Chapter 1993


    An hourter, the office regained its tranquility.


    Seth had brought Patty''s private physician, who administered a sedative to help Patty calm down.


    Patty was now resting in the break room.


    "Ma''am has rarely been sick in recent years, and you''ve always been cautious about this. What


    happened today?"


    Seth''s expression was icy.


    Seth wasn''t talking and looked rather pallid, so the doctor carefully added another piece of advice.


    "Please do not upset her again, and don''t go against her wishes. You''ve been doing so well with this


    over the years."


    Seth stood by the bed in the break room, silently watching Patty''s pale, sleeping face, lost in


    thought for a long time.d2


    The doctor called out to him uncertainly, "Mr. Diaz."


    Seth slowly turned away from Patty, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke softly, "I


    understand."


    Exiting the break room, Seth walked to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a cigarette. He


    lit it and then picked up his cell phone, pacing toward the window.


    The office was silent. The figure by the window stood rigid as if rooted to the spot. asionally, a


    faint wisp of smoke rose from that direction, then silently vanished into the air.


    He fiddled with his phone for a while, pausing midway before continuing.


    When the cigarette was down to the butt, he turned and stubbed it out in the crystal ashtray on the


    desk. Once again he looked at his phone, finally unlocking it.


    Cicely''s fever had subsided. When she woke up in the morning, she had breakfast and appeared to


    be in good spirits.


    Erik and Creighton had joined her for breakfast, and now that her looking better, they felt much


    relieved.


    "School''s starting soon. Got everything you need? If you don''t feel up to it, I can have someone


    prepare everything for you," Creighton offered.


    "Hmm." Cicely pondered for a moment, "Clothes, shoes? Maybe I''ll pop by the stationery storeter,


    and pick out some nice pens and notebooks." Thinking about it, she realized she hadn''t really


    visited a stationery store in many years.


    "Sure. Isaac can go with youter."


    Cicely took another spoonful of porridge, pausing briefly when she heard Creighton''s suggestion,


    then nodded lightly. "Okay."


    After breakfast, Cicely went upstairs to change. While she was halfway through, her phone rang. It


    was Seth calling.


    Without hesitation, she picked up.


    "Hello?"


    Seth hadn''t expected her to answer so quickly, and for a moment, there was a prolonged silence.


    "Did you dial the wrong number or what?" Cicely nced at the screen; it was indeed him.


    It took a moment for Seth to speak, his voice deep. "I thought you''d still be asleep."


    Cicelyughed, "So you decided to bother me while I was supposed to be sleeping?"


    "If you hadn''t answered, I wouldn''t have called again."


    Cicely frowned, "What are you talking about?"


    "Is your fever gone? You sound fine."


    "Yeah, what, was I supposed to keep burning up for days?"


    Another pause from the other end, "And your foot? Is it better?"


    This time, Cicely didn''t respond right away. Silence fell on Seth''s side as well. After a while, Cicely


    spoke first, "Seth, what do you really want to say? When did you be so hesitant? Do I have


    some kind of rapid self-healing power? Can a scrape healpletely in less than twelve hours?"


    Having a valid point to argue, she spoke with newfound boldness.


    "Just take care and we''ll talk after you''ve recovered."


    Cicely suddenly froze, her grip tightening on the phone. After about ten seconds, she simply said


    "Okay" and hung up.


    She was only wearing jeans; her T-shirty beside her on the bed, and she listlessly pulled it over


    her head, then sat down.


    Some things seemed clear to her, yet they were still uncertain. She wanted to ask, but anxiety held


    her back. She feared that asking one more question might bring the answer she least wanted to


    hear.


    Cicely sat on the bed for several minutes until there was a knock on the door.


    "Miss, there''s a visitor downstairs. Mr. Creighton wants you toe down."


    The maid got no reply, "Miss? Are you there?"


    After a moment, the bedroom door swung open, and Cicely stepped out. "What does any visitor


    have to do with me?"


    The maid just shook her head.


    Cicely descended the stairs.


    In the living room sat a young, handsome man whose appearance and demeanor immediately


    suggested that he was no ordinary gentleman. Upon seeing her, he stood up, a slight forced warmth


    in his otherwise aloof smile. "Hello, Ms. Cicely, I manage The Watson Hotel. I''m terribly sorry about


    the incidentst night that caused you distress."


    Cicely understood; this was someone from the hoteling to apologize and mitigate the damage.


    She gave a wry smile, approached him, and looked up into the handsome face across from her, her


    gaze audacious.


    "You''re in charge of The Watson Hotel? You don''t look much older than me. How did you get to run


    the renowned Watson Hotel?"


    The man casually stepped back a half-step, maintaining a polite smile. "Thanks to my father''s


    influence."


    Cicely''s eyes twinkled as it clicked, "Ah, so you''re the son of the Watson family. That exins it."


    ud simply nodded, acknowledging her assumption. "Though the incident has happened and the


    harm can''t be undone, I felt it was necessary to apologize to you in person. How can we make


    amends to you?"


    "What to do?" Cicely tilted her head, pretending to ponder before looking at ud with a yful


    smile, "Do you have a girlfriend?"


    ud smiled lightly and said. "No."


    "Then, that settles it," Cicely tilted her chin up and said with a smile, "School starts in three days, so


    how about you keeping mepany until then."


    ud paused a beat, "Not worried about your boyfriend getting jealous?"


    "Would jealousy stop you from apanying me? Are you apologizing to him, or to me?"


    ud’s smile held a hint of chill. "I do not believe that I owe that gentleman any apologies."


    Cicely raised an eyebrow, "Alright then. You''reing shopping with me now."


    Creighton chimed in at just the right moment, "Cicely, that''s enough."


    "Got it. Who''d want to cross the Watson family''s young master, right?"


    Once outside, ud personally opened the car door for Cicely, and had the driver step aside, taking


    the wheel himself.


    "This car smells like disinfectant," Cicelyined.


    "Sorry about that." Without further ado, ud started the engine.


    As they drove away from the Ellis family estate, there wasn''t much conversation between the two


    strangers. ud broke the silence, "You looked a bit off when you came downstairs earlier. I heard


    from your dad that your fever''s gone."


    Cicely leanedzily against the seatback, watching the sycamore leaves flutter to the ground.


    "Yeah. I got a call I shouldn''t have answered."


    There seemed to be a story behind those words, but ud didn''t pry.


    "I''m not too familiar with P City, so do you have a specific destination in mind today?"


    "Let''s hit the stationery store."


    ud nced at her, "What grade are you in?"


    "College. Is that a problem?"


    "No problem."


    They drove in silence for a while longer until Cicely suddenly said, "Actually, let''s make a stop at a


    phone store first."


    "Sure."


    Cicely walked out with thetest smartphone model and got herself a new number. She then took


    out her old phone, "Trade this in?"


    The salesperson nced at the nearly new phone, "We''ll take it."


    "Sure."


    ud observed all this quietly, offering noment. He’d thought that apanying a woman on


    a shopping spree would be the ultimate test of patience, but the woman beside him seemed to have


    even less of it than he did. They were in and out of the stationery store in less than ten minutes,


    with just a few pens and notebooks.


    "I need a break. Let''s sit somewhere."


    After a coffee shop stop and a restaurant meal, they had spent thirty minutes driving downtown, ten


    minutes buying a phone, another ten in the stationery store, with the rest of the day spent at the


    coffee shop and now the restaurant.


    ud had anticipated an easy mission based on Cicely''s physical strength, but after lunch, she


    powered through the mall for three hours straight.


    His mood was souring by the minute. Hers wasn''t much better.


    *


    Ray’s family business was in showbiz, and the recent scandal had sent their troubles skyrocketing,


    with endless drama.


    Not only were their managed celebrities starting to rebel, but their scripts were under pressure from


    other shareholders eager to dump them before they lost value. Directors and producers were


    watching closely, leveraging public opinion and a full-scale boycott to push Ray''s family to their


    limits.


    Within three days, Ray''s family were forced to sell off their most valuable scripts.


    Everyone had their eye on those scripts, but no one was a fool; they waited, knowing the prices


    would drop further with time. They didn''t expect all the high-quality scripts to be snapped up so


    quickly by some unknown mediapany.


    The news caused widespread confusion. Who was this new yer? Cicely, eyeing the unfamiliar


    name on the screen, couldn''t help but smirk.


    Who indeed?


    Everything had been orchestrated by him, and now, there was no way that he would leave any


    chances for others.


    He was capable, alright. She knew he had intentions in the film industry, but she hadn''t expected


    him to actually pull off starting apany and securing top-notch scripts on his first go.


    Though she wasn''t savvy about the ins and outs, she understood that the film industry was highly


    lucrative. High quality, solid teams, and good marketing meant sess was almost guaranteed.


    With Seth''s clear and extravagant action, it was obvious he wouldn''t make a move unless it was of


    significant importance. He had been nning for so long, aiming to establish a firm foothold in the


    industry – he was determined.


    Such audacity was exactly what she admired in a man.


    At ten in the morning, ud arrived at the Ellis family estate promptly.


    The first day was stationery stores and malls.


    The second day, malls and supermarkets.


    On the third day, ud asked directly, "Which mall are we hitting today?"


    "Umm. let''s skip the mall today. I''m sick of clothes and shoes. Let''s go to the amusement park. I''ve


    never been to one before."


    ud frowned, ncing at her feet, "You sure you want to do that?"


    "Absolutely."


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    By four in the afternoon, ud was carrying Cicely back to the Ellis family home. Her pallor rmed


    the butler who opened the door. "Miss, what''s happened?"


    As the household gathered in the living room, ud entered carrying Cicely. His gaze met Seth''s


    for a brief moment, the intensity in the other man''s eyes unforgettable.


    Creighton stepped forward, "What''s going on... What now?" It seemed like one thing after another


    lately.


    ud, his face set in a cold expression, said tersely, "She hurt her foot at the amusement park and


    refused to go to the hospital."


    There was a moment of silence before Creighton acted, ordering Brody to call a doctor.


    "Second room on the right, upstairs. If you think you can handle it, I don''t mind you carrying me a bit


    longer." Cicely, who had been frowning the whole time, suddenly spoke up.


    Seth, who had just started to approach, stopped in his tracks at her words.


    ud gave her a look and carried her upstairs, with Creighton following closely. After settling Cicely


    on the bed, ud dusted off his impable suit, earning an eye roll from her. "That''s enough. I


    ept your apology. You can go now."


    ud lingered, staring at her before suddenly lifting the hem of her pants.


    Cicely flinched back, "What are you doing?"


    ud caught a glimpse of blood seeping out from the edge of her sock around the ankle. He stared


    at her and asked, "Do you have a tendency for self-harm?"


    Creighton walked in, and Cicely''s eyes caught the figure behind him. She instinctively pulled her


    feet back.


    ude pulled his hand back, casually grabbing a wet wipe from the nightstand beside Cicely''s bed.


    He wiped his hands with a nonchnce, and said, "Hey, it was me who brought you to the


    amusement park. You got hurt on my watch, so just walking away doesn''t seem right."


    "Your job here is done," Cicely replied.


    ude paused, his gaze dropping to meet hers as a faint smile yed at the corner of his lips.


    "Who says I''m here on a job? Can''t a guy just want to see you''re alright without an agenda?"


    Cicely looked at him, a hint of surprise flickering across her face.


    With a quirk of his eyebrow, ude''s eyes briefly darted to her feet before he stepped closer,


    tossing the wet wipe aside. "Let me help you with your shoes first," he offered, reaching out toward


    Cicely''s hand.


    But before he could make contact, another hand intercepted. ud lifted his gaze to meet Seth''s


    indifferent face.


    "Mr. Watson, I''ll take it from here," Seth said coolly.