Free Web NovelChapter 104: Chapter 104: Proposal Rejected??
Annabelle Young had originally planned to delude herself, to exchange a few pleasantries with Second Aunt and Simone Vaughn before making a graceful exit, but now...
The call ended. She couldn’t hold it in any longer and ran out of the hall in tears.
"Annabelle! Annabelle!"
Simone Vaughn pretended to run after her for a couple of steps, but when she saw Annabelle wasn’t slowing down at all, her face fell and she stopped in her tracks.
"What is all this drama so early in the morning!"
Simone didn’t chase after Annabelle, but Cecelia Archer did.
No matter what, Annabelle hadn’t looked down on her when she was at her lowest. She had even visited Candy, bought her gifts, and offered her a job.
She had been the one in the wrong first. Now, by causing Annabelle to be publicly rejected by Damien and utterly humiliated, she was wronging her all over again.
If she didn’t apologize and get her forgiveness, her conscience would plague her for the rest of her life.
"Miss Young? Miss Young!"
Cecelia Archer quickly chased after her, blocking Annabelle’s path.
Annabelle was forced to stop. Through tear-filled eyes, she glared at her, gritting her teeth.
"What do you want? I’m not allowed to come to your family’s home, and now I’m not allowed to leave? What are you trying to do now?"
Cecelia felt terrible for making her cry like this so early in the morning.
"I’m sorry. I don’t want anything. I just feel terrible and wanted to give you a sincere apology. Miss Young, I never intended for things to turn out like this, I..."
"You didn’t intend to? The first time I saw your daughter, I noticed she looked a lot like Damien Vaughn. I asked you then what her relationship with Damien was, and what did you say? I asked you several more times after that, and what was your answer every time? The child is this old, you’ve been with Damien for years, and you’re telling me you didn’t intend for this to happen? Cecelia Archer, what the hell do you take me for? A fool you can play with?"
"Watching me fall head over heels for your man, foolishly running around for you, being played by the two of you—did that give you a sense of accomplishment? Did you think it was fun, huh?"
Cecelia Archer: "..."
At this point, it was truly difficult to explain, but the truth really wasn’t what she thought.
"No, Miss Young, please believe me. I never meant to make a fool of you. I’m truly sorry that things have turned out this way..."
"Shut up! You bitch! Damien Vaughn already chewed me out like that, and you’re still here putting on this fake act? If you love acting so much, go be an actress in the entertainment industry!"
Annabelle was driven mad with anger. She couldn’t be bothered to listen to any explanations and just cursed furiously. If this wasn’t the Vaughn Family’s estate, she would have torn Cecelia to pieces with her own hands.
"Or is this some special way of showing off? Pretending to apologize to me, but actually trying to show how you got Damien so effortlessly, without even trying, all calm and cool! While I, Annabelle Young, tried my fucking best, lost all my dignity, and got absolutely nothing?"
"Fine. You’re good. You win. But you’d better pray that Damien loves you for the rest of his life. Because the day he kicks you to the curb will be the day I destroy you!"
Cecelia Archer returned to her grandfather’s house, completely drained.
She couldn’t stop replaying the scene in her head of Annabelle sobbing and screaming that she was heartless.
The guilt wouldn’t go away. She couldn’t bring herself to smile while chatting with her grandfather, and she had no appetite at lunch.
In the afternoon, Damien Vaughn called Ms. King to ask about Cecelia Archer’s day. When he heard how down she was, he came home early.
Candy had become obsessed with flowers and plants the past two days. After a short nap, she dragged the old man out to the garden to do some planting.
Cecelia Archer was sitting alone by the French doors, trying to read a book, but she was too restless and agitated to take anything in.
Just as she was staring blankly out the window, Damien walked over and suddenly pulled the book from her hands.
"If you can’t get into it, don’t force it. Why the long face? In a bad mood?"
Cecelia hadn’t expected him back so early. She was pleasantly surprised to suddenly hear his voice.
But then she remembered the harsh words he’d said to Annabelle that morning, and thinking how heartless he was, the surprise vanished in a flash.
"Not busy today? Why are you back so early? Who told you I was in a bad mood?"
"Does someone need to tell me? It’s written all over your face."
Damien sat down across from her, studying her expression. free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Is it because of what happened this morning? Did Second Aunt and the others gang up on you? Those women. They have no other skills, but they’re experts at forming cliques and bullying people. They were like that when I was a kid, and after all these years, they’re still playing the same old tricks."
"Aren’t you pretty tough? I thought you never let anyone push you around. What happened today? Were you outnumbered and couldn’t fight back? Do you need my help? We can go back now and launch a counterattack."
"You’re my woman now, after all. Bullying you is the same as bullying me."
As he spoke, he reached for Cecelia’s wrist, but she pulled away.
"You’re so fierce, who would dare bully me? It’s a good day if I don’t use your power to bully others."
Damien hadn’t expected her to say that, and a flicker of delight crossed his face.
"Is that so? So no one really bullied you?"
"No," Cecelia sighed, "Especially not Annabelle. She’s never bullied me; in fact, she’s been very good to me. For you and I to suddenly have our relationship turn out like this... I’ve already wronged her enough. And today, you said those things to her in front of Second Aunt..."
Damien understood. "So you’re upset right now because of Annabelle?"
Cecelia was too kind.
Or maybe it was because she had grown up in such a terrible environment, surrounded by so many bad people, that if anyone offered her even the slightest bit of help, she would be wholeheartedly grateful.
He wanted to analyze Annabelle’s motives for being nice to Cecelia, to free her from this psychological burden.
’But on second thought, why should I shatter this one nice feeling she has?’
"It’s true I was inconsiderate this morning. My words were too harsh. If you feel that guilty toward Annabelle, I can call her and apologize."
Cecelia knew that an apology would be useless. Unless Damien married Annabelle, Annabelle would never forgive her.
’Forget it. The damage is done. It’s not like Damien could marry her anyway. It is what it is.’
’So she won’t let me apologize, but she’s still sitting there with a long face, looking unhappy. What does she want?’
Damien truly had no idea how to read a woman’s mind, nor did he know how to make one happy.
’I’ll just go to the Civil Affairs Bureau,’ he thought.
’We’ll get the certificate, make a formal announcement to Second Aunt and the others tonight, and from then on, Cecelia will officially be part of the Vaughn Family. Let’s see who dares to bully her then.’
"Did you bring your household registration book?"
The topic changed so abruptly that Cecelia didn’t understand what he was getting at for a moment.
"Why?"
"Candy’s been really happy here these past few days. Grandfather likes her, and he likes you so much... Come get the certificate with me."
Even though the two of them had gotten a certificate once before—and last time, it was she who had brought it up so abruptly.
But to suddenly hear Damien Vaughn ask her to go get their marriage certificate still gave Cecelia a shock.
He had just broken up with Claire Clark, and things with Annabelle Young were still a mess.
The two of them barely knew each other and had no emotional foundation. How had it come to getting a marriage certificate?
"I’m sorry, I’m not in a good mood today. I’m not in the mood for jokes. I’m going back to my room."
With that, Cecelia picked up the book from the coffee table and walked toward the stairs.
Damien watched her slender figure retreat, his eyebrows knitting together tightly.
’Was he, Damien Vaughn, being rejected after proposing to a woman for the first time in his life?’
