Chapter 9 Cecilia, This Is Beneath You

Some people would always buy into Blair's performance.

Rufus had been softening toward Cecilia after hearing what she'd said earlier. They weren't close, but at least the tension had eased. Now, thanks to Blair's calculated move, he was pulling away from her again.

He slipped an arm around Blair's shoulders, disappointment lacing his voice. "I never thought you'd still hold such hostility toward Blair after all this. Maybe she should never have been kind to someone like you."

Once, Cecilia would have demanded to know exactly what "someone like you" meant. Now, she didn't have the energy.

Blair was a lunatic. Rufus was a fool who couldn't see her for what she was.

Seeing Cecilia drop her gaze in silence only stoked Rufus's irritation. He hated that lifeless look on her face.

"The trial medication—Noah will update you. You'd better take care of yourself."

With that, Rufus scooped Blair into his arms and walked out without looking back.

In the corner, out of Rufus's sight, Blair shot Cecilia a taunting glance, as if to say, "See? The only person Rufus cares about is me."

But Cecilia no longer cared.

She knew tomorrow was the 25th—the day Patrick's medical fees were due. Brad's threats still echoed in her mind. From what she knew of him, he would absolutely cut off the payments.

The thought kept her restless until well past midnight.

At dawn, she went straight to the finance office to ask about Patrick's account. Sure enough, Brad had already stopped paying.

Patrick was using Sylvanor's precision equipment, with a private nurse costing a thousand dollars a day. Cecilia couldn't possibly bear that expense. The alternative was to move him to a standard ward… but she refused.

"Ms. Thorne, Mr. Thorne's medical fees have been cut off," Kaia from finance said gently, though she had to follow protocol. "If the balance isn't made up by the fifth of next month, the medication will have to stop."

Cecilia nodded absently. "Thank you. I understand."

Kaia hesitated, then added, "Mr. Thorne's condition means he can't be without hospital care…"

She didn't need to say more. Cecilia understood perfectly.

She had to find the money for Patrick's care—no matter how.

When Noah arrived with the specialist team, Cecilia was calm.

"I'll cooperate," she said coldly, "but I want to see Rufus."

Noah raised his shoulders in a helpless shrug. "Mr. Chapman is busy right now. Ms. Thorne, the more you cooperate, the less you'll suffer, isn't that so?"

Her answer didn't change. "I want to see Rufus."

With her resolve unshaken, Noah had no choice but to take her to him. Ever since Blair had been admitted, Rufus had spent most of his time at the hospital, so finding him wasn't hard. They headed for the VIP suite on the top floor.

Cecilia stopped at the doorway.

Blair's "room" was more like a luxury hotel suite than a hospital ward, complete with a visitor's window. Through it, the living area was in full view.

Rufus sat on the sofa. Blair straddled his lap, cupping his face as their mouths met. His hand roamed over her body, igniting her like a match to dry tinder. They kissed as if they couldn't bear to part.

The scene landed squarely in Cecilia's line of sight.

Rufus had once touched her like that—though never with such tenderness.

"Ms. Thorne, maybe you should wait before going in," Noah murmured. The words snapped her out of her daze.

She shook her head, forcing herself to stand steady. "I won't go in. Please tell Mr. Chapman later—if he wants me to keep cooperating with the trial, he'll have to come see me."

Then, as if remembering something, she added, "I'll only see him."

Without another glance, she turned and left.

Only she knew that the moment her back was to them, a single tear slid down her cheek.

When would she finally learn not to care?

Rufus didn't come until midnight, probably after tucking Blair in.

Cecilia could feel that, after the day's events, he was back to treating her as he had before—distant.

"I hear you refused to cooperate unless you saw me," he said, pulling up a chair and keeping a careful distance. "What trouble are you trying to stir up now?"

She drew a deep breath, weighing her words. She hated showing weakness to him, but she had no choice. Patrick's safety mattered more than her pride.

"I need to borrow some money. Around three hundred thousand dollars. I'll pay you back as soon as I can. I can write an IOU." The second half tumbled out fast, as if she feared he'd misunderstand if she delayed.

It wasn't a huge sum, but Rufus couldn't fathom why she'd come to him for it.

"What scheme are you running now?" His eyes scanned her, wary.

The scrutiny drained her, but she had no other option. "My grandfather is still in the hospital, but my father has stopped paying his medical fees. I need the money to cover the gap."

It sounded reasonable—but not to Rufus. He didn't like her, but she was still his wife, and he made sure Noah deposited her living expenses every month. By rights, she shouldn't have been short of money.

What he overlooked was that Cecilia was ill herself, and her own treatment had eaten into her funds.

If she hadn't been desperate, she wouldn't have lowered herself to ask.

Meeting her hopeful gaze, Rufus rose and crushed it with a single sentence.

"I don't care what game you're playing, but you'd better keep your head down for now. Stop using excuses to draw attention.

"Cecilia, this is beneath you."