Chapter 586 She Believes Alaric
Alaric remained silent.
There were certain things, certain sensitive topics, that he and Cecilia seemed to have an unspoken understanding about—not saying anything more.
Right then, the phone rang.
Cecilia glanced at the caller ID, her face turning serious.
Alaric's expression shifted a bit too.
"It's Gideon," Cecilia said.
Alaric nodded, "Pick it up."
Cecilia took a deep breath.
After Alaric got cleared, Gideon had taken him back. Then Alaric ended up in the hospital with a stomach issue, and they hadn't heard from Gideon since.
Actually, Cecilia had made a bunch of deals with Gideon.
And really, she should've thanked him at least.
But now, Gideon was the one reaching out to her.
Cecilia steadied herself and answered, "Mr. Hotchner."
"Dominic's trial is set for next week," Gideon got straight to the point.
Gideon wasn't one to waste time, which made him seem pretty cold.
"Thank you," Cecilia said, genuinely grateful.
For Dominic's trial to be so soon, Gideon must've pulled some strings.
"No need to thank me, it's your own doing."
"Still, I should thank you," Cecilia insisted politely.
"No thanks needed. Just remember your promise, Ms. Lockhart," Gideon reminded her of their deal.
"Mr. Hotchner, don't worry, I won't go back on my word. It's just that Alaric's been sick, he had surgery and is still in the hospital, so I haven't reached out," Cecilia explained.
"I know."
Cecilia was a bit taken aback.
Then she got it.
Gideon hung up after that, not saying anything more.
Cecilia put down the phone and looked at Alaric, her face serious.
This time, Alaric didn't ask what the call was about. He just looked at her calmly, waiting for her to speak.
It seemed like if Cecilia didn't want to share, he wouldn't push her.
"Alaric, there's something I haven't told you," Cecilia said heavily.
"As long as it's not about divorcing me, I'm good," Alaric replied plainly.
Cecilia frowned.
Could Alaric be a bit more serious?
Couldn't he see she was really serious right now?
Alaric seemed to get what she was thinking, and a small smile played on his lips, "Go on, I'm all ears."
Cecilia pressed her lips together, feeling that Alaric was strong enough that she didn't need to worry about him.
She said, "Back then, to get the Hotchner family involved and to stop the Monroe family from pulling strings, I agreed to a condition from Gideon."
"Keep going."
"I said that once you were cleared, you'd be loyal to the Hotchner family," Cecilia said, watching Alaric's reaction.
In her past life, she never really knew whose side Alaric was on.
It made sense that Dominic was with the Monroe family, but Alaric seemed like his own force, strong and unbreakable, no matter how hard they tried.
She had suspected Alaric might have secret ties with the Hotchner family, but neither she nor Dominic could find any proof.
But in this life, she had so easily made Alaric compromise with the noble family.
Cecilia thought a lot, and her expression looked complicated.
Alaric stayed cool, "Alright."
No questions, no complaints, he just agreed right away.
Cecilia stared at him, stunned.
He was way too calm.
Didn't he realize this was a big deal?
Choosing the Hotchner family meant he'd have enemies.
In her past life, even though Dominic saw Alaric as a threat, neither the Monroe family nor the Hotchner family could figure out whose side Alaric was on.
They hesitated to go after him directly. They didn't want more trouble and didn't see him as a real threat.
After all, the Yakurosean Empire was still run by noble families, and one guy on his own wasn't a big deal.
Because of that, Alaric stayed safe for a long time.
But now, Cecilia had put him in the spotlight.
"It's something that would happen sooner or later," Alaric said, trying to comfort her. "If I want to move up, I'd have to pick a side eventually. Besides, we talked about this before. If we had to rely on a noble family, it would be the Hotchner family."
Cecilia listened quietly.
Agreeing with Gideon and reaching out to him was a smart move. She wouldn't hurt Alaric; she just felt bad making decisions for him that might weigh on him.
"Don't overthink it," Alaric said, pulling her into his arms. "You have to trust my abilities."
Cecilia nodded.
She really did believe in Alaric.
In her past life, after being hurt so badly, it was Alaric who made her trust people and situations again.
She buried her head in his chest and murmured, "Alaric, one day, let's get away from all this conflict!"
Suddenly, she wanted a peaceful life.
She admitted she was being selfish.
After taking down the Kingsley family and getting revenge, she wanted a simple life.
"Okay," Alaric said, holding her tight.
No hesitation, he agreed right away.
She didn't know if he was just saying it to make her feel better, because she knew his ambitions were probably bigger than she imagined.
But she felt like Alaric wouldn't lie to her.
It took Dashiell from the afternoon until the early evening to calm the rioting crowd.
At first, Seraphina was impressed by Dashiell's commanding presence, but later she saw his skill in handling issues.
No matter how much trouble the other side caused, Dashiell handled it smoothly, proving Everhart Bank's innocence in the project.
After sending off the last group of troublemakers, it was already 9 PM.
Both Dashiell and Seraphina were starving, having not eaten anything, while they had provided food for the rioters.
At this moment, Seraphina was extremely hungry.
Dashiell turned to look at her.
Seraphina felt a bit embarrassed, "I'm really hungry."
"What do you want to eat?" Dashiell asked while organizing his computer files, his tone calm, like he was talking to any other colleague.
"Spice Joy Restaurant." She was craving their food.
Dashiell seemed to nod.
Or maybe she imagined it.
Anyway, Seraphina didn't expect Dashiell to go with her.
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