Ch. 531..540

Chapter 531 The One Trying to Kill Her Father

At this very moment, Faye’s heart stopped as the guests condemned her one after another. “To think that someone came to the Saunders Residence wearing a red dress! What a nerve!”

“Who is she? Does she bear a grudge against the Saunderses or something? Isn’t it obvious that she’s trying to embarrass them?” “Everyone knows that when Mrs. Saunders died, rumors about her red dress were all over the tabloid magazines. Mr. Saunders even withdrew from the public eye for nearly half a year because of that!”

“It’s mean of her to spoil the party using the party host’s scandals!”

Soon, the young ladies who had gone shopping and had afternoon tea with Faye before recognized her. “Oh, my God! Is that Faye? Does she have a screw loose or something? Why would she come here while dressed up like that?!”

“She and Celina had always been inseparable when we hung out together. Is she wearing a red dress to mock Mr. Saunders for having been cuckolded?”

“My world’s turning upside down, honestly. I used to think that Faye was pretty nice, but I didn’t expect her to be such a woman in private. I gotta be on guard against her at my family’s parties from now on…”

Faye clutched the skirt of her dress; her beautifully-outlined bare shoulders were deeply sunken with extreme nervousness. She had intended to steal the limelight at the party with her beauty, but she never thought she would end up being condemned by everyone. She felt like her feet had been filled with lead, and she didn’t know whether to leave or not.

David stared hard at Faye; the red color of her dress occupied his mind’s eye, approaching him and wrapping itself tightly around him like a huge piece of red plastic, rendering him unable to breathe. He recalled the car accident back then, as well as the reports on his wife’s love affair with that guy and the countless gossip mocking him for being cuckolded. His cheeks flushed crimson with indignation, and his eyes became bloodshot. In an instant, he became unable to breathe; he clutched his chest and collapsed face down with a loud thud!

Celina immediately rushed to David when she heard him collapsing on stage with a thud, but she couldn’t prop him up as a lady. In the end, several guests nearby worked together to help David up.

The situation went out of control right away as all the guests surrounded David. The scene was in complete chaos. Some tried to give David first-aid, whereas some called for an ambulance.

However, Celina was only pretending to be nervous. She never thought that David would be so angry, though such a reaction from him would apparently be of great help to her plan—she had purposely refrained from looking back just now, believing that the person who had come in was Elise. However, when David showed no signs of regaining consciousness upon receiving first-aid, she finally panicked for real. “Dad! Dad, wake up!” She gave David a hard shove, but he didn’t show any signs of life, as if… As if he’s dead!

Celina’s lips parted slightly in horror. After a long time, she tentatively put out two fingers and put them under David’s nose. After a few seconds, her face turned ashen. She faltered, “D-Dad’s not b-breathing anymore…”

“What?! Mr. Saunders is dead?!”

“Oh, God! How could this happen?”

“Has anyone called for an ambulance? No, let’s send him to the hospital right away. We can’t wait for an ambulance anymore!”

“What’s the point of sending him to the hospital? He’s not breathing anymore!”

As the situation got completely out of hand, someone lunged at Faye and grabbed her. “She’s the culprit! Arrest her!”

“She’s the one who killed Mr. Saunders!”

Celina’s mind went totally blank. She could no longer care about her plan or Elise or anything else. All she had wanted was to embarrass Elise in public and destroy the latter’s good reputation by using her dead mother. But who would’ve thought that her father, who loved her more than anyone else did, would end up dying because of that? This isn’t what I wanted—never!

It had only been over a decade since the Saunders Family went up in the world, so the family’s footing wasn’t solid yet. Moreover, David had never touched another woman since his wife passed away, so Celina was the only other person left in the Saunders Family at present. If David died, how was she supposed to manage her family and protect their business?!

A tremendous sense of fear came over Celina. Soon afterward, though, she found an outlet to vent her fears—that was, her hatred for Elise! If it weren’t for Elise, all of this wouldn’t have happened. It was Elise who killed Dad. I’m gonna get her to pay for this with her own life!

At this very moment, Celina could no longer care about anything else. I must make Elise die for this! She sniffled as a murderous flicker flashed across her eyes. Then, she stood up, ready to go to Elise and fight the latter to the death.

However, just as she was about to turn around, a gentle yet firm voice stood out in the rowdy living hall. “Let me through, please. I know some first aid. The ambulance’s gonna take some time to arrive, so let me give the man first aid first.”

Celina immediately recognized Elise’s voice. How could she have the cheek to say she wants to save Dad after angering him to death? she thought. She turned around and looked viciously in the voice’s direction, but she didn’t see Elise dressed in a red evening dress as she had imagined. Instead, the lady was dressed in a silver sequin dress that made her look as beautiful as a mermaid princess who had just come ashore, causing all the other female guests nearby to pale in comparison.

What’s going on? She isn’t wearing the red dress? Who’s the person that made Dad so angry, then? Dumbfounded, Celina turned her gaze away from Elise. Almost immediately, she followed the extremely eye-catching red color with her eyes and saw Faye being caught. What? It’s Faye?! Why her?! The red dress I delivered was intended for Elise! In other words, the one who killed my father isn’t Elise, but Faye, my bestie?! This is impossible! This can’t be true!

Elise had come forward before Celina recovered from her shock. She had been waiting outside the Saunders Residence, and it wasn’t until Faye showed up that she came in after her. Therefore, she didn’t miss a single second of what had happened just now. While she found the situation ironic, she couldn’t help but heave an inward sigh of relief for herself. If she hadn’t been cautious enough to not chance wearing that dress, she would’ve been the one who was being caught and becoming everyone’s favorite Aunt Sally right now. Not only that, but she would’ve also been publicly disgraced for being a murderer.

Elise lowered her eyes before looking intently at Celina again with a chillingly murderous look in her eyes. Wanna make me a social pariah, huh? Alright then, I’ll let you experience what it feels like to pay a double penalty! Concealing her real emotions at once, she placed her hand on Celina’s shoulder and comforted her gently, saying, “Don’t worry, Celina. I have some knowledge in first aid, so let me take a look at your dad. Perhaps he still has a chance to stay alive.”

Celina came to her senses the instant Elise’s hand touched her shoulder. “Get out of my house now, you b*tch!” She shoved Elise right away. Pointing at the latter, she swore, “You wanna save him? I think you want him to die even faster!”

The instant she said that, the guests looked at her with a hint of skepticism in their eyes. In a situation as hopeless as this one, even a stranger might be of help. And yet she swore at the person who kindly volunteered to save her father? Seems like the person who wants Mr. Saunders to die even faster isn’t this lady, but Celina! Perhaps she’s been coveting Mr. Saunders’ wealth for a long time and has been wishing for him to die sooner! What an ungrateful daughter!

Regina didn’t expect that David would be angered to death, so she quickly came to Celina and grabbed her, pleading, “Please come to your senses, Miss Celina. Do you really want to get Master David killed? He’s your father! Hurry up and let this lady save him!”

The guests no longer remained silent as well. They chimed in, “That’s right, Celina. It’s wrong of you to behave like this. If your dad really ends up dying due to a delay in first-aid, you’ll be responsible for it!”

Chapter 532 Kenneth Hits Women?

Celina felt a splitting headache as the guests tried to get a word in all at once. She took a deep breath. She wished she could skin Elise alive, but she couldn’t do anything because these guests were looking daggers at her. In the end, she could only close her eyes and tacitly consent to Elise giving David first aid.

Elise could’ve turned a blind eye to the situation at first, but on second thoughts, she realized that David was totally innocent—no one would trifle with their own lives, after all. She couldn’t just sit by and watch a person die even if it was a stranger, let alone now. It was the father’s fault for not teaching his child to behave well, and Celina had to bear the consequences for setting her up, but David didn’t deserve to die. And besides, David was still of use to her.

Elise stepped forward and reached out to take the pulse in David’s neck. It was weak; there was hardly any pulse at all. She then straightened the man’s arms and rolled up his sleeves, and sure enough, she noticed the protruding veins on his arms. His left lung is probably injured, she thought.

The situation was grave. David passed out not only because his sudden anger had deprived his brain of oxygen; the other reason was that there was a severe accumulation of gas in his pleural cavity. If the gas wasn’t released as soon as possible, he would be unable to breathe on his own for a long time. Soon, his organs would stop working, and he would die completely.

Elise couldn’t perform a surgery to deal with the lack of oxygen in David’s brain, but she could try releasing the gas in his pleural cavity.

“Can Master David be saved, miss?” Regina asked, her eyes reddened. David and Celina had treated her well over the few years she had been working at the Saunders Residence. If she really ended up killing David this time, she would have to spend the rest of her life with a guilty conscience.

Elise’s expression was grave, though. “It’s not easy to save him. I have to remove the gas that has been accumulating in his pleural cavity, but I can’t do it with so many people being present here. Get him to the lounge, please.”

Soon, several male guests helped carry David into a room.

Elise stood where she was while pondering over how to deal with the situation. If she were in a hospital, she could’ve had the doctor remove the gas surgically using medical instruments, but there were neither doctors nor medical instruments here.

Soon, her eyes fell on the large aquarium beside the dining table.

The next second, she rushed to the aquarium and detached the transparent tube from the aquarium’s booster pump. After tossing the tube onto the dining table, she cleaned its exterior with liquor and poured alcohol into the tube, disinfecting it completely.

Then, she quickly ran into the kitchen and took a paring knife. After disinfecting the knife in the same manner, she grabbed two half-full bottles of whiskey and ordered the servants to get her some cellophane tape while she quickly headed for the room.

“Stop right there!” Celina stopped her again. “What are you gonna do with the knife?!”

This was also what the other guests would like to ask. They totally didn’t understand Elise’s intentions, so none of them dared to advise Celina to step aside.

“Stop me all you want if you want your dad dead!” Elise’s eyes were flashing, and her voice was devoid of warmth. At this very moment, she was only a doctor trying to save a patient’s life!

Celina had never seen such a look in anyone’s eyes before. In an instant, she was frightened by that look; then, her fear was overtaken by feelings of unease, guilt, and anxiety. She didn’t want David to die, nor was she willing to see that happen. “I’ll never let you off if anything happens to my dad!” she threatened before silently making way for Elise.

“You won’t have the chance!” Elise cast a sidelong glance at her in disdain before turning around to enter the room.

To avoid keeping Elise from giving David first aid, most of the people had left, leaving only Regina and some of David’s buddies in the room.

Elise put everything on the nightstand. After disinfecting the tube and the knife for a second time, she cut the tube into a long one and a short one. Then, she inserted one end of the longer tube into the half-full bottle of whiskey until it touched the bottom of the bottle. After that, she inserted a bit of the shorter tube into the mouth of the bottle and sealed the space between the mouth of the bottle and the tubes with the cellophane tape.

Having done all of this, she picked up the paring knife, unbuttoned David’s shirt, and made an incision in the lower part of the left side of his chest under the second rib. Then, she inserted the other end of the longer tube into the incision.

Soon, there was a reaction in the whiskey bottle; bubbles kept coming out of the end of the longer tube. Half a minute later, David took a sharp breath in bed and resumed breathing, though he was still unconscious.

At the sight of the scene, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s amazing! How did you do it?” asked one of David’s buddies.

Elise let out a heavy breath. “It’s just a simple version of the one-way valve principle. Before the rupture in his lung heals, air will keep flowing into the pleural cavity and accumulate there. The tube can remove the gas, whereas the alcohol stops the air from flowing back in.”

Leaning against the door with a complicated look on her face, Celina stared at Elise morosely, her feelings mixed. She had thought that Elise was skilled in medicine, but it turned out that all the latter knew was but some simple daily life principles. Valve? Removing the gas? Sounds like part of the manual labor that only a child that became the breadwinner for their family at an early age would experience. To think that she would show off by capitalizing on her experience in the countryside!

Luckily, David had resumed breathing, so Celina no longer had to worry about losing her support. Thus, she wasn’t afraid of Elise anymore. “All you can do is such unskilled work,” she said sarcastically. “Since you’ve finished giving first aid, hurry up and get out of here. Stay away from my dad lest your bad luck influences him!”

They were now in the room, not the living hall. There weren’t any meddlesome guests, so Celina felt she could do whatever she pleased. Since David was alive, it was only natural that a doctor would save him, so Celina felt it was time to chase Elise away. There was no way she would let Elise wait here until David regained consciousness and treated her like a distinguished guest due to intense gratitude. How could she let Elise steal her thunder?

One of David’s buddies spoke for Elise as he couldn’t stand the sight of what was happening. “It’s wrong of you to speak like that, Celina. She saved your father, after all!”

“Yeah, that’s right. How could you chase her away as soon as your dad resumes breathing? Even if your dad’s awake, he won’t return her kindness with ingratitude!”

“That’s right. Let’s have this lady stay here instead until the ambulance arrives.”

Celina folded her arms across her chest in a perverse attitude. “Gentlemen, I know you guys are hoping for nothing but my dad’s death so that you guys could steal his business from him. Stop pretending like you’re his sworn brothers here!”

“You! How could you say something like that?!”

“Okay, it’s our fault for poking our nose into somebody else’s business. Let’s go!”

“Hmph!”

The men then left the room in a huff.

Regina wanted to stop them, but she dared not leave the room lest anything might happen to David again.

As soon as they left, Celina acted even more recklessly. She had suffered a lot of grievances out there just now because of Elise, so how could she not get back at the latter all at once this time?

Celina’s venomous gaze rested on Elise for a moment. Then, she angrily charged at Elise and raised her hand in an attempt to slap the latter. However, just as her hand was still in midair, a man suddenly stretched out his large hand from behind and grabbed her, rendering her unable to move.

Celina’s eyes turned cold when she threw her head back to see who it was. “K-Kenneth? Why are you here?”

Kenneth’s eyes gleamed with grimness. “Hmm? Won’t you be able to hurt her if I’m absent?” He grabbed Celina’s hand in a vice-like grip before shaking her hand off forcefully and flinging her to the ground. I never hit women, except for those who bully Elise.

Chapter 533 Too Indifferent

Kenneth took out his handkerchief and wiped the hand with which he had grabbed Celina just now. Then, he walked up to Elise and asked in a whisper, “Are you alright?”

“Nope,” Elise replied. “Hmm?” Kenneth cocked an eyebrow in puzzlement. Elise cast a sidelong look at him. “You came too early. It made me appear weak.”

“Ho ho…” Kenneth let out a chuckle. “In that case, I did come at a bad time.”

“Indeed.” Elise shrugged her shoulders. The silver needle she brought with her today had been soaked in a specially made psychedelic potion, so it was more than enough for what was needed to deal with Celina.

“It’s not what you think it is, Mr. Bailey!” Celina was filled with increasing anger when she saw the pair exchange glances. As soon as she picked herself up, she pointed at Elise and accused her, saying, “Don’t let this vicious woman fool you! She nearly killed my dad by deliberately having her sister dressed in red to provoke him!” That’s right! Elise must have done something so that the dress intended for her ended up being worn by Faye instead!

“Deliberate, you say?” Elise looked at Celina intently. “If I wanted to kill your dad, why would I try to save him? And besides, Miss Celina, did you forget who delivered that dress?! Speaking of it, I seriously wonder what made you hate your dad so much that you had to anger him to death in a way that embarrassed him the most. They say that Mr. Saunders is very sensitive to the color red because of his late wife who had cheated on him. His health declined back then because he was angered by his wife’s love affair, and now you’re trying to annoy him to death. Could it be that you and your mother were so close that you two joined the Saunders Family for the same purpose of taking Mr. Saunders’ life?”

“That’s nonsense!” Celina raised her voice. “He’s my dad! What good would it do me to kill him?”

“That’s right. You dared to do it, even if it wouldn’t do you any good. If it would do you any good, you’d probably slit his throat yourself with a knife, no?” Elise’s lips curled into a sneer. “But what you did just now isn’t much different from slitting his throat with a knife. If you had managed to stop me, you’d have inherited the Saunderses’ family fortune as you wished.”

“That’s bullshit! I’m the only daughter of the Saunders Family, so the Saunderses’ fortune is mine in the first place. Why would I need to kill my dad to get all of this?!” Celina stared hard at Elise with huge, round eyes. “Save the act, Elise! I know you’re trying to slander me in front of Mr. Bailey!”

Elise replied with a half-smile, “It doesn’t matter whether I’m trying to slander you or frame you. In any case, I’m now the heroine who’s saved your father, and you’re the unfilial daughter in the eyes of everyone. Celina, has all of this worked the way you wanted?”

Stunned, Celina stood frozen in place, her heart beating uneasily. Why is this happening? This party was a setup I arranged for Elise, but I’m the one who’s been at a disadvantage so far! Not only did I make Dad ill in bed, but even my reputation is destroyed now! Why did everything turn out this way? “What the hell did you do…” She looked at Elise in horror with a chill running down her spine, as if a gust of chilly wind had just blown past her.

“You saw all of it, didn’t you?” Elise’s lips parted casually. “I attended the party at your invitation, saved your father while I’m at it, and became a savior for your family. That’s all.”

But this isn’t what’s supposed to happen! thought Celina. For a moment, she was at a loss for words, and she stood rooted in a daze. She had a bunch of guests out there to deal with and explain the situation to still. As soon as she walked out of this room, everyone would know that Elise had requited evil with good by bringing her father back to life. They would heap praises on Elise, whereas what awaited her—the star of today’s birthday party—was nothing but ridicule and contempt. This is my home turf, but why does it seem like I’m the last person who’s supposed to be here?

In an instant, Celina was at a loss for what to do. She kept pondering like mad in her mind how to deal with the present situation, but her brain just didn’t work well. It was too foggy to come up with any solution.

Just then, however, a weak voice suddenly sounded from the bed. “Nana…”

Regina, who was leaning over the bed, was the first to realize this. She shouted with excitement, “He’s awake! Master David’s awake!”

Everyone turned their heads simultaneously to see that David, who had barely been breathing at first, had regained consciousness before they realized it. At this moment, Regina had propped him up and helped him sit up against the headboard.

Celina was both overjoyed and afraid. She called out tentatively in disbelief, “Dad?”

Covering the treated wound on his chest, David nodded weakly to signal that he had heard her.

Only then did Celina snap out of her panic. She rushed to his bed, bursting into tears at once. “You’re awake at last, Dad! I’m glad you’re alright!” With David backing her up, she wouldn’t have to worry about being bullied. As long as David was alive, she would still have someone to rely on!

David raised his hand with difficulty and stroked Celina’s hair reassuringly. He replied under his breath, “It’s alright. Even if the sky falls down, you don’t have to be afraid as long as I’m here.”

Elise found this strange. After the emergency treatment just now, David was supposed to slowly regain consciousness, during which time he should’ve heard their conversation very clearly and realized that his daughter had nearly gotten him killed. Even so, he was still able to dote on Celina so much. It seemed like he really treated this daughter of his as the apple of his eye.

Knowing how weak David was at the moment, Celina didn’t continue venting her emotions. Soon, she stopped crying, got up, and stepped aside.

Only then did David look up at Kenneth and Elise beside him. “From what I heard, you’re the one who saved my life, miss. Is that right?” He spoke very slowly, seemingly with great difficulty.

“It’s nothing.” Elise admitted it right away without pretending to be bashful.

David replied flatly with a slight nod, “Thanks.” Then, he quickly changed the subject, saying, “Regina, have someone bring in the woman who spoiled the party on purpose.”

Elise wasn’t someone who wouldn’t cast her bread upon the waters, but she vaguely sensed that something was wrong with David. Is this how one is supposed to treat someone who has just saved their life? He’s a bit too indifferent, isn’t he?

On the other hand, Celina turned pale at David’s words. The woman who spoiled the party? Isn’t that referring to Faye?

Whenever Celina and the other rich kids hung out together, all they did was eat, drink, and have fun. Even so, she really thought of Faye as a friend whom she could talk to. Therefore, how could she really let anything happen to Faye? And besides, that dress… “Dad,” she interrupted. “You’ve just come round, and your body’s still weak. You shouldn’t exert yourself too much. Just leave these matters to me, okay? I’ve grown up, so I’m supposed to share your burdens.”

However, David replied, “I’m glad you’re so considerate about me, but this matter is about a man’s pride and the Saunders Family’s reputation. I know what to do, so just stay out of this.” Having forcefully made the decision, he shot Regina a glance right away, signaling her to go out and have Faye brought in.

Celina was about to speak, but she bit back the words on the tip of her tongue since Regina had gone out.

Soon, Faye was shoved into the room with her hands tied.

Chapter 534 That’s Really Unfortunate

Celina’s heart was beating wildly. She had always known that her deceased mother was the biggest taboo subject for her father. David usually doted on her very much, but his attitude toward her would be different when it came to serious matters. At the thought of how furious David would be, her palms broke out in a cold sweat, and she silently hung her head.

On the other hand, Elise purposely gave a look of surprise at the sight of Faye. “Faye? It’s you? …Aren’t you Miss Saunders’ close friend? Don’t you know about the Saunderses’ taboos? Oh, I got it. You’ve been concerning yourself with the company’s affairs every day, and on top of that, you have to deal with the investigation these days. Did you perhaps make a mistake because you were too busy?”

Faye was furious and piqued, but she couldn’t say a word as she had a strip of duct tape plastered on her mouth. Indeed, what had happened today was her mistake, but she wouldn’t have been so careless if Elise hadn’t had the policeman pester her!

At the sight of Faye’s dress, David took a few deep breaths in anger. It wasn’t until Regina helped him catch his breath that he calmed down. “Faye! I’d never have thought you were the one trying to kill me!”

Faye was Celina’s friend, and David had met her before. When he heard that Faye was the person in charge of Anderson Pharmaceuticals, he even told his daughter to spend more time with Faye and learn from her. Whenever the Saunders Family’s jewelry stores launched a new product, he would tell her daughter to take Faye to one of the jewelry stores to choose from the products herself. However, he never expected this to be what he got in return for his sincerity!

Faye hung her head in shame. She had had everything figured out outside just now. Celina must have intended the red dress for Elise, but Elise had the dress delivered to her in a way she couldn’t fathom. However, she was both mentally and physically exhausted after having just returned from the detention center, so she came wearing the red dress.

At the moment, it was useless for her to say anything. She could only hope that David would let her off after venting all of his anger. After all, she couldn’t testify against Celina in public. If she wanted to secure her footing in the Anderson Family, she had to rely on an influential family like the Saunderses. Thus, she couldn’t afford a falling-out with the Saunderses.

Just then, Celina immediately knelt down and pleaded on Faye’s behalf, saying, “Dad, I’m also at fault about this matter. It was my fault for not having told Faye about it beforehand. She didn’t know about it, which was why she wore… If you want to blame anyone, please blame me along with Faye. Please don’t make things difficult for her. I don’t have many friends, and Faye has always been sincere to me. I can’t leave her in the lurch!”

David looked at Celina with a complicated look in his eyes before turning his gaze to Faye. After clenching his teeth and staring at her for half a minute, he said slowly, “Never mind. Today is Nana’s birthday, so I don’t want to spoil the mood. Let’s drop the matter. Please leave on your own, and don’t come to the Saunders Residence anymore in the future.”

“Thank you, Dad! Thank you so much! I’ll see Faye out right away, so take a good rest. I’ll come and see you again in a while!” Fearing that David might go back on his words, Celina quickly stopped crying and left with Faye.

As soon as the two ladies left, silence returned to the room.

David heaved a weary sigh before turning to look at Kenneth and Elise. “Thank you for your great help, Mr. Bailey and Miss Sinclair. I’ll definitely express my gratitude in person some other day. I hope today’s episode didn’t spoil your fun. If you don’t mind, please continue to enjoy the party outside.” His head was drooping, and he looked dizzy, as though he was about to fall asleep.

Taking the hint at once, Elise and Kenneth said a few pleasantries and left the room.

Kenneth was a high-profile figure in the circle, whereas Elise had caused such a great sensation just now. Therefore, there was a lot of gossip when they walked side by side through the hallway into the living hall in a friendly fashion. However, neither of them really cared about it. Their expressions were identical: both wore a meaningful smile on their faces while slyness flickered in their eyes.

Kenneth took the initiative to speak with Elise, asking, “What are you smiling at?”

“What are you smiling at, then?” Elise replied while walking at a sedate pace.

“You know I’m smiling without even looking at me, eh?” Kenneth said in a flippant tone.

“Well, I’ve got eyes all over my body,” Elise replied.

Kenneth was amused by her remark. “Your lack of modesty is almost comparable to mine.”

“That’s really unfortunate.” Elise composed her features. She continued with a half-smile, “I’ve thought that a foolish daughter must have an equally foolish father, but now, it seems like that isn’t entirely the case.”

“Indeed,” Kenneth replied with a thoughtful expression. “David heard all of our conversation just now, but he didn’t blow up at his daughter on the spot. This shows how good he is at concealing his emotions.”

“Well, someone who managed to outdo his competitors to the point of closing down must’ve had some tricks up his sleeve.” Elise had a look of amused interest on her face. “But this makes it even more interesting.” In reality, she also found Faye’s behavior surprising. Faye’s a resilient woman. If I had defended myself and sold Celina out just now, both of them would’ve been finished.

A man who had been cheated on would never want this to become a subject for laughter in the circle once again after so many years had passed. If David had learned that it was his daughter who set this up, perhaps his lungs would’ve literally exploded, causing him to die of anger right away.

Faye had gotten away this time, but the incident where Elise had saved David’s life became a hot topic at the birthday party nonetheless. Not only that, but the rumors about the incident became so exaggerated that it was said she could bring the dead back to life.

Meanwhile, Celina took Faye to the Saunders Residence’s back door and untied the latter before sending the servants away. After the servants were gone, she immediately stopped the sisterly act. She said crossly, “What’s the matter with you, Faye? I’ve told you before that nothing red is allowed at my home. Did you lose your marbles or something?!”

Upon hearing her words, Faye was so angry that she nearly passed out. Lose my marbles? Yeah, I was so wrapped up in things, I must have lost my marbles to be besties with this idiot. Would I have been involved in this if Celina hadn’t come up with such a stupid trick? Now that everyone has learned that I’m an unruly person, God knows how many people are gonna slam the door in my face. How could Celina blame me instead when I didn’t make a fuss with her about this? Can’t she figure it out with that stupid brain of hers? How could someone as smart as Elise attend the party without doing any investigation when it’s so obvious that the party is a setup? If it weren’t that David’s business in Landred City was booming, I would’ve cast Celina, this idiot, aside long ago.

At the moment, though, she still had to put up with this stupid ‘friend’ of hers. “The fault lies with me. I was careless.” She gave in to Celina. However, she didn’t forget to ask the woman, “But why didn’t you discuss it with me before doing this?”

Her question was so close to home that Celina felt guilty at once. “I-I just thought I wanted to stick up for you. And besides, you didn’t say anything when we were discussing it in the group chat, so I thought you agreed.”

Group chat? Faye recalled that she did have a chat group with Celina and two other women. However, she rarely took a look at their group chat. Most of the time, it was the other three women who shared some boring photos of their daily lives or discussed designer bags. She was different from these women, who only knew to eat, drink, and have fun; all they thought about was to get married to some guy and idle their time away in a different home. She had to work her guts out so that those old men at Anderson Pharmaceuticals would support her being in charge of the company.

Chapter 535 It’s Now or Never

“I didn’t see it. Elise tricked me into getting detained in the detention center for a few days.” Faye successfully found an excuse. In reality, though, even if she didn’t have her freedom restricted, she wouldn’t have opened the hundreds of meaningless messages in the group chat every day unless she needed to.

“It’s Elise again!” Celina was seething with anger. “She spoiled everything. How abominable!” Faye rolled her eyes in secret. She’s really good at pleading innocence, huh? She doesn’t blame herself at all for being unable to do anything right, she thought. Still, she reminded Celina patiently, saying, “It’s okay. We all learn from our mistakes. Now that you’ve been tricked by her this time, you gotta be careful in the future. Don’t play into her hands again.”

“You’re talking like it was all my fault. I didn’t say anything about how you had nearly angered my dad to death, yet you started on me!” Celina had suffered a lot of grievances today, so she wasn’t in the mood to please Faye. Her eyelids drooping, she said impassively, “We’re besties, so it’d be unsightly for us to fall out. I’ve got to entertain my guests, so you should go on on your own.” As she was sulking, she wasn’t even willing to say goodbye. After finishing her sentence, she immediately left without looking back.

“You little piece of—” Faye stamped her foot in anger. What an idiot who wouldn’t even listen to someone’s kind advice! Does she honestly think that the Andersons are eager to lick the Saunders Family’s boots? Although the Andersons and the Saunderses are equal in terms of strength, when it comes to social standing and connections, the Saunderses, who are only a family of upstarts, can’t even hold a candle to the Andersons. How dare she actually blow up at me? Why do I still bother pleasing this good-for-nothing? I might as well go my own way! Losing her temper at once, she turned around and left without asking Celina to stay.

Elise was looking into the distance from one of the balconies on the top floor of the Saunders Residence, so she happened to see how the two ladies had gone their separate ways at the residence’s entrance. Her beautiful eyes narrowed, and a sharp glint flickered in them. Losing your composure after losing face a little, huh? There’s more where that came from, Faye! Your ‘fortune’ is still awaiting you!

She kept watching until Faye’s figure disappeared before she withdrew her gaze and prepared to leave. Just then, however, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Celina meeting up with Gabriel in a small garden with trees. Her eyes turned cold at once. What’s the matter that they need to discuss without being noticed? She had a hunch that she had something to do with this.

“Seems like the scenery here is nice.” Kenneth leisurely came to Elise’s side while glancing down casually at the ground below. “Let me take a look. What’s the scenery that Miss Anderson’s been unable to tear her eyes away from?”

“I wasn’t enjoying the scenery.” Elise put on a straight face with a meaningful look in her eyes. “I was looking at the sky. It’s going to rain, I’m afraid.”

Kenneth looked up at the sky before bantering, “What makes you say that it’s going to rain? The sun’s still blazing high above in the cloudless sky.” As soon as he finished his sentence, though, he immediately realized that Elise was referring to the Saunders Family. But what is she worried about? The storm just now has subsided, no? He couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

Elise subconsciously answered him back, saying, “Someone like you will only cause trouble for others. How can you see the trouble somebody else’s in?”

Kenneth tilted his head to one side with a faint smile. Ellie, you’ll know one day that I’m braving the storm out there to do a better job of keeping you away from the storm that’s coming at you.

“Let’s go.” Elise took another glance at the small garden before turning around to enter the house. “The next drama’s about to unfold. Gotta let them find me, the protagonist, huh?”

…

Meanwhile, Gabriel and Celina were standing face to face in the small garden, the former bowing respectfully while quietly observing their surroundings from the corner of his eye.

Celina chided, “Where have you been just now? Why didn’t you keep an eye on things back there? Dad collapsed and nearly died, you know?”

“Did you forget that it was you who had ordered me to bring Edwin here personally, Miss Celina?” replied Gabriel.

“Edwin?” Celina recalled with hindsight who Edwin was, and the look on her face became complicated at once. “Where is he, then? Is he here?”

Gabriel replied honestly, “That brat’s bent on currying favor with respectable big guns. As soon as he learned that you had personally invited him, he came with me without hesitation. He’s now distributing his business cards to the guests inside.”

“He’s still so unpresentable. No wonder Dad was unwilling to invite him to the party.” Celina pouted her lips in disdain. “Have someone keep an eye on him lest he make the Saunderses lose face.”

“Don’t worry. Someone’s watching over him. Then, about our plan…” Gabriel said hesitantly.

“Plan? What plan can we talk about? There was such a huge commotion, and Dad nearly died. Wouldn’t the birthday party be ruined for real if we proceed with what we were doing?” Celina’s cheeks puffed up with anger, and the more she spoke, the angrier she was.

“That’s not true, Miss Celina. I’ve heard about what happened just now. Not only did Elise, that woman, embarrass you in public, but she had often given you a hard time before. If you don’t strike the iron while it’s hot and discredit her this time, nobody knows when you’ll be able to get back at her for this.” Gabriel curled his lips into a barely perceptible smile. “Well, the plan didn’t go smoothly earlier because we failed to take Master David’s health into consideration. But the later part of our plan wouldn’t hurt Master David, so what else are you worrying about, Miss Celina? Let me remind you: there’ll be no end of trouble if you let an enemy off.”

Celina was somewhat swayed by his words. “But Faye said that Elise is very cunning. Is she really gonna be taken in by our plan so easily?”

Gabriel looked enigmatic with an unfathomable smile. “It’s precisely because she’s cunning that she’ll be tricked. Once she leaves this time, it’d be impossible for you to get back at her in the future. It’s now or never, Miss Celina.”

Celina fell silent as she was lost in her own thoughts. This was her birthday party, but Elise ended up stealing all the limelight. How can I hold my head high in the circle of socialites if I don’t get back at her?

Seeing that Celina was wavering, Gabriel took out the aroma diffuser that he had prepared beforehand and held it out to her. “Look. This is something I’ve just developed that can arouse people’s lustful desires. It’s a chemical used in modern medicine, and it’s invisible and odorless, so not even Elise—who’s skilled in traditional medicine—will notice it. And besides, its effect is strong, and it takes effect very quickly. Elise won’t have time to realize what’s happening. I was angry when I saw you being bullied, so I made a special effort to add a bit of a psychedelic drug that will make Elise lose her self-control and imagine the one we’ve fixed her up with as her beloved. She’s gonna succumb to her desire, so nothing would actually go wrong!”

Celina had to admit that she was tempted. “This thing’s gonna be detected, right?”

Gabriel gave the smile of a modest and scrupulous gentleman. “How could I not have considered your worries, Miss Celina? Please rest assured. The drug won’t leave any traces behind after it volatilizes.”

Which means no evidence will be left behind! “Great!” Celina took the diffuser and held it up high excitedly, shaking the aromatic liquid inside. Let’s see how you’re gonna escape from this, Elise! Suddenly, she turned to look at Gabriel as if she had recalled something. She asked curiously, “Mr. Gabriel, didn’t my dad say that you learned physics before coming to work at our residence? How did you learn to make chemicals?”

Gabriel’s eyes darkened imperceptibly as he joked without turning a hair, “Physics and chemistry are closely related.”

“Oh, I see.” Celina didn’t get suspicious as she didn’t know if Gabriel was lying.

Chapter 536 Progressing Too Slowly

Gabriel brought out a small box. “Just inject this into Edwin and he will no longer be affected.” Celina took the box and placed the aroma diffuser back in his hand. “I’ll handle Edwin. Place this diffuser in the room.”

“Yes, Miss Celina,” Gabriel answered easily. Once they settled the plan, they returned to the house. Celina put down the syringe that Gabriel had given her and psyched herself up to greet the guests with a bright demeanor. Like a princess would, she maintained a smile on her face. She was polite and took care of her guests equally, becoming the ‘Snow White’ that everyone had their eyes glued on.

The guests soon changed their tune.

“Celina is such a responsible and kind person. I can’t imagine her hurting anyone, let alone her own father. I think people were jumping at shadows earlier and making a fuss out of nothing.”

“That’s my thought too. Let’s say that she wants to inherit her family’s assets, but she has no siblings to compete for the inheritance. Wouldn’t the Saunders Residence and everything belonging to them go to her after David passes on? Celina has no need to do that!”

“We’re the ones who jumped the gun when we mistook her actions.”

“That’s the case, isn’t it? She’s still young. She probably got tongue-tied because of the shock earlier.”

“Let’s not forget that she was severely shocked when Mr. Saunders got into that accident. We should toast her and console her.”

In just a few minutes, Celina was once again the belle of the ball as waves of people came to her to get themselves in her good graces.

Elise silently observed Celina’s actions from a corner. She couldn’t stop her lips from curving up into a contemptuous smile when she saw the couple who had accused Celina earlier squeeze themselves over.

Truth was an insignificant thing in this world. Justice was worth nothing. The masses typically were more interested in protecting their own interests when compared to holding onto envy and grudges.

Elise moved her gaze away and scanned the floor again. Gabriel was still absent.

Had he gone to do something else?

As Elise thought about Gabriel’s whereabouts, a man dressed in a chef’s uniform wheeled an elaborate cake made in the image of Snow White into the center of the hall.

“It’s time for the cake-cutting!”

“Whoa, that cake is practically a work of art. Snow White is such a fitting image for Celina. It’s so perfect!”

All the guests crowded over to the cake.

Under her friends’ urging, Celina walked over to the cart with the cake. The lights dimmed appropriately, leaving only a single beam of light shining upon the cake and Celina.

The chef lit the candles before the birthday song immediately rang out around the hall.

Celina clasped her hands in front of herself as she closed her eyes and made her wish. “Dear God, please ensure that everything goes smoothly tonight. Make Elise a pariah that everyone will kick aside!”

After blowing out the candles, Celina felt like she was filled with a mystical energy. With her birthday wish supporting her, she would definitely be able to bring Elise down.

“Go on and cut the cake, Princess.”

Under the crowd’s watchful gaze, Celina stretched out the knife in her hand toward the cake. Just as she was about to slice it, however, her hand stopped in midair.

“Miss Elise.” As though she had just remembered something, Celina craned her neck while she called for Elise, her gaze darting everywhere frantically. “Has anyone seen Miss Elise Sinclair?”

Elise’s ears pricked up as she sipped her champagne.

Oh? Is she finally going to make her move on me?

Elise put down her glass and stepped forward of her own accord. “I’m here, Miss Celina.”

Celina mentally rolled her eyes at Elise, but outwardly smiled in delight. “It’s all thanks to you today that my dad is safe and sound. People say that cutting a birthday cake brings luck. Why don’t you try it?”

Elise smiled faintly as she refused the offer. “How can I steal the birthday girl’s luck? You don’t have to do this.”

However, Celina walked over, grabbing Elise’s hand and placing the cake knife in it. “So what? You’re now the savior of the Saunders Family. You’re the only one who’s worthy of cutting this cake. Don’t refuse anymore; if you keep this up, then that means you’re still keeping all those awful words I said earlier to heart and won’t forgive me. I’ll be upset then.”

“Since Miss Saunders has already said she’ll let you cut the cake, you should take the opportunity, Miss Sinclair.”

“Yeah, you must be someone with luck on your side if you were able to save Mr. Saunders. Maybe you might even bring some luck to the birthday girl if you cut that cake. Don’t say no anymore.”

The other guests joined in to convince Elise.

Now that even the guests had started to talk her into cutting the cake, if Elise didn’t agree, she would ruin the mood. She pressed her lips into a faint, thin smile, gripping the handle of the knife as she gave a low chuckle.

It seemed that Celina’s second plan had begun. Should Elise step into the lion’s den, or should she stay out of it?

There was no question—she would, of course, enter it!

Let’s see what kind of fancy trickery that a fool who would even gamble her own father’s life is trying to pull.

Elise took a deep breath. She boldly stepped forward to approach the cake. It was half the height of the average person. The moment she reached the side of the cake cart and reached out to cut the cake, she heard a sudden ‘Oh’; Celina had fallen toward her.

The Snow White cake was right in front of Elise. With Elise’s physical condition, avoiding Celina would have been child’s play. However, Elise deliberately stood in place for a moment longer before reacting.

Kenneth had been ready to rush downstairs from his position, but he held himself back when he saw Elise’s purposeful actions. He watched the scene unfold in interest.

Elise was knocked over by Celina’s ‘accidental’ fall. Part of her body crashed into the cake, toppling it. Her dress was dirtied by the cream smeared across it.

“Miss Sinclair, are you okay?” Celina ‘frantically’ rushed over to check on Elise.

The other guests showed their concern as well. “Are you unhurt, Miss Sinclair?”

“Here, Miss Sinclair, I’ll wipe the cake off you.”

Celina hastily put on an apologetic expression. “It’s my fault; I didn’t notice that I stepped on the hem of my skirt. I’m so stupid. Please forgive me, Miss Sinclair. Fortunately, I have several other gowns you can borrow. Why don’t you come with me and get changed?”

Celina’s apology sounded sincere, so no one thought twice about it.

Elise smiled a smile that was neither demanding nor submissive, and she flashed her pearly whites, a pretty sight. “All right, please lead the way.”

The plan had been progressing so slowly that Elise was already overly eager to see it fall apart.

When Celina saw Elise’s smile, she inexplicably felt a chilly breeze brush past her back.

It was the height of summer. Why was there a cold breeze? Had Elise actually discovered their plan? Celina had made herself step on her own dress when she tripped to the point that she nearly ripped her own skirt. Elise couldn’t have possibly seen through the farce! I must be worrying myself and overthinking things.

Celina reined herself in, forcing her mind not to wander to ridiculous notions. Slowly, she led Elise upstairs, all while thinking that it would be great as well if Elise tumbled down the stairs and ended up half-dead.

Elise followed Celina into a guest room on the left at the end of the corridor.

Celina stepped inside. “You can wash yourself here. I’ll have a servant bring the gown for you later.”

“Thank you so much, Miss Saunders.”

Celina didn’t reply; she straightaway left and closed the door.

Chapter 537 Something Weird

Celina’s expression instantly turned icy as she stood outside the room. The corners of her lips lifted up into a sneer. Thank me now, Elise. Your life will begin to go downhill and rot from this moment onwards!

After waiting for a bit, Celina went downstairs. Once the door was closed, Elise’s expression morphed into a solemn one. She walked over to the door, and having ascertained that there was no sound outside the room, she headed to the bathroom and turned on the taps there. Then, she began to search the entire room. There must be something shady going on if Celina was willing to destroy her own birthday cake just to bring me here.

Despite searching every nook and cranny, Elise didn’t find anything out of place. There were no hidden cameras, no assassins lying in wait, and no easily breakable priceless items lying around.

Elise stood by the couch, a little troubled by this. What else did I overlook?

She sucked in a breath in an attempt to relax. There was a faint aroma in the air. Jasmine, from the smell of it. It was pleasant.

Right then, the door handle suddenly jiggled. The door swung open from the outside as Elise turned her head. Then, Kenneth walked in.

“Why are you here?” Elise was instantly surprised, for the person she saw was ‘Alexander.’

Kenneth closed the door before turning to look at her with a hurt expression. “I thought I’ve been here all this time?”

Elise hadn’t managed to answer him when ‘Alexander’ turned into ‘Kenneth.’ She hastily raised her hands, stopping him from taking a step closer to her. “Don’t move.” Her wariness kicked in, and her voice took on a warning tone. “Who exactly are you?!”

“What’s wrong?” Kenneth could sense that something was wrong with Elise. He attempted to get closer to check on her.

Elise’s body began to heat up. Her gaze on Kenneth slowly shifted to focus on his lips instead. Unknowingly, she gulped. Her mouth was a little dry.

The next moment, the last shred of reason that she had whipped her at the back of her mind—why did she feel a desire for Kenneth that she shouldn’t have?

Pained, she slapped a hand over her chest. She couldn’t stop herself from wanting to kiss him.

“Ellie?” Kenneth was frantic now. He attempted to reveal himself as Alexander, trying to get her to lower her guard.

That mention of ‘Ellie’ successfully turned Kenneth into ‘Alexander’ before Elise’s eyes again. She recalled the faint scent she smelled before. In an instant, she was hit with the realization that she had been drugged. She immediately charged into the bathroom, her hands scooping up water from the tap in a mad frenzy and splashing it at her face. The water cooled her head off significantly, but the heat coursing through her body still didn’t abate.

Elise slammed the door shut and took her belt off to retrieve the silver needles attached to it. She then peeled her clothes off and began to insert the needles into herself.

Outside the bathroom, Kenneth’s handsome eyes dimmed when he saw Elise’s response earlier, and a realization hit him—there was something weird about this room.

His black eyes darkened as he quickly gathered himself and analyzed the situation.

Considering Elise’s brilliance, she certainly wouldn’t have fallen for a direct trap meant to drug her. If the drug hadn’t been in anything she consumed, then it had to be in the air. Since there was a light fragrance in the room, there had to be scented oils somewhere in here.

Kenneth promptly began his search. At last, he found an aroma diffuser plugged into the socket next to the TV cabinet. He yanked it out and carefully surveyed it. The Saunders are a successful family. They certainly wouldn’t have used this kind of electronic diffuser if they wanted to diffuse some essential oils. This thing shouldn’t be here. It has to be this, he thought.

Right then, the bathroom door opened, and Elise emerged from the bathroom. Her gown had already been washed and dried with a hairdryer. Only the few strands of stray hairs hanging over her forehead made her look a little disheveled.

“Are you okay now?” Kenneth walked over to her.

“Not enough to kill me,” Elise stated flatly.

Kenneth’s brows furrowed slightly. He was still a little uneasy. “The essential oil in the diffuser has been tampered with. You probably feel terribly unwell judging from how you looked earlier. It’s probably a good idea to get yourself checked at the hospital.”

“No need!” Elise barked out, only realizing that she had been too riled up after the words had left her mouth. She then lowered her voice. “There’s no need to. I trust myself better than a doctor.”

In truth, the first thing Elise thought of when Kenneth mentioned seeing a doctor was the sudden urge she felt toward him during her hallucination. She definitely couldn’t let the doctors find that out.

She paused. Seeing how Kenneth’s face was its usual shade and how he didn’t seem to have any heart palpitations, she tilted her head to the side and asked, “Are you all right?”

“Shouldn’t I be?” Kenneth was baffled by the question.

Elise pursed her lips. “Did you think of someone else when you looked at me?”

“You’re you. Why would I think of someone else when I’m looking at you?” Kenneth looked at her with a serious gaze. He was actually being dishonest—he had been seized with a sudden biological impulse earlier. However, he didn’t dare to mention it, worried that Elise would think him a pervert. The two of them had been entangled in a situation not all that long ago, but Kenneth still didn’t want to seem too enthusiastic about that sort of stuff in front of her.

After all, he loved her for who she was, not because of her body.

At his words, Elise looked at him to see him somewhat lost in thought. Her recently calmed heart began to race uncontrollably again; she didn’t attempt to keep it under control either.

Kenneth’s words meant that she was the one that he treasured the most. She knitted her brows tightly then, a dull ache throbbing in her chest. He’s capable of loving only one person. But what about me? My heart actually yearned for both men just now. That’s… That’s simply unforgivable.

Elise reproached herself as she clenched her fists tightly. She didn’t like this. She had truly become the kind of person she looked down on the most: someone who fell in love at first sight at everyone she saw and proceeded to give all her feelings to.

Meanwhile, Celina soon found her relative, Edwin Haymond, down in the hall on the first floor. Edwin was the son of David Saunders’ distant cousin. They were distantly related enough that it would take plenty of scouring through the family tree to establish a relationship between them. After the Saunders rose to wealth, the Haymonds came knocking on their door, licking the Saunders’ boots and trying to get a piece of the pie because of their familial ties. David was one to maintain outward appearances. He even arranged for Edwin to work at the Saunders’ company after that.

Despite the favors, the Haymonds’ greed knew no bounds. They constantly coveted the Saunders fortune, wanting to let themselves gain access to that wealth by getting Edwin to court Celina. However, Edwin was a skinny, bony thing. So skinny, in fact, that he barely had any meat on his frame to the point that he looked sickly. On the day he confessed his feelings to Celina, she made David reassign him to a branch at the north of the city. Reassigning him to a distant post was a message to Edwin, telling him not to get close to her.

But Celina knew that this little worm’s desires hadn’t died yet.

“Hey, Edwin.” Celina stepped in front of the half-drunk Edwin.

“N-Nana.” Edwin abruptly straightened, so surprised by her appearance that he was tongue-tied. “W-Why are you here? Oh, right. H-Happy birthday!” His eyes widened in delight as he stared unblinkingly at Celina’s face, like a wolf eyeing a rabbit. It made Celina uncomfortable.

Edwin was a plain-looking person in the first place. Over the past few days, his face had severely broken out, making him an eyesore.

“Why, thank you.” Celina quashed the revulsion she felt and squeezed a fake smile out.

“Is there anything you need from me?” Edwin was drunk from drinking too much. The longer he looked at her, the more his heart itched for her.

Chapter 538 The Severest Trials

“You’re so smart, Edwin. Indeed, I have a favor to ask of you at the moment. It’s just that I don’t know how to put it…” Celina said before pausing in hesitation.

Edwin didn’t conceal his desire for Celina at all, and his eyes showed nothing but love as they opened and closed. “You needn’t ask me for favors. Your business is mine, too, so just say whatever you want to ask of me.”

Celina curved her lips into a perfunctory smile while leading him to a deserted corner. After looking around and seeing that nobody was approaching them, she asked cautiously, “Edwin, do you know about Elise Sinclair?”

Elise had attracted a lot of publicity today, and people were talking about her everywhere, so Edwin knew her, of course. “Yeah, I do. What’s wrong?”

Instantly assuming a meek and mild demeanor, Celina lowered her eyes and sniffled on purpose. “Actually, she’s the second daughter of the Anderson Family. I accidentally wore the same dress as she did at someone else’s party before, and she has been holding a grudge against me since then. This time, she’s here on purpose to ruin my birthday party. Even her sister—the lady who came in wearing a red dress just now—did something so stupid because she had tricked her into doing it. Because of that, my dad was nearly angered to death. I’m scared… I’m scared that she won’t let me off!”

“What? This is outrageous!” Edwin instantly burned with indignation. After taking two more sips of wine, he boasted right away, “Don’t worry; I’ll never let you suffer any injustice in my presence. Moreover, your dad has always been nice to me. I’ll keep a close eye on Elise for you during the rest of the party so that she won’t be able to create any trouble!”

“Now that you’ve said so, I can rest assured, of course. It’s just that I’m worried, since she could trick Faye into wearing the red evening dress without noticing anything wrong. Who knows when she’ll do something harmful to the Saunders Family and me if I don’t fight back in time? I’m really scared…” Celina pretended to be terror-stricken while paying attention to Edwin’s response consciously or unconsciously.

Edwin thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement. “You’re right; we shouldn’t sit on our hands. Alright, I’ll bring some men with me to teach her a lesson right away for your sake!”

Upon hearing his words, Celina was secretly delighted. Raising her bright eyes, she stared at Edwin, saying, “Actually, I’ve had everything arranged. I’ve got a plan, but the plan’s gonna be really difficult without you.”

Even though Celina was dumb, she had a pretty face that looked quite pitiful. After all, she was the apple of David’s eye, and he raised her to be a slim and graceful lady. Men could hardly resist her beautiful eyes even when they weren’t showing any feminine charm. Furthermore, Edwin had been lusting after her for a long time. “Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Nana. As long as you give the word, I won’t bat an eyelid, even in the face of the severest trials!” he said with a look of unswerving determination, as if he was ready to risk everything.

Celina’s lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. This guy’s still unwilling to give up, huh? Is he still hoping that I will see him in a different light even now? He should’ve looked at himself in the mirror. How dare he have designs on me while looking like that? He does have an exaggerated opinion of himself, doesn’t he? Anyway, this works for me, since it’ll save me much trouble.

With that, Celina told Edwin everything about her plan without forgetting to dangle a carrot in front of him. “I know about your feelings for me, Edwin. As long as the plan works, I’ll definitely take some time to consider our relationship…”

Before her voice could fade, though, a bunch of ladies walked up to them. One of the ladies stepped forward right away, holding Celina’s hand while saying excitedly, “Celina, didn’t you say last time that you’d show us around your newly renovated house? Don’t forget about this after the guests have left later on!”

Celina instantly put on a big smile. “Who knows what time it’ll be when the party ends? I’ll speak to Dad right away so that we can see it in a while. My dad has surveillance cameras installed in the smoke detector in every room, so we can see the entire room. Say, let’s come to an agreement first. If any of you doesn’t like how the rooms are renovated, don’t say that to my face, or I’ll be angry!”

“Haha! Aren’t you ashamed of saying that? You’ve grown a year older, yet you’re still so petty!”

“Okay, okay. Nana is the one whose birthday is being celebrated, so why don’t we just let her be? We’re not gonna say a word no matter how much we end up disliking the renovation. We’ll let you keep staying in the house, ho ho…”

Just then, one of them noticed Edwin. Casting a sidelong glance at the man, she asked with disdain, “Who is he, Nana?”

Edwin’s shabbiness was obvious when he was compared with the ladies.

The ladies exchanged knowing glances. This guy didn’t belong to their social class, but he was walking side by side with Celina. What was his relationship with her?

“Oh, uh, he’s a relative from my hometown,” Celina replied. Fearing that she might become associated with Edwin, she hurriedly explained, “My dad keeps his relatives and old friends in mind, so he invited a lot of people from our hometown to the party this time.”

“Oh… So he’s someone from your hometown, huh? No wonder,” the lady replied sarcastically before dragging the other ladies away. “Alright, we’re not gonna keep you two from reminiscing about the past. We’re gonna wait over there, so hurry up and come over, Nana.” Before they left, they even threw a look at Celina.

Of course, Celina knew that the ladies were saving her from embarrassment. This was exactly what she had wished for, so she turned to say to Edwin, “Please take some time to think about what I’ve just told you, Edwin. There’s only one opportunity. If you miss it, nobody knows when the next time will be. I’ve got to entertain the guests, so I’ve got to go.” With that, she turned around and left.

After Celina and her friends were out of sight, Edwin put out his hand to reveal the antidote-containing syringe in it. That’s right. Whether I can rise to the top or not depends on this. There’s nothing to have scruples about. I’m a guy, anyway, so I’m not gonna be at a disadvantage when it comes to this kind of thing. As long as I marry Celina, the Haymond Family will never be held in contempt anymore! At the thought of this, he made up his mind.

Five minutes later, Edwin showed up at the door to Elise’s room by following Celina’s instructions.

The instant he turned the door handle, he took a deep breath. Celina had told him that there was a hallucinogenic drug in the room, but he wouldn’t be affected as long as he injected himself with the antidote in advance. After what was done was done, he would shift all the blame onto Elise. Once word got around about it, Elise would lose all her reputation. It’s so easy to destroy a woman; it hardly costs anything, he thought.

He looked at the antidote in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he capped the syringe and put it back in his pocket. After all, the drug inside the room was sexually stimulating, so it would be bad if he wasn’t in the mood for sex. Better wait until we’ve finished making out before injecting myself with the antidote.

After letting out a breath, he forcefully turned the door handle, pushing the door open before walking inside. Then, he sniffed the air, but he didn’t smell anything.

Elise was already lying unconscious on the sofa, and Edwin could only see her round head from his perspective. “Miss Sinclair?” he called out to her tentatively. After making sure that she was unresponsive, he closed the door and walked toward her.

Chapter 539 Where Am I Supposed to Be?

However, when Edwin met the eyes of the person on the sofa, his entire body froze. It was because the person lying unconscious on the sofa wasn’t Elise, but Celina!

Why is Celina here?! He frowned in surprise before crouching down immediately. Then, he grabbed Celina’s hand and shook it, calling out to her in a soft voice, “What’s wrong with you, Nana? Wake up, Nana!”

As soon as he finished his sentence, “Celina,” who had been unconscious at first, suddenly came round and stared right into his eyes.

Just as Edwin was about to ask “Celina” what had happened and why she ended up replacing Elise, she quickly stretched out her hand toward his neck.

Edwin subconsciously put his hand over his neck, as if he had been bitten by an ant. At the same time, he started to feel dizzy. “Nana…” he mumbled, before losing consciousness and lying down on the sofa.

Elise kicked Edwin to the floor before taking a piece of tissue from the table to wipe clean the silver needle she had just used. That was right—she wasn’t Celina, but Elise. It was just that Edwin had mistaken her for Celina under the drug’s influence.

Just then, Kenneth opened the bathroom door and walked out. Leaning against the door frame, he joked, “It’s amazing that even a woman like Celina is loved by someone.”

“Don’t you have many admirers too?” Elise shot back.

Kenneth was somewhat annoyed. “What? Do I hold the same place in your heart as Celina?”

“Stop there! You’ve never had a place in my heart.” Elise shot him a disdainful look before turning her gaze back to Edwin. She said with a thoughtful expression, “This guy is quite devoted to Celina. He was even willing to barge in and risk being sued for rape for her sake.”

“That’s not how the word ‘devoted’ should be used.” Kenneth was jealous. He had done so much for Elise, but she had never praised him. How could a stranger deserve the word ‘devoted’? he thought. He walked over to stand side by side with Elise. “You should say that he’s both wicked and lustful.” He lowered his gaze while narrowing his eyes menacingly. “We’ve got to make him caught in his own trap.”

Elise gave a slight nod of agreement, which was rare. “I think so too, but it’s not enough to punish him alone.”

Kenneth took a deep breath. “Since he likes Celina so much, let’s give him a big present!” How dare you lay a hand on Ellie? Just stew in your own juice, then!

Meanwhile, the Saunders Residence’s servants quickly set up the projector downstairs.

Starting from the first floor, every room in the house was displayed according to Celina’s instructions.

At first, it was just something for her and her group of friends to kill time with. However, the other guests started to feel bored after staying here for a while, so they joined the group to see the rooms as well. After all, the interior designer that the Saunders Family had hired back then was well-known internationally. It was said that the design of the house alone cost over 10 million, so everyone would like to see how visually impactful it was when the 10 million worth of design came to life.

After a few rooms were displayed, many guests were impressed by the unique design.

“The design is totally worth the price!”

“The internationally-renowned designer deserves his reputation. If my home could be designed in such a way one day, all the work I’ve done in my life would have been worth it.”

However, Celina was dismissive of these praises. The guests will be even more surprised when they see Elise’s room later. The scene will definitely be wonderful!

In any case, Elise’s body deserved some praise, and women knew better than men how beautiful she was. Just the thought of Elise’s slim waist and her long and well-proportioned legs filled Celina with envy. To be honest, if she weren’t Faye’s unlucky sister, Celina would’ve tried to be friends with her upon meeting a lady of such beauty at the beginning.

Unfortunately, Elise is a vicious woman. Since we can’t be friends, we can only be rivals, she thought. In order to win Kenneth’s favor, she would never let someone like Elise shine. This was just for her own sake, let alone Faye’s. You’ll be destroyed, Elise. This is your destiny!

Finally, in Celina’s eager anticipation, the scene cut to that of Elise’s room, showing the view of the room from the door.

Celina took a deep breath in excitement. Her eyes, which had glitter applied around them, widened like those of an eagle that couldn’t wait to attack its prey. Yes, this is it! It’s Elise’s turn at last!

A guest commented, “That’s an unconventional design for the shoe cabinet. The designer has put some thought into this…”

Celina curled her lips slyly. This is nothing. What awaits is even more interesting!

After a brief pause, the projected scene cut to that of the sofa.

Celina clutched the skirt of her dress nervously.

However, there was nothing when the room’s living space came into full view. Not even Edwin was there, let alone Elise.

What the hell has gone wrong?

The scene then cut to the bedroom, but there was still nobody; there wasn’t even a trace of someone having entered the room.

Impossible. This can’t be.

Celina’s expression kept changing as her face registered a hint of puzzlement. Just as she was lost in thought, a quiet voice suddenly whispered in her ear, “Are you waiting for me, Miss Saunders?”

Celina’s whole body went stiff as the expression on her face froze. Then, she slowly turned around to see the graceful smile on Elise’s face. In an instant, her jaw dropped in astonishment. She asked tremblingly, “W-Why are you here?!”

Elise threw up her hands innocently while looking unsuspecting and confused. “Where am I supposed to be, then? I was just cleaning my dress, which would only take a few minutes. Where do you think I’m supposed to be right now, Miss Saunders?”

Celina quickly composed her features and replied with a smile of embarrassment, “No, it was just a slip of the tongue. I thought you’d be taking a shower in the room or something… By the way, didn’t you run into anyone while coming here?”

Elise pouted her lips while shaking her head. “No, I didn’t. Am I supposed to run into anyone?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I have a friend who has gone upstairs as well, so I thought you might’ve run into him. I’ll go find him,” Celina said before hurrying upstairs. She had told Edwin repeatedly where Elise’s room was, and Gabriel must have had the diffuser ready. However, judging from how Elise looked just now, she didn’t fall prey to the drug at all. Or could it be that what Gabriel gave me didn’t work at all? she thought. Her brain turned to mush at this moment, and she wished someone would explain to her what on earth had happened.

Celina couldn’t hide any secrets, and the more anxious she was, the faster she walked. It took her less than a minute before she was upstairs.

She had to find out for herself what on earth had happened.

As Celina was too eager to find out what had happened, she didn’t even notice Elise’s gaze, which Elise had never torn away from her, and the unconcealed smirk on the latter’s lips.

Upon seeing Elise, some guests came up to her and cordially asked if she was alright. “Were you hurt just now, Miss Sinclair?”

“No, I’m fine.” Elise smiled good-temperedly before turning to look at the projector with a look of puzzlement in her eyes. “What’s going on here?”

Chapter 540 His Dream Comes True

The person patiently explained, “Well, didn’t the Saunderses spend a lot of money on their home’s renovation? Everyone wants to take a look, so Miss Saunders is considerate enough to prepare this thing and let us see the real-time surveillance footage of the rooms to save us the trouble of squeezing our way upstairs.”

Upon hearing the person’s words, Elise turned to look at the projector again with a meaningful look in her eyes. Seems like Celina intended to make my scandalous affair public. However, Celina is the star today, after all, so what’s gonna be projected on screen this time won’t be an exception either, she thought. Cleverly, she turned to look at the Saunders Residence’s servants with a kindly smile. “Sorry, but I’ve just arrived. Can you play the surveillance videos again? I really want to get a good look at such a great design!” Since Celina wants to leave no room for maneuver, I’ll get back at her and let her know what it feels like to stew in her own juice!

Upon hearing her words, Celina’s group of friends was displeased. “Why didn’t you come down earlier if you wanted to look at the rooms? Who do you think you are? Do you think you’re a big shot or something? How dare you order somebody else’s servants around?”

“Somebody’s acting all cocky after stealing the limelight. She really thinks the whole world is supposed to let her do whatever she pleases, huh?”

“That’s right. You want to look at the previous rooms, but we want to study the later ones. You arrived later than we did, so you’ve got to wait!”

The guest who had cared about Elise just now wanted to speak up for her, but he dared not start a war of words at the Saunders Family. Therefore, he could only sigh to himself while watching the group of ladies bully Elise.

Just then, Kenneth’s voice rang unexpectedly. “Sorry for being late.” As his voice sounded, he came over as well.

The onlookers silently made way for him as if his standing was comparable to that of the party’s host.

Kenneth said modestly, “Sorry, but no one told me about such a wonderful show. As it happens, I have a new house in the suburbs that’s to be renovated. May I have the pleasure of enjoying the work of one of the top interior designers in the world from the very beginning?”

Upon hearing his words, the ladies who had just given Elise a hard time immediately shifted their tone. “Of course, you can watch the videos if you want to, Mr. Bailey. Who’s the one in charge of switching the footage? Hurry up and show the videos all over again!”

“That’s right. Mr. Bailey has to deal with a lot of matters every day. It’s rare that he has such leisure time, so we mustn’t let him go home in disappointment!”

“Come over and have a seat, Mr. Bailey!”

The ladies moved their butts at the same time to free up the seats next to them.

“No, I’m good.” Kenneth quickly put on a cold front without taking a glance at the ladies. “I’d prefer standing. Standing can help one keep a clear head and a quick wit. I’d rather be standing than sitting while saying a bunch of petty remarks.”

As soon as he finished his sentence, the guests standing around them immediately chuckled to themselves in a low voice. Obviously, Kenneth was mocking the ladies for being too small-minded to be presentable in public.

The ladies instantly blushed with shame while biting their lips. In an instant, they felt like they were sitting on pins and needles; they didn’t know whether to stand up or to keep on sitting.

The guests sitting on the sofa nearby stood up and stepped aside without forgetting to cast disdainful looks at the ladies. What a bunch of blind women! We’ve nearly become the small-minded people that Mr. Bailey’s referring to. Nothing good’s gonna come from getting too close to them!

Just then, the screen paused at the scene of the second-floor study. The servants began to tinker with the projector to prepare to switch to another footage.

While they were doing so, Kenneth turned to look at Elise and raised an eyebrow flippantly without anyone else noticing.

Elise could tell without hearing him say it that Kenneth wanted to say something like ‘I’ve helped you out once again,’ or ‘Now you owe me another favor.’ This reminded her of the hen on the farm back home. Whenever it laid eggs, the hen would cluck at the top of its voice, letting everyone know that it had laid eggs as if it were a big deal for the entire household. Right now, Kenneth was like the hen that had laid its eggs.

As she associated Kenneth with the hen, she unconsciously compressed her lips into a faint smile. Not even herself noticed that she no longer rejected and loathed Kenneth as she did before.

Meanwhile, Celina quickly found the room upstairs where Elise had been. She waited outside for a while and estimated the time according to what Gabriel had told her. After making certain that the psychedelic drug and aphrodisiac inside had all volatilized, she turned the door handle.

However, when she walked inside, the room was empty; there was neither anyone nor a sound. She looked around and found Gabriel’s aroma diffuser in the bedroom. The aroma diffuser was still working, but less than one-fifth of the liquid was left in it. At the sight of this, she was even more relieved. Gabriel had told her that the psychedelic drug would evaporate first, leaving only the aromatic liquid in the diffuser. Besides, the time period whereby the drug would take effect had long since passed, so she wouldn’t succumb to the drug’s effects.

Celina stayed in the bedroom for a while. She was lost in thought, wondering why Elise was resistant to the drug. However, she couldn’t wrap her head around this, so she could only go search for Edwin first. She turned around to leave the bedroom, but as soon as she reached the door, a noise came from the bathroom opposite—someone seemed to be hiding there.

“Who is it? Come out!” Celina raised her voice to get her courage up.

Soon, the bathroom door opened, and the person inside came out. When she saw the person’s face, Celina was instantly overjoyed; her mouth was agape with surprise. Kenneth?! Why’s he here?

Celina was so excited that her breathing quickened. Has Kenneth been waiting for me? Fearing that this was a dream, she pinched herself without anyone else noticing. “Hiss…” She gasped in pain. The next moment, though, a feeling of exhilaration swept through her. This isn’t a dream! Kenneth and I are really in the same room!

The expression on “Kenneth’s” face wasn’t much different from hers. Edwin—who was being mistaken for Kenneth—met Celina’s misty eyes as soon as his vision cleared a little. Just as he was about to ask Celina why she was here, she walked up to him first.

At this moment, her beautiful eyes were filled with deep affection, admiration, and ardent love. This was the first time Celina had ever looked at Edwin with such a look in her eyes, and he was somewhat dazed at the sight of this.

Trying her best to control her excitement, Celina asked shyly, “W-Why are you in this room?” A blush of shyness spread from her neck to her ears while her eyes flickered, making her look very adorable and seductive.

Edwin was confused. Why would Celina ask about something she already knows? I’m here because she has arranged for me to be here, of course.

Just as he was about to explain it, Celina wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her dainty body to his.

Edwin’s legs went weak when he felt the soft touch on his chest. After nervously swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he plucked up his courage and hugged Celina in return. As he tightened his arms around her, he began to relax. Slowly, he smelled the pleasant scent on Celina, which sent the blood pulsing through his veins. “Nana…” he called out to her tenderly, “do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?” Now that his dream was coming true, he suddenly felt somewhat insecure.

The next instant, however, he heard Celina say in a sweet and gentle voice, “Sorry that I used to be immature. There were many times when I made you unhappy, but I meant well for you, actually; it’s just that I often caused more harm than good. I thought you hated me…”