Chapter 586: The Person Who Saved Aurelie Wasn't Nathaniel
Cecily's eyebrows scrunched up. "Wait, are you saying he didn't save anyone back then? You sure about that?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Why you asking?" Hayden noticed Cecily's face getting all tense and thought it was kinda weird. "Hold up, what's Nathaniel got to do with you? Why you suddenly all up in his business?"
Cecily was caught off guard and didn't answer Hayden's question.
If Hayden was so sure Nathaniel didn't save Aurelie back then, then who did?
And why did Aurelie think Nathaniel was her hero?
Cecily bit her lip and asked again, "You said those people were after Nathaniel. Do you know who they were?"
Hayden shook his head, "Nah, I don't know the details 'cause the Kensington family didn't dig into it, and the whole thing just kinda faded away. But the news blew up fast, and Nathaniel ended up in court real quick. And you know what's the weirdest part?"
"What?"
"The Kensington family didn't lift a finger to help Nathaniel after they found out. Eleven years ago, Nathaniel was just nineteen, and his family didn't do squat, not even get him a decent lawyer. The Kensingtons are loaded in Silver Frost Capital, and they just left him hanging. Isn't that messed up?"
Cecily nodded. "Yeah, that's super weird. Even a regular family would do everything to get to the bottom of it. They wouldn't just ignore it. And the Kensingtons had the resources but chose not to help. Having a family member in jail is a big deal, and rich families care about their rep even more, yet they did nothing."
"That's the weird part," Hayden said with a cold, knowing laugh. "There were tons of rumors back then. That night, a bunch of people jumped Nathaniel, and he was just defending himself. In all that chaos, even if he went overboard, he was still in the right. Ten years is a harsh sentence, enough to wreck someone's life. A lot of folks thought someone was out to get him."
Cecily didn't really care about all this drama; she just wanted to know if Nathaniel saved Aurelie. Now, hearing Hayden, it was clear Nathaniel had nothing to do with it.
Aurelie must've gotten it twisted and thought Nathaniel was her savior.
Listening to Hayden, Cecily felt bad for Nathaniel. His family ditched him, letting him rot in prison for ten years.
And with all the talk about someone trying to ruin Nathaniel, even Cecily thought something smelled fishy.
"The Kensingtons didn't help him, but what about you guys? You knew him back then. Didn't anyone try to step in?" Cecily looked at Hayden and Darian.
Darian finally spoke up, "By the time I found out he was in trouble, it was already too late."
Hayden explained, "Darian's dad passed away early, and Owen put all his hopes on Darian. Darian was swamped every day, and Owen didn't let him get distracted by anything. And I was just a kid back then, no say in the family. My folks wouldn't let me get involved. Plus, the Kensingtons had already ditched Nathaniel. No other family would step in."
Cecily nodded, deep in thought.
"Cecily, you still haven't answered my question. Why the sudden interest in Nathaniel? You got a thing for him?" Hayden asked, and Darian shot him a cold look.
Hayden chuckled, "Just kidding."
"A friend of mine got some things mixed up," Cecily said, gathering her thoughts. "Thanks for filling me in."
"No problem. It wasn't a secret anyway. But who's this friend? Someone important to you and connected to Nathaniel. Is it Aurelie?"
"Yeah," Cecily admitted.
"What did she misunderstand? Spill the tea, I'm curious." Hayden leaned in, eyes wide with curiosity.
Cecily pressed her lips together.
Darian smacked Hayden on the head, "Why do you need to know everything? Chill out."
Cecily looked at Hayden, "Mr. Davis, I'm sorry. If it was just about me, I'd tell you, but it involves someone else."
Hayden quickly waved his hand, "No worries, I was just curious. It's cool if you can't say. You're Darian's wife, so you're my friend. We're all tight, no need to be so formal."
Cecily smiled, "Thanks for helping me clear things up today."
"Anytime. Actually, if you wanna show your appreciation, maybe you could get me access to Darian's garage?" Hayden rubbed his hands, grinning.
Cecily looked at Darian, who gently stroked her hair, "Those cars are all yours. Do whatever you want with them. No need to ask me."
Seeing their sweet moment and hearing Darian's words, Hayden was floored, "Darian, are you saying you gave all your luxury cars to Cecily?"
Darian raised an eyebrow, "Is there a problem?"
Hayden stared, "You stingy guy, you wouldn't even let me borrow one for a few days before. Now you've given your whole garage to Cecily, you are just too..."
"What?" Darian gave him a look.
Hayden forced a smile, "You're just too good at spoiling your wife."
"Cecily, I've had my eye on one of the cars in your garage for a while. Can I borrow it for a few days?"
Cecily nodded, "Sure, no problem."
Hayden's eyes lit up, "Do you know what you look like today?"
"What?" Cecily asked.
"Like a goddess, an angel."
Cecily almost laughed, "The car's in the garage. Go pick one."
"I'm on it. You really are an angel." Hayden said, disappearing in a flash.
Cars are like candy to men.
Cecily shook her head, putting away her smile, "You gave me all of these. Doesn't it hurt a bit?"
"Those things are worthless compared to you," Darian said, nailing it.
Cecily couldn't believe how smooth Darian had gotten with his words.
"Now that you know all this, are you gonna tell Aurelie?" Darian asked.
Cecily's eyes clouded with uncertainty. She wasn't sure if she should do that.
Aurelie had just gone through a threatened miscarriage and was still in the hospital on bed rest.
If she told her now, it would be a huge shock.
Aurelie had felt guilty for ten years because of a misunderstanding and had stayed by Nathaniel's side for a year to repay him.
If Cecily suddenly told her that all her guilt for the past eleven years was misplaced, Aurelie might break down. She was still pregnant and had almost miscarried; she couldn't handle such a blow.
Even if she had to tell her, it would have to wait until Aurelie's pregnancy was more stable. It couldn't be rushed.
"I'm not planning to. She's really fragile right now. Hearing this out of the blue would be a huge blow. I need to find the right moment, when she's in a better place to handle it."
Darian nodded, "You're very considerate."
Cecily sighed. She hoped so.
The next morning, Cecily had the kitchen whip up some nutritious food for Aurelie and took it to the hospital. Just as she was about to leave, Bryan stopped her.
Cecily didn't feel as resistant to Bryan as before, but she wasn't exactly warm either. She spoke to him calmly, "Is there something you need?"
"Cecily, where's your mom?" Bryan looked at Cecily, a bit anxious. "I've been calling her since your wedding day, but she hasn't answered. I'm worried about her."
"Don't worry. My mom is fine. She'll be even better if you don't bother her," Cecily said.
Bryan was silent for a moment but didn't leave. "I went to your old place yesterday and found that no one was there. Has your mom left Silver Frost Capital?"
"No, she's living with me now." Cecily remembered Vivienne's request, so she lied to Bryan.
"Really? Let me in to see her." Bryan didn't seem to believe Cecily.
"No, you know my mom doesn't want to see you. If you keep this up, she'll only be unhappy," Cecily refused.
"Your mom isn't in Silver Frost Capital anymore, is she?"
Cecily thought to herself that Bryan wasn't easy to fool.
Bryan was a little angry, "I know your mom better than you do. Since you're back living with Darian, she wouldn't want to intrude on your married life. I can't reach her, and Wade is also missing. Tell me honestly, is your mom with him?"
Cecily's eyebrows furrowed tightly, "Do you know what you're saying? Are you accusing my mom of running off with Wade?"
"I didn't say that."
"But that's what you mean. You have no trust in her." Cecily was furious. Would Bryan ever stop being so distrustful of Vivienne?
No wonder Vivienne kept avoiding him.
"You don't know what happened between us. It's not that I don't trust her; actually, I don't have confidence in myself. Compared to Wade, I can never measure up in her eyes. Vivienne will always choose him over me," Bryan said.
"Then you're wrong. My mom is married to you. Even if she loves someone else, she wouldn't do anything shady."
Bryan smiled bitterly. "Then how do you explain their disappearance together?"
"I told you, my mom is at my house," Cecily insisted.
"I've been around longer than you. You can't fool me. I know whether she's still in Silver Frost Capital or not." Bryan looked at Cecily and sighed. "It doesn't matter, I can find her myself."
Bryan turned to leave.
Cecily called after him, "Bryan, do you have to do this? You know my mom wants to stay away from you, yet you keep clinging to her. It's been decades. Aren't you tired?"
Bryan stopped but didn't turn around. He looked up and laughed lightly. "As long as your mother isn't tired, how could I be? You don't understand. She's my life. I won't let her leave me, even if it makes her hate me."
"You're crazy!" Cecily was so angry she cursed.
Bryan smiled without saying anything. Maybe he was a bit crazy, but what could he do? Vivienne is the person he would never truly be free of, the one he would hold onto even after his own life was over.
Bryan left, but Cecily remained standing there, frustrated from talking to such a stubborn person. She angrily took out her phone and messaged Vivienne, telling her that Bryan had found out she had left and was looking for her.
Vivienne replied with a simple, [Got it.]
After that, Cecily got into her car and left.
At the hospital, Aurelie wasn't having a peaceful stay. Joshua's family, who used to wait for her at the villa, had discovered she wasn't there anymore and thought she had run away. They kept calling her.
But Aurelie didn't answer any of their calls and blocked their numbers one by one.
However, they had their ways. When one number was blocked, they used another to call. They kept calling, trying to annoy Aurelie.
Although Aurelie didn't answer, the repeated calls were still annoying and affected her.
Another call came in. Aurelie was about to turn off her phone but realized she couldn't avoid them forever.
She swiped to answer and heard wailing on the other end, "Aurelie, help! Your dad is being forced to jump off a building by debt collectors. Joshua! Don't do anything stupid. Come down!"
Besides Barbara's crying, Aurelie also heard the sound of wind, as if they were really standing at a high place.
"Aurelie, you can't be so heartless. Your dad is really going to die. Come quickly; he's really going to die," Barbara continued.
Aurelie didn't believe it at first, but when she looked up, the news on the TV in front of her was showing a live broadcast. Someone was standing on the edge of a tall building, about to jump, with a large crowd below.
Aurelie's eyes widened.
The noise on the other end was chaotic, with various people trying to persuade Joshua to come down.
Barbara, not getting a response from Aurelie, started cursing, "Aurelie, this is serious! Your father is going to jump! Why aren't you reacting?"
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