Chapter 7 Get Lost

Daphne finally realized how delusional she had been when she fearfully walked out of the villa.

There were bodyguards in black suits, standing guard outside. It was wishful thinking on her end to believe that she could escape from this place. She would never have been able to escape without Nicholas’s permission.

The bodyguards ignored Daphne. Her road to escape went without a hitch.

The villa’s compound was huge. Daphne couldn’t find her way out at all. Her back was drenched from walking around under the hot sun for such a long time.

Daphne tried looking for someone to ask for directions but couldn’t find a single soul.

“Cedric, you’re so bad…”

Suddenly, she overheard a sugary-sweet, girlish voice. Daphne came to an abrupt stop and stared squarely at her feet. The sunlight was bouncing off her legs.

‘That voice sounded too familiar!’

“Stop swimming, baby. Let’s go inside. I haven’t seen you in two months!”

That voice sounded even more familiar.

Daphne stood under the hot sun in the scorching summer weather, feeling as if she had entered a cave of ice.

‘My… Brother… Cedric…”

There was an outdoor swimming pool situated in a grassy area right next to Daphne.

She could hear the sound of splashes, girlish giggles, and a man’s flirtatious banter, over and over again… Daphne felt close to a collapse.

‘He hadn’t seen her in two months… Did Cedric visit Beatrice two months ago? Two months ago…’

Hadn’t Beatrice left for English summer camp two months ago?

She had been wondering why Cedric was suddenly so impatient with her. Now it seemed that there was no need…

“Okay, okay… Oh, fine. Carry me inside then!”

Beatrice’s sugary giggles pierced her ears, along with more impatient splashing noises.

Daphne shut her eyes.

Beep!

Suddenly, she heard the loud sound of a car honking at her.

Daphne stiffly turned around and saw a luxury car that had stopped right behind her. A man stuck out his head and yelled, “Why are you standing in the middle of the road? Are you trying to kill yourself? Get lost!”

Daphne was in a daze. She stiffly took a step back.

She suddenly realized that she had been standing in the middle of the road for a very long time…

Daphne couldn’t remember how she had left the villa, nor how she managed her way back to the Montgomerys’ villa.

All she could remember was walking for quite a distance, so much so that her feet were aching, but she couldn’t stop.

It was as if the pain in her heart would be diminished if somewhere else was hurting instead.

“Missus Daphne” The maids would still address Daphne with decorum, even though she was practically non-existent in the family.

Daphne stiffly walked upstairs.

Olivia was lounging in the living room, watching television. A door-to-door manicurist was doing her nails.

Olivia turned around when she heard the maid’s greeting. “Oh, you’re back? How was your ‘service’? Was Mr. Wolfe satisfied with you?”

Daphne pretended not to hear her and continued her journey upstairs. She ended up bumping into Wesley, who was just on his way down.

“You’re back, Daphne?” Wesley stared at Daphne in surprise. Then he anxiously asked, “How was it? Was Master Nicholas satisfied with you? I’ve tried to contact his people, but I couldn’t reach them!”

Wesley couldn’t seem to contact the person who had promised to help save his company, so he was eager to find out if Daphne’s performance had been satisfactory by asking her instead.

It would be great news if she did a good job, if not…

Daphne trembled, then turned around and shot Wesley a sly stare.

This was her father, who had forced her into doing something that she did not want to do, and he had the gall to ask her about it…

Suddenly, Daphne felt an urge to burst into laughter. ‘See that, mom? You asked this man to take care of me!’

‘Wasn’t he supposed to cut ties with me? Haven’t I suffered enough hurt from him, after all these years?’

‘Then why do I still feel sad?’

Daphne stared at her father with an ice-cold glare and replied, “I don’t feel like talking right now! I’m going to bed!”

Then, she continued her way upstairs, refusing to look at her father any longer.

Wesley frowned irritably and opened his mouth to stop her. However, he remembered the look in her eyes and stopped hesitantly.

“Oh, look at that! She’s parading around like she’s the family savior! She’s certainly good with putting on airs! And telling us that she’s going to bed…”

Olivia’s bemused taunts chimed in. Wesley turned around and looked at Olivia. The fats on his fleshy face seemed to squeeze in together as if he were trying to change his face. He smiled and said, “Hey, are you done with your nails? Weren’t you asking for a new bag? I’ll take you shopping.”

“Can’t you see for yourself if I’m done? Be patient!” Olivia snapped.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Wesley smiled.

Upstairs…

Daphne’s room was on the top floor, like the least attractive part of Cinderella's house, from the children’s storybook.

Except the beautiful yet forlorn Cinderella was blessed by the heavens in the end and had married a prince.

And her prince?

Daphne lay in bed, staring at the picture on her bedside table. It was a picture of their family of four—her father, mother, and Cedric.

Olivia and Beatrice hadn’t come into the picture yet. They had been such a happy family.

Daphne’s mother had adopted Cedric when he was five years old.

Daphne’s mother had found Cedric during a charity event for orphans. At the time, she had her uterus removed due to internal bleeding after giving birth to Daphne and had always felt guilty for her inability to give the Montgomerys a son. After discussing it with Wesley, they had decided to adopt Cedric.

From then on, Cedric, who had lived in an orphanage, was promoted into the life of a rich man’s son. The only daughter of the Montgomerys, Daphne, had suddenly gained an older brother.

Daphne had accepted Cedric and hadn’t even been jealous of the kindness that her parents had shown him.

As a child, Cedric hadn’t liked talking. Daphne had been lively and full of energy. The little girl would chatter on and on, following Cedric around…

Until one day, Daphne herself wasn’t sure when, these feelings had suddenly begun to change.

She had grown increasingly eager to see Cedric but had been too shy to look him in the eye whenever she did. She would even sneak a few glances at him from time to time.

She had been like the girls at school, putting on facial masks and secretly buying lipsticks…

However, all of this changed when Daphne’s mother died in an accident.

Daphne had witnessed how loving her parents used to be. But she had also witnessed her father bringing home another woman and a small girl, one week after her mother’s funeral…

Daphne was one year older than Beatrice but was now referred to by the more derogatory form address of “Missus Daphne”.

Because that woman had insisted against having her daughter’s status elevated, fearing that she would end up getting bullied.

Her father had happily agreed.

That had been Daphne’s first taste of the bitterness that came with growing up.

What had Cedric done at the time?

Cedric had held her hand for the first time ever, looked at her with eyes full of determination, and declared, “Don’t worry, Daphne. Even if the whole world abandons you, you’ll always have me!”

‘You’ll always have me…’

Daphne stared at the picture, then suddenly burst into laughter and buried her head under the duvet.

Who did Cedric choose in the end?