Chapter 21
Then Aydan suddenly pulled out his phone, glanced at it, then looked up. His gaze locked straight on Cedrick. “Hey, that’s strange. I watched the wedding video Lucille showed me before… Why does the groom look exactly like you, Mr. Maynard?”
Meredith leaned over to look.
The young woman who’d said she danced too did the same.
Lucille was confused. How did Aydan have a video of her wedding? It had been a small, private affair. There had been no fanfare and no posts on any social media.
But there it was, her wedding record. She watched and saw that she’d smiled so brightly back then. She’d been so deeply in love with him and so sure she would spend the rest of her life with him…
It felt like a lifetime ago.
It had been so long that she’d forgotten she’d ever smiled that way…
Looking back now, she noticed Cedrick’s expression at the wedding had been so bleak, like his life was ending right there…
She thought, “Cedrick, why…”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Cedrick and Maricela.
The video left no room for denial. Maricela was already sobbing, tears streaming down her face.
Right now, Cedrick acted like a responsible gentleman. He stepped forward, instinctively shielding Maricela behind him. “Mr. and Prof. Gomez, everyone, I’m sorry. I’ve made a spectacle of myself. This is my fault, all mine. I don’t expect forgiveness from any of you We’ll take our leave now, so I don’t ruin your mood any further. I’m truly sorry.
When he finished, his gaze flicked to Lucille, unreadable.
Lucille’s chest ached.
So he did know how to protect his woman in front of others. This was what it looked like
09:27
Chapter 21
when he favored someone…
Meredith, ever the straightforward one who hated injustice, spoke up at once, “Mr. Maynard, I think you’re mistaken. We barely know you. You don’t owe us an apology. The person you need to say sorry to is your wife,”
Cedrick’s eyes, which had drifted elsewhere, snapped back to Lucille.
“Lucille,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “Come home with me.
Lucille’s sadness curdled into laughter. She wondered if he intended to walk away with two
Women.
She shook her head. “No. I’m here for Prof. Gomez’s party.”
Then she added, “As her student.”
It meant she was here not as Cedrick’s wife.
Cedrick’s eyes narrowed sharply. He nodded. “Okay.”
Cedrick turned to Jaiden. “Jaiden, I’m sorry our cooperation has to end like this. I hope…”
He paused, a bitter laugh escaping him. “I suppose there’s no hope for future collaboration. So… goodbye.”
He took Maricela’s hand and walked past everyone.
But just as they reached the door, Maricela wrenched his hand free and hurried back. She bowed deeply to Jaiden. “Mr. Wyatt, please don’t give up on working with Ced. It’s all my fault and my stupid decision. We know how close you and Meredith are, and we know you value marital harmony more than anything. And Lucille…‘
She darted a glance at Lucille. “Lucille doesn’t like socializing, so I acted on impulse. I didn’t correct the misunderstanding because I wanted to help Ced make this cooperation work. Ced is truly excellent. You’d be making a mistake not to work with him…..”
“Mari!” Cedrick returned, cutting her off. “Enough. We should leave.”
Lucille thought, “Another ‘we.‘ Cedrick seems to always stand with Maricela…”
But Maricela refused to back down. Her eyes, red and bloodshot, locked on Cedrick. “Ced, no. It’s all my fault. I won’t let you suffer because of me…
09:27
Chapter 21
2n8 Vonchard
“It has nothing to do with you. Let’s go…”
Their overly affectionate display was so absurd that everyone fell silent. Meredith, finally snapping out of her shock, fought to keep her temper in check as she ordered them out. “If you’re leaving, leave now. Stop wasting everyone’s time!”
Maricela’s face flushed instantly, aggrieved tears pooling in her eyes as Cedrick dragged her
out.
Meredith shot Jaiden a sharp glare, as if he were to blame for inviting Cedrick and Maricela. Then, she turned to Lucille, asking in a soft tone, “What do you think about this cooperation? We’ll follow your lead!”
“Don’t worry about me, Prof. Gomez. You and Mr. Wyatt should make the call that’s best for you,” Lucille said, winking. “I’m your ‘Birdie,‘ remember? I can fly on my own.”
Meredith sighed in relief. “There’s my girl! The only reason we sat through that whole ridiculous show was to avoid hurting you in the crossfire. Now that you’re okay with it, I can stop holding back.”
The other guests, not knowing Lucille and Cedrick well, had stayed quiet to avoid overstepping. But with Meredith’s words, the tension lifted.
“All right, let’s get back to our night!” Meredith smiled, beckoning everyone to relax.
Lucille spent a lovely evening at Meredith’s party. Everyone was kind. Several exchanged contacts with her, especially the young dancer, a warm, energetic girl named Linda Padilla.
When it was time to leave, Aydan insisted on driving Lucille home, refusing to let her go alone until she reached her building.
Standing under the sycamore tree downstairs, Aydan fidgeted, suddenly looking nervous. “Lucille.”
“Yes?” Lucille smiled. “Thank you for sending me home.”
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