the candle was crookedly stuck in the smashed cake, looking both pitiful and ridiculous.

Leo's expression froze for a second, and he murmured, "Today is my birthday."

Isabella froze for a second but quickly reacted, "Leo, stop pretending to be pitiful in front of me. Your birthday has nothing to do with me. Bringing me here forcefully constitutes abduction and is a criminal offense; I can press charges against you."

In her mind, this Leo, akin to Charles, never uttered a word of truth; their every action was a tapestry of deceit.

She wouldn't sympathize with Leo, not even a bit.

Leo, however, squatted down, scraped a piece of the cake with his hand, and tasted it. "The cake is sweet."

Isabella was speechless.

Leo looked up at her again. "I originally bought it for you to try. What a pity."

Isabella stared at Leo for a while, then walked away.

She got into the car and started looking for the car keys.

She refused to remain in the company of that madman, Leo!

"Are you looking for this?" Leo asked.

Isabella looked up, and Leo was standing in front of the car, one hand in his pocket and the other raised high, with a car key dangling from his finger.

Isabella got out of the car to grab it, but how could Leo possibly give it to her so easily?

Leo instead grabbed Isabella's wrist and pulled her over."Isabella, you had ruined my birthday cake. Shouldn't you compensate me?"

Isabella couldn't hold back anymore and cursed through gritted teeth, "Leo, you lunatic!"

Leo, instead of getting angry, smiled and said, "You're right. I am a lunatic."

He dangled the car key in front of her. "Want the car key?"

Isabella reached out to grab it.

But in the next second, Leo swung his hand back.

The car key drew a beautiful arc in the air and fell straight down the cliff.

Isabella's breath hitched. She broke free from Leo's hand and ran towards the cliff.

Pebbles rolled down the cliff as she kicked them. Just as she was about to rush down, Leo grabbed her waist from behind, and he pulled her away from the dangerous area.

"Lunatic, let go of me!" Isabella struggled.

Leo pressed her onto a chair, securing her. "If you want the key, spend this birthday with me."

Isabella's eyes turned red. "You are dreaming!"

She slapped Leo and got up to walk back the way she came.

She thought, 'If I can't drive back, I will walk. As long as I get to the main road, I can definitely hitch a ride.'

This time, Leo didn't stop her; he just stood there, calling her name over and over again.

"Isabella!"

"Isabella!"

Isabella never looked back. The more Leo called, the faster she walked. She only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

Seeing that Isabella was really about to walk away, Leo punched the car hood hard. "Isabella, do you still want the evidence of Charles' crimes?"

As expected, Isabella stopped.

But she didn't walk back. She stood far away, looking at Leo.

She was doubting Leo's words. After all, Leo was a habitual liar.

"Come back," Leo said, "Spend this birthday with me, and I'll give you the evidence of Charles' crimes."

Isabella was reluctant to trust Leo, but her desperation for evidence against Charles made her hesitate. She knew that only with proof could Sebastian free himself from the clutches of his monstrous father.

As the sun dipped lower, casting a golden hue over everything, Leo stood there, his features shrouded in the fading light. At that moment, Isabella found herself feeling oddly sorry for him.

She took a few steps forward, and with each step, Leo's face came into clearer view. By the time she reached him, he greeted her with a smile. "I knew you'd come back."

Isabella's frown returned, and her fleeting sympathy vanished. "Leo, are you serious about this? Will you really help me get evidence on Charles?"

"It all depends on how you play it."

With that, Leo turned away, but Isabella had barely started moving when he pulled her back.

"I meant what I said. I won't go back on my word."

She withdrew her hand and took a seat. The cake was gone, leaving only some juice and snacks behind.

Leo picked up a candle from the remnants of the cake and fished out a lighter. He tried to light it, but the strong wind on the cliff extinguished the flame almost immediately.

Undeterred, he struck the lighter again.

With the car windows tightly sealed, the candle finally stayed lit, casting a steady glow.

Leo grinned. "See? It's lit now."

Isabella rolled her eyes. She thought, 'Seriously, how could someone his age be so childish?'

He held the candle out to her with a particularly earnest expression. "As a favor, could you sing me a birthday song?"

Isabella's face was expressionless. "Sorry, I don't sing."

It wasn't that she couldn't sing; she simply refused to. Leo's birthday was already a farce in her eyes. The only reason she was sticking around was because he might be useful to her. Otherwise, she'd have been long gone by now.

Leo wasn't bothered. He started singing the birthday song to himself, his off-key voice echoing through the car.

Isabella couldn't help but be annoyed.

After finishing the song, Leo said, "Can you hold the candle for me, Isabella? I'd like to make a wish."

Isabella hesitated for a moment but eventually extended her hand to hold the candle.

Leo clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and made his wish with an exaggerated sense of reverence.

One minute passed.

Two minutes ticked by.

As the wax began to build up on Isabella's fingers, Leo was still going strong.

Unable to bear it any longer, Isabella spoke up. "Are you making a wish or falling asleep?"

She hoped he wasn't about to drop dead on her.

Leo opened his eyes. "Done."

He then blew out the candle.

Just as Isabella was about to pull her hand away, Leo grabbed it tightly.

"What are you doing?" Isabella's reaction was sharp as she tried to pull her hand back.

"Don't move!" Leo held on firmly, pulling out a few wet wipes from the glove compartment and gently wiping the wax off her fingers.

"I can handle it," Isabella said, pulling her hand away and grabbing a couple of wipes to clean her hands herself.