Chapter 139
Seeing Sophia, Brady tactfully left.
I wanted to leave, too, but Leopold held my hand firmly.
"Why should you feel guilty? The one who should leave isn't you."
Before I could respond, Sophia let out a shriek.
"Leo, how can you hold her hand?"
Leopold replied calmly, "Cindy and I are engaged. What's wrong with holding hands?"
Sophia looked utterly incredulous. "But... but you've already broken off the engagement. This will make people misunderstand."
"And your grandmother already said she'd pick a good date for us to get married. Have you forgotten?"
Leopold remained unmoved. "You said yourself—that's Grandma's idea, not mine."
"Sophia, I told you from the very beginning that the person I'm marrying has always been Lucinda."
Sophia's eyes immediately reddened as she shook her head continuously. "No, I'm the one you're going to marry."
"I'm carrying your child, and I gave up everything abroad to come back for you. You promised to marry me..."
She cried pitifully. "Leo, did I do something wrong recently? Tell me what it was. I can change. But don't make this kind of joke—it hurts me."
Not wanting to get caught between them, I tried to pull my hand free and leave.
Sophia grabbed me, her nails practically embedding in my flesh.
Her tone was aggressive.
"Lucinda, how can you be so shameless? Are you addicted to stealing men?"
"You're already living with that guy named Leo, and now you're here seducing Leopold again. Do you just love seducing men?"
"We're both women, and I'm carrying Leopold's child. Doesn't your conscience hurt treating me like this?"
Though this was a private floor, other people were staying here too.
Her tearful accusations immediately drew some onlookers.
"Sophia, let go."
Noticing people watching, Leopold warned Sophia.
"I won't!"
Sophia's face was full of pain. "I gave up everything for you, gambled my entire future, even agreed to have a child out of wedlock for you—how can you be with someone else?"
Leopold's expression instantly darkened. "Whether this child is mine, you know the truth. Don't force me to make a scene here!"
Sophia's expression froze.
I took the opportunity to pull my hand back. "Sophia, we both know who the real homewrecker is between us."
"If I hear you slandering me again, I'll expose everything you did behind my back and let the Guise family share in your disgrace!"
Sophia whipped her head toward me, furious and resentful.
Leopold gestured to his security. "Escort Ms. Guise back to the Guise Villa."
Sophia's demeanor changed instantly. "Leo, don't send me back to the Guise Villa. They all want to see me humiliated. I can't go back!"
Leopold didn't listen. "That's your problem. If you dared to lie, you should have known this day would come."
"No!" Sophia reached for his hand. "Leo, your grandmother won't approve of you treating me like this. If she finds out you're sending me back to the Guise Villa, she'll definitely get upset. Don't anger her, please?"
Leopold coldly avoided her hand. "If you hadn't mentioned my grandmother, I might have almost forgotten."
He turned to instruct the security. "Have someone watch her. Don't let her go to the estate and disturb my grandmother's recovery."
Sophia's face went pale rapidly. "Leo, you can't do this to me!"
Leopold waved his hand.
The security guards physically grabbed Sophia and dragged her out.
Afraid Sophia would cause more commotion, they even covered her mouth.
I watched Sophia being taken away, but didn't feel satisfied—instead, I felt an indescribable heaviness.
If Leopold really had no feelings for Sophia, he should have made things clear much earlier, rather than letting it reach this point before sending her away.
"I've already sent Sophia away. Why aren't you happy?"
Leopold sensed my poor mood and asked in a low voice.
I looked up at him. "Leopold, do you really not like Sophia?"
"Of course not," Leopold answered without hesitation. "If I really liked her, how could I have been attracted to you?"
"Then why were you two so intimate before?"
Leopold pressed me down into a chair, leaning forward to explain. "Because you made me angry."
"Me?" I didn't understand. "What did I do to make you so angry?"
Leopold's expression paused slightly, his eyes darkening a bit. "Cindy, when you were with me, it was genuine, wasn't it?"
What kind of question was that?
Though confused, I still nodded honestly.
If it wasn't genuine, what else could it have been?
Leopold raised his hand to touch my face, his lips curving in a faint arc.
"That's enough then."
My face showed confusion. "Are you keeping something from me?"
Leopold's deep features softened slightly. "Don't overthink it. I'm not hiding anything from you."
I still had doubts.
But seeing his unwillingness to elaborate, I knew I wouldn't get answers now and had to let it go for the moment.
"By the way, your parents contacted me last night. I told them you were safe. They said they want you to come home for dinner tonight."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but be surprised. "Why did my parents contact you instead of me?"
The curve of Leopold's lips deepened. "Guess?"
"How would I know?" I reached for my pocket, belatedly remembering my phone had been smashed last night.
The next second, a phone appeared before me.
It was my original one.
"I took your phone before because I was afraid you'd contact people you shouldn't. But now I trust you, so I'm returning it."
I knew he meant my senior Ethan.
Before, I could have argued confidently, but now even I wasn't sure anymore.
"Thank you."
I accepted the phone, holding it carefully.
"Let's go to my parents' house together tonight for dinner. I also have something I need to tell you."
Leopold looked puzzled. "Can't you tell me now?"
What I wanted to discuss was going abroad, but I hadn't figured out how to bring it up yet.
"Not now. Tonight."
Leopold had no choice but to stop asking.
Afterward, he had to go to the Percy Group Building for a meeting and dropped me off at Bayview Villas on the way.
When we parted, I couldn't help asking again, "Are you still the Percy Group heir or not?"
Leopold countered, "Do you want the truth or a lie?"
"The truth, of course."
Leopold's voice grew heavier. "No."
My heart clenched sharply. "Will you be ostracized at the Percy Group?"
Leopold considered for a moment before answering, "There'll be some trouble, but it's manageable. I can handle it."
I couldn't help lowering my head. "Is it because of me?"
Sophia had said before that he'd given up being the Percy Group heir for me, throwing the Percy family into chaos.
"No."
Leopold's denial made me look up in shock.
"Don't worry about these things. Everything at the company is under my control. If you want to worry about something, worry about me instead."
I fell silent.
After getting out of Leopold's car, Ethan called me again.
But I didn't answer.
After the call automatically disconnected, the private investigator called.
"Ms. Wipere, I have a lead on what you asked me to investigate. Is it convenient to meet now?"
"Yes. Send me the address."