Chapter 133 Get Down on Your Knees
"You just wait; I will make you pay for last night's humiliation sooner or later," Elysia hissed.
Cecily smiled lightly. "I'll be waiting," she said, and then she and Aurelie walked away.
Ophelia grabbed Elysia's arm, speaking in a no-nonsense tone. "Enough with the drama. There's plenty of time ahead. No need to rush things. You'll come to the party with me tomorrow night."
"Got it," Elysia replied without enthusiasm.
Ophelia had invited her merely to use her, and Elysia couldn't muster any excitement about it.
Absent her usual fawning and flattery, Elysia's change of attitude rubbed Ophelia the wrong way. Ophelia was accustomed to being placed on a pedestal by Elysia and didn't appreciate the sudden shift.
She understood why Elysia was acting this way; it stemmed from the incident the night before, which made Elysia feel wronged.
"Are you still hung up on last night's events, thinking that I shouldn't have stopped you from dragging Cecily's name through the mud?" Ophelia stood with her arms crossed, looking down at Elysia coldly.
Elysia pressed her lips together and remained silent.
"Idiot."
"You!" Elysia almost snapped in anger but then remembered the words of Liora and managed to swallow her rage.
"Do you think Darian would personally come to the police station and not get to the bottom of things? He wouldn't listen to your slander about Cecily. If you keep going down this path, you're just digging your own grave."
"You think you're the worst off, huh? Because of last night, Darian canceled a crucial deal with our Flores Group. You think I'm not suffering too? Stop giving me that sour look. If it weren't for your incompetence, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Instead of sitting here and harboring resentment, you should be thinking about how to deal with Cecily. Don't forget who put you in this position."
With that, Ophelia glared at her and turned to enter the store.
Elysia stomped her foot in frustration but knew Ophelia was right.
Cecily was their common enemy.
Left with no choice, Elysia could do nothing but follow Ophelia.
Meanwhile, Cecily had been so busy at the company that she'd lost track of time. It wasn't until eight o'clock that she managed to finish all her work.
When Cecily finally left the office, the sky was pitch black. Realizing the time, she phoned her brother Rowan and Aunt Mary to let them know she wouldn't be home and then headed straight to the Fitzgerald residence.
The Fitzgerald home.
The servant greeted Cecily with warmth as she arrived. "Miss Cecily, welcome!" they said, ushering her inside.
"Hmm, where's the young master?"
"The young master is upstairs in the study with Mr. Hayden and Mr. Martinez and a few others."
Cecily followed the servant into the living room and saw Sandra, wearing comfortable loungewear, and Ophelia, dressed in a light blue knit dress, sitting and watching TV.
When Ophelia saw Cecily arrive, malice flickered in her eyes. "Miss Cecily."
Sandra, seeing Cecily approach, looked puzzled. "Cecily, what brings you here?"
Before Cecily could speak, Ophelia answered for her. "Auntie, don't you know? Miss Cecily is now treating Darian for his sleep disorder."
"Her?" Sandra's eyes turned toward Cecily. "Are you sure? Cecily, when did you learn medicine? Is this reliable? Aren’t there any other doctors available? Darian’s condition now depends on her?"
Confronted with Sandra's barrage of questions, Ophelia’s lips curled into a faint smile. She addressed Sandra with a seemingly sincere expression, "I've heard that Miss Cecily's medical skills are quite exceptional, capable of curing any disease. Auntie, rest assured, with Miss Cecily's expertise, healing Darian should be no problem."
As Ophelia heaped praises on Cecily in the face of Sandra’s distrust, spectators might have thought she was defending her. However, Cecily could see through Ophelia's intentions instantly.
What kind of doctor could cure any disease? That wouldn't be a doctor; that would be a miracle worker.
Cecily never claimed to have such abilities, nor had she ever advertised her medical skills in that way.
By saying such things in front of Sandra, Ophelia set unrealistic expectations. If Cecily failed to heal Darian or couldn't cure some other ailment, would she not be labeled a fraud?
Cecily laughed coldly to herself, "I'm no miracle worker; I can't cure everything."
Ophelia looked at Cecily and smiled. "Is Miss Cecily admitting your medical skills are lacking?"
"Being skilled in medicine isn't about what others say or even what I say. It's about the treatment process and the outcome. Can a doctor guarantee your surgery will be successful before you enter the operating room? They don't make promises, so does that mean you'd say they're not skilled?"
"Besides, I've said I don't claim to cure everything. Miss Ophelia slaps a label on me, suggesting I'm not skilled, which is quite amusing. If I could cure any ailment, wouldn’t you be kneeling before me, shouting praises as if I were some kind of miracle worker?"
"It would be wise for Miss Ophelia to refrain from such foolish talk, or you really will come across as a fool with an underdeveloped brain."
"You!"
Two snickers echoed from upstairs. Hayden and Declan had been leaning on the second-floor railing, listening to the exchange for who knows how long.
Cecily looked up, her gaze clashing with a pair of cold, dark eyes.
A slight tremor ran through Cecily's pupils, and a chill brushed her chest.
Darian stood with his hands in his pockets, his face devoid of emotion. "Come up," he ordered, his voice cold and authoritative.
Cecily averted her gaze and gave Sandra a polite nod before picking up her belongings to ascend the stairs.
Sandra's eyes swept over Cecily briefly, suggesting that despite her earlier doubts, she chose not to interfere, a sign that she had perhaps come to recognize some merit in Cecily.
Only Ophelia was seething, nearly spilling over with hatred.
Sandra glanced at her, then returned her attention to the television, speaking in a detached tone, "Ophelia, I've told you, don't be in such a rush. There's no need for you and Cecily to be constantly at odds. It irritates Darian, and frankly, I'm tired of it too."
Ophelia bit her lip and lowered her head in a show of hurt.
"You're right, Aunt. But you know what Cecily has done to me. If it weren't for her, my child would be as big as Rowan by now. He should be here calling you 'Grandma.' She took my child from me. To even maintain civility with her is the most I can manage."
In her words, Ophelia reminded Sandra not to forget the grandson she lost because of Cecily.
Sandra longed for a grandchild, and no one understood that clearer than Ophelia.
Sandra always harbored a significant hostility towards Cecily, all stemming from the belief that she had caused the death of her precious grandson.
Yet, with a simple reminder from Ophelia, the slight warming of Sandra's feelings toward Cecily crumbled.
The notion that Cecily had caused the demise of a member of the Fitzgerald family was set in stone, and the Fitzgeralds couldn't fathom accepting her in any capacity.
Ophelia peeled a segment of an orange and popped it into her mouth, a spontaneous smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Upstairs, Hayden and Declan looked at Cecily with nothing short of admiration.
For some reason, watching Cecily stand up to Ophelia gave a peculiarly satisfying feeling.
"Hey, Mrs. Fitzgerald..." Hayden began.
"Hmm?" Cecily glanced over at Hayden, puzzled by his sudden return to calling her Mrs. Fitzgerald.
"You've got the wrong person. Mrs. Fitzgerald is downstairs," Cecily corrected him while she organized some items in her hands.
Hayden arched an eyebrow, catching a glimpse of Darian's darkening expression and quickly clarified, "It's you who I recognize."
"Sorry, I don't think so," Cecily said firmly.
Hayden felt like a cold draft had just swept through the room.
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