Chapter 276: Let Me Conceive His Child

Elodie raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Ms. Martinez, it's me." Her voice was very soft. "Rufus was worried you might be hungry, so he asked me to bring you some chicken soup."

There was no response from inside the room.

When there was no answer, Elodie turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Cecilia was leaning against the headboard, staring blankly at the blue sea outside the window. She looked completely lifeless and did not react at all when Elodie came in.

Elodie placed the tray on the nightstand and poured herself a bowl of chicken soup, stirring it with a spoon.

"Ms. Martinez, you should eat something. This is homemade chicken soup. Rufus specifically asked the kitchen to make it for you."

Cecilia still did not move, not even her eyes.

Elodie was not bothered. She was not here today to convince her to eat anyway.

"You do not know yet, do you?" She sat down on the chair by the bed and spoke in an easy, conversational tone.

"Just now, Rufus agreed to my request."

That finally drew a reaction from Cecilia; she turned her head and glanced over.

Seeing that she had successfully caught Cecilia's attention, Elodie felt even more pleased with herself.

"He agreed to let me have his child."

Elodie said it seriously and clearly, carefully watching every change in Cecilia's expression.

She expected to see shock, anger, and jealousy.

However, Cecilia's face showed no emotion at all. Her eyes were disturbingly calm, except that the hatred deep in her bones seemed to have grown even stronger, making her look even colder.

"So what?" Cecilia finally spoke, her tone thick with open mockery. "You came all the way here to tell me this. Do you want me to congratulate you?"

Elodie's smile froze for a moment. She had not expected this reaction from Cecilia.

"I just thought you should know." Elodie quickly adjusted her attitude and continued, "Rufus needs a wife, needs an heir. Since you cannot give him that, I have to help him out."

"A child without even a proper status?" Cecilia's lips curved slightly. "Elodie, do you really think this trick of using a child to manipulate a husband will work on Rufus? Dream on. You are just a substitute for me, and that baby you are so eager to carry will only be another substitute for him."

"You!" Elodie's face went pale at her words.

Substitute.

That was the word she hated most.

"What do you know!" Elodie's voice became shrill. "He is just temporarily fooled by you! Once he figures it out, he will know who really cares about him! He will be good to me... he will be good to the baby I am carrying!"

"Really?" Cecilia looked at her coldly. "Then you are truly pathetic. For a man who does not love you, you have degraded yourself to this extent."

Every word from Cecilia hit Elodie right where it hurt.

But at the same time, Cecilia's mind was racing.

Something was not right.

Based on her understanding of Rufus, even if her lack of cooperation made him feel frustrated and angry, at most, he would just find other women for release. He would never easily decide to have a child.

That did not fit his personality at all.

A child, especially an heir, meant something significant to someone like Rufus. There had to be something behind this that had forced him to agree.

Something that could make even this madman, who feared nothing, compromise.

What could it be?

The image of Stefan being taken away by the police flashed through Cecilia's mind.

A terrible thought gradually became clear in her mind.

Could this woman, who had always been treated as a doll by Rufus, be holding on to something... something that could completely destroy Rufus?

Like evidence of him framing Stefan?

Cecilia looked at Elodie, who was trembling with anger after being hit in her sore spot, and decided to test her theory.

"I am pathetic?" Cecilia deliberately showed an angry expression, raising her voice slightly.

"Elodie, do not forget your place. You are nothing but a dog Rufus keeps around. Now that he is willing to throw you a bone, are you getting ahead of yourself? You really think you can become somebody important?"

"He is just playing with you on a whim. Once he finishes dealing with what is on his plate, he will come for you sooner or later."

Cecilia stared intently at Elodie's eyes.

Sure enough, when she heard "finishes dealing with what is on his plate," Elodie's pupils contracted involuntarily.

Although she quickly covered it up with anger, that momentary panic had already been caught clearly by Cecilia.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Elodie jumped up. "I do not know what you are talking about! Rufus genuinely wants to have a child with me! You are just jealous! You cannot stand him being good to me!"

The more agitated she became, the more eager she was to deny it, the more it proved Cecilia had guessed right.

Elodie really did have something on Rufus.

And this leverage was related to Stefan's case.

"Me, jealous of you?" Cecilia let out a scoff. "Elodie, have you lost your mind? Would I be jealous of a pathetic creature who has to sell herself just to get a baby? Go ahead and chase that ridiculous rich-family fantasy. I will be watching to see how you fail."

With that, Cecilia stopped looking at her, lay down, pulled the blanket over her head, and pretended to be too angry to say another word.

Elodie stared at the lump under the blanket, trembling with rage.

She had come here to show off, to see Cecilia suffer and break down.

Instead, she was the one who ended up furious.

That Cecilia had such a vicious tongue.

"You... you just wait!" Elodie stamped her foot in frustration. She wanted to rush over, yank Cecilia out from under the blanket, and slap her hard.

But she did not dare.

Elodie knew that although Rufus had agreed to her terms, Cecilia was still the one he cared about most. If she really laid a finger on Cecilia, Rufus would definitely kill her.

In the end, Elodie forced down her anger and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Hearing the door close, Cecilia, under the blanket, slowly opened her eyes.

In the darkness, her eyes were surprisingly bright.

She had guessed right.

Elodie had evidence that could destroy Rufus completely, which was why she had the nerve to make such a demand about having his child.

A bold plan slowly began to take shape in Cecilia's mind.