Chapter 34
Cecilia's body stiffened.
"Also," he paused, his tone growing more dangerous, "move back to the master bedroom and fulfill your duties as my wife."
In his arms, Cecilia suddenly laughed.
She gently pushed him away, creating distance between them, and looked up with eyes frighteningly calm and clear as water.
"Mr. Clifford, our contract specified playing the role of a loving couple. It never mentioned sex as one of the obligations."
She paused, watching his increasingly dark expression. "However, since you're so... needy, I suppose we could make an arrangement."
She walked to the side, picked up a bathrobe, and methodically tied the belt. "We can draft a supplementary agreement. Each time, provided you're satisfied, you'll pay me an additional five hundred thousand dollars. After all, my cycle has been irregular lately, and my mood hasn't been great. I need some motivation to better... accommodate you, don't I?"
The air went deathly silent.
Edward stared at her composed face displaying nothing but cold, businesslike detachment. She had clearly labeled her body and his desire with a price tag.
Five hundred thousand dollars per encounter. In her eyes, that's all he was worth.
An unprecedented sense of humiliation and rage instantly surged through him.
"Cecilia, you're asking for death," he practically forced the words through clenched teeth.
"I'm trying to live," Cecilia met his gaze without fear. "My brother needs money for ongoing treatment, and I'll need money... later. For someone as wealthy as Mr. Clifford, this amount should be negligible, shouldn't it?"
Edward glared at her, his chest heaving violently. He wanted nothing more than to strangle her. Yet that damned headache began to torment him again, and the faint scent from her body remained his only remedy.
Finally, he spat out, "Get out of my sight."
Cecilia turned and left without a moment's hesitation.
---
From that day forward, Cecilia replaced all the fitted business suits in her wardrobe. She began wearing loosely cut, flowing dresses and blouses that concealed her waistline and perfectly disguised her still-flat stomach.
To her colleagues, the CEO's wife had simply switched fashion styles—from sharp and efficient to soft and mature. Her every move now carried an inexplicable, subtle allure.
That afternoon, Cecilia had just returned from the break room with a cup of warm water when she noticed a crowd gathered at the legal department entrance, whispering and pointing.
A man in a cheap jacket with greasy hair was blocking the doorway, spewing vulgarities.
"Where's Cecilia Mellon? Get her out here! That viper! Selling herself for money, becoming a rich man's wife and forgetting her family—she doesn't even care if her own brother lives or dies!"
It was Tanner.
Cecilia's face instantly hardened.
Cinda sidled up to her, barely containing her glee. "Cecilia, your brother's here for you. Such nasty things he's saying."
Everyone in the office focused on Cecilia, their gazes filled with contempt, curiosity, and schadenfreude.
Cecilia, cup in hand, walked toward him step by step.
"Tanner, what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing? I'm here for money!" Tanner lunged toward her. "You're Mrs. Clifford now—you're loaded! Give me five hundred thousand dollars, or I'll make a scene at your company every day and air all your dirty laundry!"
His shameless demeanor mirrored Ian's when he had schemed against her at the bar. Something clicked in Cecilia's mind—she was almost certain someone had put him up to this.
"I don't have money," she replied, her voice perfectly steady.
"Bullshit! That outfit you're wearing would cost me a year's expenses!" Tanner reached to grab her clothes. "If you don't pay up, I'm not leaving! Today I'll let everyone see what kind of woman the CEO's wife of Summit Enterprises Group really is!"
Just as his filthy hands were about to touch her, another hand reached out, firmly grasping his wrist.
It was Teddy.
"Sir," Teddy wore a professional smile, though his grip was unmistakably strong, "this is Summit Enterprises Group, not a fish market. If you continue disrupting our operations, we'll have to ask our security team to intervene."
Tanner winced in pain, cursing as he tried to break free. "Who the hell are you? I'm here for money from my sister—it's none of your business!"
"I'm Mr. Clifford's executive assistant," Teddy continued smiling, though his voice turned cold. "And a friendly reminder: the consequences of slandering the CEO's wife might be more than you can handle."
That warning registered with Tanner. Even in his unsavory state, he knew who Edward was.
Teddy released his grip and nodded to the nearby security guards. Two tall guards immediately flanked Tanner.
"Escort him out. If he resists, call the police and report him for disturbing the peace."
"What are you doing? Let go of me! Cecilia, you heartless—" Tanner's angry protests were muffled as he disappeared down the hallway.
Teddy turned to Cecilia with a slight bow. "Mrs. Clifford, I apologize for the disturbance. The CEO has instructed me to address any issues you encounter immediately."
Cecilia looked at him and softly said, "Thank you."
After Teddy left, the office fell into deathly silence. Colleagues who had eagerly watched the drama now hunched over their desks, pretending to be busy.
Cecilia returned to her workstation and took a sip of her now-cold water. She knew Edward hadn't instructed Teddy to help her for her sake, but to protect his own reputation and that of the Clifford family. Still, whatever the reason, the problem with Tanner was temporarily resolved.
What she didn't know was that in the executive office on the top floor, Edward was watching the security footage. In the video, Cecilia wore a loose, cream-colored dress that made her skin glow, giving her an air of softness and elegance.
When Tanner lunged at her, she hadn't flinched—just stood there coldly, like a winter plum blossom facing a snowstorm.
Edward's gaze lingered on her outfit, so different from her usual style. He recalled Teddy's report that Samuel seemed to prefer this gentle, intellectual aesthetic.
Had she changed her style to attract someone's attention?
The moment this thought surfaced, he grabbed a document from his desk and hurled it to the floor. Papers scattered everywhere.
---
A few days after Tanner's scene, Teddy delivered a velvet box.
"Mrs. Clifford, the CEO has prepared this for you to wear at Friday evening's charity auction."
Cecilia opened the box and her breath caught.