I Hated Him, Now I Cherish Him

Chapter 6

Delilah jolted back to reality, the memory of that past life crashing into her mind.

The same thing had happened in her previous life, except back then, Gavin hadn't come to her for help. Instead, he'd gone straight to the group chairman himself and gotten a special exemption waiver. She'd even had a massive blowout with him over it.

Now, everything felt different, yet nothing had changed at all. Gavin was still dead set on buying Sierra's freedom from that sleazy entertainment club.

Delilah stood frozen for a long moment, then whispered, "Why?"

In her past life, she'd never asked for a reason. She'd only heard the rumors flying around that Sierra was carrying Gavin's child, and once he'd gotten the waiver, he'd stashed her in a private villa on the outskirts of the city.

After that, their business marriage had plunged to absolute zero.

Seeing how unnervingly calm she was, Gavin stayed silent for a long while before finally explaining, "Sierra is pregnant now. I can't let her stay in a place like that, a seedy club swarming with all kinds of unsavory characters."

Delilah's heart gave a violent lurch, a sharp ache spreading through her chest.

Swallowing the bitterness, she trembled as she asked, "That child, is it yours?"

Gavin lifted his gaze at her, and instead of answering, he asked a question of his own.

"What kind of answer would you like to hear?"

That single sentence snuffed out the last flicker of hope she'd been clinging to.

She dropped her voice low. "I want the truth."

"It's not mine."

Her emotions went on a wild roller-coaster ride. She couldn't help pressing further.

"If it's none of your business, why are you bending over backwards to help her?"

Gavin fell quiet for a long time before he spoke, his voice slow and measured. "Before the Miller family fell, they saved my life. I kept going to that club to secretly watch over her. But in a place like that, there were times I couldn't keep an eye on her, and she still got…"

He cut himself off mid-sentence, and Delilah instantly understood the rest.

"That's why I want to get her out. I can't let her stay in that chaotic mess of a place, getting pushed around."

After his explanation, Gavin turned to face Delilah, knowing full well her heart was tangled with suspicion.

His voice was thick with sincerity. "Delilah, there is absolutely nothing between Sierra and me. Not a hint of impropriety." His assurance was solid as a rock.

The bitter jealousy that had been gnawing at Delilah melted away in an instant.

She nodded, agreeing to help him.

Early the next morning, Delilah went straight to the group headquarters to see the chairman. It didn't take long before she had the special exemption document in her hands.

Just as she was about to leave, the chairman had someone bring over a bottle of rare imported liquor.

"Delilah, this is a limited-edition imported liquor from one of our overseas partners. Top-shelf quality. Take it home and give it a taste."

Delilah let her gaze settle on the exquisite bottle, her expression complicated. "That overseas partner has always refused any deep cooperation with our group. Why the sudden gift?"

The chairman threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. "Last time we clashed in business, we drove them back step by step. Now they're so meek they send us wine and entertainers every month, all to curry favor. They're completely under our thumb!"

As she watched her father bask in his smug satisfaction, Delilah's expression darkened.

After a long hesitation, she couldn't hold back any longer. "That partner was playing a deep game. Sending gifts and playing nice now is just a front. Behind the scenes, they're probably hoarding resources and plotting a counterattack. You must not trust them for a second. You have to stay on guard at all times."

Deep down, she clung to a fragile hope. If only she could make her father see their true colors early enough, perhaps the catastrophe three years from now, when the group collapsed and the family was ruined, could still be averted.

But her advice was met with nothing but the chairman's fury. "Outrageous! We've already crushed them completely. Where would they find the nerve to strike back?"

With a violent sweep of his arm, the chairman sent the bottle flying.

Crash!

The liquor splattered across the floor, shards everywhere.

He roared, "All this alarmist nonsense! You're just trying to help Gavin snatch back control of the project! Delilah, how long have you even been married to him? Are you already siding with an outsider against your own family?"

"That's not what I meant!" Delilah immediately lowered her head in apology, but deep inside, a wave of indescribable sorrow washed over her.

After leaving the headquarters, Delilah took the exemption document and went straight to the club to redeem Sierra.

Back at their sprawling private villa, she had just instructed the housekeeper to get Sierra settled in when Gavin walked through the door.

Word of her pleading on his behalf, and the public dressing-down she’d received from the chairman, had already ripped through the entire business world. Naturally, it had reached Gavin's ears as well.

His brow furrowed deeply, and his voice took on a frosty edge as he warned her, "That overseas partner business, you're just wasting your breath if you bring it up to the chairman again."

She had only ever tried to give her father a heartfelt warning. He brushed it aside, and now even Gavin thought she was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.

A suffocating wave of bitterness and pain lodged itself in Delilah’s chest.

When she said nothing, Gavin didn’t press further. He simply turned and strode out of the living room.

And with that, he was gone.

He didn't come back to the master bedroom. Not until eleven at night, the hour when the house had fallen dead silent.

Restlessness gnawed at Delilah. She threw a light jacket over her shoulders and slipped out to search for him.

The night was thick as ink, the entire villa estate drowned in darkness, except for the guest room where Sierra was staying.

A single light glowed from within the half-open door, and there stood Sierra holding a small floor lamp, its soft beam spilling outward as she saw Gavin to the door.

Delilah stepped forward, ready to call out to him. Then she saw Sierra let the lamp slip from her fingers.

The lamp crashed onto the floor, sending shards of light across the dark.

Delilah's eyes went wide as she watched, frozen, while Sierra rose on her toes, looped her arms around Gavin's shoulders, and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.