Chapter 149
"Mr. Wipere, Mrs. Wipere, hello. I'm Cindy's..."
Afraid Leo would say something inappropriate, I quickly cut him off. "Friend! He's a friend I met recently."
Leo's brow furrowed slightly, clearly dissatisfied with my introduction. He looked ready to clarify.
Ethan spoke up at just the right moment. "Yes, Mr. Wipere, Mrs. Wipere, this is Leo. These past few days, he and I have been taking care of Cindy together."
Fanny studied Leo's face, her expression darkening. "He looks awfully similar to Leopold to me."
James scrutinized Leo as well. "He really does resemble Leopold. Cindy, he's not from the Percy family, is he?"
"Mom, Dad, Leo just happens to look like Leopold. There's no other connection." I rushed to explain.
Fanny remained unconvinced. "If they're not related, how can they look so alike?" She secretly tugged at my sleeve. "Child, you're not doing that whole 'replacement' thing, are you? I'm telling you right now—absolutely not!"
I had to hand it to Fanny. She really knew me. But at this point, I definitely wasn't admitting anything.
"Mom, I'm not..."
Hearing Fanny's words, James also issued a stern warning. "Cindy, we received the Percy family's engagement invitation. Leopold's marrying Sophia. We don't know exactly what happened, but under no circumstances can you take him back. You need to wise up!"
Afraid they'd keep going down this road, I revealed Leo's identity. "Mom, Dad, Leo really isn't some Leopold replacement. He's the founder of Blueprint Tech."
Fanny hadn't processed this yet, but James shot to his feet. "He's Blueprint Tech's founder?"
Not just him—even Ethan looked startled.
I nodded again.
Leo finally spoke. "Mr. Wipere, hello. I am indeed Blueprint Tech's CEO."
James's gaze shifted from cold to cordial and friendly. "I'd heard Blueprint Tech's CEO was young, but I didn't expect someone this young."
The two quickly dove into business talk. Fanny and I couldn't get a word in edgewise, so we chatted quietly amongst ourselves.
Fanny wanted to know what had happened with Leopold. When I'd brought him home before, we'd said we'd reconciled—so how had he suddenly gotten engaged to someone else?
I shook my head gently. I didn't understand it either.
Fanny didn't press further. After confirming my injuries weren't serious, she insisted I come home to recover, saying she wasn't comfortable with me staying elsewhere while hurt.
I agreed. With my parents there, Leo had no way to drag me back to Bayview Villas.
As they prepared to leave, Ethan, who'd been quiet until now, suddenly addressed Fanny. "Mrs. Wipere, if it's not too much trouble, I'd love to come over for a meal tomorrow. The hospital food is absolutely terrible. I still remember this cheddar corn chowder you made once—it was incredible. I've never forgotten it."
Fanny's face lit up. She loved it when people complimented her cooking. "Ethan, you're being too polite! You're Cindy's senior, and you've helped her so much. Come eat whenever you want."
Ethan smiled warmly. "Then I'll take you up on that."
Not to be outdone, Leo spoke up. "Mr. Wipere, Mrs. Wipere, if you don't mind, I'd also like to join for a meal."
Fanny beamed. "Wonderful, wonderful! Both of you come!"
I didn't want these two brawling in my house. "Mom, don't you have afternoon tea with your friends tomorrow? That's your regular thing. Why don't we have people over another day?"
I even tugged discreetly at Fanny's sleeve. She completely missed my hint, smiling as she waved dismissively. "What's so important about afternoon tea? We can meet up next time. They've both been taking care of you for us. What's wrong with having them for dinner?"
James chimed in. "Your mother's right. There's no reason to turn guests away."
Outnumbered by both parents, I rubbed my temples in resignation.
The next day, I rested at home. My parents rose at dawn in a flurry of activity. The entire house was suddenly in chaos. They didn't just redecorate the interior—they even had the garden outside replanted.
This production felt less like hosting dinner and more like welcoming foreign dignitaries.
Seeing how busy they were, guilt gnawed at me. I offered to help my mom in the kitchen, only to be immediately shooed out. I tried helping my dad with something, only to be sent back to the living room.
"Cindy, just rest quietly, okay?"
I gave up. Just then, my phone rang. The private investigator.
I retreated to my room to answer.
"Ms. Wipere, no one came out of that house the night I waited. I tried investigating the property owner and discovered the surname is Percy."
My breath hitched. "Percy—as in the Percy family?"
"Yes, but I couldn't get more specific than that. You know the Percys are untouchable in Silverlight City. Now that Sophia's engaged to the Percy heir, I really can't dig any deeper."
The PI's words left me momentarily speechless. At this point, anyone would assume the person meeting Sophia late at night was Leopold. And that night, Leopold had specifically said he was handling business at the office.
Everything lined up perfectly.
"Has Ethan done anything unusual recently?"
"After his accident, he's basically stayed in the hospital recovering. He hasn't gone out."
"What about before?"
"I haven't found anything yet. I'm also still investigating that birthday party from three years ago—no leads yet. I need more time."
The case was inherently difficult. I wasn't disappointed. I told him to contact me when he had news.
I'd barely set down my phone when Amelia called.
"Cindy, I've been out of town the past few days. I just got back and heard Leopold's getting engaged to Sophia. What happened? Didn't you two reconcile?"
I was silent for a moment. "Leopold said the reconciliation was just a game. He said Sophia's always been the one in his heart."
"He's lying! If he didn't care, he wouldn't have risked his life jumping off that cliff to save you. He wouldn't have gotten himself so badly injured." Amelia's voice grew frantic.
"I believed him," I said quietly. "He said it was all an elaborate setup—just to make me feel what it's like to fall from grace."
"He..." Amelia's frustration crackled through the line. "He actually said that?"
I didn't want to continue this topic. "Amelia, Leopold, and I are really over. Don't contact me about him anymore. I have to go."
Just as I was about to hang up, Amelia quickly stopped me. "Wait! I have something else to tell you. Do you know someone named Doris Bailey? She's with Celestique Ballet Company."
I immediately abandoned hanging up, pressing for details. "She's my senior. What about her?"
Doris was the senior who'd walked me back to my room at my teacher's birthday party three years ago.
"She's the client on one of my projects. She heard you received an invitation from the Royal Ballet and wants to meet today. Otherwise, she's flying back to Gravenford Kingdom tomorrow morning."
"No problem." I agreed immediately.
I'd assumed I wouldn't see Doris until after going abroad. I hadn't expected her to be back in Silverlight City. This was the perfect opportunity to ask her about what happened at that birthday party.