Chapter 349

Chapter 349

I took the phone from Leopold.

"Mr. Guise, what can I do for you?"

"Cindy, I'm sorry to bother you like this, but I have no other choice. Ethan... his condition isn't good. The doctors have tried everything to save him, but he has no will to live. He's not improving at all. Could I trouble you to say a few words to him?"

Cade's voice trembled.

"He's always kept you in his heart. If you could encourage him, maybe there's still a chance."

I glanced toward the room where Orion still lay unconscious and gently refused.

"I'm sorry. I have nothing to say to him."

"Cindy! I know he did wrong, but he did raise Orion for three years."

Cade kept trying to persuade me.

But I wasn't accepting that kind of moral manipulation anymore.

"He did raise Orion for three years, but during those years, he used Orion more than he cared for him."

"And he drugged Orion. He used Orion as leverage to drive a wedge between Leopold and me, and to manipulate me. That crossed my line."

Cade still wouldn't give up. "Cindy, he truly knows he was wrong! Please, take pity on this old man and just say a few words to him."

Leopold overheard and reached for the phone.

I stopped him.

"Mr. Guise, when someone does something wrong, they should face the consequences. I don't forgive him, but I don't hate him either. Thank you for helping me before, but I won't see him again. Please understand."

Cade on the other end was silent for a long time.

Finally, he hung up.

"The Guise family brought this on themselves. It has nothing to do with you. You did the right thing." Leopold was worried I'd feel bad, so he tried to comfort me.

I smiled softly. "You're right. That's why I refused."

"Good progress. I'll have to reward you properly later." Leopold's expression was somewhere between a smile and a smirk.

Hearing the word "reward," dead memories instantly came back to life.

I shot him a look. "Here we go again."

Leopold put on an innocent face. "What? You don't like rewards?"

I stayed silent.

Pretty sure his idea of a reward wasn't the same as mine.

---

Orion woke up in the evening.

When he saw it was me by his bedside, he stretched out both little arms from under the blanket.

"Mommy."

Tears flooded my eyes in that instant.

I'd waited so long for this moment.

For the past two days, I'd stayed by his bedside, terrified he'd wake up and I wouldn't be there.

And every night, I could only fall asleep listening to the sound of his breathing, afraid something might happen.

Now it was all worth it.

I leaned down and held him tightly.

"Mommy's here, sweetheart. You're finally awake."

His small, thin body radiated warmth in my arms.

"Orion's awake." Leopold came over too, wrapping both of us in his embrace.

"Daddy." Orion turned his head and called out softly.

"Yeah." Leopold's voice was low.

It sounded calm at first, but his arms tightened around us.

Once our emotions settled, Brady came in to give Orion a full examination.

"All his bodily functions are recovering. The remaining toxins have been cleared out."

"From here on, it's just rest and recovery. He'll be up and walking soon."

I let out a long breath, as if a weight had finally lifted from my chest.

Leopold's shoulders relaxed noticeably too. He said quietly to me,

"Let's rest for a day and see how Orion's doing. If he's okay, we'll head back to Silverlight City tomorrow. If not, we'll wait a few more days."

---

To our surprise, once the controlled parasite was removed, Orion bounced back the very next day.

Not only could he get out of bed and walk around, he was curious about everything.

When he learned that Arlo had saved him, he even brought the old man freshly washed fruit.

Arlo, who rarely showed emotion, actually patted Orion's head.

"Thank you."

Encouraged by Arlo, Orion grew bolder.

He begged me to take him exploring nearby.

I couldn't say no, so I took him for a walk around the area.

Arlo's place was secluded, with only one neighbor.

But they were friendly. When they saw us, they warmly invited us over.

The neighbor had a child about Orion's age—a little girl.

She had bells tied into her braids.

She was lively and bright.

I noticed Orion staring at the bells. I asked quietly, "Do you want a bell?"

Orion shyly leaned closer to me and nodded gently.

"Here, I'll give you one."

The little girl generously shared one of her bells with him.

Orion's eyes widened in delight, but he didn't take it right away. He looked up at me.

"Mommy, can I have it?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Of course you can."

"Thank you." Orion thanked her and accepted the bell, then held out the apple in his hand. "This is for you."

The little girl glanced back at her mother. After getting her approval, she smiled and accepted it, saying a crisp "thank you."

We kept walking, making a loop around the area.

When we got back, Orion was thrilled.

"Mommy, this is the first time another kid has ever given me a present."

My heart gave a little pang.

I knelt down and took his hand.

"Our Orion is a very lovable child. You're going to make lots of friends, and you'll get lots of presents."

Orion's eyes filled with starlight.

"Really?"

"Really. Mommy never lies."

---

The next day, we set off for Silverlight City.

Before we left, the little girl and her mother came to see Orion off.

Maybe because they knew Leopold might help improve their lives, some of the villagers brought us fresh vegetables and mushrooms.

They didn't stop until the trunk was full.

Uri, who'd led us to Arlo before, pushed through the crowd and eagerly grabbed Leopold's hand. "So you're the famous CEO of the Percy Group! Arlo said you'd send a team to survey our village, and that you might even help us prosper. We're so grateful..."

Leopold's face tightened. He clearly wasn't used to this kind of enthusiasm.

But with Orion and me watching, he couldn't exactly lash out. He just smiled politely. "You're too kind. What the village can do will depend on the survey team's findings."

"I understand, I understand." Uri noticed his expression and nodded quickly. "As long as there's hope..."

"Mr. Percy, everything's packed. Should we head out now?"

Teddy came up behind Leopold to check in.

Leopold glanced back. Brady was ready. He nodded. "Let's go."

Soon, we left.

Uri and the other villagers were still standing at the edge of the road, watching us go.

I felt a pang in my chest, like the bittersweet feeling of being seen off.

"Uri brought us to Arlo, and Arlo saved Orion. We should help them."

Leopold looked at me. "Alright. I'll take care of it."

"Daddy's a hero!"

Orion's big eyes lit up, and he looked at Leopold with pure admiration.

Leopold's lips curved upward involuntarily. "Good taste."