Chapter 420
Descending halfway down the staircase, Seraphina had already caught sight of the situation in the
living room. But just one nce was enough to nearly break her.
In the center of the living room, Valerio, who was usually quietly sitting on the couch watching
television, was now curled up in the corner of the couch, his small figure barely visible. Next to the
couch stood Gloria.
Her face was dark and her eyes were menacing. In her hand, she held a bloody kitchen knife!
Leandro quickly stepped forward, snatching the knife from Gloria’s grasp and throwing it aside. He then
pulled Gloria away to the side before turning his attention to Valerio, who was curled up in the corner
between the couch and the floor, his small body trembling.
At the same time, the jagged sound of screaming continued-
Seraphina quickly knelt down on the floor in front of Valerio, pulling him into her arms, panic-stricken,
“Valerio! What’s wrong? Don’t be scared, mommy’s here-” Her words were cut short as the moment
she pulled Valerio into her arms, her white blouse stained red.
Valerio’s face was pale, streaked with tear tracks. He let out a bizarre and frightening scream.
Unable to control it, he was waving his right hand, on his small arm, a trail of blood seeping through his
torn sleeve, clearly visible to Seraphina.
Seraphina quickly reached out, pressing hard on his wounded hand, while her other arm cradled
Valerio and headed towards the door.
“What the hell have you done?” Leandro’s face was cold and stern as he sharply questioned Gloria.
Without waiting for an answer, he released her, turning to meet Seraphina.
Seraphina stumbled into Leandro’s arms, holding Valerio, Leandro took Valerio from her, carrying him
out the door.
A minuteter, a ck Bentley sped out of the driveway, heading straight for the hospital.
In the living room, Gloria stood alone, in a daze as if she were in a dream. It was only when she heard
the roar of the car engine that she snapped back to reality.
It seemed only then did she notice the stters of blood on the floor and the small coffee table in front
of her, chilling her to the bone.
Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.
She looked down at her hands, then at the kitchen knife Leandro had thrown aside.
“Ah-” Gloria let out a sharp scream, turning to run out of the living room.
Inside the car heading to the hospital, Valerio was held in Leandro’s arms, screaming incessantly.
Seraphina cradled his head, bending over to kiss him over and over again.
“It’s okay, Valerio, don’t be scared… mommy’s here, don’t be scared, mommy’s here-”
Seraphina continued to whisper soothing words, but she was choking up.
Thest time Valerio was scared, she had told him the same thing. She had told him that mommy
would protect him, that no one would dare to bully him. But the fact was Valerio was hurt again right
under her watch!
No one would understand her guilt and regret, her shock and fear right now.
Listening to Valerio’s cries and Seraphina’s increasingly choked voice, Leandro’s eyes were dark and
silent. In the end, he couldn’t utter a single word.
Upon arriving at the nearby hospital, Valerio was quickly rushed into the emergency room.
The injury turned out to be not severe, the main artery was not damaged. However, the wound on his
hand was nearly 7 centimeters long and needed
stitches.
Valerio was extremely unsettled due to the scare. Seraphina, holding back her own anxiety, held
Valerio tightly in her arms while Leandro stayed by their side without taking a step away.
Even after his wound was stitched up, Valerio was still not calm.
As he fell into a fearful sleep on the hospital bed, his small brows were still furrowed.
Seraphina, with her eyes red and swollen, was lying by the side of the bed, staring intently at Valerio as
if afraid to miss any sign of his difort and pain.
Even though the painkiller should keep him from feeling any pain at this moment, what could sooth the
fear in his heart?
Seraphina, secretly and gently, held Valerio’s small hand, feelingpletely drained.
The aftermath of the ordeal was even more terrifying.
Seraphina dared not imagine – if Valerio hadn’t cried out when he did, or if she and Leandro hadn’t
heard him – the extent of the potential damage. How much more could Gloria have hurt him? Would
her son still be alive?
He was so young, he was so well-behaved, he was innocent and kind, he did nothing wrong, why did
he have to suffer like this time and time again?
The anger and fear in Seraphina’s heart were too overwhelming to subside.
Soon after, Leandro walked into the room after discussing with the doctors.
Hearing the sound of him entering, Seraphina remained motionless.
Leandro slowly walked up to the bed, tidying up Valerio’s nkets, and putting his slightly cold hands
under the covers.
“I’m going to call the police.” Seraphina suddenly said.
On hearing Seraphina’s words, Leandro’s eyes flickered slightly, but he didn’t raise his head.
“No matter what your attitude is…” Seraphina said, “I’m calling the police.”
After Seraphina called the police, the cops quickly took action.
While gathering evidence at Reynolds Manor, they also sent officers to Reynolds Vista Retreat based
on Seraphina’s statement, ready to take Gloria back to the police station for questioning.
The police arrived at Reynolds Vista Retreat just two minutes before Leandro’s car returned to the
retreat.
Due to the arrival of the police, the atmosphere at Reynolds Vista Retreat was slightly tense, but not
overly so.
The status of the Reynolds family was undisputed in themunity, and everyone present was used to
dealing with high-stakes situations. They were not easily rattled.
Upon entering through the grand oak doors and ascending to the second floor, Leandro found Karan
standing at the entrance to Gloria’s room, locked in a stand-off with two police officers.
Thedy is resting now-how can you just say you’re taking her away like this? Don’t you know who we
are
”
Karan was in mid-sentence when he spotted Leandro, a sight for sore eyes, and quickly moved to his
side. “Leandro, thank God you’re here, they –
“I know,” Leandro replied in a deep voice, then turned to the officers, “Why don’t you guys go
downstairs, take a breather. I’ll handle this.”
”
As the head of the Reynolds family and a well-known businessman in Sunburst City, Leandro’s words
carried weight. Both parties seemed to find a way out of the tense situation, and soon, Karan was
escorting the two officers downstairs.
Only when their figures disappeared down the staircase did Leandro open the door before him and
step inside.
The room was dimly lit, with Gloria sitting alone by the window. At the sound of the door opening, she
seemed to start, and as she turned and saw Leandro, she quickly rose and hurried over, gripping his
arm tightly, “Leandro, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for this to happen, I really didn’t…” Gloria’s eyes were
red-rimmed as she spoke.