Chapter 118
And I refused, then we fought in the Entryway Hall, right?
You couldn’t hold your own, got pushed down by me, didn’t you?”
Maricela stammered, “Maybe… you… didn’t mean to…” She kept glancing at Cedrick. “Cedrick, Lucille might’ve slipped…”
Lucille smiled coldly at Cedrick. “Do you believe that?”
Cedrick remained silent.
“Do you believe a cripple like me couldn’t fight her when she’s perfectly fine?”
Lucille pressed harder.
“Cedrick, I… I held back! I know Lucille’s leg is bad, and besides, Mylee helped her…” Maricela’s voice trembled, tears welling up again.
Ignoring them both, Cedrick sat grimly. “What’s done is done. No point rehashing it. Mylee has one choice left.”
“Like hell she does!”
Lucille itched to throw her teacup in his face. “Why no rehash?
Because you know your Maricela is lying!
Check your damn phone! The security footage shows everything!
Stop playing dumb!
What gives you trashy couple the right to set terms?”
She was done with these two. Done arguing, done cursing, done raging. Couldn’t they just vanish into their own delusional world?
“Lucille!”
Cedrick knocked sharply on the coffee table. “The truth doesn’t matter. Here’s the deal: Mylee
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leaves. Her daughter gets pulled from school. Unless…” His eyes locked on Lucille. ” help her.”
you
So this was their game. Princess Maricela ‘s actions meant nothing–his bias was carved in
stone.
Lucille laughed bitterly. “Cedrick, my mistake was expecting fairness from you!
Your Maricela ‘s flawless, isn’t she? Even when she’s wrong, you’d spin a thousand excuses!
Well?
How exactly do I ‘help‘ Mylee?
Drop the charges, right?
If I obey and withdraw the case, she keeps her job?
The kid stays in school?”
“Yes.”
Cedrick’s reply was ice–cold and final.
“Ma’am.”
Mylee’s trembling voice cut through, tears glistening. “Don’t change your plans for me. I’ll leave now–nothing here’s worth packing. I’ll pick my girl up at noon. You… take care of yourself.”
Leaving tore at her. Five stable years in this house, her daughter finally in a good Seaston school–how could she bear to give that up? But she’d escaped her own hellish marriage with a cheating brute. How could she let her mistress suffer because of her?
She’d go. Heaven never seals all doors–if she’d survived hell, surely light awaited. Yet her heart ached for Lucille. Would future hires treat her with the same devotion?
“Mylee, don’t rush this.”
Lucille reached for her hand.
Mylee shook her head. “Mrs. Maynard, I… I have my principles. Though my word carries little weight, but… but…” She struggled to articulate, repeating, “I have my principles…”
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Lucille thought for a moment. “Mylee, there’s no need to rush. Your daughter’s tuition is already paid for this semester. She can finish the term regardless, and summer break is approaching. You don’t need to fetch her today. As for Cedrick’s proposed exchange…”
Opposite her, Cedrick and Maricela’s eyes lit up, fixed on her.
Lucille paused before continuing, “I can drop the charges.”
Maricela’s eyes brimmed with elation while Cedrick visibly relaxed. Only Mylee looked concerned, afraid Lucille was making concessions because of her.
Lucille patted Mylee’s hand reassuringly. “But I have conditions.”
“Go ahead!” Cedrick’s tone was decisive and firm, clearly prepared to sacrifice everything for Maricela.
Ignoring his eager gaze, Lucille stared straight ahead. “First, Maricela must leave your company permanently. She’s banned from future employment, prohibited from holding company shares, and you cannot establish subsidiaries for her.”
This seemed no real threat to either. Cedrick agreed without hesitation. “Fine.”
“Second, all money spent on Maricela–from luxury goods to property–constitutes marital assets I must reclaim. Furthermore, you cannot give her any money under any pretext from today onward.”