Chapter 248
"You did this on purpose!" Sophia glared at me furiously. "You just want to make Leopold angry at me!"
I curved my lips slightly. "I did nothing of the sort. You and he were the ones talking the whole time. I was just defending myself."
A curious passerby hurried over to Sophia and her son, scrutinizing Orion intently.
"Don't look! Get away! Stop blocking the way!" Sophia snapped in agitation, immediately trying to shoo them off.
"We're just looking. It's not like we're doing anything to you! How can you curse at people?" The person was displeased.
"Right, maybe she's feeling guilty? I heard that Mr. Percy isn't married yet, just has a fiancée he's close to. I think her last name is Wipere."
"I've heard about this too. At the time, lots of people praised Mr. Percy for being devoted."
"Right, I even saw photos of them. That woman isn't her at all. She looks more like..."
The person looked at me, their expression shifting. "It's her!"
I smiled but said nothing.
Sophia couldn't take it anymore. "You've got the wrong person. The woman in the photos isn't me, and it's not her either."
"Move aside. I need to take my child to see his elder."
She shielded Orion's face while pushing forward.
Her steps were quick, as if afraid of being caught.
The show over, I wove through the crowd toward the exit.
Just as I reached the entrance and was about to call a cab, I spotted Leopold's car parked at the curb.
My heart tightened. Was Leopold here?
"Ms. Wipere, please get in." Teddy hurried out from the driver's seat and opened the back door for me.
I peered inside. No one there. A flicker of disappointment. "Leopold sent you to pick me up?"
"Yes. Mr. Percy has something he wants to discuss with you in person."
Hearing that, I got in the car.
At first, I thought Teddy was taking me to the Percy Group, but instead, we headed to Pansea Heights.
"Ms. Wipere, Mr. Percy's leg injury flared up this morning. The office wasn't suitable for rest, so he returned to Pansea Heights."
My breathing hitched slightly. "Is it serious?"
Teddy hesitated for a moment before answering. "Dr. Wood said it's quite serious—he nearly fractured it a second time. He gave Mr. Percy strict instructions not to push himself anymore."
I was puzzled. "What did Leopold do?"
Teddy didn't dare look at me, saying quietly, "That involves Mr. Percy's privacy. It's not my place to say. You should ask Mr. Percy yourself."
Privacy?
I understood immediately. It must be about the paternity test.
When we arrived at Pansea Heights, I'd barely stepped out of the car when I saw Barry standing at the entrance.
He had a red mark on his forehead, as if something had struck him.
Seeing me, his expression stiffened slightly, but he still greeted me. "Ms. Wipere."
My impression of him was mediocre, but I still asked politely, "What happened to your forehead?"
Barry avoided my gaze. "It's nothing. I accidentally bumped into a corner."
I said mildly, "Be more careful next time. Is Leopold inside?"
"Yes, Mr. Percy is in the bedroom on the second floor." After a pause, he added, "Dr. Wood is with him as well."
I nodded slightly and headed upstairs.
As I neared the bedroom, I heard Brady's voice coming from inside.
"Leopold, calm down. I personally oversaw this test myself. We ran it three separate times. The results were all the same."
"I don't believe it!" Leopold's voice was dark and hoarse. "Sophia's child is gone. There's no way a three-year-old could suddenly appear! Something about this is wrong!"
"What could be wrong?" Brady's tone was questioning.
Leopold had no response.
Brady continued, "I've been a doctor for years. I've seen everything. Think carefully—after Sophia miscarried, did you see her every day?"
"Of course not." Leopold denied it without hesitation. "From the moment I woke up in the same bed with her, I never saw her alone again. I only went to the hospital to see her after I found out about the child."
"What about after that? Didn't you send anyone to take care of her?" Brady pressed.
Leopold was silent for a moment before answering. "No. At the time, she said her mother would look after her and told me not to worry, to focus on work. Plus, I didn't want to see her anyway, so I didn't bother."
"Well, there you have it." Brady clapped his hands together. "Maybe Sophia lied to you back then. The child never miscarried at all—she secretly gave birth and sent him away."
The bedroom suddenly fell silent.
Only the sound of breathing remained.
I took a light breath, pressed down on the door handle, and pushed it open.
Brady and Leopold both looked toward me at once.
"Cindy." Seeing me, Leopold, who'd been leaning against the bed, immediately tried to get up.
"Don't move." I quickly stopped him, turning to Brady. "How is he?"
Brady looked at me with complicated eyes before explaining. "There's no major problem right now, but since the bone was affected, he needs proper rest. Otherwise, he could end up permanently disabled."
I nodded. "Alright. I'd like to speak with Leopold alone."
Brady understood and immediately left.
"Cindy, come sit by me so we can talk, okay?" Leopold seemed to sense my displeasure, deliberately softening his tone.
I walked straight to his bedside and got right to the point. "Mrs. Alicia Percy found me today. She showed me the paternity test between you and Orion. I want to know what you plan to do."
Leopold's expression stiffened slightly, asking with some nervousness, "What did Grandma say to you?"
"She said if I want to enter the Percy family, I must accept this child. Otherwise, she'll stake her life on blocking me from entering."
Leopold's eyes darkened, his entire body releasing a cold aura. "Don't take Grandma's words seriously. I'm not a chess piece. I won't let her manipulate me."
I watched him quietly without speaking.
Leopold's eyes dimmed. "I'm not trying to force you to accept this child. I told you before—I won't acknowledge him either. Now that the test results are out, I'll arrange for Sophia and her son to go abroad as soon as possible."
My heart constricted painfully. "But Leopold, I can't accept this outcome."
I could accept that in the past, because of our mutual misunderstandings, he'd deliberately used Sophia to get back at me.
But I couldn't accept that he and Sophia had a child together.
This child wasn't something that would simply disappear if sent away. He would grow up, have needs, and might even put on an act like Sophia.
Leopold might not be swayed by the child, but Donovan and Alicia would be.
Once they accepted this child, he would remain part of the Percy family.
Even Leopold would be powerless to change it.
"Cindy, I..." Leopold's breath suddenly trembled as he gripped my hand tightly.
I knew what he was about to say. I interrupted him calmly. "Leopold, don't make promises to me. The future is too long, with too many variables. I don't want you trapped by promises, and I don't want us to repeat past mistakes."
Leopold looked up at me from below, his deep eyes seeming to lose something vital. "Are you going to give up on me again?"
My fingers curled soundlessly, trembling faintly.
Leopold squeezed my hand, his breath hot. "You say the future has too many variables, that you don't want to hear my promises. The truth is, you don't trust me."
"You don't believe you're the most important thing to me. You don't believe I can stand against every force that opposes us. And you don't believe..."
His voice turned rough as sandpaper. "That I truly love you."