Chapter 550 Why Aren't You Dead Yet?
"Nathaniel, why are you here?" Lillian's eyes lit up as she looked at Nathaniel and asked.
"You mentioned yesterday that you wanted a cake but it was sold out, so I went and got it for you." Nathaniel curled his fingers and handed a beautifully packaged cake to Lillian.
Lillian's face lit up with happiness, "Nathaniel, I didn't expect you to remember. I just mentioned it casually."
"Of course, I remember what you say."
Lillian looked up at Nathaniel, her happiness radiating from her.
"But I came at a good time, it seems quite lively here." Nathaniel's gaze lightly swept over Aurelie, who had just steadied herself and was still in shock.
Lillian glanced at Aurelie and then, holding Nathaniel's arm, said coquettishly, "Nathaniel, you know about my health condition. Because of my injury, I can never have a baby, but I want to have a baby for you."
"And then?"Nathaniel looked down at her.
"Then Miss Miller's father said he was willing to let Miss Miller donate her uterus to me. Of course, our family is very grateful to Miss Miller and has repaid twenty million dollars on behalf of her father. Isn't that right, Uncle Joshua?"Lillian looked at Joshua.
Joshua nodded repeatedly, a grin plastered on his face. "Yes, yes! Aurelie donating her uterus to Miss Lewis would be an honor! I'm truly grateful to the Lewis family for their assistance."
Nathaniel's gaze darkened, unnoticed by the others. He asked quietly, "Is she doing this voluntarily?"
Lillian raised an eyebrow, glancing between Aurelie and Joshua.
"I disagree."
Without hesitation, Joshua pinned Aurelie down and exclaimed, "Of course, Aurelie is doing this of her own free will! Absolutely voluntary!"
Nathaniel frowned.
"Nathaniel, if Miss Miller and I are a match, then I could have babies for you in the future. Wouldn't that make you happy?" Lillian looked at Nathaniel with hopeful eyes.
At that moment, she caught a fleeting glimpse of coldness in Nathaniel's eyes, but it disappeared almost instantly, replaced by his usual smile.
"Happy," he replied flatly.
Lillian, pleased with his response, shot a smug glance at Aurelie.
Aurelie's hands clenched tightly at her sides, trembling with rage.
She thought, 'Happy?
'The truth is donating my uterus means losing the baby growing inside me. He knows that, yet he could still be happy?
'He clearly doesn't care about me or the child; he is only thrilled that Lillian can have children.
'That's the stark difference between love and indifference.
'But who says anything about donating my uterus to Lillian?
'Did I agree to it?
'Why does it seem like everyone assumed I'm on board?'
Aurelie's heart ached as she shouted at them, "Are you all deaf? I won't donate my uterus, and I won't pay off your debts. This is none of my business. Do you understand? Do you get it? How dare you discuss my body like this without considering my feelings? What gives you the right?"
Nathaniel furrowed his brow, taking in the sight of Aurelie breaking down.
Joshua, undeterred, pointed a finger at Aurelie, his voice booming. "I'm your father! I gave you life! If I say you're donating, then you're donating! The Lewis family has already covered this debt, so you have no choice!"
"Shut your mouth! You're my father? You're the father of Nicole Miller and John Miller, not mine! You only care about those two as your children. Go ahead and have them pay for you! Are you willing to do that? Do you dare? You wouldn't, would you? Why? Because you care about them! You can't even bring yourself to ask Barbara for help, so you come to me! Can't you see how shameless you are? How pathetic? Eight years! For eight whole years, if I don't help you, you act like a victim. You drag my mom into this, saying you can't go on living. If you can't take it anymore, then just end it! Why are you still here? People like you, who only drag others down, why are you still alive?"
Aurelie's voice was hoarse and shattered, her words cutting through the tension like a knife.
A stunned silence enveloped Joshua and everyone else in the room, leaving them momentarily speechless.
Cecily hurried over to soothe Aurelie, acutely aware that her emotional distress could jeopardize her pregnancy.
Realizing he had just been publicly humiliated by his own daughter, Joshua's face flushed with anger. He raised his hand, ready to strike.
As Joshua approached, Cecily's eyes narrowed. She stepped forward, kicking a chair into his path. Because of his rush to hit Aurelie, he stumbled, the chair colliding with his knee and sending him sprawling to the ground, chair and all.
Joshua howled in pain, and when he looked up, he found Cecily towering over him, her expression icy.
"You dare to scheme against me?"
"Scheme against you? I'm clearly targeting the real beast here," Cecily shot back, her gaze as frigid as her tone.
"You!" Joshua winced, gritting his teeth in agony.
Cecily reached out and grabbed Aurelie's arm. "Let's go."
"Cecily, Aurelie, wait!" Lillian's voice was laced with desperation. She turned to Nathaniel, her eyes sparkling with a mix of charm and urgency. "Nathaniel, the Miller family has already agreed. Can you bring Aurelie back to me?"
Nathaniel looked at Lillian, a smile spreading across his face as he replied, "Sure."
Lillian's demeanor brightened at his response, her confidence returning.
She thought Aurelie was no match for her.
Cecily guided Aurelie outside, but Aurelie's mood was still gloomy. Cecily had planned to invite her to stay at her place, but Aurelie shook her head. "Cecily, thank you for today, but I need some time alone."
"No way! Joshua won't let this go. It's too dangerous for you to be by yourself. Don't be stubborn; just come with me."
Aurelie sighed, shaking her head. "He won't come back tonight, at least. Besides, I can't hide at your house forever, can I? I'll be fine. It's late; you should head home with Darian."
Cecily could see the emotional storm brewing inside Aurelie, knowing she didn't want anyone witnessing her breakdown. Reluctantly, Cecily agreed to take her home, hiring two bodyguards to keep watch nearby for added safety.
As Cecily walked out of Aurelie's house, Darian leaned against his car, lighting a cigarette. When he saw Cecily coming out, he flicked the cigarette away and approached her, the lingering smell of smoke dissipating.
"I'll drive you home," he offered.
"Okay," Cecily replied, her gaze lingering on the closed door of Aurelie's house, her worry evident.
From the way Joshua was behaving today, Cecily knew that Aurelie's days ahead wouldn't be easy. With a debt of two hundred million dollars, Joshua had no way of paying it back and would undoubtedly continue to harass Aurelie. To Joshua, Aurelie had become nothing more than a tool to settle his debt, and he wouldn't let her go easily. Shameless people had no limits, and Joshua would stop at nothing to force Aurelie to pay.
Cecily had no idea what would happen next.
"You've done all you can," Darian said, pulling Cecily into a gentle embrace. "The rest is between her and her father."
While his words might seem a bit cold, they were true. Cecily and Aurelie were just friends, and there was only so much she could do about Aurelie's family issues.
"I can't even imagine what Aurelie is going through."
Of course, Cecily couldn't just walk away from Aurelie. She couldn't simply leave her to deal with this alone.
Resting her head against Darian's broad, warm chest, Cecily closed her eyes.
Aurelie was still pregnant, but given today's events, Nathaniel clearly didn't want the child and wouldn't protect them. He was even siding with Lillian. On top of that, Aurelie had a father like Joshua, making her situation extraordinarily difficult.
"None of them are good people," Cecily suddenly blurted out, eyes opening.
Darian looked down at her, puzzled. "What?"
"I said, none of you men are good people!"
Darian chuckled softly, rubbing Cecily's head. "Are you generalizing?"
"You're close with Nathaniel, aren't you? Don't even talk to me."
"Who's Nathaniel? I don't know him," Darian said, holding Cecily back.
Cecily, in no mood for conversation, snapped, "Take me to my mom's place."
"You promised you'd come home with me tonight," Darian insisted, growing anxious.
"Did I? I must have forgotten," Cecily said, sliding into the car and closing the door firmly, signaling she wasn't in the mood for more discussion.
Darian fell silent.
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