The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 694

Leilani had also seen the news about the Sloan Group in the financial papers. She treated it as a joke, skimming it without much concern for the family's actual situation.

As it happened, Ethan Jenkins had just returned from a business trip. He called Leilani and asked to meet, saying he wanted to give her the birthday present he hadn’t been able to give her on time.

Leilani readily agreed; she also wanted to ask him about the patient from the other day.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting a warm glow on the wooden tabletop. They had arranged to meet at a coffee shop near Leilani’s clinic.

When she pushed open the door, Ethan was already waiting for her at a window seat. He was dressed in a simple dark shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Two cups of coffee sat on the table; one was half-empty, while steam was still rising from the other.

“Sorry, have you been waiting long?” Leilani asked, sitting down across from him.

Ethan looked up, his eyes meeting hers as a smile touched his lips. “Not at all. I just got here.”

He pushed the coffee toward her. “I ordered you a cappuccino with one sugar and one milk. It was a bit of a guess, so I’m not sure if it’s to your taste.”

Leilani was pleasantly surprised. “You guessed perfectly. I don’t usually drink coffee, but when I do, I always add sugar and milk.”

Ethan chuckled. “I just guessed based on your personality. You never liked bitter things when we were kids, so I got you a cappuccino since the coffee flavor isn’t too strong.”

Leilani picked up the bracelet. The silver leaf glinted in the sunlight.

Ethan nodded. “I remember when we were kids, you loved collecting the ginkgo leaves that fell from the tree at the edge of the village and pressing them in your books. You used to say they were like little fans that could blow all your troubles away. I saw this bracelet at the mall today and immediately thought you’d love it, so I bought it. I hope it can carry away all your worries, just like those leaves did. So... do you like it?”

A wave of nervousness washed over Ethan, wondering if she’d like the gift.

Leilani was taken aback, surprised he remembered such a small detail. A faint feeling of something being not quite right stirred within her, but she couldn't put her finger on it.