Chapter 272 Marry Me

Chapter 272 Marry Me

Scarlet stared at Sepia's beautiful face, crouching down to meet her gaze. She changed the subject, "Why'd you let Isabella go on purpose?"

Sepia clearly didn't expect that. Her fingers paused, and her eyes flickered for a moment before she regained her composure.

"She was useless to me. If she wanted to leave, fine by me," Sepia said calmly after a long pause.

Scarlet sneered, "Who are you trying to fool? With your personality, you wouldn't let a traitor go so easily, even if they were useless."

"Why do you care so much about me?" Sepia's lips curled into a smile as she leaned forward, her slender hand caressing Scarlet's cheek.

Her voice was low and seductive, like a lover's whisper, "Darling, do you not hate me anymore?"

Scarlet's heart skipped a beat. She turned her head away and roughly pushed Sepia's hand aside. "I'm just stating the truth, nothing more."

"And I will never forget what you did to Alex."

"Let me think, who was Alex's predecessor?" Sepia tilted her head, pretending to ponder, her smile enchanting.

"I remember now, it was someone with a single name like yours. You chased him for a while, but he wasn't capable enough and died too soon."

Scarlet gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with a fierce warning as she glared at Sepia.

Sepia didn't adopt her usual superior tone but instead lazily squinted at her. "Scarlet, you only like men who seem uninterested in you. You enjoy that feeling. Just like how I don't like you and treat you as a pawn."

Scarlet's eyes widened, filled with unwillingness, anger, and embarrassment.

She swiftly drew a short knife and pressed it against Sepia's neck, moving so fast it left only a blur.

"I could kill you right now."

"Of course."

Sepia tilted her head slightly to look at her. "You have two choices."

"Shut up! I hate it when you do this!"

"One, kill me." Sepia remained unfazed, her voice steady, as if she wasn't the one being threatened with death. Her eyes were cunning and bright.

Scarlet's hand hesitated.

"Two, kiss me." As she spoke, Sepia deliberately closed the distance between them. She could even hear Scarlet's strong, rapid heartbeat.

Scarlet's eyes flickered, her right hand trembling so much she could barely hold the knife.

After a few seconds, she suddenly snapped out of it, shoved Sepia away, and threw the knife aside, fuming, "You're so boring."

Sepia lightly touched the spot where Scarlet had touched her, her eyes filled with a deep smile. "But you can't make a choice, can you?"

Scarlet ignored her, turning her back on her. When she spoke again, her breath was still uneven. "I'm leaving now. I'll book the tickets to Skylandia in the next few days. And I'm not Isabella."

"I never said you were." Sepia lay back on the couch, showing no intention of stopping her.

Scarlet said nothing more and left the room. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it, exhausted, realizing her back was already soaked with sweat.

She didn't understand what Sepia meant. Her feelings for Sepia had always been complicated, not just something that could be explained by love and hate.

Now, with only eleven colors left in the Hunted Shadows Guild, Sepia let them fend for themselves. If they were lucky, they might survive.

Many times, she had thought about leaving, but seeing Sepia's tired face always made that thought disappear.

After all, she had countless reasons to convince herself to stay by Sepia's side.

A week later, Cecilia was discharged from the hospital.

The Russell Group had just released a statement. Julian had agreed to the divorce and announced he wouldn't appeal.

This meant she no longer needed to prepare for a second court hearing.

Caroline sat on the nearby couch, legs crossed, holding a cup of coffee, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Does he really think you're missing? He acted so devoted before, but didn't even bother to look for you. Guess it was all talk."

Cecilia smiled, scrolling through recent company files, her brow suddenly furrowing. "Caroline, why were these executives fired?"

Caroline glanced over and shrugged. "That was Alaric. While you were taken by Christopher, he was looking for you and handling a lot of things."

Cecilia was slightly taken aback. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"Probably didn't want you to worry," Caroline mumbled around her straw.

Cecilia nodded, examining the profiles of the fired executives. They had openly opposed her in meetings.

Further investigation revealed their recent performance was abysmal, with some even involved in embezzlement and family scandals.

Firing them now was adding insult to injury.

"He's really..." She shook her head, smiling helplessly. "Quite ruthless."

Caroline raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "They brought it on themselves."

"True." Cecilia relaxed, stretching slowly.

So much had happened recently, she occasionally felt disoriented.

Lost in thought, the office door suddenly burst open!

"Quick, quick! Something big happened!" Kian rushed in, grabbing Cecilia and Caroline's wrists, pulling them out.

"What are you doing?" Caroline nearly choked on her coffee.

"No time to explain! Get in the car!" Kian's words were rapid, his face brimming with excitement.

Cecilia and Caroline exchanged a bewildered glance but followed him quickly.

The three of them ran to the underground garage and got into Kian's flashy sports car. The engine roared, and the car sped off.

"What's so urgent?" Cecilia asked, fastening her seatbelt.

Kian's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "You'll see."

The car left the city, the scenery outside becoming more open. Twenty minutes later, Kian parked by a wide grassy field.

"Get out," he said, winking.

Cecilia stepped out, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she froze.

Before her was a romantic scene filled with flowers. White roses and light blue hydrangeas intertwined into a sea of blooms, ribbons and balloons swaying in the breeze.

In the distance stood a delicate archway, bathed in sunlight, as if coated with a soft glow.

"This..." She stood there, stunned, unable to react.

A few seconds later, the crowd parted to create a path.

Alaric walked out slowly.

He wore a sharply tailored black suit, accentuating his broad shoulders. His gray-blue eyes were deep and ocean-like in the sunlight.

A faint smile played on his lips as he held a large bouquet of red roses, his steps steady and determined.

Cecilia's heart raced.

He stopped in front of her, knelt on one knee, and offered the bouquet.

"Cecilia, marry me." His voice was deep, tinged with rare tenderness. "Now, you can't refuse me, can you?"