Chapter 18
In the midst of Darian's dark, astonished gaze and Ophelia' shrill screams, they left without looking back.
Aurelie hurried to catch up with Cecily, grabbing her anxiously. She expected Cecily to be in tears by now.
She knew Cecily too well; the more fiercely she resisted Darian in his presence, the deeper she was actually hurt.
Beneath her tough exterior was always a fragile and sensitive heart.
But to Aurelie’s surprise, Cecily hadn’t shed a single tear. Not only that, her expression was icy cold as if the recent confrontation had never happened.
“Cecily,” Aurelie said cautiously, taking her hand, “Let's get you to the hospital.”
Cecily didn’t refuse—her hand needed bandaging.
Seeing the urgency in Aurelie, Cecily's icy expression softened slightly. "Don't worry, it's not that serious. I know how to handle myself."
The wound was on her left hand; she couldn't bear to injure her right.
As Aurelie drove, she cursed Darian and also blamed her own impulsiveness.
Cecily couldn't help but smile resignedly. "Aurelie, I'm really okay. It's just a cut; it'll heal with some time."
Wounds healed with time, but the heart didn’t.
After Cecily left the restaurant, Darian had someone take Ophelia to the hospital.
Ophelia was in tears, her voice fragile and full of self-pity.
She thought Darian wouldn’t let Cecily off so easily, and yet he let her leave unscathed.
Ophelia was consumed with reluctance.
Now, crying even more pitifully, it was as if she wanted to weep out all her grievances.
Darian pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache threatening to split his skull.
He glanced at the surveillance monitors, his thoughts far removed from Ophelia.
As he watched the screens, two pairs of eyes in a different city were watching the footage as well.
Griffin's small fists clenched tightly, and a dark and terrifying look simmered in Blaise's eyes, brimming with layers of murderous intent.
Cassian, one of Blaise's henchmen, stood by watching the fury of both Blaise and Griffin, feeling a shiver crawl down his spine.
It was as if a great storm would hit any second.
Blaise's icy thin lips twisted. "His eyes... They'd look better gouged out."
"Don't you dare. my mom doesn't rely on you because she doesn't want you getting into trouble."
He had done his research; this 'bad daddy' was the head of the Fitzgerald family, the power behind Silver Frost Capital, a force not to be underestimated.
Griffin focused on the computer, his fingers swiftly operating the keyboard, as he uploaded the surveillance footage straight to the internet.
Outwardly, they couldn't do much, but his mom had been hurt, and he resolved to make his 'bad daddy' pay.
After taking these steps, Griffin still felt it wasn't enough. "Uncle Blaise, I need to be with mom."
He had to protect his mommy and ensure she wouldn't be harmed again.
Blaise raised his hand to pat Griffin's head. "Alright, I'll arrange for someone to take you back."
...
After getting bandaged up at the hospital, Cecily stepped outside to find the sky completely darkened.
Since dinner was skipped, Cecily and Aurelie went to the supermarket to pick up some groceries, planning to cook back at her apartment.
Aurelie glanced at the silent Cecily beside her.
She never quite understood why Cecily, after Darian's accident and subsequent awakening from a coma, had never told him about her donating her kidney to him.
Hesitating for a moment, Aurelie still couldn't help but ask, "Cecily, it was Ophelia who left Darian high and dry, while you were the one who saved him. You even gave up a kidney for him. Why haven't you ever told him about it?"
Cecily's expression was silent for a long time before she finally spoke. "Because I made a promise to his family to never speak of it."
"Why? Why not?"
Cecily didn't know the reason herself, but she made the promise, so she never brought up the matter again. Now that she was divorced from Darian, there was no point in bringing it up again.
The kidney she'd given away could be considered the price paid for loving the wrong person.
‘Darian, I will never love you again,’ Cecily thought to herself.
Cecily leaned back in her seat, let out a gentle sigh, and closed her eyes.
...
"Bitch!" Ophelia had just finished getting her hand bandaged at the hospital. It was Elysia who drove her home.
Ophelia, seething with rage, threw her purse violently to the ground, her eyes brimming with fury.
Elysia followed behind, shrinking back a bit.
"That bitch should have died back then. It's my fault for being too soft-hearted. I should have had someone take her out. Then we wouldn't have all these problems today," Ophelia ranted, pacing back and forth in the living room.
Today, Cecily had utterly humiliated her. Although Darian had ultimately sided with her, she couldn't understand why Darian did nothing when Cecily hurt her right in front of him. Why did he let her just walk away like that?
Why?
Why didn't Darian chop off Cecily 's detestable hand for her?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became; she even flipped the table in front of her.
The sound of shattering glass echoed, and Elysia, pressing her lips together, stepped forward. "Ophelia, calm down. It's not worth getting upset over someone like her."
Elysia crouched beside Ophelia, letting out a cold huff, "That Cecily is just lucky. After all the drama five years ago, she's still alive."
Ophelia shot Elysia a cold glance; she needed to vent her frustrations, "It's all your fault today. Why did you have to provoke her for no reason? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been so humiliated."
Elysia felt a wave of injustice at Ophelia's accusation, "Ophelia, I did what I did today to stand up for you."
Besides, hadn't she stood there without stopping her?
"Stand up for me?" Ophelia scoffed with disdain, "Looks to me like you were just venting for yourself. Now that Cecily is back, you must be feeling pretty anxious, since you were the one who has always been beneath her."
Elysia bit her lip tightly, letting out a derisive snort, "Why would I be anxious? Don't forget, Ophelia, at the annual fragrance competition, I was the one who took the crown, while she was the one disqualified for plagiarism. She's the one beneath our feet. Oh no, beneath mine."
Ophelia curled her lip, "So you beat her once; what's there to be proud of?"
"Yes, I only outshined her once, but that was enough to tarnish her reputation on a national scale, wasn't it?"
Ophelia gazed at Elysia's smug expression and let out a wry smile, lifting a hand to her chin. "Funny you should mention that. You've been with my company for five years, yet the perfume you develop is being outsold by some no-name brand. Is this the best our lead perfumer can do? Honestly, I'm beginning to question who was copying whom back in the day!"
Elysia's face paled instantly, and she retorted, "Of course she copied me! Don't forget who my mentor is. Cecily has never had proper training in perfumery. What gives her any right to compete with me?"
Ophelia's eyes darkened as she looked at Elysia's face.
Cecily may not have had formal training, yet she made it to the finals solely on her innate talent. It baffled Ophelia how someone as proud as Cecily could be accused of plagiarism.
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