Chapter 24
I rushed into the villa the moment we arrived. I planned to hide Leo's personal belongings in the storage room before they came in, but after searching around, I couldn't find any of his things in the common areas.
Puzzled, I opened Leo's guest bedroom door and discovered all his belongings were already there. I immediately felt relieved.
Leo was more discreet than I had anticipated. Instead of hiding anything, I simply locked the guest bedroom door.
"Why are you rushing around like that? You couldn't even wait for us," Fanny scolded as I returned to the living room.
I casually replied, "My stomach doesn't feel well."
James immediately spoke up, "If you're not feeling well, you need to take medicine right away. Last time you ended up in the hospital with a fever because you didn't take medicine promptly. Don't you ever learn?"
Seeing James so concerned, I didn't dare admit I was lying and obediently walked to the living room. Since moving in, I hadn't bought any household supplies and wasn't sure if there was a medicine cabinet.
After looking around for a while, I confirmed there wasn't one.
Seeing me return empty-handed, Fanny grew worried. "James, let's take her to the hospital. This is a crucial time for her competition—we can't take any chances."
"Mom, Dad, there's no need..." I tried to stop them as the situation escalated.
But they wouldn't listen to me. I couldn't blame them. Last time I had a fever, a lung infection kept my temperature dangerously high. The hospital had issued a critical condition notice, which terrified them.
It was my fault for making up such an excuse on the spot. If we went to the hospital now, it would be hard to explain the truth.
"Mr. and Mrs. Wipere, we have medicine here," Leopold finally intervened as I failed to stop my parents.
The three of us froze. I had medicine in my house? How did I not know this?
Leopold, sensing our confusion, walked to the living room and opened a storage cabinet that indeed contained a medicine box. After retrieving it, he expertly opened the box.
"All the medications are here, prepared according to the list you gave me," he said.
I didn't understand what he meant. What list? Leopold hadn't visited Bayview Villas since I bought it. How could he have prepared medication for me?
"Leo, you take such good care of Cindy that she's become completely thoughtless," James said, his expression softening as he smiled at Leopold.
"Exactly. You're going to spoil her," Fanny added.
I looked at Leopold, wondering what he had told my parents behind my back.
Leopold gave me a brief glance before responding gently, "Mr. and Mrs. Wipere, you're giving me too much credit. Cindy is quite independent. She just tends to neglect herself when focused on competitions. I was worried she might get sick, so I prepared these medications and arranged for them to be replaced regularly."
"Don't defend her. We know what she's like," my father said.
"Yes, it's precisely because you've been taking such good care of her that we've felt comfortable not getting involved in her affairs," my mother added.
My parents were clearly very satisfied with Leopold.
Leopold nodded slightly, then said, "It's getting late. Mr. and Mrs. Wipere, you must be tired from your journey. You should rest now."
"Yes, we should," they agreed verbally, but made no move to leave.
I was about to urge them when Leopold suddenly wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. "We'll head to bed too."
"Go ahead, get some rest," Fanny and James exchanged glances as they continued watching us.
I felt something odd about the way they were looking at us, but couldn't quite place what it was. I let Leopold lead me upstairs.
Only after entering the bedroom and locking the door did we separate.
"Why did you put your arm around me? Don't you realize that behavior will only make my parents misunderstand our situation?" I demanded.
Leopold ignored me. His long fingers loosened his tie knot, and with a slight tug, the tie came undone as if it had been tamed. He rotated his neck before finally glancing at me.
"Can't you see that your parents are already suspicious about our relationship?"
I recalled how my parents had deliberately waited for us to go upstairs. No wonder something felt off—they had noticed.
"Still, you didn't need to force that display of affection."
"Force?" Leopold gave a cold laugh, his eyes contemptuous as he looked me up and down. "You think I want to touch you?"
Embarrassment washed over me.
"That's not what I meant. If you're going to act, at least give me some warning so I can prepare."
Something in my words triggered him. Leopold's expression suddenly darkened. He approached me silently. His tall figure loomed like a towering mountain, pressing down on me without a word.
"What..." I backed away. "What are you doing?"
Only when my back hit the cold wall, leaving me nowhere to retreat, did Leopold stop. We were now very close. So close our breaths intertwined.
"Lucinda." His magnetic voice entered my ears, rippling through my heart.
He raised his index finger, gently lifting my chin. "You're living with that impostor, yet you're playing the virtuous woman in front of me? How many times do you have sex each night? What positions do you use? Is he better than me?"
Each word was like a knife, carving humiliation into my heart. My chest tightened with pain until I could barely breathe.
"Yes, since I chose him, naturally I fulfill my duties as his girlfriend," I retorted. "And yes, he is better than you. He's always considerate of how I feel. Unlike you, who only knows how to use me for release."
Leopold's expression froze. He clearly hadn't expected such a direct response.
After a moment, he lowered his hand, his voice turning harsh. "Do you dare say that again?"
I hated how he always resorted to threats. Gritting my teeth, I pressed my entire back against the wall, refusing to show any weakness.
"Leopold, don't threaten me. We agreed to pretend for each other. I help you keep up appearances in front of your grandfather, so you should do the same for me with my parents. I don't owe you anything. You can't coerce me."
Leopold laughed bitterly. "Lucinda, you've really grown bold. Daring to speak to me like this!"
When he tried to grab my chin again, I slapped his hand away.
"I've never changed. It's your heart that's changed, which is why you think I'm different now."
Leopold's smile instantly froze, his mood visibly shifting.
My parents were still downstairs, and I didn't want to disturb them. "My parents are here tonight, so I hope we can coexist peacefully. Tomorrow, I'll convince them to return to their own home. Then you won't have to condescend to cooperate with me anymore."
I walked past him, emerging from the corner and heading straight for the bathroom.
When I came out, I found Leopold sitting on the sofa with spare blankets and pillows beside him.
"How did you know exactly where to find those when you've never been here before?" Once could be coincidence, but this was the second time tonight. Wasn't it too convenient?
"Who said I've never been here?" Leopold coldly countered.
His question caught me completely off guard. After a long pause, I finally managed to speak. "You've... been here before?"
Leopold lay down with a cold expression and closed his eyes, ignoring me.
I couldn't remember him ever visiting this place. Seeing he didn't want to talk about it, I didn't press further. It didn't matter anymore anyway.
Sophia was the one he cared about, not me.