Chapter 4

Lucien swept a careless gaze over Cherise before placing a stack of papers before her. "You forgot something, Ms. Rhode."

They were the two documents she'd left in Morgan's office earlier. Lucien's simple sentence was enough to tell her that he'd probably seen through her tricks the moment she'd tried to pull them.

Still, she calmly put the papers away and smiled faintly. "I've heard things about you, Mr. Camden. While studying abroad, you assisted the local government in addressing a major tax evasion case involving over a dozen companies. That single case made your law firm's name overnight. Seeing you in person now proves that you live up to your reputation."

Lucien remained nonchalant. "Flattery doesn't count toward your legal fees, Ms. Rhode."

Cherise raised an eyebrow. "Can I take this to mean that you'll take up my divorce case?"

"That depends on your sincerity." He tapped her desk lightly. "After all, your husband and I can be considered friends, and it wouldn't be nice to ruin someone else's marriage. I'm the type of guy who likes doing good deeds, so…"

He trailed off, leaving her to finish his sentence. "So, you want more."

She smiled faintly. "Don't worry about that, Mr. Camden. I'll make you an offer that you'll be happy with. I've seen all of Sterling Group's project ledgers over the past two years, and I made copies. I have a feeling you might be somewhat interested in them."

Cherise raised her head and looked into Lucien's eyes. She chuckled softly and said, "I like doing good deeds, too, especially when they benefit our nation and people."

Lucien held her gaze for a few seconds before smirking. "I hope you'll get what you want, then."

Her heart settled back in her chest. His words were enough to tell her that the case was as good as confirmed.

…

Once Lucien was gone, Cherise started tidying the copies she'd made of the ledgers. When it was almost time to get off work, Morgan came to her office and spoke to her, sounding like he was merely informing her of something.

"Grandpa's birthday celebration is tonight, so remember to be there. I'm going to pick Eloise up. She's just returned to Dalea, so she's not familiar with the place."

He didn't need to say that final sentence, but he had to admit that he felt some semblance of guilt after refusing to let Cherise bring her parents' ashes into the house the day before. His words were partly an explanation and partly a compromise.

He figured that was enough. No matter how mad Cherise was, this should've been enough to placate her.

To his surprise, she didn't take her eyes off her computer screen or even look up as she said coolly, "Got it."

And that was it.

Morgan's anger surged again. He knew she had no idea what was good for her and regretted ever being kind to her.

He stormed out of the office in a rage. Cherise had no idea where the anger had come from, but she no longer cared.

…

After work, Cherise took a cab to Sterling Manor.

Many of the guests had arrived. This year's birthday celebration for Morgan's grandfather, Philip Sterling, was grander than ever before. It was partly in hopes that the celebration would bring good fortune to the ailing old man.

When Cherise entered the banquet hall, she saw Eloise and Eugene. A group of Morgan's buddies surrounded them.

Eugene looked delighted as he patted Eloise's shoulder, saying smugly, "Morgan is lucky to get the chance to marry Eloise! She had plenty of admirers abroad—too bad for them, she wasn't interested at all!"

Someone clicked their tongue. "Of course she wasn't! Everyone knows Morgan and Eloise are a match made in heaven. She'd be his wife now if she hadn't gone abroad back then!"

Eloise wore a white evening gown, and a light blush danced across her face. She said shyly, "Don't say things like that."

Cherise watched them, her heart slowly freezing over. Whatever was between Morgan and Eloise wasn't a secret—at least not among his friends. They were all aware of this, yet they'd kept her in the dark.

Suddenly, someone caught sight of her. Their expression shifted drastically as they stammered, "C-Cherise."

Silence descended upon the group. Cherise smiled and approached them, saying lazily, "Go ahead and continue with your conversation, whatever it was about. Don't mind me."

Eloise bit her lip and said softly, "They were just being silly, Ms. Rhode. Don't take it to heart."

Cherise turned to look at her. She sounded like she was apologizing, but she would've addressed Cherise as "Mrs. Sterling" and not "Ms. Rhode" if she were truly apologetic.

A hint of mockery flickered in her eyes. She was about to speak when Heather's shrill voice came from behind. "Oh, so you still remember that we exist?"

Heather's temper flared at the sight of Cherise. "I thought you were off enjoying yourself so much that you forgot where your home even was!"

She linked arms with Eloise as Cherise watched, immediately slipping into a bright smile. "How nice it would be if Eloise were the one who'd married Morgan back then! If you ask me, Cherise is just a jinx.

"Philip fell sick as soon as she married Morgan, and he hasn't gotten any better over the past two years. I bet she cursed him!"

Eloise said gently, "Don't say that, Heather. Ms. Rhode probably acted rashly in the heat of the moment. Don't be mad at her."

She turned to Cherise and smiled graciously. "Hurry up and apologize to Heather, Ms. Rhode. You're family—you don't hold grudges against each other."

Cherise said curtly, "That only works with people who are actually family."

Heather's expression turned steely at her words. She turned to Eloise and whined, "You heard what she said, didn't you?"

Just then, Philip, seated in a wheelchair, was wheeled into the room by a butler.

Cherise forgot all about Heather and Eloise as she hurried toward Philip. "Philip!"

She had no more family after Stanley and Marlene's deaths. Philip was the only person in the Sterling family who was genuinely nice to her. If not for that, she wouldn't have attended this birthday celebration at all.

"Cherise, you're here." Philip was old and ailing, so his vision was poor. He squinted at her for a while before recognizing her. Then, he asked, "Where's Morgan? Didn't he come with you?"

Before she could say anything, Eloise hurried forward and pushed Cherise out of the way. She said, "Philip, I left a necklace at home, so Morgan went to get it for me. He'll be back soon."

As she spoke, she pulled an exquisitely wrapped gift from her bag and said, "This is a protective charm I got while working abroad as a war correspondent. I had it blessed at a famous chapel, and it's supposed to ensure longevity and good health. I hope you'll get better soon."

Heather was all for kicking Cherise out and having Eloise marry Morgan, so she wouldn't let any opportunity to make Eloise look good slip away. She said cheerily, "Eloise is so thoughtful! A protective charm like this can't be bought with money—it's the heart that matters!"

She shot Cherise a look, still holding a grudge for the latter's earlier retort. She deliberately raised her voice and mocked, "I just wonder what my lovely daughter-in-law has prepared for her husband's grandfather."

Cherise faltered for a split second. Then, she ignored Heather's sarcasm and retrieved the gift from her bag. "Philip, I got this—"

Heather quickly snatched the gift from her before she could finish speaking. She tore the wrapping apart and cried, "Another protective charm?"