Chapter 22
Cecilia ignored Rachel's barbed comment. Seeing Joanna trying to sit up for water, she naturally supported her, picked up the cup, tested its temperature, and helped her drink.
Her movements were smooth and practiced, all in one fluid sequence.
Rachel watched the scene, gripping the fruit knife in her hand until her fingertips turned white. She had deliberately avoided hiring a nurse, hoping to use this opportunity to grow closer to Joanna. Instead, it seemed to be bringing Joanna and Cecilia closer together.
Joanna finished her water and settled back comfortably.
Rachel stood awkwardly to the side, unable to join the conversation. She took a deep breath and picked up the apple she'd been butchering, resuming her clumsy peeling. The skin came off in jagged, broken pieces.
Cecilia watched her struggling with the apple and said quietly, "Let me."
She took the knife and apple from Rachel's hands.
One turn, two turns...
A single, unbroken spiral of apple peel, thin as a cicada wing, curled down perfectly—no breaks, no tears.
Rachel's expression shifted from initial shock to something increasingly sour.
Cecilia cut the peeled apple into even pieces, speared them with toothpicks, and placed them on a plate on the bedside table.
"Such good skill," Rachel finally found her voice, forcing a stiff smile. "Well, I suppose some people are just naturally suited for serving others. Those of us raised with silver spoons may have good intentions, but we simply never learned such... skills."
The contempt in her voice was unmistakable.
Joanna's expression darkened, but before she could speak, Cecilia turned to face Rachel, her gaze calm as she assessed the other woman's carefully made-up face.
"Ms. Hughes, you look even worse than Grandma. Coming to care for someone in your condition—that really is devoted." She helpfully gestured toward the door. "I can take care of Grandmother now. Please, don't hesitate to get yourself checked out."
Joanna, listening nearby, brightened immediately.
"Yes, Rachie," she chimed in. "Cece is right. You shouldn't exhaust yourself."
Cecilia, watching Rachel's colorful expression change, added, "Would you like me to call a nurse? They could bring a wheelchair for you."
"That won't be necessary!" Rachel nearly shrieked.
She felt that if she stayed any longer, these two would give her a heart attack.
"Well... Mrs. Clifford, I should go. I'll visit again tomorrow." She grabbed her Hermès bag in confusion and fled the room.
The hospital room was finally peaceful.
Joanna looked at Cecilia and couldn't help laughing.
"You little rascal." She took Cecilia's hand with affection and concern. "Such a sharp tongue, yet so silent in front of Ed, letting him bully you."
Cecilia lowered her eyes to the pearl bracelet on her wrist and smiled faintly.
That smile contained a trace of bitterness too subtle to notice.
Because with Edward, she wasn't Cecilia—she was just merchandise with a price tag. And merchandise has no right to negotiate with its owner.
Leaving the hospital, Cecilia returned to the company and entered the elevator.
As it ascended to the upper floors, the doors began to close when a well-defined hand reached in, triggering the sensors.
The doors reopened.
Edward stepped in, followed by Marlee.
Everyone instinctively shrank back, creating an empty space around him.
Cecilia lowered her head even further.
"Mr. Clifford," Marlee stood beside Edward, her voice honey-sweet, "regarding the supplementary risk assessment for the Southeast Asia project, I've already set the team to work. We should have it for you by tomorrow morning at the earliest."
Edward responded with a flat, "Good."
Marlee's smile froze as his coldness silenced any further conversation she might have attempted.
As the elevator approached her floor, Cecilia prepared to exit when someone nudged her.
"Cecilia, what time is it? I left my phone charging at my desk, and I have a video call with a client at three."
It was her only friend at the company, Ariana Brooks.
Cecilia instinctively reached for her bag, then paused. She must have left her phone in Joanna's hospital room.
"I—" she began, but a cool male voice cut her off.
"Two forty-eight."
It was Edward.
He continued staring at the floor numbers, not even giving them a sideways glance.
Ariana was startled, then flustered with gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Clifford! Thank you!"
Cecilia pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
Edward seemed not to hear the thanks. As the elevator approached the top floor, he added, "Some people should be more conscious of time. Stop wasting energy on meaningless activities."
Cecilia met his cold gaze, her lips tightening.
The elevator doors slowly closed, cutting off that icy stare.
"Oh my God! That was terrifying!" Once Edward was gone, Ariana dramatically clutched her chest. "Sharing an elevator with the big boss is like public execution—I could barely breathe!"
Recovering, she leaned in conspiratorially. "But why would Mr. Clifford answer my question? Doesn't he usually pretend not to hear?"
The elevator reached the legal department floor. Cecilia walked to her desk and set down her bag. "Maybe he was in a good mood today."
"No way!" Ariana wore an I-know-what's-really-going-on expression as she sat beside her. "He wasn't answering me—he was answering you! And that comment afterward had jealousy written all over it. Classic man-speak! You two had a fight, didn't you?"
Cecilia watched her computer screen light up, the glow reflecting on her face. Her beautiful eyes remained undisturbed, like still water.
"You're overthinking it," she said quietly.
"How am I overthinking?"
"He doesn't like me," Cecilia turned to explain. "He just has an extreme sense of time management and control. He needs to know that what he's paid for is working according to his wishes every minute of the contract period."
Ariana was bewildered by this response. "What do you mean... 'what he's paid for'?"
"Nothing." Cecilia looked away.
Ariana opened her mouth to ask more, but seeing Cecilia's distant expression, she swallowed her questions and silently turned to her own computer.
Cecilia stared at the dense legal text on her screen, but her mind kept replaying Edward's words.
Stop wasting energy on meaningless activities.
Visiting an elderly woman who genuinely cared for her was, in his eyes, meaningless.
Wasn't that his own grandmother?
In Edward's world, clearly only profit mattered.
She smiled bitterly to herself.
In his eyes, anything she did that wasn't pleasing him was meaningless, wasn't it?