Chapter 214
"Stop! Or I'll call the police right now!"
The moment I spoke, Nash over there laughed sinisterly. "A woman dares to meddle? Believe it or not, I'll deal with you too!"
As he spoke, he looked in my direction.
When he saw the two security guards beside me, his expression changed dramatically. "You brought people with you!"
I immediately frowned. "Why shouldn't I bring people? Let go of Irma right now, or you'll regret it!"
The security guards chimed in. "How dare you harass someone from Crescent Ballet Company? Are you tired of living?"
The burly Nash immediately released his grip.
While backing away, he was still making threats. "Irma, you're lucky today. Just you wait—I'll be back!"
Seeing him about to run, I immediately signaled the two guards to chase him.
"If you catch him, take him straight to the police station."
"Lucinda." Just then, Irma, who had fallen to the ground, spoke weakly. "Don't chase him. He's my biological brother. I don't want to pursue this."
"How can we not?" I disagreed. "If I hadn't happened to bring security guards, who knows what state you'd be in right now!"
But Irma shook her head tearfully. "It's fine. He just wanted money from me. He won't really hurt me. Don't catch him. Let him go."
Though I didn't understand, since she insisted on not pursuing it, I could only respect her wishes.
I called back the two guards who hadn't gotten far.
Once inside Crescent Ballet Company, I took her directly to Amelia's office.
Seeing Irma in this state, Amelia quickly pulled out a first aid kit.
"Cindy, what happened?"
I glanced at Irma, who was holding disinfectant and treating her wounds, and asked, "Do you want to tell her, or should I?"
Irma's hand trembled. The next second, she put down the disinfectant and said quietly, "Ms. Percy, my brother came looking for me. We had a bit of an argument."
Amelia seemed skeptical. "Just that, and he beat you up like this? That's way too much!"
Irma hung her head in embarrassment, defending her brother in a low voice. "He wasn't like this before."
Hearing that, Amelia's eyes turned cold.
But she didn't ask further.
She called for Wendy and had her take Irma to treat her wounds.
After they left, Amelia came over to me. "Cindy, tell me exactly what happened."
So I told her the whole process.
Amelia was furious. "I always thought my dad was trash enough, but there are waste-of-space brothers like this, too? Irma is usually so cheerful and generous—why is she so confused when it comes to her brother?"
I sighed lightly. "Every family has its difficulties."
Amelia agreed with me. "But people like him—if you don't teach them a lesson, he'll definitely come back to trouble Irma again. Irma has real potential as a dancer. I don't want her dragged down by her family of origin."
Hearing this, I thought for a moment and asked, "How well do you know Irma?"
Amelia nodded. "She's been at Crescent Ballet Company for three months. She gets along well with everyone and works very hard. When Rena's lead role was pulled, Irma stepped up. She can handle pressure."
Amelia didn't praise people easily. To receive such positive evaluation from her, Irma must be truly excellent.
But I remained cautious. "Does everyone else think so too?"
Amelia picked up on something. "Cindy, you don't seem to like Irma very much. Have you met her before? Or did she do something to you?"
"No." I shook my head.
Amelia looked confused. "Then why did you ask that just now?"
I hesitated for a moment before saying, "I feel like there's something off about Irma."
Amelia's expression grew serious, waiting for me to continue.
"When I brought the guards to find Irma, she'd been bullied like that by her brother, but she didn't call for help. Instead, she kept acting weak."
"When I arrived, and her brother saw I'd brought people, he looked surprised and said, 'You brought people with you!'—as if he knew in advance I'd come alone."
"And after Irma was rescued, she wasn't relieved. Her first reaction was to beg me not to chase her brother, repeatedly emphasizing she didn't want to pursue it."
I looked up at her. "Don't you think these details are a bit strange, different from normal reactions?"
Amelia thought briefly. "Now that you mention it, it does seem odd. But when it comes to family, Irma thinking this way is understandable."
"But what her brother said when he saw you is definitely suspicious. I'll have someone secretly watch Irma and see if her brother comes looking for her again."
"Sure, but be careful. Don't let Irma find out." I still had some doubts about Irma.
I'd never met her brother before, yet the way he looked at me was as if he knew me.
So much so that he didn't even look up before assuming I was alone, then immediately retreated when he discovered I'd brought people.
As if he was targeting me specifically.
But I had no proof of any of this.
I hoped I was overthinking it.
I stayed at Crescent Ballet Company until afternoon. My mood improved considerably before I prepared to go home.
Before leaving, Amelia pulled me aside, her face full of barely contained excitement.
"Cindy, I just received news that the biennial Valeria International Ballet Competition is being held early. I'm planning to have Irma give it a try. If you're interested, you could too."
If she hadn't mentioned it, I'd almost forgotten.
The Valeria International Ballet Competition had been a career highlight for me.
That was the competition where I'd performed "Black Swan" and achieved the highest score, becoming famous overnight.
But not long after that, Leopold's parents had their car accident, and I semi-retired.
I hadn't expected the competition time to come around again so quickly.
"Cindy, why aren't you saying anything?" Seeing my silence, Amelia pulled me and pressed me.
I came back to myself and smiled slightly. "My injury hasn't fully healed yet. I need to think about it."
"Right, I was so excited I almost forgot about your injury. You've been quite weak recently. Your health comes first. Don't push yourself."
I nodded. Just as I walked to the Crescent Ballet Company entrance, I saw Leopold's car parked by the roadside.
Amelia proactively explained, "After what happened with Irma, I was worried about your safety, so I told Leopold and asked him to pick you up."
"Thank you."
I knew she meant well and didn't refuse.
After getting in the car, Teddy drove away from the spot.
Leopold and I sat in the back seat.
But neither of us seemed inclined to speak.
Perhaps the atmosphere was too oppressive.
Leopold took the initiative. "Grandmother's condition is currently stable, but she'll need chemotherapy going forward. She'll most likely stay in the hospital."
"Good that she's stable," I responded coldly, with no intention of continuing the conversation.
The atmosphere grew stagnant again.
Leopold added, "Were you feeling unwell today at all?"
"No." I remained cold.
Leopold had never been good at conversation. After running into walls twice in a row, he too fell silent.
After arriving at Bayview Villas, I didn't wait for Teddy to open the door and got out myself.
"Cindy." Leopold suddenly spoke, stopping me.
"Can we talk privately?"