Chapter 37: He Refuses To Believe

A frail, sweet voice echoed from the video call: a little boy, Jonathan's spitting image, lay in a hospital bed. His face was pale as he weakly called to Cecilia. A wave of tenderness washed over her.

“Muacks, Eli!”

Elliot’s eyes held a hint of melancholy. “Mommy, you didn’t even call me goodnight last night.”

Compared to his considerate and mature older brother, Jonathan, Elliot was a typical child—pampered and insecure, at least that’s how Cecilia saw him.

“Sorry, sweetie. I forgot. Don’t be mad, okay, Eli?”

Given Elliot’s lifelong fragility and recent leukemia diagnosis, Cecilia gave him extra attention.

Elliot pouted. “I’ll let you off this time. But there won’t be a next time.”

Watching her son's cute antics, the cloud over Cecilia lifted, and she nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“Where are Martha and Jonathan?” she asked.

Elliot feigned annoyance. “Had I known you’d ask about them, I wouldn’t have called.”

Cecilia was amused by her younger son's performance.

“All right, I won’t ask. It’s getting late; you should rest. Goodnight.”

After hanging up, the smile vanished from Elliot’s face. He looked gloomily at his twin brother, who sat before his laptop.

“Mommy’s been drinking again.”

Jonathan closed his laptop. “It seems I must return to Tudela to look after her.”

“Yeah,” Elliot murmured, closing his eyes. If not for his illness, he, too, wished to return and confront their despicable father.

Cecilia remained unaware of their plans.

After freshening up, she lay down, clutching her two rabbit plushies. Perhaps the unfamiliar bed, or perhaps her encounter with Nathaniel earlier, kept her from sleeping soundly. She drifted in and out of a restless slumber.

The next morning, Cecilia woke to find it was just after five. She discovered an unread message from Sven Lindberg, one of Calvin’s bodyguards.

Sven: Ms. Smith, after you returned yesterday, I noticed a car following you. It hasn’t left.

The message had been sent at three a.m.

Cecilia replied: Is it still there?

Sven: Yes.

She knew instantly it was one of Nathaniel’s men. She told Sven not to worry. It would only work to her advantage; she needed to get closer to Nathaniel anyway.

After breakfast, Cecilia instructed her driver to take her to Rainsworth Group.

Meanwhile, in Rainsworth Group’s CEO office, Nathaniel held a multi-million dollar check, lost in thought.

Fifty million… She’s done well for herself in four years!

Mason had investigated Cecilia overnight. He reported to Nathaniel: “Surveillance shows Ms. Smith only appeared in public areas last night. We checked airports, high-speed rail, etc., but found no record of her arrival or departure. It’s as if her tracks were deliberately erased…”

Nathaniel pursed his lips. She’d been gone four years. He refused to believe her reappearance was coincidental.

Mason hesitated. “Ms. Smith’s return is unusual. Our people report incredibly tight security at her residence.”

Nathaniel looked up sharply. “If she runs away again, you can forget about staying in Tudela.”

“Understood, sir.”

After Mason left, Nathaniel remained preoccupied. He yearned to bring Cecilia to him, yet he was also intensely curious about her actions.

Amnesia? I simply don’t believe it!

Shortly after Mason left, he returned.

“Mr. Rainsworth, Ms. Smith is heading here.”