Chapter 32 I'll Be the One to Take You to the End
"Don't tell me, Cecilia… you were never sick?" Blair's voice was tinged with false astonishment.
She clapped a hand over her mouth as if she had said too much, then gave a quick shake of her head, feigning disbelief.
It was as though she couldn't imagine Cecilia being the kind of person capable of such deceit.
No one in the room answered Blair's question, but the silence was its own confirmation.
Blair stepped closer, closing the distance between them. She took Cecilia's hand in a gesture that looked affectionate to anyone watching. "Cecilia, I know you never volunteered to test those drugs for me all these years, but coming up with a scheme like this to fool people? That's crossing a line. You're taking advantage of Rufus's kindness."
Then, with a tone of understanding that was as much for Rufus's benefit as Cecilia's, Blair added, "Rufus, don't be angry with her. She just didn't know how to express herself properly. I'm sure she meant no harm.
"And the side effects from experimental drugs are unpredictable. It's only natural for her to be afraid. Why don't we stop having Cecilia test them from now on? Use me instead."
It was a calculated retreat, and Blair played it perfectly.
The moment Rufus heard her suggestion, he rejected it without hesitation. "Absolutely not. How could I let that happen?"
When Rufus turned back to Cecilia, there was no trace of sympathy in his eyes.
In his mind, the contrast was stark—Cecilia, who lied and looked for ways to avoid her responsibilities, and Blair, who seemed willing to sacrifice her own health for others.
The comparison was damning.
Rufus's irritation with Cecilia only deepened. With a sharp wave of his hand, he made his decision. "You owe her. The drug trials continue. And given your worsening health lately, I've already suggested having a caretaker with you, Blair, but you refused, saying you couldn't relax around strangers. Well, now we have the perfect candidate."
It took Cecilia a moment to realize what he meant—he wanted her to take care of Blair. The thought was absurd. She could barely manage her own condition. Was Rufus out of his mind?
Before she could protest, Blair jumped in, all false modesty. "Oh, I couldn't possibly let Cecilia take care of me. I can manage on my own. You don't need to worry so much."
Rufus shook his head, unconvinced. "How could I not worry about you? You've fainted more times than I can count lately. There were moments when I was in the middle of a meeting and nearly ran out the door the second I heard. You have no idea how much I worry."
His tone left no room for argument. "I'll give in to you on other things, but not this one."
Blair gave a playful little shrug, sticking out her tongue like a child caught in mischief. "Fine, you win."
She made it look like she was reluctantly agreeing, but in truth she had already imagined a hundred different ways to make Cecilia suffer.
And to keep her image untarnished in Rufus's eyes, Blair turned to Cecilia with a sweet smile. "Don't worry. Even if you're here to take care of me, I won't actually make you do much."
Cecilia stood silently, watching the two of them interact. Watching Rufus lavish his concern on Blair while she stood on the sidelines like a stranger.
She pulled her hand free from Blair's grasp, putting space between them. She had no intention of playing along with Blair's charade of sisterly affection.
The change in Cecilia's demeanor made Blair's smile falter for a fraction of a second.
But before she could speak, Rufus's phone rang. He answered, spoke briefly about some work matter, and left after giving Blair a few last words of caution.
The room fell quiet, and Blair finally let her mask slip.
"Let me think… what could someone as frail as you possibly do for me?"
Blair tapped her chin with a finger, her expression almost childlike—if not for the cruelty behind it.
Cecilia caught the implication immediately. "You know about my condition?"
Her mind raced, and then it hit her. "The medical report… you tampered with it, didn't you? You bribed the doctor!"
The realization made her blood run cold. She felt hysteria rising in her voice. "Say it! Answer me!"
Blair gave a slow, mocking smile. "If you've figured that out, maybe you're not completely hopeless. Yes, I paid off your doctor to alter your results. Your vitals are fine, but you have leukemia. You don't have long."
No wonder, Cecilia thought numbly. "No wonder the doctor always looked at me so strangely. I need to…"
"What? Tell Rufus?" Blair cut her off with a derisive laugh. "You think he'd believe you? After all the times you've lied to him? Don't humiliate yourself."
The words hit Cecilia like a blow. Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes filled with tears. "Why? Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you?"
Blair's gaze hardened. "You gave Rufus to me. You tested drugs for me. On the surface, you've done nothing wrong. But you should never have existed in the first place. Why are you still alive?"
From the moment she learned of Cecilia's existence as a child, Blair had hated her.
In Blair's mind, Cecilia had ruined her perfect family. That made her guilty—and guilt demanded penance.
Blair's eyes narrowed, her tone turning dangerous. "I can't believe how stubbornly you've clung to life. After all the CPH4 injections, you're still breathing."
She sighed, the sound almost pitying. "But it's fine. We're sisters, after all. I'll be the one to see you off."
She clapped her hands, and Jason entered the room with a syringe.
Cecilia recognized it instantly—it was the same substance the masked man had injected into her that night at the hospital.
"It was you!" The pieces fell into place. She finally saw the hand that had been pulling the strings all along. But it was too late.
She was pinned down, helpless, as the needle plunged into her arm and the drug burned its way into her veins…