Chapter 232 Forever the Illegitimate Child
Leo crouched down in pain, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
"You bastard!" Kevin sneered coldly. "Do you think that by taking over the Anderson Group with Charles' help, you can establish yourself in Lakina?"
A flurry of camera flashes went off, capturing Kevin's kick in full view of the media.
"In front of me, you'll always be a bastard!" Kevin pointed at Leo and raised his voice."Everyone, take a good look. Even if he used some tricks to take over the Anderson Group, Leo is still just a bastard. In the Anderson family, he'll always be a disgrace. Today, I'm going to clean up the family for my father!"
As Kevin lifted his foot for another strike, the paparazzi quickly raised their cameras, eager to capture every thrilling moment.
In the world of high society scandals, aside from affairs, nothing was more exhilarating than a family feud.
Any drama between Leo and Kevin was pure gold for the entertainment media. With such juicy material practically served up on a silver platter, there was no way they'd miss their chance.
But this time, Kevin's kick missed its mark.
Leo sidestepped with surprising agility, dodging the strike before Kevin could react. Seizing the opportunity, Leo swung his leg around and landed a solid kick to Kevin's lower back.
A collective gasp erupted from the crowd.
The paparazzi stumbled backward, along with Kevin, who was sent crashing out the door.
Before anyone could process what had happened, the door slammed shut with a resounding thud.
Kevin clumsily got up from the ground, holding his waist. "You all saw that, right? I trust I don't need to instruct you on tomorrow’s headline."
The commotion at the door gradually subsided.
Leo put on his clothes, glanced at the display screen on the door, then grabbed his coat and prepared to leave.
At that moment, Emily rushed over from behind and hugged him tightly.
Leo was taken aback. "What are you doing?"
"Leo." Emily's voice trembled. "Sincethings have come to this point, should we..."
Leo pried her fingers off and stared at her face, mocking, "What are you thinking? You want me to touch you?"
"I know. I don't want to touch you either, but given the current situation, if things go wrong, do you think Charles will still help us?" Emily clutched his sleeve, her breathing slightly rapid. "Leo, I hate Kevin and Susan as much as you do. I hate everyone in the Anderson family. Our goal is the same. We all want to takerevenge and escape from their control!"
Leo stared at her for a few seconds. "Who said I'm like you?"
Emily was stunned.
Leo pulled his coat from her grasp and said calmly, "If it were a year ago, I might have slept with you just to disgust Kevin. But now, I want more than revenge; I want to stand tall and proud!"
"Leo." Emily called.
"Sorry, I can't help you."
With that, Leo strode out of the room.
As soon as Leo stepped out, he was apprehended by Richard's men.
He wanted to find Isabella, but it was impossible.
Instead, he was locked up in a small dark room for the entire night.
In the middle of the night, Isabella woke up.
She sat up abruptly, startling Seb beside her.
"What's wrong?" Seb sat up as well, wrapping his arms around her.
Isabella clutched his arm and said urgently, "Listen!"
"To what?" Seb asked.
"It sounds like Sweetie is crying." Isabella replied.
Seb remained silent.
Isabella shook his arm. "Did you hear it? It's right outside!"
Seb shook his head. He heard nothing.
Outside the window was a forest. Apart from the rustling of leaves in the breeze, there was nothing. Certainly no sound of a baby crying.
"I'll go check," Isabella said, putting on her slippers and hurriedly opening the door.
The moment the door swung open, the baby's cries abruptly ceased.
As the hallway lights spilled into the room, Isabella's sense of reality felt like it had been yanked out of a dream. The stark contrast left her with a profound sense of sadness, an emotion that was almost too complex to articulate.
Seb groped his way over and hugged her. "Bella?"
Isabella started to cry. "I really heard Sweetie crying, Seb, you have to believe me!"
Seb held her tightly, gently patting her back to comfort her, "I believe you."
Footsteps approached.
Jack arrived with two others, looking puzzled at the scene. "Mr. Landon, what happened?"
Seb instructed, "Immediately conduct a thorough search of the entire hotel. Don't miss a single corner!"
Jack was a bit confused. "What are we looking for?"
"A child!"
"Alright!" Jack immediately became serious, not daring to waste a moment, and quickly set about making arrangements.
Isabella and Seb waited in the room for an hour.
When Jack returned, he brought disappointing news."The entire hotel has been thoroughly searched, but no trace of a child was found."
Isabella closed her eyes, frustrated.
"Search again!" Seb demanded.
Jack hesitated but said, "But we've already searched every detail."
"Search again, more thoroughly!" Seb interrupted him, "Don't overlook any corners!"
Jack nodded in agreement.
As he turned to leave, Isabella stopped him. "Wait! No need to search anymore."
Jack paused and looked at Seb.
Seb was silent for a moment, then said, "Search one more time, the last time!"
Jack left.
Isabella felt sad deeply. "Seb, maybe I was just hallucinating."
It wasn't the first time. Ever since Sweetie had been with her for a few days and then taken away, Isabella had often had trouble sleeping, frequently feeling as if Sweetie was right beside her.
But every time Isabella opened her eyes, there was nothing.
The harshness of reality kept breaking her down, leaving her struggling to distinguish between dreams and waking life. It was like the moment she doubted if it was all just a dream, she still felt compelled to search.
And the result was always disheartening.
Seb held her hand and said softly, "Whether it's a hallucination or not, we have to search! What if?"
Yes.
What if?
What if it wasn't a hallucination?
Seb would rather take a chance than give up and miss something.
"I'm sorry, Bella. I failed to protect you both," Seb said through gritted teeth.
Isabella sensed a hint of danger and turned to him. "What are you planning to do?"
Seb just smiled gently and hugged her. "Bella, do you believe me? If I see the child, I'll recognize her at first sight!"
Isabella pictured Sweetie in her mind, her lips curling into a gentle smile. "Seb, she's really adorable. She is so small and well-behaved."
"Mr. Landon!" Jack burst in, his voice shaky. "We found a child!"
