Chapter 282

"Great. I'll let the chef know," Pamela said, leaving the room energetically. Dinner wasn't yet ready. Cynthia decided to wait in her own room for a while.

Cynthia had her own room in the Yates' residence. It wasn't the bridal suite, but the room she'd lived in since childhood. She opened the door and found it had changed.

The furnishings remained the same, but some items didn't belong to her. Someone was staying in her room. At that moment, Bree Qadir, the maid, walked by. Cynthia stopped her. "Bree, who is staying in my room now?" she asked.

Knowing it used to be Cynthia's room, Bree explained, "Ms. Sheppard insisted on staying in your room. Mrs. Yates refused, but she kept using the unborn baby as leverage. Mr. Filip Yates let her move in.

Mrs. Yates quarreled with him, but she couldn't do anything. She prepared another room for you, right next door, and decorated it herself."

Cynthia remained expressionless. "Does Filip live here, too?"

Cynthia felt suspicious because she didn't see any men's belongings in the room.

"No, he doesn't. They aren't sharing a room," Bree replied.

She didn't understand why Cynthia asked and continued to observe her expression. "I see. You can go," Cynthia replied casually.

After Bree left, Cynthia entered the room. She'd lived there for over twenty years, but Lilian had taken it. It made her uncomfortable. She thought, That's so typical of Lilian. She steals everything of mine.

It started when they were still children. Lilian wanted everything Cynthia owned—clothes, jewelry, shoes, used pencils, even school bags. Cynthia never lacked these things, so she gave Lilian whatever she wanted.

As time went on, Lilian became increasingly greedy. She wanted to steal Cynthia's debate spot, scholarship, and even Filip. Looking back, Cynthia found it funny.

It was so obvious, but she still hadn't seen Lilian's true colors. Perhaps Lilian was a skilled pretender.

Lilian kept her company when teachers gave Cynthia timeouts. Despite her fear, Lilian defended Cynthia when others spoke ill of her.

When Cynthia was hospitalized, Lilian skipped school to bring her homemade fish soup. Cynthia believed Lilian genuinely considered her a friend. She didn't care about other things then.

Looking back, Cynthia realized Lilian was an expert manipulator. She walked around the room and finally sat down at the dresser.

There were few cosmetics, but plenty of pretty hair elastics. Cynthia found some familiar. She remembered they were hers—gifts from Lilian. Lilian couldn't afford expensive gifts, so she often gave her hair elastics.

Cynthia thought, It's the thought that counts. She used to keep them in her jewelry box like treasures. But after Filip cheated on her with Lilian, she threw the whole box away.

She didn't expect Lilian to retrieve them. Why? It reminded her of what had happened over the years. Cynthia felt the irony and sadness simultaneously.

Cynthia wanted to see how many of her abandoned items Lilian had taken. She opened a drawer, and inside was all…

Chapter 289

…her stuff. Many lipsticks she'd used years before were there—dry, but neatly stored.

One of her broken watches and a lost necklace were kept in delicate boxes. Cynthia felt confused.

The watch and necklace were broken; she remembered throwing them in the trash. She wondered why Lilian had retrieved them and kept them for so many years. Did she want to remind Cynthia of the humiliation she'd experienced?

Cynthia couldn't understand. But soon, she found a small medicine bottle with a Latin name she couldn't read.

Cynthia opened it and looked inside. She thought, Lilian is pregnant. Why is she taking this medicine? She photographed it and sent it to Hector.

She wanted him to identify the medication. Three minutes later, she received a message. Hector said it was a drug for treating heart disease.

However, it had long been off the market due to serious side effects, especially for men. Cynthia asked about the side effects.

Hector didn't reply immediately. After a while, he sent her an article about the medication's side effects from The Lancet.

Cynthia read it carefully. If taken by males for a long period, it would result in sexual dysfunction. It also caused purple lips and gray skin.

Cynthia wondered, "Why is Lilian taking this medicine? Something's fishy!"

Soon, the butler summoned Cynthia for dinner. Before leaving, she took the medicine bottle with her.

Dinner ended late. Cynthia said goodbye, ready to leave. Assuming Filip and Lilian would be going home soon, Pamela didn't ask Cynthia to stay.

As Cynthia left the house, she ran into Filip and Lilian in the front yard. They had mixed reactions to seeing her.

Lilian, with a visible baby bump, approached with a surprised look. "Cynthia, what brings you here?"

"Lilian, there are so many rooms in this house. Why did you have to take mine? You like taking what's mine, right?" Cynthia asked, glancing at her.

Lilian's expression changed, but she pretended to be innocent. "Cynthia, I think you've got the wrong idea. Filip and I are married now, so I'm the lady of this house. I can live in any room I want."

After Lilian finished, she looked at Filip. "Filip, am I right?" Filip looked extremely annoyed, his brows furrowed. He looked worn out.

Cynthia remembered the medication's side effects when she saw Filip's pale face and purple lips. She instantly realized it was his medicine.

She wondered if Filip had heart disease. Even so, he shouldn't be taking that medication. Cynthia had a rough guess.

Ignoring Lilian, Filip looked at Cynthia. "Cynthia, did my mother ask you to come here?" He assumed his mother had asked Cynthia to persuade him.

His mother refused to eat or drink. Filip knew she would call Cynthia. In her eyes, Cynthia was the ideal daughter-in-law—or so Filip hoped. "Filip, I have something to tell you," Cynthia said calmly.