Chapter 63 A Different Frequency
Ophelia's heart ached more with each passing moment—she had lost everything in an instant.
She even lost her job.
Nobody had worse luck than her in that moment.
Caspian didn't know what to do: "Ophelia, listen, I know you're upset. How about I take you out for some late-night eats to cheer you up?"
Ophelia was silent, but that only served to make her distraught appearance even more worrisome.
Taking a deep breath, Ophelia discreetly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, lifted her head, and said, "Caspian, thanks for everything today. I'm fine, really. Let's get going."
She got up and headed for the door, bloodstains still visible on her pants.
Caspian quickly took off his coat and offered it to her. "Here, cover up with this."
Grasping the situation but feeling slightly embarrassed, she tied the coat around her waist.
Caspian drove Ophelia home, and the whole way there, she did not say a word.
How could Caspian, a natural chatterbox, bear such silence?
Curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "Ophelia, if you don't mind me prying, are you really seeing someone?"
She replied without hesitation. "No."
"You don’t have a boyfriend? Then it's just a case of being duped by a jerk, and now you're single again, child-free, and flawless," Caspian's thoughts took a strange turn. "Now you're free to make a move on Finnegan."
Ophelia was speechless.
"Just because I found out I was pregnant, it doesn’t mean I have no shame.”
The mix-up about her pregnancy—didn't that imply she'd been with a man? How could Caspian suggest she go after someone else's partner?
Did he really not know?
Caspian laughed. "Ophelia, I've got to say, you're pretty funny."
Ophelia looked at him and asked, "The girlfriend that Mr. Finnegan is seeing, when did that start? As Finnegan's friend, you should know."
Previously, Caspian had made a snide remark, suggesting that Finnegan had some... performance issues with his new girlfriend. As for whatever was going on between Seraphina and Finnegan, that remained a puzzle.
Caspian kept driving and said nonchalantly, “That girl from the Orchid Garden, you can just ignore her. Finnegan isn't going to pick her. She's hardly his girlfriend, she just lives there.”
He didn't dare say too much, perhaps because he couldn't just bluntly state that Finnegan felt obligated to spend some time with the woman after a one-night stand with her.
Besides, whether the lady in the Orchid Club was indeed the woman from that night was still up for debate.
However, when Ophelia caught wind of Caspian's words, they took on a different meaning entirely.
Was Finnegan merely toying with Seraphina?
The thought made Ophelia seethe with anger. Even if Seraphina had deceived her, the bond of friendship spanning over two decades meant that the idea of her being played was infuriating.
Ophelia couldn't contain her exasperation and blurted out, “Caspian, in your elite circles, are women nothing but cheap toys to you? Disposable, to be used and discarded on a whim?”
Caspian, oblivious to Ophelia's growing fury, chuckled lightly, "It's all in good fun. Why take it so seriously? It's the same for everyone. That girl in the Orchid Garden, she's clearly after Finnegan's riches. She’s just a vain gold-digger. Of course, he won't choose her. But you're different, today he downed six bottles of liquor..."
“My place is near here. Please stop the car,” Ophelia interjected. She didn’t want to hear another word from Caspian. Not a single thing he said had been pleasant.
The car stopped, and despite everything, Ophelia sincerely thanked Caspian. "Truly, thank you for tonight. I appreciate the help."
"Always a pleasure to serve a beauty," Caspian replied with a grin. "Rest well."
Ophelia nodded, then turned and headed home, where she changed out of her soiled clothes.
She spent the night coming to terms with everything, severing her lingering feelings for Finnegan and deciding not to return to Abbott’s Corporation.
No matter the outcome between Seraphina and Finnegan, she was determined to keep her distance.
Ophelia dusted off her resume and began the job hunt anew. She spent the afternoon blasting out applications to several companies and only after she was done did she fix herself a mug of tea for comfort.
Every month, without fail, her period brought her excruciating pain—aching legs and intense cramps. At its worst, only painkillers could offer her relief.
She had just sat down with her tea when Magnus' call came through. "Ophelia, I had to take a last-minute trip with my boss last night. Did everything go well at the department dinner? Did you drink?"
"No, I'm fine, I didn't drink alcohol." She switched her phone to speaker mode, placing it on the table as she cradled her mug with both hands. "I quit my job. Some things went down... turns out, there was no baby."
"The baby's gone?" To Magnus, it sounded like a mishap—did she have a miscarriage?
"What happened? How did you lose the baby?" Magnus was anxious. "Ophelia, don't worry, I'm here..."
However, before he could finish, his boss's aide came to fetch him. Ophelia heard the bustle on his end and said, "Go ahead, we can talk when you get back."
"Okay, rest up. We'll talk when I return," Magnus said, knowing too well that today's case was crucial.
After hanging up, Magnus texted Seraphina out of concern.
Magnus: [Seraphina, can you check on Ophelia for me? She lost the baby, and I'm out of town. I should be back this evening.]
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