###Chapter 4
The next morning, just as I stepped out of the bedroom, I saw Cedric coming out of the guest room.
He carefully helped Sandra to the living room sofa and instructed the maid, his voice unusually tense. "Sandra caught a chill after standing in the rain last night. Quickly call Dr. Lane!"
Meanwhile, I hadn't slept a wink, my face ashen from morning sickness, yet he seemed oblivious.
Standing at the turn of the stairs, my eyes locked onto Sandra's. She was dressed in a thin silk nightgown that revealed her fair, dazzling legs, while her neck and collarbone were covered in suggestive red marks.
Although we are the same age, she had been so meticulously cared for and pampered that she looked barely thirty, radiating charm and elegance.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my reflection in the wall mirror. I didn't realize when my dark hair had begun to turn gray, or when wrinkles had quietly crept onto my face.
I clenched my fists and walked toward them, step by step. I said, "Cedric, I don't want to attend that party."
The man, who was busy peeling an apple for Sandra, suddenly looked grim. "This is a thoughtful gift Sandra prepared for us. Don't let her down," he replied coldly.
A thoughtful gift? Was it including the "thought" that destroyed me?
A dull pain throbbed in my chest as I muttered, "You two can go yourselves."
As soon as she finished speaking, Sandra's eyes reddened, her voice pitiful. "I know you hate me for taking the position of the Lancaster Family's daughter, but wasn't what you did to me back then enough?"
Upon hearing this, Cedric's face grew even colder.
He pulled the pitiful Sandra closer, his gaze like a knife shooting at me. "Macie, are you going to use the same old tricks again? Are you only satisfied with using those despicable methods to drive Sandra away once more?"
"I didn't … "
"Shut up!" His icy gaze pressed against my belly, each word uttered with undeniable pressure. "Tell me you will attend."
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I bit my lower lip hard. Under the weight of his stare, I finally gave a difficult nod.
His expression softened slightly at that.
When the family doctor arrived in a hurry, Cedric draped his coat over Sandra's shoulders and turned to me. "From today on, you will stay home and focus on your pregnancy. Sandra will take over your duties as my secretary. She will do a great job."
Before I could object, he had already led Sandra towards the doctor.
I sat alone in the empty living room for a long time, then remembered I had left some personal belongings at the company, so I decided to retrieve them.
When I arrived outside the CEO's office, I found the door slightly ajar. Looking inside, I saw Sandra sitting in Cedric's leather swivel chair, livestreaming on her phone.
She wore a brand-new ruby headband, her smile elegant yet sorrowful. "The position of Mrs. Larkin should have always belonged to me. It was my stepsister who stole my happiness with dirty tricks. I wasn't the 'other woman,' she is."
Sandra lifted her hand to wipe away tears that didn't exist, her eyes full of melancholy. "She married Cedric only for money. As for me? I had already chosen him from a very young age."
I opened my own phone and saw her supporters flooding the screen with heart-wrenching comments. In contrast, others launched a barrage of abuse at me, even demanding I be sent to prison.
Later, Sandra shook her head tolerantly. "But she is still my sister in name, so let's just leave it be."
Her performance was enough to put Oscar-winning actresses to shame.
Just then, Cedric walked out of the private lounge. Sandra immediately ended the livestream, smiled sweetly and naturally sat down on his lap.
Watching their entangled figures, I no longer fled in panic like I had the day before. Instead, I raised my phone, aimed the camera at them and pressed the record button.
