Chapter 13
“Where’s Leroy? He doesn’t even have the guts to face me?” Scarlett asked.
Zoe casually lied. “Mr. Olson’s been pretty busy lately. He doesn’t have time to stop by.”
A flicker of disappointment flashed in Scarlett’s eyes, though she quickly masked it.
“Fine. If he doesn’t want to come, then he doesn’t have to. It’s not like I care or anything.”
Zoe turned to leave, but her gaze unintentionally fell on the table, cluttered with takeout containers.
“This is what you’ve been eating these past few days?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Scarlett nodded.
Zoe frowned, puzzled. “That doesn’t make sense. Mr. Olson’s been bringing you freshly made light meals every day. How come you’re eating this stuff?”
Scarlett’s brows furrowed sharply. “What did you just say? He’s been cooking for me? When? I haven’t seen any of it.”
Zoe’s eyes widened, realizing her slip. She quickly covered her mouth and rushed out of the room, leaving Scarlett alone, bewildered. “Meals?” she muttered to herself.
Later that afternoon, Cedric finished handling the discharge paperwork and returned to Scarlett’s room. Outside the door, he spotted yet another carefully packed meal left on the floor.
“Damn it. This guy just doesn’t quit, does he?” he grumbled.
With a scowl, Cedric snatched the meal and tossed it straight into the trash, completely unaware that Scarlett was watching everything from the shadows. “So that’s how it is,” she murmured under her breath.
“Lettie, the discharge papers are all done. You wouldn’t believe the hassle, running back and forth; it was exhausting!” Cedric said as he walked in.
He exhaled dramatically, clearly fishing for sympathy. But Scarlett didn’t respond. She simply stared at him with a cold, distant expression.
“Lettie? What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Cedric asked, his smile faltering.
Scarlett turned her gaze away. “It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
As they headed outside, Leroy stood at the window, watching Scarlett climb into the car with Cedric. For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, an unfamiliar sense of loss settled over him, heavy and unshakable.
“Lettie, now that you’re out of the hospital, let’s celebrate tonight. What do you feel like eating?” Cedric asked, his hands steady on the wheel as he drove. Scarlett’s gaze fixed on the window. She was lost in thought and didn’t respond at first.
“Lettie?” he tried again.
“Huh?” She blinked, snapping out of her daze.
“I said, what should we eat tonight to celebrate?”
Scarlett shook her head lightly. “I don’t think so. I need to head back to the office. There’s too much work piled up from the past few days. I’m not coming home.”
Cedric shot her a loving glance, his tone warming. “You’re working so hard, Lettie. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to share your burdens from now on.” After dropping Scarlett off at her office, Cedric’s phone buzzed. It was a call from his parents, telling him to come home immediately.
It was thanks to their timely message that he was able to rush back. Otherwise, his chance would have been gone by now.
“Alright. I’ll be back right away,” he said.
Ever since Cedric had taken over the Ashbourne Villa from Scarlett, his parents, Douglas Reid and Valda Norman, had wasted no time moving in. Today, the place was more bustling than ever. The massive living room, which was normally spacious, now seemed crammed with Cedric’s aunts and uncles. As he walked through the door, the crowd surged toward him like a wave.
“Bernard! You’ve grown so handsome!”
“Absolutely! You’re so tall and dashing. What a fine young man! And marrying Ms. Payne? You’re a winner through and through!”
“Douglas, with Cedric being so successful now, you won’t forget about your poor relatives, will you?”
The voices piled on, one after another, packed with exaggerated flattery and effusive compliments. Cedric didn’t even recognize half the people in the room, and the over-the-top compliments bordered on the absurd.
Meanwhile, Douglas and Valda leaned proudly, their smiles so wide they seemed frozen in place.