Chapter 220
My pulse hammered out of control.
Just before I completely lost it, I shoved Leopold's hand away.
"Feeling better?" Leopold asked, studying my face intently.
I coughed twice more before managing, "I'm fine now."
Leopold wasn't convinced. He pressed on, "Does your throat hurt? Are you dizzy?"
"Really, I'm fine." I'd already steadied my breathing and put distance between us again.
Leopold's hand, suspended in midair, slowly curled and lowered.
I wiped my mouth with a tissue, eyes fixed on him. "I've taken the medicine. I want to rest early tonight."
Leopold turned to look at me, his expression unreadable. "Are you afraid of me?"
I avoided his almost predatory gaze. "No, I have to go to Crescent Ballet Company early tomorrow. I don't want to stay up late."
"Is that all?" Leopold's voice dropped as he leaned closer.
I backed away again, unexpectedly hitting the edge of the bed. I lost my balance and fell onto the mattress. My legs splayed involuntarily, my skirt riding up to expose the smooth skin of my thighs.
Leopold's gaze traveled from my face down to my legs.
His eyes darkened further. "I get the feeling you don't really want me to leave."
My hands braced behind me. Seeing him lean in, my already racing heart nearly lost its rhythm. "I don't."
Leopold bent forward lazily, bracing his long arm beside me, his gaze deep and focused.
"Lucinda, you were jealous tonight." His tone was slow and certain.
My heart seized violently, every muscle in my body tensing. "Don't talk nonsense. I wasn't jealous."
"No?" Leopold raised his hand, lightly clasping the back of my neck.
With this movement, I was forced to arch my chest. My breasts nearly pressed against his firm torso.
"You can't lie. Your eyes can't deceive me."
The warmth of his palm lingered at the hollow of my neck.
I bit out, "Then you're mistaken. I could never be jealous over you."
Leopold lowered his gaze to my eyes. "Is telling the truth really that hard?"
The air crystallized with ambiguous emotion.
My heart drummed against my ribs, pulling at my every nerve. "I am telling the truth."
Leopold's eyes were as deep and inscrutable as an abyss, his fingers at my nape gradually tightening.
I thought he'd be angry, but instead he released me.
My nerves stretched to their limit, I still didn't dare let my guard down.
Leopold bowed his head. The lamplight falling from above created a halo around his hair. "Lucinda, I told you I have patience."
I froze. What did he mean?
When I looked at him again, he'd already straightened his clothes and walked directly to the door. "This time, we'll take it slow."
The door closed.
But my mind kept replaying what he'd just said.
We'll take it slow...
'We'—did he mean him and me?
Even now, he still hasn't given up?
I couldn't help frowning. He'd never been the clingy type before. Why was he refusing to let go this time?
Was he plotting some other revenge?
The next morning.
I headed to Crescent Ballet Company first thing.
Before leaving, I made sure to bring the new medication Christian had developed.
I took the opportunity to share with Amelia that I'd registered for the Valeria International Ballet Competition.
"Really? That's wonderful! This time I'll definitely clear my schedule. I'm coming to every single one of your competitions to cheer you on!" Amelia was even more excited than I was, immediately checking her calendar.
I quickly pressed down on her hand. "Don't rush. I only registered. The preliminary results aren't out yet. I might not make it."
But Amelia said, "Don't sell yourself short. I know your abilities. If you can't pass the preliminaries, then no one in Silverlight City can."
Just as she finished speaking, my phone rang. It was an international number.
"Hello, is this Ms. Lucinda Wipere?" The person spoke with a somewhat halting accent.
"Yes, speaking. Who's calling?"
"Ms. Wipere, hello. I'm calling from the Valeria International Ballet Competition. I'm contacting you to inform you that you've passed our preliminary selection. Information about the new round of competition rules and timing has been sent to your email. Please check it."
I was stunned for two seconds before thanking them. Then I logged into my personal email and sure enough, there was a new message with a Valeria prefix.
Most of the email content covered the semifinal rules. At the bottom was the location and time for the new round of competition.
"Who called you? Why do you look so serious?" Amelia asked curiously, leaning over.
"It was an official notification from Valeria. They said I passed the preliminaries."
Amelia stared at me in shock. "Really?"
"See for yourself if you don't believe me." I handed her my phone.
Amelia took it and read carefully.
After confirming I was telling the truth, she threw her arms around me happily. "I knew you could do it, Cindy! No matter what you say today, you're treating!"
Her joy was so infectious I couldn't help laughing too. "Fine, I'm treating."
So I covered afternoon tea for everyone at Crescent Ballet Company, asking Tammy and the bodyguards to help with the purchase.
"Thank you, Lucinda!" The staff members who received their afternoon tea thanked me happily.
After the last person had claimed theirs, Tammy noticed there were still ten portions left and came to ask what I wanted to do.
Amelia looked puzzled. "Wendy told me most people came in today. There shouldn't be this many left over."
Wendy happened to return just then. Hearing her, she explained, "Ms. Percy, Irma didn't come in today, plus two people from the logistics department took sick leave. That's why there are so many left."
"Why didn't Irma come?" Amelia was surprised.
Wendy said, "She said she wasn't feeling well and needed to go to the hospital."
Amelia and I exchanged a glance but didn't ask further questions. We distributed the remaining ten portions to the bodyguards.
Back in the office, Amelia said to me, "I feel like Irma's up to something."
"Not long after you all left last night, she left too. The person I had following her said she stayed in her place for about two hours, then came out again and went straight to the hospital."
I looked at her. "And she hasn't come out since?"
"No, she's still there even now." The more Amelia thought about it, the stranger it seemed. "Irma only has superficial injuries. She doesn't need that long for treatment, and that hospital doesn't have any records of other family members seeking treatment there either. Why is she staying at the hospital so long? What's she trying to do?"
I found it strange too. If she had no family at that hospital, why spend the entire night there?
Suddenly, a crucial detail hit me. "Amelia, which hospital did Irma go to?"
Amelia shook her head blankly and looked at Wendy.
Wendy thought for a moment. "It's a hospital under the Percy Group, in the South District."
Amelia couldn't help saying, "Doesn't Irma live in the North District? If she wasn't feeling well, why didn't she go to a nearby hospital instead of going all the way to the South District?"
I immediately sensed something was wrong.
The Percy Group hospital in the South District... wasn't that the private hospital where Alicia was staying?
Could she be targeting Alicia?