Chapter 4

After saying that, Damian didn't spare Cecilia another glance. He went straight back to his study.

Cecilia watched him walk away and let out a bitter laugh.

Was she really selfish?

Damian had used her for years. Her baby and mother were killed in a hit-and-run, yet she couldn't even get justice for them. Her nude photos were leaked, and she was still forced to take the blame for Yvette.

Who was the selfish person here?

…

A long while later, Cecilia knocked on the study door.

With bloodshot, swollen eyes, she walked over to Damian and set a glass of warm milk on his desk. He knew this was her way of backing down and making peace with him.

As Cecilia turned around, Damian pulled her into his arms. He brushed his fingers over her eyelids, swollen from crying, his hand trembling slightly.

"Be good and stay by my side. Don't be difficult anymore," he said. "It's not safe for you to go out right now. I'll assign more bodyguards to you. If you need anything, just ask the staff."

He held her tighter and lowered his head into the crook of her neck, his voice growing softer.

"How about I get you a puppy? I'm worried you'll get too bored staying home all day."

Cecilia felt his hand slowly slip under her skirt, his warm palm moving across her skin.

She felt disgusted.

He kept claiming he was looking out for her, yet he was the one who had caused all her pain.

She glanced at the papers on his desk and placed a pen in his hand. "Finish your work first. Come to bed when you're done."

He gently pinched her nose and wrapped his arms around her. "Okay. Whatever you say."

Cecilia helped him sort through the papers. Damian signed them one after another without looking closely. He even signed the divorce papers hidden among them without noticing.

…

Early the next morning, Cecilia ate breakfast with Damian. Then she watched as his car disappeared from sight.

She went back to the walk-in closet and packed up all her designer bags and the jewelry Damian had given her.

After sending the bodyguards and staff away, Cecilia showed up alone at a luxury resale shop with her face fully covered, dragging two full suitcases behind her.

"Miss, are all these items really yours?"

Cecilia adjusted her sunglasses and placed a stack of receipts on the table. "Go ahead and verify them."

It took five employees all morning to sort through everything in the two suitcases.

When Cecilia saw an emerald jewelry set, she reached out to stop them.

It was the first jewelry set Damian had bought her, bought at auction for an outrageously high price.

After they married, he often took her to high-profile events.

The media mocked her, saying that even after scheming her way into a wealthy family, she still looked cheap. Not one piece of jewelry she wore was worth showing off.

Cecilia had never cared much for these things and had never mentioned the comments to Damian.

But the very next day, he bought her this top-quality emerald jewelry set and put it on her himself.

"Cecilia, you deserve the very best things in the world."

After that, whenever she appeared in public, the jewelry she wore always made headlines. Every piece was worth a fortune and caught everyone's attention.

But the truth was, every piece of jewelry Damian had given her was something Yvette had passed over.

Everything Cecilia had treasured was something Yvette hadn't wanted.

"Miss, have you changed your mind about selling this set?"

Cecilia shook her head and looked away. "Take it."

From then on, she would no longer accept the things Yvette discarded.

She was also done letting Damian use her as a pawn in his selfish schemes.

…

Cecilia looked at the 300 million dollars that had just hit her account. With the money she would get from the divorce, she could cover the one-billion-dollar penalty.

Her phone rang, and she answered.

"Cecilia, where are you? Get to the company right now!"

Camila sounded frantic, but there was something strange in her tone. Before Cecilia could ask what was wrong, the call ended.

Still, Cecilia went to the company.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she saw several police officers at the front desk reviewing security footage.

She walked closer and looked past the crowd at the enlarged image on a computer screen. In an instant, rage and heartache overwhelmed her reason.

Cecilia shoved aside the people blocking her path, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

In the video, several security guards pinned a man to the floor. He had trouble movie, and he struggled to fight back. But they tied his hands with a rope and dragged him across the floor.

His face bore a strong resemblance to Cecilia's.

It was her older brother, Elliot Langston, whose mental development had stopped at the age of seven.

"Where is he? Tell me! How could you treat him like that?"

Cecilia's voice broke. She couldn't bear to think how scared and hurt Elliot must have been.

More and more people gathered to watch.

"Cecilia, is this guy one of your crazy fans? He showed up at the company first thing this morning, making a scene and claiming all the stories about you online were lies."

"He kept demanding to see Mr. Lane. He wants Mr. Lane to promise to get everything online deleted."

"He scared the crap out of everyone. There's something seriously wrong with him!"

A chill ran down Cecilia's spine.

Elliot had actually left the hospital and made his way to the company all by himself. He could barely read, and he had no money. Somehow, he still managed to find his way here just to stand up for her.

She looked at the fresh blood streaking across the floor all the way to the elevator. Tears streamed down her face.

Cecilia could hear people snickering nearby.

"There are no reporters or fans here. Who is she putting on a show for?"

"She's disgusting. She did whatever it took to marry Mr. Lane, and she still sleeps around to get ahead. Who knows if she's in that kind of relationship with this guy, too?"

"Having an artist like her at this company is a nightmare for us employees. We have to delete negative comments about her every single day!"