Free Web NovelChapter 154: Chapter 154: Cecelia Archer Is a Gold Digger
She never expected her brother’s call to be about Damien Vaughn. He was looking for her, and even Grandpa knew now.
A pang of sadness went through Cecelia Archer.
It wasn’t because of her brother, nor was it because of Damien Vaughn. It was because of Grandpa.
He was such an accomplished man. Not only had he never looked down on her and her daughter, but he had poured all his love into them.
By taking Candy and leaving so abruptly, the person she had wronged the most was Grandpa.
"How do you know Grandpa is worried too? Did he tell you that?"
"How would I know? Damien and Grandpa showed up at the gate of my residential complex. How do you think I know? Stop being so headstrong, Cecelia. You’re usually such a sensible person..."
As her brother spoke, he glanced back at the white-haired old man, his heart aching for him.
"Grandpa is worried sick about Candy. Where on earth are you? Just come back already."
The hotel room was small, and with Cecelia Archer’s phone on speaker, the voice came through clearly. When Candy heard her great-grandpa mentioned, a pang of sadness shot through her, and she couldn’t stop herself from crying.
"WAAAH... Mommy, does this mean I’ll never get to see Great-Grandpa again? I miss him so much. After you, Great-Grandpa is the nicest person in the whole world to me. I don’t want to leave him..."
Candy’s crying made Cecelia Archer want to cry as well.
She desperately wanted to explain things to Grandpa face-to-face, but after what had been said to her, she had to harden her heart.
"Candy and I are fine. Tell them not to worry. And don’t call me again. I..." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The phone was snatched away by Damien Vaughn.
"Cut the crap! Where the hell are you right now? Don’t think you can hide just because you blocked my number! Cecelia Archer, there’s nowhere in Veridia I can’t find. Don’t make me scare Candy when I hunt you down!"
Forty minutes later, Damien Vaughn arrived with Grandpa at the hotel where Cecelia Archer had checked in.
The moment the door opened, Candy threw herself into the old man’s arms.
"Great-Grandpa! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to leave you, please forgive me! I miss you so much. No matter where I go, I’ll always, always remember you. Please, don’t be mad at me!"
Grandpa, a man as tough as steel in the business world, was so heartbroken by Candy’s departure that his eyes welled up with tears.
"What on earth is going on?"
He held Candy and sat on the edge of the bed, his body trembling with rage.
"Did you have a fight with your mother-in-law? Was there something you couldn’t talk through face-to-face? Did you have to run off with the child? Cecelia, you’re normally such a sensible girl. What’s gotten into you today?"
Cecelia Archer didn’t dare to tell the truth.
She looked at the old man’s teary eyes and then at Damien Vaughn, whose face was as black as thunder, and hesitated again and again.
"I didn’t fight with anyone. Your mother has been very good to me these last few days. I just..."
"You didn’t fight with anyone? Then what’s with your face?"
She stood before Damien Vaughn with her eyes downcast, picking at her fingers. The room’s bright light illuminated her face, making the red print of five fingers clearly visible.
Damien Vaughn’s voice was laced with anger as he grabbed her chin and forced it up.
Cecelia Archer hadn’t realized the mark from the slap was still visible, much less that he would see it. She quickly turned her head away, instinctively covering her cheek with her hand.
"It was my fault. I said some awful things, I talked back to your mother and made her angry... It seems we just don’t get along. I made her furious today, so I’m too ashamed to go back."
With that, she suddenly dropped to her knees with a THUD and kowtowed to Grandpa, her eyes red.
"Grandpa, I am so, so grateful for how you’ve taken care of Candy and me, but I really can’t go back. I hope you can understand and forgive Candy and me for being so inconsiderate. We can never repay your kindness..."
As she spoke, she reached for Candy, intending for her to kneel as well, but Grandpa held the child tight and refused to let go.
"What are you doing? An argument is just an argument. You’ll meet all sorts of people in life; you can’t expect to get along perfectly with everyone. A bit of conflict is normal. Do you really need to break up with Damien over something so trivial and tear our family apart?"
"Cecelia, you’re usually so gentle and considerate. Your behavior today is a bitter disappointment!"
Cecelia Archer was speechless. Kneeling on the floor, she could only weep in silence.
Her kneeling made Damien Vaughn sense her utter helplessness. freēwebnovel.com
His mother was, after all, of a younger generation than Grandpa and always acted respectfully and appropriately in his presence. So, Grandpa didn’t have a complete picture of her personality. Damien understood why he couldn’t comprehend the pressure Cecelia was under.
He knew all too well how domineering and tyrannical his mother could be.
If she could be that overbearing with her own son, he couldn’t imagine how she must have been with Cecelia Archer.
’No wonder she insisted on sleeping with Cecelia the past two days and took her everywhere. It seems she was "training" her.’
’What an idiot! Concealing things for my mother, willingly being a pushover! I thought she wasn’t afraid to stand up to power?’
’The floor is freezing, and a hotel of this caliber is probably filthy. Isn’t she worried about her health, kneeling on the ground like that?!’
Damien Vaughn pulled Cecelia Archer to her feet.
"Grandpa, I know my mom’s temper. Cecelia must have been seriously wronged today, so please don’t say any more to her. The situation between them is my fault for not handling it better."
He suppressed his anger and turned to Cecelia Archer, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"If you don’t want to go back right now, then don’t. I’ll arrange for you and Candy to stay somewhere else. My mom won’t be in Veridia forever. She’ll leave after a while. You can come back then."
Cecelia Archer never thought Damien Vaughn would arrange for her to live elsewhere and still want her to return to the Vaughn family later.
’But him and Gwen Morgan...’
"I..."
Seeing she was about to refuse again, Damien Vaughn’s expression hardened.
"Enough! This stunt you pulled today has already pissed me off. Don’t push me any further!"
Grandpa considered for a moment and thought Damien’s idea was a good one.
"Since you two had a falling out, it would be awkward if you went back now. It’s probably for the best to be separated for a while. Let’s do that. Follow Damien’s plan. It’s just hard on me and Candy... I’ve gotten used to having her around. I start to miss her the moment she’s out of my sight."
Damien Vaughn said, "Then we’ll have to trouble you, Grandpa. You can just visit more often. When you miss her, have the driver take you to see her."
Damien Vaughn and Grandpa settled Cecelia Archer and Candy into another Vaughn family villa. After giving them a long list of things to keep in mind, they returned to the main Vaughn residence together.
Mrs. Vaughn had been on edge ever since the two of them left.
When she saw them finally return—without Cecelia Archer and Candy—the great weight on her mind was finally lifted. She feigned a calm expression and went to greet them.
"See? It was nothing. She probably just went back to her family’s home for a visit. I told you."
’She bullied Cecelia to the point that the girl was on her knees, kowtowing, and she’s acting as if nothing happened?’
Grandpa looked at Mrs. Vaughn with barely concealed anger.
"Who said she went to her family’s home? We couldn’t find her! What in the world happened between you two?"
’Is that so? They couldn’t find her? That woman finally had the sense to leave.’
Mrs. Vaughn was gloating inside, but her face wore an expression of pure grievance.
"Dad, what are you implying?"
"If she left and can’t be found, it just means this was all planned. Her heart was never with our family anyway. Why are you even bothering with someone like her?"
