Chapter 378

Chapter 378:

Janice studied Aiden closely, her gaze thoughtful.

Before he took control of the Green family, he had spent time abroad, working as a mercenary and even starting his own gang. With his skills and drive, he had managed to succeed even in unfamiliar territories.

She never imagined Aiden would have crossed paths with Leonidas.

“Did you fight him?” she asked.

Aiden cast a glance at her before shaking his head. “I worked with him once—just that one time. He’s a total maniac, with no morals or conscience to speak of.”

Janice had an instinctive knack for reading between the lines, and she immediately understood what Aiden meant. Leonidas was trouble personified—a complete bad seed through and through.

Perhaps that was why his family had deserted him. From the day he set foot in the orphanage, the children lived in a constant state of dread.

Snakes slithered out of nowhere, insects crawled into beds, and meals came laced with sand—or worse, the decaying corpses of bugs. No one suffered more than Leah, whose timid nature made her an easy target.

Only Janice had the nerve to keep Leonidas in check.

She wasn’t exactly popular herself—quiet and standoffish. She preferred her small circle of friends: Leah, Prescott, and Costello.

One unforgettable day, Leonidas targeted Leah. He stuffed her clothes with bugs, leaving the poor girl paralyzed and trembling with fear.

When Janice heard that, she came down like a storm. She plucked the insects off Leah, one by one, only to shockingly shove them straight into Leonidas’s mouth.

But Leonidas didn’t flinch. In fact, he chewed on the insects with grotesque enthusiasm, grinning all the while. The surrounding children recoiled in horror, but Janice didn’t blink.

She raised her fist and gave Leonidas a good beating. It was this beating that made this madman restrain himself a bit.

Janice told him, “If you bully them again, I’ll beat you to death!”

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Her fearless defiance earned Leah’s unwavering loyalty, and from that moment, Leah leaned on her for strength and security.

Leonidas wasn’t completely tamed, but he never dared act out when Janice was around. He terrorized others when she was absent.

For him, death was the only thing to fear—it meant the end of his twisted fun.

Even the orphanage director and staff were frightened by his madness and perversion. Yet, pity stayed their hand.

Instead of expelling him, they hoped patience and guidance might rehabilitate him.

But Leonidas only grew darker with age. He became a brooding figure, skulking in corners with a gaze that sent shivers down spines.

If Janice was around, he would hold back. But once she was gone, he’d return to suffocating everyone in fear.

Then came the day a foreign couple arrived at the orphanage, hoping to adopt.

By some clever maneuvering with her friends, Janice ensured that Leonidas caught their attention, and in the end, they chose him.

The oppressive shadow was lifted the day he left, and the children breathed freely for the first time in years.

No one expected him to reappear until years later, when he suddenly sent a gift and announced his return. It dredged up Leah’s buried fears.

“Prescott,” Janice commanded, “look into Leonidas. Find out what he’s planning.”

“On it.”

She turned to Costello next. “Stay with Leah for now. And if you run into Leonidas, don’t hold back.”

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