Chapter 33
Cecilia's heart clenched when she opened the attachment and spotted "gynecological examination" among the medical checkup items.
She immediately headed to department manager Maria's office.
"Ms. Brown, I have some personal matters next week and need to take a few days off. Could I skip the physical?"
Maria, still frazzled from the supplementary agreement incident, didn't even look up. "It's a mandatory corporate policy tied to next year's insurance coverage. You can't miss it on principle. What could possibly be so important?"
Cecilia bit her lip. "It's just... a family matter."
"Then go get examined separately at one of the group's partner hospitals. The gynecological exam is mandatory, and the report must be submitted to HR for filing." Maria waved her hand dismissively. "That's all. You can go now."
Leaving the office, Cecilia's back was already damp with cold sweat.
As soon as she returned to her desk, Cinda rolled her chair over, holding up her phone displaying a local gossip forum.
"Cecilia, check out this post. Is it talking about you?"
The headline was sensational: #The Struggles of a Trophy Wife: Suspected Hidden Illness Leads to Rejection by Husband's Family#
An anonymous post had suddenly appeared on the company's internal forum, embellishing details about a newly-minted CEO's wife at Summit Enterprises Group who hadn't shown any "progress" due to health issues. Recently appearing mentally unstable, she allegedly had a secret condition and was even afraid to participate in the company physical.
The comments below insinuated that this explained why the CEO was rekindling his relationship with his childhood sweetheart.
Marlee's influence was clearly behind this.
"This screenshot is fresh—people in HR are already circulating it, wondering if you have some contagious disease," Cinda said, barely concealing her schadenfreude. "Trying to get out of the physical now would just confirm the rumors, wouldn't it?"
Cecilia closed the webpage, her face expressionless.
She knew she'd been backed into a corner.
This medical report—she had no choice whether to submit it or not.
That evening, Cecilia called a college senior who worked at a private hospital.
"Forging reports from a top medical center is too risky," her former classmate said after a long silence. "We can manipulate reports from our hospital, but it won't be cheap."
"Money isn't an issue."
"Come by tomorrow afternoon to discuss details."
The next day, Cecilia left work early and took a taxi to a private women's health clinic across town.
The hospital was luxuriously appointed but sparsely populated.
She met with her former classmate in her office and worked out the details. The woman agreed to produce a normal gynecological report, charging only an "expedited processing fee."
Relieved, Cecilia walked to the first-floor payment counter.
Wearing a mask and hat pulled low, she just wanted to leave quickly.
"Forty grand."
Cecilia was about to hand over her bank card when a hesitant male voice came from nearby. "Cecilia? Cecilia Mellon?"
Her body instantly froze.
Samuel stood a short distance away, dressed in a business suit, his face showing both fatigue and surprise.
His gaze swept over her before settling on the electronic display at the payment counter.
"What are you doing here? Are you unwell?"
"I'm accompanying a friend," Cecilia hastily invented.
Samuel clearly didn't believe her.
He looked at her pale face and evasive eyes. "You look terrible. Did he—"
"I'm fine," Cecilia quickly swiped her card, grabbed the receipt, and turned to leave.
"Cecilia!" Samuel caught her wrist. "If you're in trouble, you can tell me."
"You can't solve my problems," she yanked her hand free and fled without looking back.
That night, a private jet landed ahead of schedule.
Edward emerged from the VIP passage, his face bearing the exhaustion of days of travel.
It was midnight when he returned to the villa.
In the darkened living room, a crumpled receipt caught his attention.
"Evercare Women's Health Center"
Payment amount: $40.000. Time: 4 PM that day.
Edward's demeanor suddenly turned glacial.
He called Teddy: "Look into Cecilia's movements today."
After hearing Teddy's report about company rumors, Cecilia's nausea, her early departure—and particularly the detail about Samuel also being at the hospital—the phone went silent for a long time.
"I understand," Edward's voice was ice-cold.
He walked upstairs step by step and pushed open the master bedroom door.
Cecilia jolted awake to find Edward's eyes swirling with a storm of emotions.
"Edward? Weren't you supposed to return next week?"
"You went to the hospital?" his voice was low and raspy. "And saw Samuel?"
"You're having me followed?"
"Answer me." He gripped her chin, his force painful.
"Let go of me! You're insane!"
"I'm insane?" Edward laughed coldly. "Cecilia, have you forgotten whose woman you are?"
He leaned down, his alcohol-scented kiss landing brutally on her lips.
"Don't touch me..." Cecilia turned away, gagging.
Her reaction completely ignited his fury.
"You find me disgusting?"
He pinned her wrists and tore open her nightgown.
"I'll make sure you remember exactly whose woman you are."
The torn silk nightgown lay discarded on the floor.
Cecilia stared at the intricate crystal chandelier on the ceiling, sleepless through the night.
Beside her, Edward's breathing was steady, seemingly sleeping well.
She shifted slightly, her entire body aching as if every bone had been disassembled and reassembled.
Especially her lower abdomen, which sent waves of mysterious, sinking pain that filled her with dread.
She quietly slipped out of bed, walked into the bathroom, and closed the door.
In the mirror, her neck and collarbone were covered with purple bruises, a shocking sight.
She turned on the faucet, washing her face repeatedly with cold water, trying to rinse away the humiliation and nausea.
The door opened behind her. Edward leaned against the doorframe, wearing only a towel around his waist, revealing his sculpted upper body.
He lit a cigarette. Through the swirling smoke, his expression was unreadable.
"Last night, what did you and Samuel do?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
Cecilia looked at him through the mirror, not answering.
"Going to the hospital—was it to get rid of the baby?" he asked again, ash falling from his cigarette.
Cecilia spun around, her chest heaving.
So that was it. His frenzy last night was because of this.
He already suspected she was pregnant.
"What if I said yes?" she coldly countered, her voice carrying a desperate resolve. "What would you do then? A repeat of last night?"
Edward's expression instantly darkened. He extinguished his cigarette and walked toward her step by step.
Just when Cecilia thought he would lose control again, he merely raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples.
A violent headache struck again, and he instinctively reached for something to ease it, his gaze falling on Cecilia.
He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
That scent on her that could calm his headaches was now barely detectable, overwhelmed by the heavy tobacco smell from his own body.
This made him even more agitated.
"From now on, stay away from Samuel," he rested his chin on the top of her head, his voice carrying an undeniable command.