Chapter 105
"You're not as dumb as I thought. You actually figured out it was me."
"Though I am curious—why didn't you suspect Sophia?"
My suspicions confirmed, I smiled coldly.
"Sophia's ruthless enough, but she's also stupid."
"She could never pull something off that cleanly."
"And like her, the only other person desperate to see me gone is you."
Exposed, Alicia didn't fly into a rage. Instead, she looked at me with an oddly complicated expression.
"Lucinda, I once agreed with Donovan that you and Leo made a good match. But as it turns out, we were both wrong about you."
"You may have sacrificed things for Leo back then, but in hindsight, it only proves you didn't respect him enough."
Her matter-of-fact tone almost made me laugh in disbelief.
"Mrs. Percy, care to elaborate?"
Alicia settled onto the sofa. Though her hair had gone white with age, her spine remained ramrod straight, radiating an elegance that time couldn't touch.
"Leo has never been one to give up easily. Even when facing the Percy Group's most difficult challenges, he never backed down."
"That tenacity shows not just in his career, but in every aspect of his life. Yet you couldn't see his resilience. You thought your sacrifice was noble, deciding for him to stay."
Those words pierced straight through me.
My sacrifice and nobility—were they just my own arrogance?
What kind of presumptuous bullshit was this?
"Mrs. Percy—"
"Is interrupting your elders part of the Wipere family upbringing?"
Alicia's tone sharpened as she cut me off.
"A relationship shouldn't be built on one person's sacrifice. That kind of sacrifice breeds resentment."
"And when things go wrong, or conflicts arise, that resentment becomes a double-edged blade, cutting both of you deep."
"Just like the two of you now."
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died on my lips.
Though her statement was too absolute, it wasn't entirely without merit.
At the time, I'd made my sacrifice willingly.
But with Leopold's betrayal, resentment had taken root inside me.
I didn't think there was anything wrong with that resentment.
"Mrs. Percy, I disagree."
"Times change. Nothing is that absolute. Life is long, and regret isn't something to be ashamed of."
But Alicia said, "Once you make your move, there's no taking it back. What's done is done. Regret won't change anything."
"Like you and Leo—if you both regret being together, why not let each other go?"
"Even if Leo hasn't moved on and wants to hold onto you, what about you? Why stay? Why not leave?"
In the end, they all thought I was the one clinging to Leopold.
That I couldn't let him go!
"Mrs. Percy, it's not that I won't leave. It's that Leopold won't let me go."
"From the night of the competition to the Percy Group anniversary—I tried to leave, and he dragged me back by force."
"He even went so far as to hurt my senior, nearly getting him killed in Silverlight City."
Alicia's expression shifted dramatically. "Is that true?"
"Your grandson—you should know what he's capable of, shouldn't you?" I shot back.
Alicia's expression froze.
After a moment, she caught the deeper meaning in my words.
"You want me to help you?"
I met her gaze. "Not help. We each get what we want."
Alicia's eyes narrowed, her gaze sharpening.
"I'll think about it."
I nodded calmly. "Fine."
As she rose to leave, I added, "One more thing, Mrs. Percy. Keep Sophia on a leash. I'm tired of her popping up every other day."
Alicia murmured her acknowledgment and walked out.
The message to Ethan was out, and now I had Alicia's help.
This should be foolproof, right?
The next morning, Leopold knocked on my door.
"Grandma wants us at the hospital now. Get ready."
"Okay." I agreed immediately.
So Alicia was making her move?
We got to the hospital quickly.
This time, I successfully made it into Donovan's room.
After only three days, his condition had deteriorated significantly. Not only did he look more aged, but his eyes had started to sink into their sockets.
"Grandpa."
I couldn't help myself—I rushed to his bedside.
"Cindy, you came."
Seeing me, Donovan struggled to lift his hand and pat mine.
"Don't cry. I'm fine."
Obediently holding back tears, I forced out a smile. "Okay. I'll be waiting for you to get better."
"If you'd known it would come to this, why did you start in the first place?" Sophia's voice dripped with sarcasm from the side. "If it weren't for you, Mr. Donovan Percy wouldn't be this sick!"
I ignored her.
"This is a hospital room. Keep it down." Leopold snapped.
Sophia immediately played the victim. "Leo, I'm just standing up for your grandfather."
Donovan rasped back, "Nobody asked you."
After being scolded repeatedly, Sophia turned to Alicia, looking aggrieved.
"Mrs. Percy, I really am just standing up for Leo's grandfather."
Alicia glanced at me, then said coolly, "Then say less."
Sophia's face flushed red with anger, and she finally shut up.
Soon, Brady walked in wearing his white coat, holding some reports.
When he saw me, he deliberately arched an eyebrow.
I was speechless.
Leopold immediately shifted to block my view.
"How's my grandfather's condition?"
Brady cleared his throat before explaining. "Your grandfather's condition is currently under control, but if he can't regulate his emotions and keeps having these dramatic swings, it'll still be dangerous."
Leopold said, "Got it."
Brady went over some other precautions.
He was about to leave when Alicia stopped him.
"Dr. Wood, since you're already here, why don't you examine Sophia as well?"
Brady immediately looked at Leopold before asking, "Mrs. Percy, I'm not an OB-GYN. I might not be able to examine her."
Sophia also resisted. "Mrs. Percy, I just had an exam last week. The baby and I are both fine."
But Alicia was insistent. "Dr. Wood, I'm not asking you to do the exam. I want you to supervise the entire process. Make sure no one tampers with anything."
I'd been secretly watching Leopold's expression, but from start to finish, he remained impassive, as if none of this concerned him.
"Fine." Unable to refuse, Brady agreed.
"Mrs. Percy, but the baby is still so small. Frequent exams could affect it." Sophia still tried to persuade Alicia to back off.
Alicia didn't waver, asking instead, "One exam won't cause problems. You seem awfully nervous. Is there something wrong with this baby?"
The pointed question left Sophia unable to refuse further. She had to agree.
At that moment, Leopold, who'd been silent, finally spoke.
"Grandma, why the sudden need to examine Sophia's baby?"
I didn't understand Alicia's plan either, and fearing he'd see through something, a cold sweat broke out on my back.
But Alicia remained calm. "Haven't you been refusing to acknowledge this child? Since we're all at the hospital, let's have Sophia's baby tested against your DNA."
"If the child is yours, you'll marry Sophia on a date of her choosing."
"If it's not yours, the arrangement is off, and I'll never interfere with your marriage again."