Chapter 158
Leopold's words sent the temperature plummeting.
I stared at him in disbelief. Wasn't he supposed to take Sophia's side and smooth things over? Why was he standing up for me?
Everyone else went pale, panic written across their faces.
Olivia completely lost it. "Mr. Percy, you can't do this to the Thomas family! It was my fault—I'll apologize to Lucinda right now. You can't kick us out!"
When Leopold remained silent, she whipped toward me, immediately backpedaling.
"Lucinda, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those things. Please forgive me."
Watching her panic didn't bring me any satisfaction—if anything, it made my chest feel heavier.
What was Leopold playing at?
In Silverlight City, the Percy family practically ruled everything, their business empire reaching into countless industries. If the Thomas family actually got kicked out tonight, their company would be drowning in contract cancellations by tomorrow, effectively blacklisted from high society.
Sure, Olivia's words were harsh, but this consequence seemed extreme.
"Cindy, could you give Olivia another chance? If you're still upset, I can apologize on her behalf."
The moment Sophia finished speaking, Olivia grabbed her hand, visibly moved. "Sophia, thank you for standing up for me."
I looked at Leopold, my voice flat. "Forget it. I won't hold it against her."
Leopold's expression darkened instantly. "Suit yourself."
His face like stone, he turned and left through the crowd.
"Leo." Sophia had no choice but to hurry after him.
The gathered crowd dispersed as well.
Olivia also turned to leave, but not before shooting me a resentful glare—as if I'd been the one to wrong her.
"Cindy, you shouldn't have let Olivia off. Judging by her attitude, she'll cause more trouble down the line."
Ethan looked at me with some concern.
I shrugged it off. "I'm leaving the country tonight anyway. We won't cross paths again—she couldn't make trouble even if she wanted to."
Ethan's expression eased. "Fair point. I've already made the arrangements. But..." He lowered his voice. "My people watching Jason just reported in. Let's talk over there."
I quickly collected myself and followed him aside.
"Five minutes ago, Jason went to the dressing room to find Sophia. She was alone at the time. To avoid tipping them off, our guys didn't get too close, but they heard arguing inside."
Hearing this, I wasn't surprised. From our two encounters, I'd sensed discord between Jason and Sophia.
"Did they catch what the argument was about?"
"Bits and pieces. Jason accused Sophia of breaking their agreement—she probably didn't stick to whatever they'd planned. But the specifics, we don't know."
I thought for a moment before speculating, "Is it possible Sophia's return to the country was something they cooked up together?"
"Very likely." Ethan agreed with my assessment.
"But what's their endgame?" I didn't get it.
When Sophia had suddenly returned and rekindled things with Leopold, I'd been too thrown off to consider she might have ulterior motives.
But judging by how Leopold indulged Sophia just now, even if I told him about this, he wouldn't believe me.
Suddenly, Ethan's phone rang.
He answered immediately, his expression shifting moments later.
"Cindy, Jason snuck backstage."
I was shocked. "What's he doing back there?"
Ethan shook his head. "No idea."
All at once, I felt someone watching me.
I turned instinctively, locking eyes with Leopold's ice-cold stare.
The eye contact lasted barely a second before he casually looked away.
My chest suddenly felt crushed under an invisible weight, each breath harder than the last.
Then the lights around us dimmed.
He and Sophia walked arm-in-arm onto the dream-like stage.
Every eye in the room turned their way.
Plenty of people gushed about how perfect they looked together.
"Thank you all for attending my daughter and Leopold's engagement party..."
A middle-aged man who looked about fifty percent like Sophia took the microphone and began his speech of thanks.
At the end, he smiled and raised his hand. "The engagement ceremony will begin momentarily, but first, my daughter has prepared a little surprise for Leopold. Please join me in witnessing this special moment."
The ambient lighting dimmed further.
The screen behind Sophia and Leopold began to glow.
Every gaze shifted toward it.
Even I found myself staring at the screen.
Soon, an image appeared.
First came scattered clothing strewn across the floor, followed by the rhythmic sounds of a bed being rocked.
And a woman's sultry, breathy moans.
"Slower... you're already so deep... ah..."
The woman's voice trembled with pleasure.
The entire venue erupted in chaos.
"This... this is an engagement party! How can they show something so inappropriate!"
"Wait—shouldn't this be showing their love story, meaningful gifts, or moments together? Why is this filth playing?"
"Mr. Percy seems so cold and proper—is he really this wild behind closed doors?"
Everyone started talking at once.
I froze too. This was Sophia's surprise?
Had she lost her mind?
"Turn it off! This isn't the video I prepared! Turn it off now!"
Sophia's face went ghost-white as she frantically tried to stop it.
But the footage didn't stop—if anything, the camera zoomed in closer.
Two bodies tangled together came into focus.
The woman's face was crystal clear—none other than the currently ashen-faced Sophia.
But the man was only shown from the neck down, his face never visible.
His skin had a yellowish tint, his neck marked with obvious wrinkles...
Shock jolted through me. That man wasn't Leopold!
Leopold's skin was smooth and elastic—he couldn't possibly have wrinkles like that.
Who was Sophia sleeping with?
Then another realization hit me.
Ethan had just said Jason went backstage—could Jason have done this?
But the man in the video wasn't him either.
What the hell was going on?
I turned to get Ethan's take, only to catch the tail end of a triumphant smile he hadn't quite hidden.
My heart seized.
"Ethan..."
Ethan's expression shifted instantly, looking at me with gentle concern. "What's wrong? Did the footage scare you?"
His transition was so seamless I almost thought I'd imagined it.
But I knew I hadn't.
"That's not me in there! Turn it off! Turn it off now!"
Trapped in the spotlight, Sophia looked like she'd been nailed to a pillar of shame, on the verge of total breakdown.
My attention got pulled back, and when I looked again, I caught Leopold lifting his hand slightly.
Percy family security moved immediately, yanking the power cord.
The screen went black, cutting off those skin-crawling sounds of intimacy.
Only Sophia's hysterical crying remained.
"Leo, someone faked this! That's not me—I love you, I'd never do anything to hurt you!"
She clutched Leopold's hand desperately, like it was her last lifeline.
Leopold tried to pull away. Sophia's hysteria instantly morphed into despair.
"The video's fake! Someone's trying to sabotage our engagement!"
The next second, every eye on that stage turned to me in unison.