Chapter 209: Only Believe Him

Cecilia gave her an awkward smile and said as calmly as possible, "The doctor said it's just superficial wounds, nothing serious!"

Hearing this, she didn't go along with Cecilia's words. Instead, she sighed, "I really didn't expect you to be hurt this badly!"

Cecilia sat down with her and chatted for a while. Neither of them mentioned Jasmine.

It wasn't until Aurora saw her looking tired that she got up to leave. However, at the door, she said regretfully, "I was planning to ask you to go shopping. Ethan's birthday is in three days, and I wanted to pick out a gift for him. But with your face like this, you can't go out."

"True, I can't keep you company looking like this!" Cecilia replied with a faint smile.

"Never mind, I'll go by myself. You rest well, I'm leaving!"

After seeing Aurora out, Cecilia went back to bed. She couldn't help but feel curious and opened the surveillance footage again, discovering there was a playback feature.

When she saw Aurora appear in the video, she was immediately startled by her strange expression.

It was clearly a look of gloating.

She was happy to see her injured.

Her visit wasn't out of genuine concern—she just wanted to see her make a fool of herself.

Cecilia's intuition was right after all. Aurora wasn't as innocent and kind as she appeared on the surface. She harbored deep hostility toward her.

Could it be that Aurora arranged for her kidnapping?

But why would Ethan bring up the Grayson Family?

What did those tattooed letters on the criminal's wrist mean?

A series of questions made Cecilia clutch her head in pain.

She didn't hear anyone approaching. When a pair of hands landed on her shoulders, she screamed in fright.

"Cecilia, don't be scared, it's me!" Ethan quickly held her, gently comforting her.

Ethan's familiar scent gradually calmed Cecilia down. She looked at him with a blank stare and saw his eyes full of concern. "Cecilia, what happened?"

Cecilia shook her head, not wanting to talk about Aurora at all.

But suddenly she remembered something else. "Ethan, do you love Stella very much?"

Faced with her question, Ethan was obviously stunned for a moment, then asked coldly, "Who told you that? Aurora or Jasmine?"

"Never mind who told me. Just answer me—do you love her very much? Do she and I look alike?"

Cecilia didn't want to keep the matter of being a substitute bottled up inside anymore.

However, Ethan only answered her second question. "You don't look alike at all!"

Cecilia stared at his expression. Could she believe such a wooden answer?

Seeing her lower her head, Ethan reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. Then he said very seriously, "Cecilia, don't worry about what others say. I hope you'll only believe what I tell you!"

They looked at each other for a few seconds before Cecilia finally gave in, turning her face away from Ethan.

She really wanted to believe Ethan, but there were too many things she couldn't ignore.

If not for this face, would Ethan have even given her a second glance?

The answer was obvious.

Soon it was time for Molly to get out of school. After finishing her own tasks, Sophie went to pick up Molly.

As soon as she got home, Molly rushed into her bedroom. Seeing the injuries on her face, tears immediately welled up in her eyes. "What happened to Mommy?"

"My face got scratched by some weeds by accident. Molly, you need to be careful in the future and not play in places with lots of weeds."

"Okay, I'll listen to Mommy. Mommy, was it Ethan who protected you this time?"

Hearing this, Cecilia nodded. Molly immediately rushed into Ethan's arms with an adoring look, hugged his neck, and kissed his face. "Thank you, Ethan!"

After dinner that evening, Cecilia called her parents to tell them she'd go to Emberfall City in a few days to bring them back.

Only by bringing her parents back and keeping them close could she feel at ease.

However, her parents coming back meant Ethan couldn't continue living at her house.

Because of this, during the two days she rested at home, a faint worry hung on her face.

On the third day, after dropping Molly off at school, she headed to the company.

When Damon saw her, he anxiously grabbed her and looked her up and down. "Are your injuries all healed? Is there anywhere that still hurts?"

"You can see for yourself—I'm pretty much recovered!"

The ointment Ethan gave her was really effective. In just two days, the shallower wounds had only left faint red marks, and the deeper ones had started to scab over.

After confirming she was okay, Damon pulled her to sit down and briefed her on company matters.

He specifically mentioned the land in the suburbs. "It was Jasmine who demanded we give it up!"

Cecilia muttered in confusion, "Her?"

"Yes. You should know her identity. She doesn't want Ethan to develop too quickly after taking over Apex Ventures Corporation."

"You mean she wants to make Ethan a figurehead leader with no real power?"

Damon nodded without hesitation. "That's my guess. So our project with Apex Ventures Corporation needs more careful consideration."

Hearing this, Cecilia understood. "Looks like Vertex Holdings Group's plan to turn things around with this project has fallen through!"

"It's too early to draw that conclusion."

Damon's words made Cecilia pause. "What do you mean?"

"Pick a side. If we win, we can turn things around!"

"But what if we lose?" Cecilia asked this mainly because she'd never thought about getting involved in Apex Ventures Corporation's internal power struggles.

Even though she and Ethan had a close relationship, she'd never let personal feelings affect her work.

"Prepare for both outcomes. Winning would be best, but if we lose, we won't stagnate either."

Damon's suggestion inexplicably made Cecilia think of Ryan.

If she could connect with him, wouldn't Vertex Holdings Group be relatively unaffected regardless of who held power at Apex Ventures Corporation?

But when Cecilia thought about being manipulated by Ryan, she felt somewhat fearful.

These people were all very cunning—whether Apex Ventures Corporation or Vanguard Innovations Group, they all had hidden agendas.

Cecilia didn't immediately respond to Damon. After returning to her office, she wanted to ask Gavin about Apex Ventures Corporation's internal affairs, but Leah told her he'd taken leave.

"He said he needs to go back to Rosefield City!"

"He's from Rosefield City?" Cecilia asked in surprise.

She thought of the Grayson Family again. Could Gavin be connected to the Grayson Family?

But if Gavin was from the Grayson Family, why would he agree to Ethan's request to help at her company?

Also, if the people who kidnapped her were really from the Grayson Family, why would Gavin desperately protect her?

It was too contradictory!

Cecilia couldn't stand such a tangled web of relationships.

She took out her phone and called Sophie. As soon as she answered, she asked, "How's the investigation I asked you to do coming along?"

"You mean Gavin? I've found some things, but it's not complete yet. Do you want to hear it?"

Cecilia answered eagerly, "Yes!"

"Gavin's identity really isn't simple. He's the third son of the Grayson Family. He also has a half-brother who's supposedly going to inherit the Grayson Family. And him, a child born to the legitimate wife, surprisingly has no inheritance rights."