Chapter 132
After waiting for what felt like forever, I finally heard footsteps outside the door.
Thinking it was my captors returning, every muscle in my body tensed.
But whoever it was didn't come in. They paced outside the cellar, as if searching for something.
"Mr. Percy, what are you doing here?"
A maid's surprised voice came from outside.
My spine went rigid.
Leopold was out there!
Had he ordered someone to lock me in here?
I moved closer to the door, straining to hear what he'd say.
Soon, Leopold's voice filtered through.
"Have you seen Lucinda?"
My hand rested against the door as I hesitated over whether to call out.
"Ms. Wipere left with something about ten minutes ago. I assumed you sent her."
The maid responded respectfully, but every word was a lie.
"You're sure?" Leopold sounded skeptical, too.
"I... I..." The maid's voice was clearly nervous.
Now, certain Leopold wasn't behind this, I clenched my fists and gathered my courage to speak.
"Leopold..."
"Leo."
Sophia's voice cut in at just the right moment, completely drowning me out.
"You came back without saying anything. Your grandmother was worried and sent me to check on you."
It clicked instantly—Sophia was most likely the one who'd locked me in here.
Otherwise, her timing was too perfect.
I wanted to see what she was up to, so I kept quiet.
But then Leopold said, "I thought I just heard Lucinda's voice."
I held my breath. Had he actually heard me?
Sophia immediately denied it. "I didn't hear Cindy. Leo, maybe you were mistaken?"
Leopold didn't respond.
But his footsteps drew closer to the door.
Each one clearer than the last.
I stared at the door, too tense to breathe, my heartbeat growing more and more distinct—hammering against my defenses in the suffocating darkness.
"Leo, your grandfather woke up and wants to see you. Let's go."
Sophia's timely interruption broke through the crushing quiet.
I figured Leopold would leave, worried about Donovan.
I was about to relax when Leopold asked, "Has someone opened this cellar?"
With that one question, the air plunged back into crushing tension, my heart squeezed in a vise.
I pressed down my racing pulse but still didn't make a sound.
Sophia had gone to all this trouble to get me here—she couldn't just want me to overhear a conversation. I was betting she had more moves planned.
Sure enough, she spoke again.
"Leo, this cellar's been locked since the day I arrived. No one's touched it."
"Your grandfather's still waiting for you. Let's go see him together."
Leopold actually stopped. "Did you see Lucinda on your way here?"
Sophia's composure cracked. "When will you ever see the baby and me? Do you have any idea what people are saying about me?"
Her voice broke with emotion. "They say I got pregnant out of wedlock and disgraced the Guise family. They told me never to come back."
"And they're saying I've tarnished the reputation of every respectable young woman from our circles. Now I'm being shut out everywhere..."
"But none of that hurts as much as your coldness. Leo, I gambled everything on loving you. Please don't let me lose."
It was a heart-wrenching confession that anyone would struggle to refuse.
I'd anticipated this outcome and smiled faintly.
This was Sophia's endgame—destroying my spirit while crushing my heart.
Even though Leopold and I had already cut ties, she still couldn't let me go. She needed to flaunt her happiness by grinding my pain into the dirt.
"None of that has anything to do with me."
Suddenly, Leopold responded with those words.
I couldn't help my shock. Was Leopold rejecting her?
Sophia seemed stunned, too. Several seconds passed before she choked out miserably, "Leo, how can you say that? I'm carrying your child..."
"Whether this child is mine, you know the truth."
Leopold cut her off coldly.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Sophia completely lost it.
Even through the door, I could feel her anguish and fury.
"That night, we slept together—otherwise how would I have this baby?"
"Why is it that even though Lucinda betrayed you and slept with another man, you don't care, but you still won't accept the child and me?"
Hearing her drag me through the mud, I rushed back to the door, my hand twisting the handle.
But thinking of the child she carried with Leopold, I held back.
Then Leopold responded.
"I told you. This child isn't mine."
"You're lying!"
Sophia's scream was desperate.
But she quickly realized she'd lost control and softened her tone.
"Leo, this child is yours. The paternity test proved you're the father. You can't deny it..."
Leopold remained unmoved, asking coldly, "Didn't you and Ethan work together to tamper with that report?"
"You..." Sophia's voice trembled. "No, I didn't. That report is real. Please believe me."
"You want me to believe you? Fine." Leopold's tone shifted. "We'll go to a professional testing facility right now and do it again."
Sophia, who'd been pleading so earnestly just moments ago, suddenly went silent.
My heart plummeted.
Leopold had been denying this child all along, and I'd never taken his denial seriously.
Now, Sophia's silence made me notice subtle inconsistencies.
But catching myself wavering, I quickly reminded myself not to jump to conclusions.
Alicia cared so much about bloodlines—she couldn't have gotten it wrong.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Leopold's interrogation grew sharper. "Are you afraid the results won't be what you want? Or did you know from the start this child isn't mine, which is why you won't go?"
"No... that's not it." Sophia denied it weakly, like she had no ground to stand on.
The thoughts I'd just suppressed began surfacing again.
Could this child really not be Leopold's?
My mind started pulling in different directions, constantly swinging between belief and doubt.
"Mr. Percy, the people we sent out have located Ms. Wipere."
Teddy's voice suddenly rang out.
I was about to call out when the footsteps rapidly retreated.
"Leo!"
Sophia called out, seemingly chasing after him.
Both sets of footsteps faded into the distance.
My grip on the door handle silently loosened.
Leopold had left.
I leaned against the wall, lost in thought.
Before long, I heard the door lock turning.
I'd barely straightened when Sophia pushed the door open.
Daylight slanted through the doorway.
Having been in darkness for so long, I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes.
"Lucinda, you deserve to die!"
Sophia clutched her belly, staring at me with pure malice.
"You got lucky and escaped the last two times. This time, I'm watching you fall into hell with my own eyes!"
As soon as she finished speaking, two men in floral shirts came in from outside and roughly grabbed me, dragging me toward the exit.
"Let go of me!"
"Sophia, Leopold already sent people to find me. I'm warning you—don't do anything stupid!"
"Oh, I'm so scared." Sophia's voice dripped with mockery. "Leopold's already been lured away by the false information I deliberately planted. No one knows you're here right now."
"Lucinda, this time I'm going to destroy you!"
The murderous intent in her eyes made me freeze. Just as they were about to drag me out of Percy Manor, a group of highly trained bodyguards in black appeared out of nowhere, instantly blocking the gate.
Everyone froze.
"Trying to leave? Did I say you could?"
Surrounded by his men, Leopold emerged from the side building with unhurried composure.