Whenever he asked, Cecilia would simply tilt her head and smile. "You're right. Forget it. I was just making a casual remark."
He'd always had a devil-may-care attitude, so after this happened so many times, he no longer paid it any mind.
Dating was one thing, but marriage was still a long way off.
"Marry me, and I won't do the show. What do you say?" Cecilia grinned, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth as she playfully tested Damian Hawthorne's limits.
Damian Hawthorne scoffed softly and didn't reply.
He straddled a nearby chair, his legs spread naturally. He had just pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket when he glanced at Cecilia, then tossed the pack aside.
"I've told you, I'm not getting married."
Cecilia nodded, as if she'd expected that. "But I want to."
Damian lazily raised his eyes.
"You know my reputation has been terrible these last few years. If I leave you, no decent man will want to marry me." Cecilia spread her hands in a helpless gesture. "I don't have a powerful family or any real skills. My only accomplishment is having been with you for a few years."
Damian's expression gradually darkened.
"I've been thinking, being infamous is still a type of fame. I need to seize this chance to be on the show. Once I'm famous, it'll be easier to find a husband."
Damian's expression grew cold. "You're that desperate to get married?"
"Yes. It's harder to get married when you get older," Cecilia said with a shrug. "Especially for someone with a reputation like mine."
Damian frowned at her self-deprecating tone, a wave of annoyance washing over him.
Cecilia's reputation might have taken a hit over the past few years, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she was making it sound.
"What kind of man are you looking to marry?" Damian paused as soon as the words left his mouth.
Cecilia had been by his side for so long; it should have been obvious who she wanted to marry.
"Someone dependable."
"…"
Suddenly, Damian's throat felt dry.
'Damn it. He actually believed her.'
"When you find your dependable man, let me know." Damian's voice was low. "I'll help you vet him."
"No need. I can handle it myself."
When Cecilia finished, Damian stood, grabbed his pack of cigarettes, and walked to the window to light one.
In truth, Damian rarely smoked in front of her, only when he was truly anxious.
Damian put out his cigarette. "I won't stop you from entering the competition," he said to her, "but I need you to promise me one thing."
"Don't let my mother find out about the investment."
Cecilia looked up, a sense of foreboding washing over her.
"When the time comes, just say I invested for you."
'Of course… he still wants me to take the blame…'
"Are you afraid your mother will object when Serena Hughes eventually marries into the family?" Cecilia clutched the blanket tightly. "Damian Hawthorne, are you really going to sacrifice my reputation for hers?"
"Your reputation is already ruined…" Damian narrowed his eyes, his gaze unnervingly calm. "But Serena's life has just begun."
"Heh…"
'What a cruel, pragmatic answer.'
'My reputation is already ruined, so I don't need one.'
'But Serena's life is just beginning, so he has to protect her.'
'Even though I've known this all along, hearing him say it with his own mouth is still laughable.'
'It's laughable. Four years by his side, and I haven't earned even a shred of affection in return.'
"Damian, you and I aren't the only ones who know about the investment. The news has been spreading lately. Do you think your mother is a fool? Do you think she'll believe me?"
"I'll take care of it. All you have to do is not expose the truth." Damian didn't answer her question directly.
Cecilia smiled but said nothing.
'I know how Damian operates.'
'If he wants to ruin someone, or protect them, he can make it happen.'
'After all, he's a legend in Korsyth.'
"Do I have any other choice?" Cecilia knew this was the price of entering the competition. "I won't be holding back."
"Suit yourself." Damian raised an eyebrow, apparently unconcerned.
"When did you learn to play the violin? I remember you were a music major in college, but your best instrument was the flute."
Cecilia froze.
'So he knew.'
"It's not like music students can only learn one instrument." A thought occurred to her, and she asked, "You're not going to ask me to play the flute in the competition, are you?"
'The violin is Serena's instrument. If Damian wants to help her, he definitely wouldn't want her to have a competitor who also plays the violin.'
"I haven't played the flute in a long time, and I never will again." She lowered her eyes, her palms trembling slightly.
Damian assumed she was still angry and softened his tone. "About the investment, if my mother asks, just tell her I did it for you. You don't have to do anything else."
Cecilia was tired of dealing with him. "Well then, thanks for saving me the trouble," she said wearily.
Of course, Damian could hear the sarcasm in her voice.
'He knew that Cecilia had truly been wronged this time.'
"Cecilia, I'm sorry. Serena's life is just beginning. I hope things go a bit more smoothly for her… I'll make it up to you…"
"How will you compensate me? With money? Restore my reputation?" Cecilia's gaze was scorching, as if trying to bore into his very soul. "I'm already a lost cause, beyond saving. It's my honor to be able to help save your precious sweetheart."
Damian frowned, a sudden tightness constricting his chest, making it hard to breathe.
He turned his head away and took a few gasping breaths.
'He knew she was just saying it out of anger, but her words still stung.'
Just then, Damian's phone vibrated. Cecilia glanced over, and when she saw the two words "Serena Hughes" on the screen, her expression remained perfectly calm.
Damian quickly answered the phone.
"Mr. Hawthorne, there's a problem at my house… Please, I'm begging you, come help me…" Serena's voice was thick with unshed tears.
A rare look of tension appeared on Damian's usually devil-may-care face. "Where are you?"
"I'm at home… My parents got into a dispute with the people who bought our land…"
Hearing this, Damian's brow tightened. "I'm on my way."
When Damian hung up, he looked up and met Cecilia's cold expression.
Damian hesitated, then explained instinctively, "Serena's family is in trouble…" He trailed off.
'In the past, he never would have bothered explaining things to Cecilia.'
But Cecilia seemed not to mind at all, waving a hand at him. "Go on."
This decisive, detached version of Cecilia was something Damian wasn't used to.
Plenty of other women had called him for help in the past, but Cecilia had always found a way to keep him from leaving.
Pouting, faking an illness, even throwing a full-blown tantrum—she'd use any method she could to keep him by her side.
But lately, she seemed to have become a completely different person.
Damian lowered his phone, his gaze growing deeper, more inscrutable.
"Damian… what are you looking at me for?" Cecilia, of course, had overheard what Serena said on the phone.
"Do you want me to go?" Damian raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing, as if testing a theory.
Cecilia's lips parted as her eyes slowly widened in disbelief.
'Did I hear him right?'
'Was Damian actually asking for my opinion?'
"If I said I didn't want you to go, would you stay?" Cecilia retorted. "A woman is most in need of care when she's vulnerable. If you're trying to win her over, this is the perfect opportunity to play the hero saving the damsel in distress."
Cecilia's tone was steady, as if she were sincerely giving him advice.
And yet every word, every phrase, was framed as if she were considering his best interests.
Damian's lips curled into a smile as he forced down the unease rising within him.
"Thank you for the advice."
Damian turned and strode toward the door.
Just then, the doctor walked in holding a medical file.
"Miss Nathan, regarding your mention of taking birth control pills, we've run the blood tests…"
Hearing the words "birth control pills," Damian stopped in his tracks.