Chapter 187
Leopold's nuzzling tickled. I had no choice but to cup his face in my hands.
"Are you serious?"
Leopold lifted his gaze. In the depths of his eyes, I saw two tiny reflections of myself.
"What do you think?"
Another one of his ambiguous non-answers.
I tried to read the truth in his expression, but his emotions were buried too deep. I couldn't see through them at all.
"I think you're not."
Leopold pressed his forehead against mine, pinning me to the pillow, then rolled over to position himself above me. But he didn't actually put his weight on me—he braced himself on his arms, hovering just above.
"But I am serious."
"Cindy, when you're not in my line of sight, I get anxious."
"I'm terrified you'll slip away like you did before."
Wasn't women's intuition supposed to be the scary one? How was Leopold's premonition so accurate, too?
When I didn't respond, Leopold's brow furrowed. "Cindy, why aren't you saying anything? Are you actually planning to run?"
As if recalling unpleasant memories, the corners of his eyes suddenly reddened.
"If you dare leave me again, I'll—"
I hooked my arms around his neck, cutting him off.
The fierce look in Leopold's eyes froze mid-expression. Then I pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Leopold's pupils contracted violently—somewhere between shock and bliss.
"That's my answer. Understand?"
Only then did Leopold smile with satisfaction. "I understand. But it's still not clear enough."
Just as I was about to let go, his words made me pause.
The next second, he shifted to lie beside me, one hand cradling the back of my head, the other carefully supporting my waist as he kissed me deeply.
We'd been together for ten years. He knew exactly how to ignite my desire.
He knew perfectly well this wasn't the time, yet he still tormented me deliberately.
"Be good. Tell me you love me."
My breathing quickened.
The earlier kiss had been necessary, but those three words? I couldn't say them.
"Why won't you say it?" Leopold's kisses traveled from my brow to the side of my neck, targeting my sensitive spots with precision.
My breathing grew heavier beyond my control. But I still refused to speak.
Those words represented responsibility and loyalty. I couldn't offer that right now.
Neither could he.
So I couldn't keep lying to myself.
Leopold's kisses intensified, as if he wanted to break my skin and taste my blood.
Just when I thought he'd lose control and lash out, he suddenly stopped. His arms locked around me like a vice.
"Cindy..."
"I love you."
That last sentence came out as barely a whisper. His scorching breath ghosted across my skin, shaking something loose in my chest.
In the end, Leopold released me and retreated alone to the bathroom.
I lay in bed staring at the pale ceiling, hand resting gently on my stomach. I didn't move for a long time.
The next few days passed without incident.
I'd already told my parents about my plan to leave. At first, they didn't support it, worried something would happen to me.
But seeing Leopold keep me caged like a canary made them even more uncomfortable. After weighing their options repeatedly, they agreed to my plan and promised to cooperate.
James asked again, "Should we give Mr. Donovan Percy a heads up? He's always been fond of you, and he said he'd respect your decision."
"Mr. Donovan Percy hasn't been well lately. Let's not tell him yet."
"But if we don't tell him and he finds out something happened to you, what if he can't handle it?"
I thought for a moment. "Worst case scenario, after you and Mom get my safety message, you can find a chance to tell him privately."
By then, I'd definitely be out of Silverlight City. Even if Donovan knew, it wouldn't matter.
Two more days passed.
Arnold finally approached me on his own.
The instant our eyes met, I knew he'd pinpointed when Sophia planned to strike.
Sure enough, under the guise of treatment, he revealed the details.
"The person who helped Sophia access the dark web was Jason. And the hitman who took the contract has been staking out near the villa for several days now. He's probably waiting for an opening."
I pressed my lips together. So it was Jason helping Sophia after all.
"What's Jason's relationship to Sophia?"
Arnold shook his head lightly. "I didn't dig into that. But what kind of relationship could a man and woman have?"
His pointed question was so perfectly crafted that it made me laugh.
"That was stupid of me."
Donovan and Alicia had both mentioned that Sophia ran off with someone, abandoning Leopold and leaving Silverlight City.
Jason had tried to stop her from marrying Leopold the first time they met. Maybe Jason was Sophia's ex-boyfriend.
If that were true, then Leopold getting drugged and cornered in that alley became very intriguing indeed.
Arnold neither confirmed nor denied it, then lowered his voice to warn me.
"This bedroom has hidden cameras installed. Plus, Leopold keeps sending people to the lab to ask me questions. I think he's suspicious."
"Be mentally prepared. Don't slip up."
I responded calmly. "I know. He already tested me before."
Arnold's nose twitched slightly, then he continued naturally, "As long as you're aware. I've already passed the information to the Marquis. He'll arrange people on his end to coordinate with us."
I pulled down my sleeve, glancing around peripherally. I spotted a red dot blinking above the desk lamp.
I knew that was the camera.
I coughed lightly, covering my mouth. "Don't worry."
Since my pregnancy was still early and I was taking medication, Arnold suggested I go to the hospital this week for another checkup to monitor the baby's development.
Leopold agreed without hesitation.
But the Percy Group ran into an emergency situation that required his presence for negotiations. The project was tied to the Percy Group's annual revenue—he couldn't miss it. He had to apologize to me.
"I promise I'll wrap up the meeting as fast as possible and come keep you company."
"It's fine, you don't need to rush. It's just a checkup. If not this time, there'll be another chance."
Hearing my reassurance, Leopold's eyes warmed with tenderness.
"Right. We'll have next time."
I smiled in response.
Still, he drove me to the hospital himself and watched me enter the doctor's office before finally leaving.
To avoid arousing Leopold's suspicion, I went through with the prenatal exam as planned. After getting my results, I went to meet up with Arnold.
By then, Arnold had already locked onto the hitman's movements and told me everything was ready.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to relax.
Passing by an examination room, I suddenly noticed someone sitting outside who looked familiar. The person had been watching passersby with idle boredom.
When our eyes met, his entire body went rigid.
"It's you!"
That voice... sounded exactly like Leo's. But the face was unfamiliar.
Though when I looked closer, it did seem somewhat familiar.
Realizing his mistake, the person stood up to leave.
I suddenly remembered who he was—the guy from the bar who'd impersonated Leo.
"Stop right there! Take one more step, and you'll never work in Silverlight City again."
Sure enough, he froze.
Before I could even question him, he started spilling everything.
"I didn't mean to! Someone found out I could do impressions and approached me. They gave me a huge sum of money to put on an act..."
My chest tightened. "Who?"
"I don't know his full name. He only said his surname was Guise."
My brow furrowed sharply. I pulled out my phone and brought up photos from Ethan's social media.
"Was it him?"
The guy glanced at the screen and immediately nodded. "Yes! That's him!"
"He's the one who paid me to impersonate someone named Leo..."