Yvonne's POV
“Oh, right! You should thank me, too,” Melina added casually. “When you were kidnapped, Cedric was actually prepared to let you die in there. If I hadn’t been afraid someone would end up dead and told Cedric to call the police, you’d still be locked up and tortured right now.”
That last sentence burned away the last of my restraint.
Hatred surged through me like a wildfire, devouring every trace of reason.
I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. The pain brought me a moment of clarity.
“I’ll give you what you want,” I said calmly. “But that child was innocent. Melina, you picked the wrong person to mess with.”
I stood up and walked toward her slowly, gripping her chin between my fingers.
“Since this mouth of yours talks so well,” I said softly, “let’s sew it shut.”
For the first time, panic flashed across Melina’s face.
She struggled violently. “You wouldn’t dare! You’re nothing but an orphan. Cedric won’t let you get away with this!”
I laughed. “Right. I’m an orphan. But does that mean I’m supposed to let you bully me?”
After my father’s affair, I had convinced myself that my only family was my mother.
So, when she passed away, I considered myself an orphan.
My father was a terrible husband, but at least he was still somewhat of a father.
When I was with Cedric, he had secretly called me and told me I could use his influence so that Cedric's grandfather wouldn’t oppose our relationship.
But I had refused.
I never expected that, in the end, I would still have to rely on his power.
Not wanting to waste any more words on her, I stepped aside. The two doctors my father had sent moved forward, needle and thread in hand, and began stitching Melina’s mouth shut.
Blood soaked into her white dress.
Her heart-wrenching screams slowly faded into muffled whimpers.
I had her locked inside the operating room.
“You spent four hours operating on me,” I said coldly. “So, I’ll pay you back double.”
“Turn the air-conditioning all the way down. Don’t let her out until eight hours have passed,” I instructed the men.
Early the next morning, when I returned to our house, a message from my father’s people popped up on my phone.
[We've already finished our task, Miss. We’ll leave now.]
Then, the door opened.
Cedric hurried over and pulled me into his arms. “I told you I’d come get you. Why did you discharge yourself?”
He then carried me to the dining table and added, “I made egg drop soup, your favorite. Sip some while it’s hot. What happened this time was that Melina went too far. I’ve already scolded her. She said she knows she was wrong, so don’t hold it against her anymore.”
I listened to his lies without any expression.
Last night, Melina had been locked in an operating room. So, how could she have had the chance to talk to him, let alone be lectured?
My eyes flicked to the gift box on the coffee table. “What’s that?”
His expression stiffened, a hint of unease crossing his face. “Nothing. Just a small gift from a client.”
Suddenly, his phone vibrated twice, and his childhood friends' voice messages auto-played.
"Cedric, how’s that ruby from New York? My intel wasn’t wrong, right? Melina likes it?"
"Obviously. Cedric flew overnight to the New York auction just to cheer Melina up. How could she not like it? Looks like he still can’t forget Melina."
"Idiot, wrong group."
Immediately, the three messages were deleted.
Seeing there was no way to hide it anymore, Cedric sighed and reluctantly pulled a necklace out of his pocket.
“Actually, I flew there to buy a gift for you. They’re just talking nonsense. Don’t listen to them.”
I glanced at the necklace, and bitterness flooded my mouth.
It looked more like a free add-on to the ruby, worth less than a tenth of its price.
Cedric pushed the necklace toward me, as if offering a treasure.
For a moment, I saw the twenty-year-old Cedric again.
