Chapter 5

A soft, sweet voice cut through the whispers.

"Cecilia, don't blame the security guards. They didn't know that man was your brother. Mr. Lane has already called the police and had him taken to the station."

Yvette walked over to Cecilia and offered her a tissue. "By the way, isn't your brother intellectually disabled? Don't tell me you told him to come here."

The moment Yvette said that, the crowd grew even more restless. People looked Cecilia up and down, their eyes full of suspicion.

Cecilia glanced at Yvette's fake look of concern, then walked right past her.

The loud laughter and gossip behind her only stopped when the elevator doors closed.

In the cab, Cecilia trembled anxiously. If anything happened to Elliot, she would truly have no one left.

Tears rolled down her face as memories of when she was five years old slowly came back.

Her drunken, abusive father had thrown her into the pond outside their home. Marika had tried to jump in and save Cecilia, but Cecilia's father had grabbed her mother by the hair, forced her to the ground, and beat her.

"That brat is worthless! I wanted to strangle her the day she was born, but you wouldn't let me! This is all your fault, you bitch! If you try pulling her out of that pond, I'll beat you to death right along with her!"

Marika's head had bled from the beating.

Cecilia had grown too weak to fight. Water had rushed up her nose, and she had sunk toward the bottom of the pond.

Elliot had just returned from gathering eggs when he plunged into the pond and pushed Cecilia to the surface.

However, weeds had tangled around his legs and trapped him underwater. Although he had been rescued, his mental development had stopped at the level of a seven-year-old.

Elliot had only ended up this way because he had saved her.

Cecilia had sworn to protect him for the rest of her life.

When the cab came to a stop, Cecilia practically ran into the police station.

Damian was giving a statement. He froze for a moment when he saw her.

"What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to go out for the next few days?"

Cecilia flung her bag at him and screamed, "Damian, that's my brother! You know how much Elliot means to me!

"Even if he has a disability, you have no right to treat him like that! Why did you let the security guards beat him? Where is he? Have his wounds been treated? Answer me! Where is Elliot?"

She lost control and rushed toward the holding area, ignoring everyone who tried to stop her.

But the next moment, Damian wrapped his arms around her waist and carried her outside.

"Cecilia, stop making a scene. This is a police station!"

Damian pushed her into the back seat of his car. Trapped in his arms, Cecilia could do nothing but scream and shout.

When she finally ran out of strength, Damian said calmly, "These next few days are crucial for promoting Yvette's new show. She was worried Elliot might show up somewhere else and say things he shouldn't, so I had my lawyer file charges against him.

"Don't worry. I'll drop the charges in a little while, and he'll be released safely. I know you and Elliot have been treated unfairly. I'll make it up to you both."

Cecilia stared at him in disbelief.

He would make it up to her? How?

Was he going to compensate them with money, or by giving them more things Yvette didn't want?

She and Elliot were people! They weren't toys for Damian and Yvette to play with however they pleased.

"Damian, do you even have a heart? You—"

Cecilia swallowed the words that she wanted to say—that he and Yvette would pay dearly for everything they had done.

She bit down on her tongue, keeping those words deep inside her. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, and hatred burned in her chest.

Damian felt her trembling in his arms, her body growing cold with distress. He reached for her hand, but Yvette's special ringtone suddenly sounded inside the car.

He answered at once, his voice gentle and warm. "It's all taken care of. Don't worry."

Cecilia took the chance to pull his hand away and slip out of his embrace. But when she reached for the car door, he pulled her back into her seat.

Yvette's voice came through the phone and reached Cecilia's ears.

"Uncle Damian, could Aunt Cece come with me to the award ceremony in a few days? Some people say I'm taking her Best Actress award.

"They also say I don't deserve it and that Aunt Cece and I don't get along. I don't want people to get the wrong idea.

"Most of all, I want to help Aunt Cece. If I can, I'll try to get her the supporting actress role in my next movie."

Every word sounded caring, but her real goal was to ruin Cecilia.

If Cecilia appeared at a public event now, people would only hate her more. Her haters might even attack her in person at the event.

Yvette's scheme was painfully obvious. Cecilia thought she was smarter than that.

Yet Damian agreed anyway. "Okay. Come over for dinner tonight. I'll have Cecilia cook some of your favorite dishes to thank you."

He hung up and rubbed his forehead. Then he spoke to Cecilia in a deeply disappointed tone.

"Yvette thinks of you in everything she does, yet you still hold a grudge over every little thing. She knows you don't have any acting jobs right now, and she's still trying to get you a role. You should be thanking her."

Cecilia froze.

So Yvette wasn't clever at all. Damian was simply too indulgent and too biased in her favor.

He used all his cunning to scheme against Cecilia instead.

He expected her, the victim, to thank Yvette, the person who hurt her? How ridiculous!

"I'm not going to the award ceremony. If you want to thank her, do it yourself!"

She couldn't stand being around Damian for another second. Even breathing the same air as him made her sick.

She reached for the car door, but Damian's icy tone made her stop.

"Cecilia, can't you be reasonable for Elliot's sake? You don't want him to be locked up for long, do you?"