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Novel Catalog
Chapter 46 What Did You Call Me
Having been an orphan her entire life, Stella despised being looked down upon by others. Zachary’s words brought back memories of the countless times she had humiliated herself in an attempt to fit into the world of the wealthy elite years ago. The shame she had endured and the loss of face were unbearable. “Once I become the lady of the Rainsworth family, no one will dare to look down on me!” she thought to herself. It seemed that Stella was unaware of Cecilia’s return, as she was not mentioned at all.
Zachary had been waiting outside Ninth Ville. “Mr. Zachary, Ms. Smith hasn’t stepped out at all today. Should I knock on the door?” the bodyguard asked, hesitant to keep him waiting. However, Zachary declined. “No need, I’ll just wait for her here.”
Ever since learning of Cecilia’s return the previous day, Zachary had felt an unprecedented surge of excitement. He was eager to find her, to ask her about the events of the past. But every time he thought about how he had treated Cecilia in the past, he found it difficult to approach her casually. As a result, he ended up waiting for over two hours.
Meanwhile, Cecilia was still recovering from the ice-cold water she had indulged in the previous night, which had left her feeling chilled and foggy. Although Sven had bought her medicine, she still didn’t feel well. She slipped on a coat to cover the scratches from the previous day and stepped out of the mansion, hoping that a walk outside would clear her mind. Despite it being summer, her long sleeves and pants didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.
The doctor had told her that she had a cold constitution, and what had happened last night nearly landed her back in the hospital. It seemed she would need to be more careful in the future. Cecilia walked along, unaware of the MPV parked nearby. Just as she was about to pass by again, Zachary couldn’t help but rush out of the car.
“C-Cecilia!” he called.
Cecilia stopped in her tracks, startled. She turned around to look at him but didn’t respond. Zachary quickly walked toward her, his mind filled with questions. Yet, when he spoke, all he could manage to say was, “How have you been these past years?”
“How have you been?” Cecilia sneered inwardly. Hadn’t this man always wanted her to be doing poorly?
She pressed her lips together tightly, gripping the pepper spray she always carried. She was curious to see how he would try to handle her this time. When Zachary saw her remain silent, he assumed she hadn’t brought her hearing aid. “Wasn’t it just a slight hearing problem? Why can’t she hear what I’m saying?”
Cecilia’s long hair hung over her shoulders, concealing the hearing aid. Seeing his misunderstanding, she chose not to correct him and continued walking forward. Zachary, undeterred, followed her, quickly grabbing her wrist.
“Has your condition worsened? Let me take you to the hospital,” he insisted.
“Condition worsened? The hospital?” Such behavior made Cecilia wonder if he was planning something different for her. She remembered a New Year’s reunion two years after her marriage to Nathaniel, where Zachary had unexpectedly changed his attitude. He had called her his sister-in-law and let her join the party. However, when she arrived without Nathaniel, the wealthy children made her the target of cruel jokes, pouring glass after glass of red wine over her head.
At that time, Zachary had been seated at the head of the table, watching with a gleaming smile, as if he enjoyed the humiliation. He even arranged for a carpet of roses, thorns intact, and pointed at it, saying, “Little deaf one, do you really enjoy hearing people call you ‘sister-in-law’ that much? If you dare to walk barefoot on these roses for just three minutes, I will make everyone present acknowledge your status!”
Back then, Cecilia had actually believed him. The memory of the excruciating pain, humiliation, and fear made her jerk her hand away from Zachary’s grip. She looked at him, forcefully suppressing the anger bubbling inside her.
“Sir,” she said coldly, “my silence doesn’t mean I can’t hear you. It simply…”
