Chapter 18

“Like you said, Scarlett’s heart is all with Cedric now. What right do I have to stay?”

Leroy let out a self-deprecating smile, though it barely reached his eyes.

Fragments of memories began to surface, moments of humiliation that still stung, accompanied by glimpses of a side of Scarlett he had never known before.

“Since the divorce, I’ve never once thought about getting involved with Scarlett again,” he said quietly.

Just as the words left his mouth, a sharp pang twisted deep in his chest. How could he ever compare to someone like Cedric?

Grace’s eyes flickered with surprise at his response.

“Olson, I realize I might have spoken out of turn today. Please take care of yourself,” she said after a moment.

Yet, for reasons she couldn’t quite understand, a faint trace of relief stirred in her heart as she heard Leroy’s answer.

Leroy gave her a slight nod, but as he turned to leave, his gaze lingered for a moment on the display of desserts.

“Scarlett’s health isn’t great. She should avoid eating these, or better yet, not eat them at all.”

Grace watched him walk away, a faint unease settling over her.

“He looks so much thinner than before…”

Shaking the thought from her mind, she quickly picked out a few cakes that looked decent and made her way back to Payne Group.

When Grace pushed open the office door, she found Scarlett seated at her desk, her focus entirely on the documents in front of her.

“Where’s Cedric?” Grace asked.

She hadn’t seen him on her way up, but his obnoxious relatives were still strutting around the building, their arrogance enough to make her blood boil.

“Cedric went out. He’s taking his parents to Willow Bay Dining tonight.”

Scarlett’s gaze briefly flickered to the cakes Grace set on the desk.

“In the future, delegate errands like this to the staff. You’re my secretary,” she added evenly.

Grace’s irritation bubbled to the surface. “Do I even have the chance to refuse? Cedric is practically running Payne Group like he’s the second CEO. Lettie, you can’t keep letting him get away with this!”

Scarlett paused, lifting her head to look at Grace.

“Grace, I know you have some misunderstandings about Cedric. Once you spend more time with him, you’ll realize he’s not the person you think he is.”

Grace was speechless. For a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if Scarlett’s legs had healed, but her brain had broken instead.

“You really don’t have any lingering feelings for Dr. Olson, huh? Since you’re so smitten with Cedric, I guess I’ll just go ahead and start pursuing Dr. Olson.”

“We actually ran into each other at the dessert shop earlier, you know. He even bought a bunch of cakes.”

After saying that, she sat down at the desk, a sly smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Scarlett’s expression froze.

“He went to buy desserts?” she repeated, her tone suddenly tight. In all the time they had been together, Scarlett had never seen Leroy eat anything sweet or indulge.

Grace noticed the subtle shift in Scarlett’s demeanor, her sharp eyes picking up on the hesitation.

“What’s the matter? Don’t tell me you didn’t know Dr. Olson likes sweets. Though, to be honest, he didn’t look too great when I saw him. Has he been overworking?”

Her voice trailed off, but Scarlett wasn’t listening anymore. Her mind was already elsewhere, replaying the image of Leroy’s pale, weary face at the hospital.

The thought unsettled her, a unease growing in her chest.

Just then, the office door opened, and Cedric walked in.

“Lettie, I… I’m back,” he said, his voice tinged with hurt, and his eyes looked red and misty, as though he had just been crying.

Grace pulled her eyes away. “Cedric?”

Scarlett, who had been lost in thought, immediately snapped her attention to Cedric. His pitiful state tugged at her heart.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, surprised.

“They… they claimed I was using Payne Group’s name to scam people. I was so upset that I argued with them, and…”

A sigh of resignation was palpable. Scarlett, however, was caught off guard by his words.

“We need to discuss our relationship publicly,” she said after a brief pause. Cedric’s face brightened. A satisfied smile crept across his face.