Chapter 10
Teddy listened quietly on the other end of the phone, neither reassuring nor agreeing with her.
"Ms. Thomas, I've noted your concerns," Teddy replied with perfect composure. "I'll immediately request that HR pull all surveillance footage and audio recordings from the legal department's common areas this afternoon to establish exactly what happened."
The complaints Marlee had prepared suddenly caught in her throat.
Pull the surveillance footage and recordings?
The color drained from her face. If they did that, wouldn't they see how she'd been deliberately making things difficult for Cecilia, and how she'd instructed Dora to target her?
At that point, who was right and who was wrong would be crystal clear.
"That—that won't be necessary," Marlee backpedaled quickly, her voice suddenly dry. "It's just a young girl having a little tantrum. Mr. Scott, please just... pretend I never called."
"I'm sorry," Teddy's voice turned serious. "Mr. Clifford's instructions are clear—any unusual situations involving Ms. Mellon must be investigated immediately and reported to him. It's not something you alone can decide."
The line went dead.
Marlee stood frozen, clutching the receiver, her palms ice cold.
---
After work, Cecilia had just exited the building when her phone rang abruptly. The hospital's number flashed on the screen.
Cecilia's heart plummeted as she answered.
"Hello, is this Ms. Cecilia Mellon, Lucas Mellon's sister?"
"Yes, that's me."
"We're calling because there's still a $30,000 balance on your brother's hospital bill. Additionally, after evaluation, the doctors recommend starting new targeted drug therapy next week, which requires a $50,000 deposit. Could you please come in before tomorrow morning to settle these fees? Otherwise... we'll have to suspend treatment."
"...Alright, I understand."
Hanging up, Cecilia stood on the pedestrian overpass, her head throbbing.
The advance Samuel had given her—she hadn't kept a penny, transferring it all to her so-called mother. Now, all the cash and savings she had amounted to just a few thousand dollars.
Where could she possibly get that kind of money?
Names flashed through her mind, each one crossed out just as quickly. In the end, only one remained—the one she least wanted to face, yet the only possibility.
Edward.
Pride, humiliation, deception... in the face of her brother's life, these suddenly seemed weightless, worthless.
She hailed a taxi and gave the address for the Summit Enterprises Group Building.
The lights were still on in the executive suite on the top floor.
She took a deep breath. The door was slightly ajar, and just as she was about to knock, she heard Edward's voice.
"Report." Just one word.
Then came Teddy's steady, emotionless briefing: "Mr. Clifford, we've reviewed the legal department's surveillance footage. At 3:15 PM today, Dora indeed instructed Ms. Mellon to organize decade-old archived cases. At 3:40 PM, Ms. Thomas appeared and had a verbal altercation with Ms. Mellon. Ms. Mellon's exact words were..."
Cecilia's hand froze in midair.
Edward had people monitoring her?
She unconsciously moved closer to the door, her heart racing.
"Don't bother me with such trivial matters."
The words were ice cold.
Cecilia's heart clenched as reality hit her.
Was she crazy? How could she think Edward actually cared about her?
He knew about Dora's mistreatment. He knew about Marlee's fake concern.
But he didn't care.
After all, to Edward, Cecilia was just a pretty face with some utility value.
Hope, she realized, is the world's most cutting torture.
She slowly lowered her hand and left the building.
---
Cecilia went to Samuel's law firm.
In the empty office, the only sound was her fingers hitting the keyboard.
She needed money. A lot of it.
After what felt like hours, she heard a sleazy voice: "Well, well, such a little beauty."
Cecilia looked up to see the client for this case—a building materials merchant.
"Mr. Cruz, the firm is closed," she said, closing her laptop, her tone distant.
"Perfect timing then." Max Cruz rubbed his hands together, making no attempt to hide the desire in his eyes. "Beautiful, have a drink with me. I'll add another $200,000 to Mr. Hughes's fee for this case. What do you say?"
As he spoke, his greasy hand reached for Cecilia's shoulder.
Cecilia jumped to her feet, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.
"Mr. Cruz, please show some respect."
"Respect?" Max laughed crudely. "Don't play innocent with me."
He lunged at her with surprising force, causing her to instinctively grab the heavy "Contract Law" textbook from the desk and slam it against Max's head with all her strength.
A dull thud.
Howls echoed throughout the entire floor.
---
The police station lights were blindingly harsh.
Across from her, Max clutched his bandaged face, twisting the facts for the officers.
"Officer, you have to help me! I just saw this young lady working late and wanted to treat her to a late dinner. Then she attacked me out of nowhere! Look at my injury! This is assault!"
"You're lying!" Cecilia finally spoke, her voice hoarse. "You tried to grab me!"
"I grabbed you? Who saw that? Got any proof?" Max looked smug. "My injury is real evidence!"
The officer glanced between Cecilia and Max, then mechanically asked, "Full name, date of birth, address, emergency contact."
Cecilia provided her information, and when it came to emergency contact, something made her give her mother's number.
The officer dialed and put it on speaker.
After explaining the situation, there was a brief silence on the other end, followed by shrill screaming: "What? Her again! That troublemaker! I'm not her family! We haven't been related for years! Don't call me, I don't have money! Didn't she hook up with some rich guy? Tell her to call that sugar daddy of hers! Don't bother me!"
The call disconnected.
Max's face broke into a satisfied smile. "See? I told you she was a slut!"
The young officer paused, then said, "Watch your language."
Cecilia gritted her teeth. "I need to make a call... to my husband."
Edward was about to hang up on the unknown number but for some reason pressed answer instead.
"Hello."
"It's me, Cecilia."
Edward leaned back in his chair, saying nothing.
"I'm at the Westside Police Department," Cecilia paused, suppressing the emotions churning inside her. "I hurt someone. I need a lawyer."
Edward's eyes instantly went cold.
He hung up, grabbed his jacket from the chair, and strode toward the door.
"Get the car. Westside Police Department," he told Teddy, his voice wrapped in a terrifying chill.
The car sped through the night, finally stopping at the Police Department entrance.
Edward pushed the car door open and walked into the lobby, carrying the night's chill with him. He immediately spotted Cecilia sitting on a bench.
She wore a simple white shirt and jeans, her hair slightly disheveled, head down, curled into herself like she was trying to disappear.
Edward hesitated mid-step. How had she ended up in such a mess?
He was about to walk over when another figure beat him to it.
"Cecilia!"