Chapter 206
"But..."
Sebastian was uneasy. Cutting brake lines was too vicious. When he'd learned about it from the police, the worry in his heart hadn't dissipated for a moment.
Without concrete evidence now, unable to find the culprit, he worried Lisbeth was still in danger.
When they arrived at the police station, they unexpectedly saw Leopold. The wound on his forehead had been covered with a waterproof transparent dressing. His complexion was somewhat better than a few days ago, but still pale.
Lisbeth and Leopold's eyes met briefly before calmly looking away. Both maintained an unusually calm demeanor.
Cliff led them to different rooms for separate questioning.
Lisbeth answered all questions in detail and once again emphasized the suspicious behavior of that couple.
About an hour later, the statement ended. Lisbeth emerged from the room just as Leopold walked out of the adjacent interrogation room.
Cliff approached them, a trace of fatigue on his face, but his tone carried some relief. "Ms. Whitaker, Mr. Hearst, the investigation has results. That couple who rear-ended you—the wife was found. After questioning her, we made progress."
"She said someone gave her money to stage a car accident with the goal of taking Ms. Whitaker's life. As for who the actual employer was, she only said contact was made through an intermediary. The person who paid was a man wearing a hat and a mask. She doesn't know him and has no contact information."
"We're currently tracking down that intermediary and the mastermind behind it. However, one thing we can confirm—the brake line was deliberately cut. This has been upgraded to attempted murder."
Lisbeth listened, her heart heavy. "Thank you for your hard work."
After saying goodbye to Cliff, Lisbeth walked out of the station. Though the weather was warm, she felt cold all over. The wife had been caught, but the husband was still out there, and whoever was behind it all remained unknown.
Until they were caught, she felt like there was a knife at her back.
Leopold walked out a step behind, his gaze falling on Lisbeth. He'd just experienced life and death, and Elora's deception had made him see so much more clearly. His eyes no longer held the restraint and stubbornness of recent days, but were mixed with deep exhaustion, regret, and an indescribable complex emotion.
He stopped, his Adam's apple bobbing, and spoke softly. "Lisbeth."
Lisbeth turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue.
Leopold's eyes reddened slightly, his voice somewhat hoarse, carrying a trembling sincerity. "I'm sorry, Lisbeth. I..."
He wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin.
What could he say? I'm sorry, I was wrong? I've remembered everything?
It all seemed so pale, so powerless. He'd done so many wrong things, hurt her, bullied her—things he didn't dare recall himself.
Lisbeth looked at him calmly. That gaze was like a clear spring, without the slightest ripple.
Leopold found it increasingly difficult to speak. He'd finally organized his words, but before he could open his mouth, he saw Sebastian's car pull up by the roadside.
Sebastian got out and naturally took Lisbeth's hand. "All finished?"
Lisbeth made a sound of acknowledgment. "Didn't I say you didn't need to pick me up?"
Sebastian led her toward the car. "I'm worried about you. Let's go. Mom made soup for you. She's waiting for you to come drink it."
They got in the car, which sped away.
Leopold stood in place, his fingertips trembling slightly at his sides.
Mom?
They'd already met each other's parents?
Then the next step would be to set a wedding date.
The car drove smoothly along the road.
"Although the police have strengthened protection for you, just in case, I've arranged professional bodyguards to protect you twenty-four hours a day."
Sebastian held the steering wheel. When picking up Lisbeth, he always did it personally because he enjoyed the opportunity and time alone with her. "Wherever you go, they'll follow. You're not allowed to refuse."
Lisbeth's heart warmed. Though she knew this might bring some inconvenience to her life, after experiencing this attack, she did feel unprecedented unease.
Someone wanted her dead. This made her anxious. "Okay, thank you."
At a red light ahead, Sebastian pressed the brake, turned to look at her, sighed softly, and reached out to hold her somewhat cold hand. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Lisbeth's lips curved slightly, a sense of peace settling in her heart.
She looked down at the hand holding hers and slowly extended her fingers, interlocking with his.
Leopold hadn't been doing well lately.
After returning from the police station, his already pale complexion had taken on an additional layer of defeat.
He was like a deflated balloon, listless in everything he did, frequently spacing out. This worried Jake greatly.
Was Leopold developing depression?
Jake decided to help him get out of this funk. At least he couldn't remain so dispirited all the time. Early one morning, he rushed to Leopold's hospital room and pulled him up. "The weather's nice today. Let's go play pool!"
Leopold shook him off. "I'm not going."
Jake couldn't take it anymore. "Are you ever going to stop? I asked the doctor—they said you could've been discharged long ago. What are you still waiting for here? Think Lisbeth will come see you if you stay?"
Lisbeth had indeed come, but she hadn't stayed at all. She'd arranged for a caregiver, paid the hospital fees, and left without even seeing Leopold.
Leopold stubbornly refused to leave.
Jake was both angry and anxious, throwing a file onto the bed. "How long are you going to torture yourself? Are you not managing the company anymore? The shareholders are waiting to laugh at you!"
Leopold glanced at the file. "I've handled what needed handling. What more do you want from me?"
He seemed to have lost all vitality, infuriating to watch.
Jake was deeply pained, but seeing his friend like this, he softened. It seemed that to get Leopold back on his feet, he still needed to find Lisbeth.
"Wait here. I'm going to get you the right medicine!" He turned and left.
Leopold only glanced at him before ignoring him.
The next day, Lisbeth received a call saying she needed to go to the office. Sebastian wanted to accompany her, but he had a meeting he couldn't leave. They said a reluctant goodbye at the door.
More accurately, Sebastian was reluctant.
"You really don't want me to go with you?" Sebastian asked.
Lisbeth sighed helplessly. "I'm just going to the office. Why would you come? Do your work."
Sebastian sighed.
Sometimes he really wanted to ask online: what should you do when the person you love doesn't like to depend on you?
They left together but separated at the door. Before leaving, Sebastian repeatedly instructed the bodyguards not to leave Lisbeth's side.
Lisbeth watched him leave, then drove to the office.
The company had recently taken on two new projects. As soon as she entered, Megan pulled her into work, keeping her so busy she was dizzy and didn't even have time to eat.
But just then, Lisbeth received a phone call from Jake.
"Lisbeth, something happened to Leopold. If you still remember how he protected you, come to the hospital to see him."