Chapter 131
When Leopold and I arrived, Donovan had already been rushed to the emergency room.
This time, it wasn't just Sophia and Alicia—Amelia's whole family was here too.
The sight of everyone gathered made my chest tighten.
"Leopold."
The moment Amelia spotted Leopold, she couldn't help but approach him.
"What happened? Wasn't Grandpa's condition stable? How did he suddenly become critical?" Leopold stopped in his tracks, his voice heavy.
"He was fine when I was chatting with Grandpa. Then Grandma and Sophia came in, said they wanted to talk to him alone, so I left. Not long after, Grandpa had an angina attack..."
At Amelia's explanation, both Leopold and I turned our gazes toward Sophia and Alicia in the far corner.
"Mom, what did you say to Dad?" Amelia's father, David, couldn't help but ask.
Alicia's eyes darted away, then she snapped angrily, "David, are you accusing me of deliberately harming your father? I've been married to him for decades—how could I possibly hurt him?"
David bristled at being yelled at. "Then why did Dad go critical right after seeing you two?"
Sensing the tension, Amelia's mother, Harper Percy, quickly tried to smooth things over. "Mom, we're not suspecting you—we just want to understand what happened."
Alicia shot back sarcastically, "I'm your elder. How dare you interrogate me like I'm some criminal?"
David's family fell silent.
But Alicia wasn't done. She turned and started laying into Amelia.
"And you—stirring up trouble like some gossip before we even know what happened. Did the Percy family raise you all these years for nothing?"
Amelia shot back defensively, "Grandma, I'm just telling the truth. Why are you attacking me?"
"How dare you talk back!" Alicia's fury escalated as she turned on David. "David, your daughter is completely out of control! When she goes out, tell her not to use the Percy name. The Percy family has no room for such ungrateful creatures!"
David and Harper were seething.
Listening to Alicia's increasingly vicious tirade, I felt my patience wearing thin.
I was about to speak up when Leopold beat me to it.
"Grandma, didn't I tell you to rest at the Percy Manor? Why did you bring Sophia to the hospital today?"
Alicia's aggression dimmed slightly. "Of course, I was worried about your grandfather."
"What about Sophia?"
Only then did Sophia carefully explain, "I was worried about your grandfather, too. I came specifically to check on him."
Leopold remained unmoved. "If you won't tell the truth, I'll just pull the surveillance footage from his room."
At that, both Alicia and Sophia's expressions shifted.
Catching on, Amelia asked with feigned surprise, "Leopold, when did you install surveillance?"
"Yesterday."
Leopold lifted his hand slightly. Teddy immediately understood and headed toward Donovan's room.
Alicia's wrinkles deepened with fury.
The next second, she turned on me directly.
"Lucinda, how shameless can you be? You were told not to come, yet here you are, crawling back!"
"If it weren't for you, Donovan wouldn't have gotten so upset that he had an attack today. The Percy family wouldn't be in this mess!"
My gaze turned cold.
"Mrs. Alicia Percy, I came to see Donovan. I don't need your permission."
"The audacity!" Alicia was so angry that she was practically gasping. "How dare you speak to me like that! Let me tell you—as long as I'm alive, you'll never marry into the Percy family!"
I was about to say I didn't care when Leopold spoke again.
"So you brought Sophia to see Grandpa to pressure him into making me marry her?"
His tone was detached, but there was an unmistakable edge of anger underneath.
Amelia looked shocked. "Grandma, you actually did that?"
Being questioned repeatedly by her juniors, Alicia's expression grew even uglier.
Finally, she demanded furiously, "Shouldn't I have a say in this?"
"Sophia is carrying our great-grandchild—the Percy family's flesh and blood. If she doesn't marry in, what happens to our bloodline?"
"The Percy family bloodline is already thin. I'm just trying to make sure this child is acknowledged by the family. What's wrong with that?"
David blurted out in shock, "Sophia's pregnant?"
Alicia shot him a glare. "Yes, she's carrying Leo's child. Making Leo marry her is for their own good, isn't it?"
David started to say something, but Harper pulled him back.
I knew Alicia was traditional, but I hadn't expected it to be this extreme.
"Mrs. Alicia Percy, how you think is your business. Why drag me into this?"
At that, Alicia's face instantly turned livid.
"If you hadn't bewitched both grandfather and grandson, making them lose their minds completely, would I need to force this marriage?"
"Lucinda, this is all your fault!"
I was about to argue back when Leopold grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him.
"Grandma, I've told you before—my marriage is none of your business. Why won't you listen?"
Alicia pressed a hand to her chest. "You're my grandson. What's wrong with me getting involved?"
"Mrs. Alicia Percy, you said your heart wasn't feeling well this morning. Please don't get upset." Sophia quickly stepped forward to placate her.
Her words made me freeze. Wait—was Sophia living at the Percy Manor with Alicia?
The Percy Manor wasn't just any house—it held a completely different significance.
The Percy Manor had been passed down through the Percy family for generations. Only Percy family members or those recognized by the family had the right to live there.
Leopold had mentioned settling Alicia at the Percy Manor to recuperate, but I hadn't realized Sophia had moved in, too.
To outsiders, this meant Sophia had already secured her position as the Percy family's future granddaughter-in-law.
She might very well become the matriarch of the Percy family someday.
"Grandma, I only told you to stay at the Percy Manor temporarily to rest. How could you let an outsider move in without permission?" Sensing something was off, Leopold immediately objected.
His words pushed down the thoughts that had just surfaced in my mind.
If he hadn't agreed to it, then...
"Other people's care doesn't suit me. I prefer having Sophia take care of me."
Alicia responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then demanded, "What, can't I even make decisions about small matters like this anymore?"
"Everyone, stop arguing—the operating room light went out!"
David suddenly called out.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
Soon, Brady emerged.
"Mr. Donovan Percy's condition has stabilized for now, but this episode was severe. He's not out of danger yet and needs to stay in the ICU for observation for another two days."
"Once he's fully conscious, we can move him to a private room."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. When Donovan was wheeled out, the others crowded around him.
I was about to step forward, too, when Leopold stopped me.
"Grandpa's been asking for that blanket you bought him last year. I looked for it at Percy Manor but couldn't find it. Could you go look for it? That way, he won't keep asking when he wakes up."
I suspected he wanted to get me out of there so he could talk to Alicia and the others.
I didn't refuse.
Back at the Percy Manor, I found the neatly folded blanket in Donovan's room.
Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.
Before I could see who it was, a black cloth was thrown over my head.
Immediately after, a strong force dragged me backward.
I struggled desperately but couldn't break free.
Finally, I was thrown into a damp, cold space.
Suddenly, there was a sound—like a door locking.
I quickly pulled off the black cloth covering my head, only to be met with pitch darkness.
From the bedroom to here had taken only about five minutes. I was certain I was still somewhere in the Percy Manor.
That was strange.
If someone wanted to kidnap me, why hadn't they taken me away from the Percy Manor? Why lock me in what felt like a cellar?
What exactly were they trying to accomplish?