Chapter 253
"Get out of the way!"
Just as I got close, the person shoved me to the ground.
As I tried to get up, it felt like something in my brain had triggered a switch.
In an instant, the scene before my eyes became distorted and faded.
This sensation—I knew it too well.
This was the warning sign that the new drug was taking effect.
I tried to see the servant's face clearly.
But I failed.
My consciousness dissolved into a blur of white.
When I came to, I found myself collapsed on the floor.
As I scrambled to my feet, I was met by the thick, metallic scent of blood.
I quickly looked around but found nothing unusual. Instinctively, I braced my hand against the floor.
The texture felt wrong. Looking down, I discovered that my hands were covered in blood.
My right hand was even gripping a bloodstained knife.
Panicking, I flung the knife away.
The moment it hit the floor, my scalp prickled with dread.
"What... what happened?"
I looked around frantically.
The next second, I was struck as if by lightning.
On the bed, Alicia lay deathly pale, blood seeping continuously from her body and soaking through her clothes. The sight was ghastly.
Then another terrifying realization hit me.
Had I caused Alicia's injury?
No—I didn't like her, but I wouldn't want her dead.
Then what had happened?
I tried to recall what had just happened, but I couldn't remember anything.
Just then, the bedroom door burst open.
Leopold rushed in first. His gaze swept the room, and his pupils constricted violently.
His eyes shot toward me, the coldness in them like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.
"The door's open—why aren't you going in? What are you blocking the doorway for?" Donovan complained as he emerged from behind Leopold.
"Grandpa..." Leopold stepped aside, trying to block his view.
But he was a step too late. Donovan had already seen me.
His gaze fell on my hands. He asked in confusion, "Cindy, why are your hands covered in blood?"
A suffocating sensation spread from my chest to my throat. I couldn't make a sound.
Donovan sensed something was wrong and immediately looked toward the bed.
His expression changed drastically.
"Alicia!"
Hearing the commotion, the people outside the door moved to rush in.
The silhouettes swaying in the doorway terrified me, and I kept backing away.
"Get out!" Leopold's voice was harsh with command.
Everyone stopped at the entrance.
The next second, the door closed.
Leopold looked at me with a dark expression. After noticing the knife at my feet, his gaze grew frighteningly heavy.
I quickly tried to explain. "It wasn't me! I... I..."
I couldn't continue because I didn't know what had happened either.
"Leopold, your grandmother's condition is critical. Get Brady here immediately!" Donovan urged anxiously.
Leopold restrained his emotions, first contacting the family doctor, then having the butler call for an ambulance.
Soon, the family doctor arrived.
Seeing Alicia's condition, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately began cleaning the wound.
The damp sensation and the bloody smell on my hands made me nauseous.
Turning around, I wanted to go to the bathroom to wash up.
But Leopold blocked me and asked in a low voice, "Where are you going?"
I pointed to the bathroom. "To wash my hands."
Only then did Leopold lower his hand and grasp my elbow. "I'll go with—"
Before he could finish, the family doctor spoke up. "Mr. Percy, the wound is too deep. The bleeding won't stop. She must be taken to the hospital immediately!"
Hearing this news, my heart sank heavily.
Too deep!
Donovan nearly collapsed when he heard this.
"Grandpa!" Leopold immediately released me to support Donovan.
"How could this happen?" Donovan hunched over, gripping Leopold's hand tightly as he asked in anguish.
Leopold's fingers, supporting his grandfather, tensed until they lost color. "Grandpa, don't worry. Grandma... will be fine."
That last sentence—he said it with little conviction.
I didn't even dare breathe.
"Mr. Percy, the ambulance is here," the butler reported through the door, not daring to enter.
"Quick! Take your grandmother down!" Donovan grabbed Leopold's hand like a lifeline.
Leopold immediately signaled for the bodyguards to enter. With the family doctor's help, they transported Alicia to the ambulance.
Once in the vehicle, the doctors and nurses reacted swiftly, beginning their efforts to save her life.
"Wash your hands and come down. We'll go to the hospital together." Leopold stepped outside and turned to tell me.
I nodded numbly and walked toward the bathroom step by step.
The room now held only Alicia and me.
If I told Leopold I had no idea what had happened, would he believe me?
But I felt instinctively that things shouldn't have been this way.
What was missing?
I still couldn't remember.
The icy water flowed between my fingers. The dried bloodstains clung to my skin like red scabs.
Washed away by the water, they dissolved into thin streams of pale blood winding toward the drain.
Only after all the blood had been washed away did I calm down slightly.
Whether Leopold believed me or not, I had to explain.
After thinking this through, my taut nerves finally eased somewhat.
After drying my hands, I hurried out and went straight down the stairs.
Turning the corner on the first floor, I saw the butler and the servants gathered in the living room.
The atmosphere was heavy.
"I heard that only Ms. Wipere and Mrs. Alicia Percy were inside earlier, and they even had an argument."
"What are you implying? Are you suspecting Ms. Wipere?"
"I'm not the one suspecting anything. Only Ms. Wipere and Mrs. Alicia Percy were there. Now that Mrs. Alicia Percy is injured, Ms. Wipere naturally becomes the prime suspect."
"But Ms. Wipere is such a good person. She'd never do something like this."
"Not necessarily. Tonight, Mrs. Alicia Percy had Ms. Guise attend the banquet as family, which shows that she doesn't accept Ms. Wipere."
My steps faltered. I didn't dare continue down.
The reality I'd been unwilling to face had now been spoken aloud by the servants.
"Silence! Is this something you should be discussing?" the butler intervened.
Only then did the servants fall quiet.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Hiding was useless—I still had to face this.
Opening my eyes again, I walked quickly downstairs.
Seeing me, the servants' expressions changed. A few didn't even have the courage to look at me.
I nodded calmly at the butler and continued outside.
"Ms. Wipere, please."
As soon as I stepped out, Teddy opened the back door for me.
I tried to read his expression but couldn't discern anything.
After getting in the car, I noticed Leopold holding a tablet and looking at something.
His expression was shrouded in darkness, leaving only his sharp, cold eyes gleaming.
"Leopold, I didn't hurt Mrs. Alicia Percy. I think I had an episode. I can't remember anything that just happened."
I rushed to say this, my heart anxious beyond measure. I didn't even have the courage to look at Leopold.
Even the servants thought I was the prime suspect—how much more so would he?
Moreover, I had no evidence whatsoever to prove my innocence.
Lost in troubled thoughts, a warm, strong hand suddenly covered mine.
I looked up at Leopold, startled.
Unexpectedly, I met his eyes, deep as the ocean.
He said, "Tell me everything you remember."