Chapter 136

Chapter 136 Escape Route

Out of everyone, Gordon was the most upset about Aidan’s return to the Pearson Family Estate.

However, he could not do anything about it even when he was in a fit of rage.

Needless to say, the entire family was on edge, and the air in the house crackled with dangerous

energy.

Anna was just about to go back to her room when Aidan stopped her at the landing. She jumped, then

willed her heart to stop beating so loudly as she turned to greet him, “A-Aidan…”

He swept his icy gaze over her and drawled impassively, “I thought I made my warning very clear.”

Knowing that he was here to punish her, she blurted out, “I didn’t breathe a word about that bi—I mean,

Leanna’s—pregnancy, I swear!”

It was hard to tell if Aidan was convinced as he stared at Anna ominously. A chill ran down her spine as

fear cloaked her. She gritted her teeth and considered her options. She knew that he would look into

this and learn the truth even if she lied to him now, so she squeaked, “It was Carly. She was the one

who brought up Leanna’s pregnancy and Uncle Gordon overheard her.”

Aidan asked coldly, “And how did she find out about Leanna’s pregnancy?”

“I… I don’t know, but from what I could tell, Carly knew about it right from the start. I guess it was

around the time of Aunt Sienna’s birthday, but she’s always believed it was Zayn’s kid…” This was a

clever evasive maneuver on Anna’s part. She had dragged Carly into this and casually reminded Aidan

that Leanna had not fallen into the water by accident the last time, thereby clearing any suspicion he

might have of her.

Presently, Aidan chuckled and looked up at her with his obsidian eyes which were like depthless, icy

pools as he warned, “I suggest you refrain from playing games with me, Anna, because I’ll be looking

into every detail you just told me.”

Anna swallowed and tried to keep her voice from shaking. “I’m telling you the truth, Aidan. You have to

believe me!”

She waited until he left before scurrying back into her room, whereupon she realized she was so

intimidated by him she had broken out in cold sweat.

…

“President Pearson, should we investigate the Barnetts and find out if they had anything to do with

this?” Jonathan asked, falling in step behind Aidan.

“No need,” Aidan replied curtly. He paused in thought, then asked, “Has Carly given birth yet?”

“Five days ago.”

“Send her a gift basket.”

Jonathan nodded. “And the wording on the card, President Pearson?”

Aidan raised a brow and said, “‘Stay away from icy waters.’”

“I’ll get right to it.” Jonathan nodded once more, then left to have the gift basket and the card prepared.

When Aidan walked past Leanna’s door, he consciously slowed in his steps and glanced at it.

Meanwhile, Leanna was seated at the desk doodling to pass the time when she suddenly heard a

knock at the door. She checked the time and saw that it was only 9.00 PM. Supper would not be

brought up to her for another hour. She looked at the door and had a fair guess of who was standing on

the other side of it, then set her pencil down on the desk as she rose to get the door. Exasperatedly,

she said, “What do you want—”

She stopped mid-sentence when she registered the person standing out in the hallway, and her eyes

widened by a fraction.

Sienna raised a brow and eyed her with amusement. “Did you think I was Aidan?”

Leanna pursed her lips. “Sorry, I—”

“Let’s talk behind closed doors, shall we?” Sienna did not wait for her to agree before brushing past her

into the room.

Frowning, Leanna closed the door obediently and joined Sienna.

Presently, Sienna had made herself comfortable on the couch. She looked around the room

disinterestedly and asked, “Are you comfortable here?”

Leanna nodded curtly. She knew Sienna was not here on a social visit, so she cut right to the chase.

“Mrs. Pearson, why are you—”

However, her sentence was instantly interrupted by Sienna. “I’m sure you know by now the true

dynamics of the Pearson Family.”

Biting down on her lower lip, Leanna said nothing.

“It’s fine if you don’t,” Sienna went on to say. “I’ll sum it up for you—Aidan and Gordon are on very

unfriendly terms, and they are caught in a power struggle over Pearson Group. You’re carrying Aidan’s

child, the rightful heir to the company and the family fortune. Gordon plans on using that child to dilute

the power that Aidan has right now.”

She let the information settle before adding, “I’m sure you would have sensed it even if Aidan didn’t tell

you, but just so we’re clear, you do understand that he would never let you have this baby, don’t you?”

A long pause later, Leanna finally said, “I don’t know why you’re here telling me all this, Mrs. Pearson.”

“Do you think I stand to gain anything whether or not Pearson Group goes to Aidan or to that unborn

child?” Sienna asked straightforwardly with a humorless smile.

Upon hearing this, Leanna looked up at her and parted her lips, but words failed her.

As if reading her mind, Sienna said, “I have no qualms letting you know Aidan is not my child, and he

would be more embarrassed than I would if everyone found out he was an illegitimate child.”

“What are you trying to say, Mrs. Pearson?”

“Old Master Pearson’s birthday banquet is next week, and there will be plenty of guests coming over to

the house, which means he will be too distracted to notice if you simply escaped halfway through the

party. I can break you out of here, but on the condition that no one else must find out about this,

especially Aidan.”

Leanna had been waiting for a chance to escape since she was brought here, but she didn’t think

Sienna would be the one to provide her with an escape route.

Then again, after thinking for a while, she realized it made sense that Sienna would be the one to come

up with this plan.

Sienna never liked Aidan, and she stood to gain nothing from Gordon using the baby against him. The

child was Aidan’s, after all, and as far as she was concerned, there was virtually no difference between

father and son. Having the child around would only aggravate her nerves, and she would much rather

take matters into her own hands and get Leanna out of the house.

In that regard, her plan to help Leanna, albeit motivated by selfish needs, was sensible.

Leanna considered this, then asked, “What do you need me to do?”

Seeing that the girl was agreeable to the plan, Sienna smiled and rose from the couch, saying, “Just

act like how you have been for the past week so no one will be suspicious. On the day of the banquet,

you’ll have to find a way to ditch Aidan without arousing his suspicion and sneak to the back door. My

men will be waiting for you there.” She added as an afterthought, “Also, you can’t ever come back to

Highside after I’ve sent you away, got it? And in order to get Aidan off our backs, you mustn’t contact

any of your friends or relatives. You can either live on your own with that child or stay here and be a

vessel for Aidan’s biggest threat. The choice is yours.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Leanna answered, “I can cut everyone off and leave Highside without a

word. Thank you for helping me, Mrs. Pearson.”

Sienna’s lips curled with a smile, and she reminded, “This stays between us. You can’t tell anyone

about this, because I won’t be able to help you if word of this gets out.”

“I’ll keep it a secret,” Leanna promised solemnly.

Having heard this, Sienna nodded and left the room.

Silence filled the bedroom once more, but for some reason, Leanna’s heart was pumping fast with

adrenaline.

She wasn’t sure why Sienna was helping her and whether she had any ulterior motives, but as things

were, she had no other choice but to take this leap of faith.

Granted, she could not trust Sienna entirely. There was no telling where that woman would send her off

to. As Leanna tossed and turned in bed, she gave up sleep in favor of planning an alternative escape

route.