04
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Elliott didn’t come home all night, and I had a great sleep.
I sent someone to gather news from the hospital.
That way, the first thing I’d get to enjoy in the morning was fresh gossip.
As I listened to my subordinate’s report, I laughed in delight when I heard that the two of
them had nearly come to blows in the hospital.
I thought to myself, “Celeste is truly foolish.
A woman who lives off a man, and yet at such a critical moment, she still dares to fight with
Elliott.
She’s betting everything on how deep Elliott’s love for her really is.”
Just as I was enjoying my good mood, Elliott returned.
He stormed in furiously, and the first thing he did upon seeing me was to lash out in anger.
“Why didn’t you save him yesterday?! Do you know that child could have been saved? When
did you become so heartless?!”
I waved a hand, signaling my subordinates to leave so they wouldn’t witness this farce.
“What child? Are you talking about the car accident I saw yesterday? Why are you so
agitated? I’m not a doctor. I couldn’t have saved him.”
Elliott panted heavily, his chest rising and falling with anger.
“You were driving, weren’t you? I went to the hospital today, and the doctor said if he had
been brought in earlier, he could have survived.
You had a car, and yet you didn’t help. You just stood there coldly, watching like a heartless
bystander!”
His rage blinded him to the flaws in his own words.
I leisurely sipped my coffee.
“Elliott, from what position are you reprimanding me?”
He abruptly fell silent.
Realizing he couldn’t vent his frustration on me, he naturally turned his attention elsewhere.
“Where were your bodyguards?
I checked the surveillance footage; every single one of them was just as cold–blooded,
standing there doing nothing.
I can’t trust people like that around you. I think I should fire them all and hire new ones.”
I looked at him, the corners of my lips curling slightly.
“Elliott, why do you keep bringing up that child? I, a mere witness, don’t seem to know as much about the situation as you do.”
He coughed awkwardly, realizing his slip.
“I… I’m just a compassionate person, unlike you.
Just thinking about an innocent life lost because of you keeps me up at night.”
I mused, “Can’t sleep? More like your guilty conscience won’t let you rest.”
D
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I mused, “Can’t sleep? More like your guilty conscience won’t let you rest.”
“That child had his own parents. Why should we meddle in their affairs?
His own parents aren’t panicked, yet here you are, worrying on their behalf.”
He wanted to argue more, his hypocritical face growing more unbearable by the second.
“Have you forgotten how our Oliver died?
Didn’t you say you had saved Oliver countless times in your dreams?”
So why didn’t you save this child? Were you just going to let him meet the same fate as
Oliver?”
Just then, my head of security pushed open the door.
It was unclear how much he had overheard outside, but he looked at me with a face full of
grievance.
“Ms. Blackwood, did I do something wrong? Why does it sound like Mr. Sinclair is blaming me for something?”
I thought, “Now that’s someone I personally picked, he sure knows how to fan the flames.”
Elliott was about to curse him out when I called the bodyguard over.
“Throw this lunatic out. He’s been unchecked for too long, and now he doesn’t even know who
the real master of this house is.
And Elliott, let me warn you. My Oliver is irreplaceable. Don’t you dare compare him to any
other child?
If you keep stepping on my bottom line, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
The bodyguards moved to drag Elliott out, and he nearly lost his mind with rage.
“What the hell are you doing?! I am the man of this house! How dare you touch me, you lowly
sc*m?!
This suit alone costs more than your salary for months, if you ruin it, can you afford to
compensate me?!”
Cursing and shouting, he was promptly escorted out. Finally, the house was quiet again.
The bodyguard returned to report that Elliott had left with an extremely grim expression.
He worried that Elliott might retaliate against me.
I waved him off dismissively.
I thought, “Retaliate against me? Even if this hadn’t happened, he still wouldn’t want me
alive.”
I didn’t expect Elliott to be so bold in this lifetime, whether it was because Celeste had driven
him mad or because grief had unhinged him.
He actually brought Celeste into our home in broad daylight.
When I saw Celeste in the living room, dressed in a maid’s uniform, for a moment, I thought Elliott was finally revealing his true colors.
“Honey, who is this?”
ធ
Seeing me come downstairs, he quickly wiped the unpleasant look off his face and put on a fawning smile.
21:58 Tue, 18 Feb
fawning smile.
“Didn’t you say we needed a cook?”
“I hired a maid for you. From now on, she’ll take care of you.”
I thought, “Interesting. Celeste, serving me?”
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I glanced behind him and caught the resentment on Celeste’s face before she had time to
mask it.
Maybe seeing my indifference, he tried to play the emotional card.
“This is the mother of the child who died in the accident yesterday. I felt sorry for her, sol
gave her a job.
And looking at her son… I can’t help but think of our poor Oliver.”
I smiled and said, “Sure, let her stay.
But… I’m not easy to serve.”
I had been wondering how to get back at Celeste.
I didn’t expect her to deliver herself to me.
Seeing me agree, Elliott finally looked relieved.
Then he called out a boy hiding behind Celeste, Adrian.
“Honey, this is Celeste’s younger son, Adrian. He’ll be living with us too.”
I could feel Elliott’s intense gaze watching my reaction.
Adrian bore some resemblance to my Oliver.
I wondered, “Is Elliott testing me?
Oscar is dead, so they want Adrian to take his place.
Would he only be satisfied if I cried and accepted the child as my godson?”
And so, Celeste moved into my house with her son.
I remained indifferent to their arrival.
I even overheard Celeste complaining to Elliott that he had once again miscalculated my
reaction, failing to make me accept her second son,
Meanwhile, Elliott blamed her for acting impulsively, forcing his hand before he had made
proper arrangements.
“So she’s willingly offering herself as my maid? Well then, she can’t blame me for what’s to
come.” I wondered.
In the days that followed, I assigned her all the hardest, most exhausting tasks. Her eyes
practically shot daggers at me.
Her temper worsened, and since she had to endure humiliation in my house, she took it out
on Elliott, leading to frequent fights.
Ironically, Elliott had cheated on me because Celeste was younger and gentler.
Now, with her throwing tantrums, I could already foresee Elliott growing tired of her. Perfect. Their rocky relationship gave me an opening.
I contacted a few friends from my social circle and arranged for Elliott to go out drinking.
Burdened with misery, he agreed without hesitation.
D
21.58 Tue, 18 Feb
Buraenea with misery, ne agreed without nesitation.
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I also made sure that at the places he frequented, there were attractive women to entertain
him.
The result? He grew increasingly dissatisfied with Celeste, who had already given birth to two
children.
Now, I didn’t even have to hide in the shadows to enjoy their arguments.
Sometimes, when I got home from work, I could hear Elliott yelling at her.
When he saw me, he would merely put on a cold face and explain that Celeste had messed
something up, and he was teaching her a lesson.
I would simply sit there, sipping my coffee, watching the drama unfold.
But before long, my subordinates informed me that Celeste had discovered Elliott was
seeing other women.
That meant my entertainment was over.
Her tantrum snapped Elliott back to his senses.
I knew then that they were about to join forces against me.
And sure enough, after that, they never fought again.
Celeste even brought me a bowl of herbal soup under the pretense of making amends.
I lifted the bowl and took a sniff.
I thought to myself, “Ah, that familiar scent.
Isn’t this the very thing that had killed me in my past life?”
I had no idea where they had gotten the ingredients.
A certain flower and an herb, when boiled together, formed a slow–acting poison that
accumulated in the body over time.
I sniffed it again and placed it on the nightstand.
“Thank you, Celeste. It’s a little hot. I’ll drink it later. You can leave now.”
She hesitated, her eyes flashing with reluctance.
“Ms. Blackwood, this soup is most effective when consumed while it’s still warm…”
I shot her a cold look.
“Are you telling me what to do?”
She instantly fell silent, too afraid to say another word.
So, in my past life, she had the audacity to gloat beside my sickbed for so long, yet in this life,
she wouldn’t even dare breathe in my presence.
Now that I was healthy and strong, she was nothing more than a coward.
She hunched over and backed out of the room.
I turned my gaze to the soup on the nightstand, deep in thought.
Then my eyes drifted to Elliott’s insulated cup on the table, and a slow smile spread across my lips.
I thought to myself, “Didn’t Elliott say Celeste’s cooking was delicious?
D
Since she went through all the trouble of making this wonderful soup, he should be the one to
enioy it ”
21:58 Tue, 18 Feb
* 68%#
Then my eyes drifted to Elliott’s insulated cup on the table, and a slow smile spread across my lips.
I thought to myself, “Didn’t Elliott say Celeste’s cooking was delicious?
Since she went through all the trouble of making this wonderful soup, he should be the one to enjoy it.”
