Chapter 17
Everyone turned to see Darian, dressed to the nines, standing there with his handsome face twisted into a scowl of contempt.
"Darian..." Ophelia's voice was frail as she called out to Darian.
With swift strides, Darian approached and shot Cecily a cool glance, one filled with malice and repulsion.
Ophelia curved her lips in a mocking smile, "Darian, it hurts so much..."
Hearing her, Darian bent down to help Ophelia to her feet.
"Are you alright?"
Ophelia bit her lip and a tear fell. She shook her head slightly, a picture of resilience masking her sorrow.
Darian gave Elysia, who was picking herself up, a frigid look, and demanded, "What happened?"
Elysia immediately pointed at Cecily and Aurelie, "They started it!"
"Idiot, there are cameras," Aurelie rolled her eyes dramatically. The truth about who initiated the conflict was crystal clear.
Elysia bit her lip again and continued, "But they provoked Ophelia first, Mr. Darian. Cecily called Ophelia a mistress."
"Don't talk nonsense; that was me," Aurelie interjected.
Darian's icy glare, filled with ferocity, shifted toward Aurelie.
Seeing this, Cecily protectively pulled Aurelie behind her. Darian was truly enraged now, a fury beyond what Aurelie could handle.
She didn't want Aurelie to get into trouble for standing up for her.
Elysia's voice, sharpened by Darian’s presence, grew louder. "Mr. Darian, they're saying Ophelia was the other woman, and that she deserved to lose her baby years ago. I couldn't stand it and wanted to set things straight, but I just couldn't... handle them... Mr. Darian, you have to avenge Ophelia."
Ophelia nestled in Darian's arms, her sobs punctuating her distress in a way that was heart-wrenchingly pitiable.
"Darian, don't be mad at Miss Cecily. I was at fault too back then, and I can understand her being upset."
Ophelia sniffed, her voice laced with vulnerability, "But Miss Cecily, that child was everything to me. You took his life, and now, of all things, you use him to hurt me."
Darian's gaze grew stormier, his eyes, dark as ink, fixed on Cecily with a deadly stare. "Cecily!"
Aurelie, fuming, was about to step forward but Cecily stopped her.
Five years ago, the child Ophelia didn't lose had ceased to be a point of argument for Cecily, who was tired of explaining and had given up.
But this incident needed to be clarified.
"There are cameras here. Once the footage is checked, we’ll know who is in the wrong."
Ophelia glanced at the camera, a flicker of frustration in her eyes, "Darian... I forgive Miss Cecily. My hand is broken; it hurts so much, please take me to the hospital."
She lifted her hand, revealing a long, deep cut on her pale fingers. Blood was seeping out, making it a shocking display.
Darian gave a cursory glance at Ophelia's wounded hand before his icy gaze landed back on Cecily.
"Apologize," he commanded, coldness seeping through his voice.
Cecily's eyes darkened, her lips twisted into a sneer, "Why should I apologize for something I didn't do?"
"You pushed her, caused her injury, and said things you shouldn't have. Don't you think you owe her an apology?" Anger flared in Darian's eyes.
Cecily let out a hollow laugh.
So, he truly was a fool.
Whenever it came to Ophelia, he needed no evidence to believe her implicitly.
And her? He wouldn't trust a single thing she said.
Cecily cast down her lashes in a self-mocking smile and grabbed Aurelie's arm, "Let's go."
"Block her," Darian commanded with a chilling tone.
Larkin, flanked by two bodyguards, immediately intercepted Cecily and Aurelie.
"You think you can just run away like you did five years ago? Apologize, or if she gets hurt, it's on you."
Darian's voice was as cold and lifeless as ice.
It pierced Cecily's heart like a knife, twisting inch by inch.
She had thought her heart had died after five years, but the sting she was feeling now still choked her breath away.
Cecily fought to control her emotions and took a few deep breaths.
Ophelia leaned into Darian's embrace, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. In a fragile voice, she suggested, "Let it go, Darian. Let Miss Cecily leave."
Elysia spoke out loudly against Ophelia, "You're too kind-hearted, Ophelia. She insulted you and hurt you like this, and you still think of letting her go? But she won't appreciate it. Mr. Darian, my sister has always been vicious. If you don't teach her a lesson now, she'll just hurt Ohelia again."
Darian's eyes grew darker and more indifferent. He stepped forward.
Cecily felt a familiar presence approach and turned to see Darian towering behind her.
Her wrist was suddenly caught in Darian's grasp.
Cecily was startled.
Then her hand was forcefully pressed onto the table beside them.
Cecily struggled, but Darian's grip was crushing, as if he intended to break her wrist.
Cecily's eyebrows knitted together in pain.
"Will you apologize, or do I have to take matters into my own hands?"
Their eyes locked.
His face was mere inches from hers, and his chilly voice echoed devilishly in the quiet room.
Aurelie frantically tried to pull Darian's hand away. "Darian, have you lost your mind? Cecily's a doctor; if you hurt her hand, you're ruining her life. Let her go, you jerk! It was me who insulted Ophelia; it has nothing to do with her."
"Aurelie, shut up," Cecily snapped.
Tears brimmed in Aurelie's eyes. "Cecily..."
"This is between him and me," Cecily fixed her glare on Darian. "Apologize? Not a chance! And I don't need you to lay a finger on me; I'll handle this myself."
Darian’s eyes narrowed.
With a surge of determination, Cecily forcefully shrugged off Darian’s grip.
"Crash." Cecily snatched up a wine glass and hurled it to the ground. Bending down, she picked up a shard and strode towards Ophelia.
Seeing Cecily approaching with a murderous intent, Ophelia panicked and started to run.
Cecily reached out, snatched Ophelia's hair, yanked her back, and slammed her to the floor, grabbing her hand.
A piercing scream erupted from Ophelia's mouth.
In an instant, a long cut from the glass shard appeared in the palm of her hand, inflicted by Cecily.
Everyone was stunned by the woman's action.
Darian's expression turned darker by the second in response to Cecily’s violence.
As Darian approached her with a lethal look, Cecily stood up, lifted her hand gripping the glass shard, and slashed her own palm viciously.
Darian froze in his steps, frowning at Cecily as if she were a lunatic.
Cecily raised her hand, blood dripping down it steadily, as her icy gaze landed on Darian. "I caused it; I've paid it back. Are we even now?"
If they were hell-bent on blaming her, then let them both bear wounds. At least it wouldn’t feel like a baseless accusation.
The sight of her crimson blood seemed to be a painful stimulus for Darian.
At Cecily’s last word, the emotions in Darian’s eyes exploded, and he abruptly seized her wrist. "Is an apology really that difficult for you?"
"It's not my fault. Why should I apologize?" Cecily shouted back at him.
Both heaved with pent-up anger, as if they could hardly stop themselves from throttling each other.
"Get her in line. I'm extreme. If she dares to provoke me again, I'll end her."
Cecily used her other hand to pry Darian's fingers from her wrist.
Without another glance in his direction, she turned and walked away.
Aurelie watched the scene unfold with a tremor of her lips, followed by a mocking laugh. "Darian, go check the surveillance—you will find something surprising."
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