He Left Me To Die, I Married The Tycoon

Chapter 2

The next afternoon, Cecilia unexpectedly asked me to meet her in a private tea room on the top floor.

The place wasn't open to the public. We took a private elevator all the way up, and the thick carpet swallowed the sound of every footstep.

When the server opened the door for me, the warm scent of sandalwood and freshly brewed tea washed over me.

Cecilia was sitting by the window in an impeccably tailored white suit. The moment she saw me, she stood and gave me a gentle smile.

"Miss Parker, you're here. Nathan told me you have a sensitive stomach, so I had them prepare some tea that's good for you."

I suddenly remembered the stomach medicine in Nathan's desk drawer.

Back when he was just starting his business, his stomach pains had once gotten so bad that he broke out in a cold sweat. I carried him on my back to the emergency room in the middle of the night and sat beside him through his IV, afraid to fall asleep.

Once he got better, he replaced the stomach medicine with hangover remedies for all the drinking he had to do at business dinners.

Whenever I was the one in pain, he'd always say, "Just tough it out. Don't let it interfere with business."

I never thought the first person to show concern for my stomach would be Cecilia.

She pushed the teacup toward me.

The diamond ring on her wrist caught the sunlight, flashing brilliantly.

Cecilia didn't mention their secret marriage. She didn't insult me, either.

Instead, she took a check from her handbag and gently placed it in front of me.

"Miss Parker, Nathan's been building his business all these years, and you've taken such good care of him. This is just a little something from me, as his wife, to thank you for all your hard work."

The number "5" on the check was written in neat, elegant strokes.

The other digits were covered by her fingertip, as if she were deliberately leaving just enough room for me to imagine the amount.

When I didn't reach for it, she sighed softly.

"I know it hasn't been easy for you. When a woman stands by a man and helps him climb up from the bottom, it's natural to think she deserves some credit, too. But marriage isn't dating, and families aren't young lovers playing house. Nathan is destined for greater things. He needs someone beside him who can stand in the spotlight with him."

The door opened at that moment.

I instinctively looked up.

Nathan walked in, his suit jacket draped over one arm.

His gaze fell on the check. He paused for a moment, but he didn't frown.

Instead, he simply sat down beside Cecilia and casually slipped an arm around her shoulders.

"What are you two talking about?"

Cecilia turned toward him with a faint smile.

"I was giving Miss Parker a little something for all her hard work. She's taken care of you for so many years. We can't exactly let her do all that for nothing."

Nathan didn't correct her.

Instead, he looked at me with a subtle warning in his eyes, as if reminding me not to make a scene.

Cecilia continued softly.

"Miss Parker, don't think it's too little. Nathan may have money now, but every penny belongs to both our families. We can't have him handing out money to a woman with no title or standing. The elders might get the wrong idea and think he doesn't know how to manage his household."

As expected of someone born into wealth.

She always knew how to make her words sound graceful while making me look like the unreasonable one.

I picked up my teacup and gently blew across the surface.

"Miss Bennett, you've certainly thought this through."

Nathan seemed pleased by my compliance, and his tone softened.

"The Bennett family is hosting a family dinner tonight. Cecilia wants me to go with her. It's your birthday, so just grab something to eat yourself. I'll make it up to you with a gift later."

I looked at him.

Six years ago, on this very day, he couldn't even afford a birthday cake. He'd bought me a discounted pastry from a convenience store, lit a lighter in place of a candle, and promised that he'd spend every birthday with me from then on.

I shook my head.

Under the gaze of the two of them, I picked up the check, folded it neatly, and slipped it into my bag.

"Thank you, Miss Bennett. Since it's payment for all those years of being Mr. Sterling's caretaker, I suppose I should take it."

Nathan's expression changed.

As I reached the door, I heard Cecilia ask softly behind me,

"Nathan, has she always been this sensible?"

There was a brief silence.

"She wasn't always like this."

When I got back to the apartment, I finally realized there were no other digits after the five.

It was just five dollars.

I sat on the little bench by the entryway, changing my shoes as I stared at the check.

Then, suddenly, I burst out laughing.

I didn't know whether I was laughing at Cecilia's thinly veiled malice and clumsy little trick, or at myself for having spent all these years pouring my heart and soul into a man like him.

Snowball jumped off the sofa and rubbed against my leg.

We'd found her as a stray six years ago. She'd injured one of her hind legs back then, and she still had a slight limp when she walked.

I picked her up and held her close, burying my face in her warm fur.

My phone buzzed on the table.

Nathan was calling.

There was the clinking of glasses and the noisy chatter of people in the background.

"Transfer $200,000 to me."

For a moment, I thought I'd misheard him.

He impatiently explained, "We opened a few expensive bottles, and I'm a little short on cash right now. Just cover it for me."

I lowered my eyes to Snowball in my arms.

"I don't have it."

There was a second of silence on the other end.

Then his voice came back, low and angry.

"Elodie, you've learned to lie now? Cecilia just gave you $500,000 today, and now you're pretending it never happened?"

I ran my fingers over the check for $5.

"She gave me $5."

Nathan let out a cold laugh.

"Someone from her background would never humiliate you with five. Don't smear her name just because you're jealous."

After those words, I didn't even bother explaining.

He hung up on me.

I sat there holding Snowball for a long time.

It wasn't until the sky outside had gone completely dark that I finally picked up the phone and called the real estate agent.

"Sell everything in the apartment that can be sold. Get rid of it as soon as possible. Anything that can't be sold, throw it away."