Chapter 279 A Man's Words Are Nothing But Lies!
Cecilia was serious.
It wasn't just about self-preservation; it was because she owed him, and she had to repay him!
Back then, Dominic was climbing the career ladder, and to help him advance, she had come up with many underhanded schemes against Alaric, even against her conscience. The most outrageous time was during a campaign because it was obvious that Alaric had more support, and without being completely sure that Dominic could win, she selfishly gave Dominic the idea of going after Alaric's scandal and exposing it on the day of the campaign.
The scandal, of course, was about Alaric's indiscreet personal life.
She initially thought that Alaric's private life was so chaotic that it wouldn't be unfair to expose it. However, much later, she suddenly began to feel that maybe that wasn't the case after all.
That exposure might have been a setup by Dominic.
Because at that time, Alaric no longer had any women around him!
What puzzled her even more was why, if it was a setup, Alaric hadn't defended himself during the election. In fact, he had voluntarily withdrawn from the race.
That event had slowed Alaric's progress significantly compared to Dominic's.
Although Alaric had eventually caught up, Cecilia still felt the need to make amends. She wanted to make up for the benefits Dominic had unfairly gained, and she was determined to get them all back, with interest.
"Cecilia," Alaric suddenly said, his expression turning serious.
He set down his cutlery and gently lifted her chin with hisfingers.
Cecilia's gaze shifted, focusing on his hand.
She was clearly taken aback.
"I'll tell you this once more," Alaric said slowly, his voice unusually low. "What I want isn't a bright future. What I want is…"
Cecilia watched him intently, her heart racing, eyes locked on his lips as they moved.
"You."
"Alright," Cecilia said suddenly.
Alaric had expected her to respond with silence, but instead, she spoke.
"When your future is secure, I'll marry you," she said. "Wholeheartedly, I'll marry you."
"Deal," Alaric replied immediately. "It's a promise."
The next day, at three in the afternoon, Cecilia received a friendly reminder from Rose about the Lockhart Group's anniversary celebration that evening.
Cecilia glanced over at Alaric, who was lounging on the sofa, engrossed in a video game.
She thought, 'So, this is his idea of being well-prepared?'
She had just read in the news that Dominic had visited an orphanage to do charity work, clearly aiming to win public favor.
In the Yakurosean Empire, all major elections were based on voting, which was hard to manipulate, making public image extremely important.
Yet here was Alaric, wasting his time playing games at home instead of enhancing his public image.
She thought, 'Should I be angry?'
"Ms. Lockhart, it's not very polite to stare at me like that," Alaric said lazily, his fingers scrolling through his phone.
Cecilia thought, 'Seriously?
'Does he grow a third eye or something?!'
Cecilia, clearly irritated, replied, "Dominic has already started preparing for the evaluation campaign."
"What good are all these flashy tactics? He always ends up crushed under my boot!" Alaric said with a dismissive air, his eyes still glued to the screen, thoroughly engrossed in his game.
Cecilia rolled her eyes. "I'm heading out to pick a dress. Are you coming or not?"
"Give me ten minutes."
"Two minutes, at most."
"Five minutes," Alaric bargained.
"Then I'll leave without you."
"Cecilia!" Alaric called out, clearly annoyed, "Can't you show me a little more affection?"
She shuddered.
She thought, 'Seriously? Is it appropriate for a grown man to say stuff like that?'
"After all the indulgence I've shown you," Alaric grumbled, "I'm done with this game."
He put his phone down, and Cecilia heard Cassius's desperate cries from the screen, "Alaric, come on..."
And just like that, the game was over.
"Let's go," Alaric said, shutting down the game and getting up to join Cecilia.
Cecilia felt a pang of guilt. Cassius's cries had sounded downright tragic.
But she straightened her back and said firmly, "Alaric, you're not a kid anymore. Could you please stop spending so much time on games?"
"You don't like me playing games?" Alaric asked, a bit surprised.
"I think it's a waste of time."
"I have to set aside some time for others," Alaric said suddenly.
Cecilia paused.
She thought, 'What does he mean by that?
'Other people?
'Cassius?'
Alaric said, "Even though I'm yours, I still need to balance relationships to avoid any family conflicts."
"So, you're having an affair with Cassius, are you?" Cecilia asked, dead serious.
She thought, 'Otherwise, all this talk about balancing relationships makes no sense.'
Alaric glared at Cecilia, his frustration almost reaching a boiling point.
He snapped, "Ms. Lockhart, don't you know my sexual orientation is quite normal?"
"Who knows?" Cecilia shot back, her tone taunting. "I haven't exactly tried it myself."
"Really? Do you want to give it a try?" Alaric's voice took on a dangerous edge.
"I don't!" Cecilia said, dropping her bombshell before turning on her heel and running.
She dashed toward the grand hall of the villa, her heart racing.
Alaric smirked and took off after her.
This playful banter between couples was just their way of communicating.
George watched them with a satisfied smile.
Augustus, waiting by the door, looked on in shock.
He thought, 'When does Mr. Whitaker become like this?!
'I must be seeing things. There's no way Mr. Whitaker could be so childish!
'This man was known for his ruthlessness!'
In the blink of an eye, Augustus saw Alaric yank Cecilia over and press her against the car.
"Augustus, turn around," Alaric ordered.
Augustus, standing by the car door, quickly complied.
From behind him, he heard…
"Alaric…"
And then, silence.
Augustus thought, 'So much for Mr. Whitaker being indifferent to women.
'A man's words are nothing but lies!'
Cecilia, with her lips puffy, walked into the Harmony Threads to pick out a dress.
She was fuming with frustration!
"PD," a staff member greeted her respectfully.
Cecilia took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.
"Your dress is ready."
"Good," Cecilia nodded. "And Alaric's?"
"We've prepared one for Mr. Whitaker as well."
"You prepared one for me?" Alaric asked, clearly surprised and pleased.
"It was designed by PD personally," the staff member quickly flattered. "Mr. Whitaker, you will surely be very satisfied."
"Really?" Alaric's smile was unmistakably genuine, his mood visibly lifted.
"Don't get any funny ideas. I'm just worried you'll embarrass me," Cecilia said, her irritation evident.
"Women and their mixed signals," Alaric teased.
"Mixed signals? Mixed signals my foot!" Cecilia shot back.
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