Chapter 565 Under Percy's Desk
The light clicked on, and Cecily scrambled under the desk, her heart racing with every step of the approaching person.
Above her, the desk creaked as if someone was rummaging through things. Cecily held her breath, making no sound.
"Landon, what are you doing back?" Karen's voice came from outside the study.
Landon's voice was calm as he answered, "There's been an issue at the company. Dad's dealing with it, so I came to grab a document."
"What happened?"
"We got hacked for some reason," Landon replied. "The computer's lost a ton of crucial files. Dad's at the office with the team trying to salvage what he can."
Landon's face was tense. He, too, was puzzled by the sudden and precise nature of the hack, erasing files before anyone had a chance to react.
"Go on then. Don't let him get too worked up, especially with his injury," Karen said.
"Got it."
Landon hurried out; Karen turned off the light and closed the door behind her.
Cecily stayed hidden, barely daring to breathe.
She thought, 'Thank goodness it wasn't Percy coming back, or I would never get out tonight.'
Just as she was about to relax, the window suddenly swung open, and a tall figure effortlessly leaped inside.
The jolt nearly made Cecily scream.
Blaise placed a hand over Cecily's mouth, signaling for silence.
Cecily's eyes widened as she nodded vigorously.
Blaise released her, raising an eyebrow, "So, you're excited to see me?"
"What are you doing here?" Cecily whispered.
"You said it was urgent," Blaise replied, a grin playing on his lips.
"Thanks a million."
Blaise chuckled softly. "Where's the safe?"
"Over there," Cecily pointed to the cabinet. She hurriedly pulled out the safe and placed it on the floor.
"How many attempts have you made?"
Cecily shone her flashlight on the dial. She was on her second attempt but had forgotten the first set of numbers due to nerves. That left her with only one more try.
Blaise moved the safe closer and began working on it.
Cecily had barely calmed down when another figure slipped through the window, carrying one item in each hand, and nimbly landed inside.
Cecily stared in disbelief, "You guys."
"Shh," Darian said, stepping closer and lowering his voice. "It's me."
"And us, Mommy," Griffin and Rowan said, hugging Cecily tightly.
She thought, 'Even though Percy's study is only on the second floor, do they have to be so reckless?'
Footsteps echoed from outside.
Cecily quickly pulled everyone down and whispered, "Why are all of you here?
"Did you think we were playing cards under Percy's desk?" Cecily never imagined they would all end up under there.
Darian raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at Blaise. "How did you end up here?"
Blaise gave Darian a look before focusing on the safe's combination.
"Keep it down." Cecily motioned for everyone to stay silent.
Just as she finished speaking, a noise echoed.
Blaise moved the safe in front of Cecily. "Done."
Cecily's eyes widened in disbelief. "Seriously, is your side gig being a thief?"
Blaise's smile remained cool. "Want to learn? I could teach you next time."
"I want to learn, I want to learn," Griffin and Rowan's eyes lit up as they leaned toward Blaise.
Darian yanked the two little ones back, clearly unimpressed by their enthusiasm.
Sensing Darian's displeasure, Griffin and Rowan flashed cheeky grins. "Dad, why don't you learn with godfather too?"
"What did you call him?" Darian's face darkened, his voice dropping an octave.
The kids glanced at Cecily and stuck out their tongues. Cecily took a deep breath, putting on a calm facade.
Blaise, ever the troublemaker, chimed in, "Come on, godsons. Let's go get some candy."
Darian's scowl deepened as he glared at Blaise. "They're MY sons!"
Sweat beaded on Cecily's forehead as she fished out the evidence from the safe and shoved it at Darian. "Be good, no fuss. You guys need to split before we're busted."
Blaise led Griffin and Rowan out the window first, where someone was waiting to catch them below. Child's play for him.
Cecily motioned for Darian to follow, but he insisted, "We're leaving together."
"What if I'm caught missing?"
"Not gonna happen. The Lockwoods are... preoccupied tonight."
Before Cecily could protest, Darian wrapped an arm around her waist and swept her out the window, landing safely on the ground.
Cecily turned and gasped at the sea of people behind them, quickly ducking into Darian's embrace.
"Evening, Mrs. Fitzgerald," they greeted in unison.
Cecily blinked in surprise. "Are these all your people?"
The crowd was large enough to surround the entire Lockwood Manor.
"Yes, backup plan," Darian explained. If Cecily had failed to open the safe, his team would have stormed the manor to extract her and the safe together.
Cecily's mission was foolproof from the start.
"The hack on Lockwood Group—that was you with Rowan and Griffin, wasn't it?"
Darian nodded. "It'll keep them busy all night. You can stay at my place without worry."
Cecily sighed. "I'll need to be back early tomorrow to avoid suspicion."
"Now that we have the evidence, why stay there at all?"
Cecily smiled. "Patience, darling. Where's the fun in that? The higher they climb, the harder they fall. This is just the beginning."
Despite Darian's protests, Cecily slipped back to the Lockwood Manor.
The next morning after breakfast, Cecily planned to head home. With the wedding tomorrow, she needed to discuss some things with Vivienne.
Seeing Cecily about to leave, Karen assigned her a small army of bodyguards, paranoid after the recent incident.
As Cecily arrived home and approached the door, several figures suddenly rushed out. Her brow furrowed as the bodyguards quickly moved to intervene.
"Cecily, hand over Aurelie!" It was Joshua's wife, Barbara, along with Nicole and John. They looked like they'd been camped out for days.
"Get rid of them," Cecily ordered coldly.
Barbara erupted in a stream of curses. "Cecily, you're loaded! Aren't you and Aurelie besties? Joshua's her real father. As her friend, shouldn't you help? This pocket change means nothing to you!"
"Listen up," Cecily snapped. "If Aurelie needs help, I'll be there. But this debt is your family's problem, not hers. So tell me, why should I foot the bill for you?"
With that, Cecily strode into the house, ignoring the barrage of insults behind her. The bodyguards kept them at bay.
Aurelie, hearing the commotion, came out. "What did they say?"
"Same old song and dance. Just stay inside, and they can't touch you." Cecily flopped onto the sofa. "Where's my mom?"
"Aunt Vivienne left early. No clue what for."
Cecily glanced at her watch. "This early? Did she say when she'd be back?"
"She didn't say. Hey, I heard your wedding got pushed up to tomorrow?" Aurelie inquired.
Cecily nodded. "Yeah, Percy's in a rush."
"It's gonna be a big deal. You ready for the circus?"
"Don't worry, I've got it covered."
"What about Evander? Feels like ages since I've seen him," Aurelie mused.
Cecily couldn't recall the last time she'd seen him either. With the wedding tomorrow, Evander was still MIA. She knew he was dodging Percy, partly to help her out. If he'd been at the Lockwood Manor, they'd likely have to share a room, which would be awkward as hell.
"No clue, but he'll probably show up tomorrow," Cecily replied. Even if Evander tried to bail, Percy had ways of dragging him back.
Cecily had errands to run, so she headed out, warning Aurelie to stay put to avoid any drama with the trio outside.
Back at the Lockwood Manor, she checked out the reception hall with Karen and had a final fitting for her wedding dress. Percy didn't roll in from the office until noon, looking like he'd been through the wringer after a night of damage control.
By afternoon, Evander was still AWOL, but he was trending online for all the wrong reasons. The usually scandal-free Evander had been papped multiple times entering hotels with different women. The shots were sneaky but crystal clear—no doubt it was him.
The internet trolls who'd been hounding Cecily suddenly went quiet. Evander's antics had everyone shook, even his die-hard fans. The web was blowing up with people trashing him.
Cecily was speechless after seeing it all.
Her phone buzzed. She slipped away to answer it privately.
"You don't have to do this," Cecily said. "You're torching your own reputation."
Evander's voice was rough on the other end. "If I'm a no-show tomorrow, will it change anything? Make it all go away?"
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