Chapter 235
"That's thoughtful of you, Ethan, but your timing's not great. Leopold just went to rest."
I explained with a smile.
"I see." Ethan looked slightly regretful but quickly smiled again. "No matter. I'll visit him another time. Do you have time now?"
"Ethan, is there something you want to discuss privately?" I actually didn't want to speak with him alone.
Ethan's gaze dimmed slightly, his gentle tone carrying faint loneliness. "Cindy, we haven't seen each other in just a while—have we already grown so distant?"
My gaze paused.
His intention in having someone impersonate Leo, along with his subsequent use of my teacher, Victoria, to force me to appear, these things made my heart run cold.
And there was the new drug that had suddenly appeared in my body. I had to stay vigilant.
But seeing the implicit plea in his eyes, I relented.
"Let's talk in the small garden downstairs."
There would be plenty of people there. Plus, the Percy family had bodyguards secretly stationed at the hospital. If anything happened, it could be resolved quickly.
The loneliness in Ethan's eyes transformed into warmth. "Alright."
Arriving downstairs, I walked to the fountain where the most people gathered and sat down. "Ethan, what did you want to say?"
Ethan gave a bitter smile. "Cindy, I've been thinking for a long time about why you suddenly distanced yourself from me. So I kept reviewing our interactions and discovered the issue arose when you left Silverlight City last time."
"So I investigated what happened the day you left, and that's when I understood."
"You saw the person impersonating Leo, didn't you?"
I hadn't expected him to piece things together this far.
"Yes. I've been wanting to ask you—why did you deceive me?"
Ethan sighed, his face full of apology as he looked at me. "Cindy, I'm sorry. I was too anxious at the time."
"I'd long suspected Leo was Leopold, but Leopold always covered it up. Seeing you fall deeper and deeper for him, I was afraid you'd be hurt, so I came up with this method."
"I'd planned to wait until you reached Gravenford Kingdom to find the right moment to tell you. I didn't expect you'd discover it yourself."
I lowered my eyes, concealing the emotions within. "Then, knowing I didn't want to see you, why did you use Ms. Salazar to pressure me?"
"I wasn't pressuring you." Ethan hastily denied it. "Ms. Salazar's condition that night was genuinely critical. She'd been worried about you constantly, and when she woke up, she urged me to find you."
"But I didn't have your contact information and was afraid you wouldn't believe me. I could only send you photos of Ms. Salazar in the hospital."
I still kept my head lowered, not responding.
Ethan's voice grew hoarse. "Cindy, having someone impersonate Leo was my moment of madness. Whether you're angry or blame me, I accept it. But don't distance yourself from me, please?"
I looked up at him. "Ethan, is there anything else you're hiding from me?"
Ethan's eyes flickered.
Not wanting to be deceived again, I asked directly. "Besides having someone impersonate Leo, do you have some kind of partnership with Jason?"
Ethan's jawline tightened. After a moment, he took a deep breath. "Yes. Jason and I do have a working relationship on certain matters."
I silently closed my eyes. After adjusting my emotions, I reopened them.
"What are you collaborating on? Does Amelia being kidnapped from Silverlight City to Gravenford Kingdom by Jason have anything to do with you?"
"Amelia's kidnapping had nothing to do with me. Jason is Sophia's ex-boyfriend. He was unwilling to accept being dumped by her and wanted revenge. I simply wanted to use his desire for revenge against Sophia to help you get even."
Ethan's tone deepened here. "But I kept warning Jason not to hurt you. Last time when he took you hostage, and you fell into the sea, I immediately issued a kill order. Whenever Jason surfaces, someone will inform me."
Listening to these words, my eyes held no emotion.
Ethan crouched down in front of me, his eyes full of guilt and self-reproach. "Cindy, I know these things have already happened. No matter what I say, you can't trust me as you used to."
"I do have selfish motives regarding you, but I've never wanted to hurt you. From now on, I'll tell you in advance before I do anything. I absolutely won't hide things from you again."
"Will you forgive me this once?"
Hearing him admit to having selfish motives toward me, I suddenly looked up at him, wanting to refuse. "Ethan, you..."
"Cindy, liking you is my own business. I know clearly that I'm not the one in your heart, so I just want to be closer to you. Even if I ultimately never get a response, just being able to see you is enough for me."
Seeing him lower himself so much, I felt unable to refuse.
But feelings themselves couldn't be controlled.
Letting him continue like this would only spiral further out of control.
"Ethan, you don't need to do this. You're so excellent, you could completely..."
"Cindy." Ethan looked up at me, his gentle eyes almost pleading. "If you think my seeking you out troubles you, I can appear less often in the future and won't conflict with Leopold anymore."
"Just don't draw a clear line between us. I'll do anything."
A slight pain spread through my heart.
I'd once begged someone the same way.
Though Ethan had indeed done things he shouldn't have, his starting point had always been for my benefit.
In the previous international ballet competition, if he hadn't been helping me all along, I definitely wouldn't have made it to the finals, much less won the championship.
And he'd been mediating on my behalf to help me get into the Royal Ballet Company.
Though I'd ultimately given up.
But this debt—I acknowledged it.
"Ethan, I don't blame you for what happened before, but I also can't interact with you the way I used to."
"From now on, we can only be ordinary friends."
Ethan's pupils contracted slightly, but he still nodded. "Alright. Your willingness to continue being friends with me is already good enough."
The matter was now clarified. I didn't want to pursue the complicated details further.
But Jason was a ticking time bomb. Until he was brought to justice, I couldn't rest easy.
I even suspected this accident involving Leopold and my dad was Jason's doing.
"If you have any news of Jason, please let me know."
Ethan quickly agreed. "I will. I'll find Jason's whereabouts as soon as possible."
"I'll head back now. You take care."
I stood and walked around him to leave.
The moment I turned, I saw Leopold wrapped in a black coat, seated upright in a wheelchair, his entire being radiating an inviolable, cold aura.
Teddy stood beside him respectfully.
He was covered in injuries—why wasn't he resting properly? Why had he come out?
"Cindy, come here." Leopold raised his hand toward me, though his gaze remained fixed behind me.
My heart tightened, afraid he'd misunderstand. I stepped forward quickly to explain. "Ethan came specially to visit my dad and you, but since you were already resting, I chatted with him briefly."
Leopold nodded lightly, then his long, warm palm enveloped my hand as he frowned. "Why are you so cold?"
My heartbeat quickened slightly as I said offhandedly, "Probably from the wind."
Leopold's arm exerted a slight force. Despite the people coming and going here, he pulled me directly onto his lap.