Chapter 334

Chapter 334

"You don't need to go. I'll go." Leopold held me back. "If there's danger, you can help me from outside."

My desire to follow was suppressed by his reasoning.

After weighing it for a moment, I compromised. "Fine. But please be careful. Contact me immediately if anything happens."

Leopold had just nodded when Teddy's earpiece lit up.

He immediately took the call, his expression changing instantly.

"Mr. Percy, Brielle is here. She says she has something important to discuss with you in person."

My heart lurched. I had a feeling Brielle wasn't here with good intentions.

"I'll see her." Leopold didn't hesitate. He agreed immediately.

Teddy notified the guards to let her through.

Before leaving, Leopold told James and Fanny to wait in their room for news.

Seeing him about to leave, I quickly followed. "I'm coming with you."

"You don't need to. Brielle's visit may not be good news. I'll handle it."

"What if she's here about Orion?" I was worried. "We just tracked down the Seymour family, and now she shows up. Maybe she knows where Orion is."

Seeing Leopold still wouldn't budge, I grew anxious. "I don't want to wait in the room for news. I want to ask Brielle myself. Can you understand that?"

Seeing my insistence, Leopold finally relented.

When we reached the first floor, Brielle was studying a painting on the wall.

Hearing us approach, she turned to greet us.

"We meet again."

Her smile only made my heart twist more painfully.

Leopold sensed my emotions and squeezed my hand, telling me to relax.

"What do you want to discuss?"

Brielle walked to the sofa and sat down, her tone leisurely. "I'm here to discuss a deal with Mr. Percy."

Leopold's expression didn't change. He pulled me to sit in the main seat. "What deal?"

Brielle looked at me but didn't continue.

I knew she wanted me to leave, but I didn't move.

Leopold made his position clear. "Cindy and I have no secrets. If you only want to talk to me, you can leave now."

Brielle's eyes grew complicated. Then she said to me cryptically, "Lucinda, you're really lucky."

Before I could process what she meant, she got to the point.

"I heard your son has gone missing again. We happen to have information about him. If Mr. Percy is willing to trade the documents you just obtained, we guarantee we'll return your son safely."

"So Orion is with you!" I couldn't contain myself and demanded angrily, "If you have a problem, come after us! Why target an innocent child!"

I'd thought Sophia had orchestrated this. I didn't expect them to be working together.

Brielle sneered. "Don't jump to conclusions. I just happen to have information about your child. His disappearance has nothing to do with me."

"You—" I wanted to say more, but Leopold stopped me. "There are no coincidences in this world. Whether or not you're involved, we both know the truth."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.

Brielle's expression shifted slightly, but she remained composed.

"Mr. Percy doesn't need to test me. I'll only say what I know."

Leopold didn't waste more time on the topic. He said directly, "I can give you the documents. But how do I know you won't deceive me?"

Brielle's face relaxed. "That's simple. I can show you a video."

She pulled out her phone, found a video, and handed it to us.

Leopold took it, and we watched together.

I recognized him immediately. "It's Orion!"

In the video, Orion was blindfolded and tied to a chair. The surroundings were dark—impossible to tell the location.

His chubby little face trembled with fear. "Daddy, Mommy, Orion's scared..."

The video was only a dozen seconds long, but it made my heart ache.

"Leopold, save Orion. Save him..."

Leopold's face darkened. His gaze toward Brielle turned sharp.

"I need to have someone analyze this video to verify its authenticity."

Brielle's eyes flickered. "Mr. Percy doesn't trust people very much. Why would I need to deceive you?"

Leopold handed the phone back to her. "Either let me verify it, or you can leave empty-handed."

I didn't know what documents they were talking about, but seeing how much Brielle valued them, I knew the negotiating power had shifted to our side.

I quickly adjusted my expression, not letting myself show weakness.

Brielle couldn't read Leopold, and she saw nothing on my face either. She'd lost the calm confidence she'd had when she arrived.

She began testing us maliciously. "Mr. Percy, aren't you afraid something will happen to your child during this time?"

My heart clenched, but Leopold remained composed. "If anything happens to Orion, the Seymour family will pay with their lives."

Brielle completely lost her composure.

"Fine. You have ten minutes. After ten minutes, whether or not there's a result, our negotiation ends."

What did she mean by "the negotiation ends"?

I didn't quite understand, but I couldn't ask right now. I could only clench my fists tightly.

"Agreed." Leopold had Teddy copy the video and send it to their tech team for analysis.

But I noticed that while giving instructions, he also traced something on Teddy's palm.

Like he was passing a secret signal.

Though I didn't know the specific message, I knew Leopold was preparing backup plans.

Five minutes later, the tech team confirmed the video was real.

Brielle secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Percy, now you can give me the documents with confidence, right?"

Leopold continued negotiating. "I need to see Orion safe with my own eyes before I'll make the trade."

"Don't push your luck!" Brielle lost her patience. "You've seen the video and verified it. Now you want to see him in person?"

Leopold remained calm. "I told you—there's no trust between us. I only accept face-to-face transactions. If you can't make that decision, go back and ask for permission."

Brielle seemed stung by his words. She immediately said, "A face-to-face transaction? Fine. I agree. Come on, I'll take you to see him now."

"Wait." I stopped her. "I have one more condition. Bring Sophia."

Brielle had just stood up. Hearing this, she agreed readily. "Fine. She's already at the location."

Sophia bore the main responsibility for Orion's disappearance.

If she hadn't brought people into the house, Orion wouldn't have been taken.

I had to settle this score!

Following Brielle's lead, we arrived at an abandoned underground parking garage.

The place was not only dilapidated but reeked of decay and mold everywhere.

"Where's my child?" I looked around but didn't see any sign of Orion.

Brielle stopped at a stairwell and glanced at a small door behind her that led to the basement.

"He's inside. If you don't believe me, you can send someone in to check. But only one person at a time."

"I'll go!" Without thinking, I started toward the door.

But Leopold held me back. "The situation inside isn't clear. It's too risky for you to go. Let a guard go instead."

"But Orion must be terrified right now. A guard might not be able to comfort him."

"But if there's danger, having a guard is better. He can get Orion out safely."

Though Leopold's words were hypothetical, they made me hesitate.

Not because I was afraid of danger, but because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to protect Orion if danger came.

In the end, a guard went in to check on Orion's condition.

A full two minutes passed before the guard emerged.

I rushed forward immediately. "Did you see Orion? How is he?"

"He..." The guard had just started to speak when he froze.

The next second, a large bloodstain bloomed across his chest.

He fell straight to the ground.