Chapter 340

Chapter 340

Ethan saw what I'd done and sped up, tearing through the curve and leaving Leopold far behind.

"Lucinda, don't try to leave any more signs for Leopold. Otherwise, I'll kill him on the road."

The car raced forward. The scenery outside the window was a complete blur.

I didn't argue with him. I focused on keeping my balance and fastening my seatbelt.

The night wind rushed through the half-open window, stinging my face.

In the rearview mirror, a blinding pair of high beams closed in.

I couldn't help craning my neck. Was that Leopold?

"Like a damn ghost." Ethan gritted his teeth and floored the gas pedal.

The needle on the speedometer climbed higher and higher.

The massive g-force pressed me back against the seat.

Ethan glanced at the rearview mirror, changed lanes twice in quick succession, cut through a roundabout, and slipped into a narrow alley.

The headlights in the rearview mirror disappeared.

My heart clenched. The next second, the lights reappeared.

"Even that didn't shake him." Ethan frowned and yanked the handbrake, drifting out of the curve.

The rear of the car scraped the curb, sending up a shower of sparks.

The centrifugal force slammed me into the door. Pain shot through my shoulder.

Seeing him about to speed up again, I shouted to stop him. "Ethan, don't take any more risks! Stop the car!"

Ethan didn't respond. He kept maneuvering, trying to shake Leopold off.

After two sharp turns in a row, he still couldn't pull ahead. Instead, Leopold forced him into an inner lane.

Just as the two cars were about to draw level, Ethan suddenly let off the gas.

The car's speed dropped sharply. Leopold's car shot past us with a whoosh.

He reacted fast and braked hard.

The moment the car stopped, Leopold got out and walked straight toward us.

"Lucinda, tell Leopold to leave."

"Why should I?" Leopold had finally managed to cut him off. There was no way I'd let him go.

"If you don't want Orion to die, do what I say."

I looked at Ethan. The dim light fell across his face, blurring his features.

"This time, I'm not listening to you."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door handle.

"It's not poison in Orion's body."

My hand froze. "What did you say?"

Ethan explained calmly, "Someone tampered with him. He's being controlled. The source of the control is on me. If I die, he dies too."

My mind went blank with a loud buzz.

"You're... you're lying!"

I stared at him hard, trying to find any trace of deception on his face.

But Ethan was perfectly calm. So calm it was unnerving.

"At this point, I have no reason to lie to you. Brady's medical skills are world-renowned. There's no way he wouldn't have noticed something wrong. But he can't develop an antidote. That in itself proves what's in Orion's body isn't poison."

All the blood in my body turned to ice.

He wasn't wrong.

When Orion relapsed before, Brady had tried many methods, but none of them worked.

He'd once mentioned that I should ask if there was something controlling Orion's body from within—or something else that wasn't a toxin. But I'd thought it was too absurd and hadn't paid attention.

And after Ethan gave me the antidote later, I'd put it completely out of my mind.

Now, everything had come full circle.

"I'm giving you ten seconds."

I looked at Leopold, who had already reached the front of the car. I closed my eyes and took a breath.

When I opened them again, I rolled down the window and said to him, "Leopold, go back."

Leopold froze. He couldn't understand what I was saying.

"You're not coming with me?"

I shook my head. "Ethan and I still have things to discuss. Go back first. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Leopold wasn't satisfied. He took a step toward me.

But Ethan immediately turned the wheel, blocking him with the front of the car.

Leopold didn't even glance at him. His eyes stayed on me. "Did you forget what you promised me earlier?"

I took a deep breath and repeated, "I said, go back."

The surroundings fell silent.

Only the sound of the night wind threading through.

I could clearly hear his breathing change from steady to heavy.

"Didn't you hear what Cindy said?" Ethan taunted when Leopold didn't move. "We still have things to take care of. Don't get in the way."

Leopold's hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists.

The muscles in his exposed arms tensed, every line sharp.

After a long moment, he didn't ask any more questions. He turned and got back into his car.

Ethan drove past him, satisfied.

I watched Leopold through the window, reluctant to look away.

---

From the road signs, I knew Ethan wanted to take me out of Gravenford Kingdom.

"Ethan, I'm not leaving Gravenford Kingdom. If you insist, then be prepared to carry my corpse out."

Ethan's head snapped up. He looked at me through the rearview mirror. "Are you threatening me?"

"You could say that." I met his gaze in the mirror. "You can watch me twenty-four hours a day. But the second you slip up, I'll leave."

"By any means necessary."

Threatening wasn't something only he could do. I could do it too.

Ethan gripped the steering wheel tightly. In the end, he gave in.

The car drove for nearly an hour before stopping in front of a gray-and-white two-story villa halfway up a mountain.

Trees surrounded the place. There were no neighbors. Not even streetlights.

Ethan pulled out the key and said to me, "I bought this place six months ago. It's just the two of us in the whole house. No security team. No housekeeper."

I understood. He was going to imprison me completely.

No outsiders meant I'd have to spend every single second with him.

For me, it would be torture.

But I didn't show it.

After we went inside, I chose a guest bedroom on the first floor. "I'm staying in this room. You're not allowed to enter without my permission."

Ethan agreed readily. "Fine. But you can't lock the door. I need to make sure you're safe."

"Okay."

Even if I refused, he'd find a way to make me agree.

---

Time moved slowly here.

I could only mark the days by the shift between daylight and darkness.

Ever since I'd learned Orion was being controlled, I'd stopped trying to please Ethan.

He didn't seem to mind. Instead, he enthusiastically started researching recipes.

"Cindy, there's fresh shrimp in the fridge. Want me to make some for you?"

I didn't respond.

On the first day, he made two dishes and a soup and brought them to me.

I didn't even look. I went straight back to my room.

Ethan didn't say anything. He ate in silence.

On the second day, he made seafood. I still didn't eat.

On the third day, Ethan made oatmeal porridge.

I sat on the window seat in my room, staring outside, motionless.

"Cindy, I know you're angry, so I won't force you. But you can't not eat. Your body won't be able to take it."

I still didn't respond.

"If you don't eat, I'll contact a medical team to come over. Things might get ugly."

My gaze stayed fixed on the window. My voice, unused for so long, came out hoarse. "Could it get any uglier than this?"

Seeing that tactic didn't work either, Ethan turned and left.

I thought he'd given up. But when he came back in, he was holding a fruit knife.

"Don't waste your energy. I won't be threatened by you."

Ethan let out a soft laugh and sliced his left forearm without hesitation.

Blood immediately welled up.

It ran down his arm and dripped onto the wooden floor.

My expression shifted slightly. "You..."

Ethan acted like it was nothing. "If you don't eat, I'll bleed myself. Want to guess how many rounds of bloodletting Orion can handle?"