chapter2174

"Life is unpredictable," Cecilia whispered.

Nathaniel rubbed gentle circles over her knuckles and nodded, the gesture saying more than words could carry.

"What about their baby?" she asked, voice barely above the wind.

"He brought the child back to Tudela," Nathaniel replied. "The grandparents are caring for the little one now."

The update left Cecilia adrift, unsure which sentiment sympathy, anger, or quiet despair-should surface first.

Jennifer had loved Ernest with a ferocity that burned through her own life.

The child had been born, yet scarcely out of swaddling clothes, had already lost a mother, and was now being raised by grandparents.

If she had known the future would turn out like this, would she still have made the same decision?

"Nathaniel, do you think Ernest will ever marry again?" Cecilia asked, words slipping out before she could rein them back.

She had witnessed too many men step over graves as though love were merely a season that passed.

Nathaniel stayed silent, snow-gray eyes on some distant point beyond the parking lot.

"Ceci, I can't answer that. People's hearts are storms we seldom read accurately," he admitted.

"What if it were me?" The question escaped her-soft, aching, inexplicably childish —yet impossible to recall once spoken.

Nathaniel's chest tightened, an invisible hand clenching around his ribs.

"Don't say such nonsense," he scolded. "You're not Jennifer, and nothing will happen to you. And I'm not Ernest. I would never ask you to risk your life for a child."

The answer was far from poetic, but it cleared the bar his racing heart had set.

Cecilia's lips curved. "I was only wondering. No need to panic."

"Promise me you won't joke about that again," Nathaniel said, his tone softened to velvet yet unyielding at its core.

She nodded and nudged the conversation elsewhere. "By the way, how did you find out Charlotte was in trouble?"

"I heard the whole story when I got home. Jon and Eli filled me in," Nathaniel said, his tone quiet but edged with a promise of action that hummed beneath the words.

Cecilia had nearly forgotten her two boys had been at the center of the earlier chaos. At the mention of their names, a flicker of guilt crossed her face before she masked it with resolve.

While the brief exchange hung in the air, Ernest stepped out of the police station's glare-white lobby. Striding beside him was Charlotte her release papers still warm in her hand.

Cecilia paused at the threshold, her gaze settling on Charlotte like a searchlight. In that instant, awe glimmered in her eyes. D*mn... That's the power of Imminence Corporation's legendary counsel. Ernest sure is skilled!

Charlotte broke into a half-run the moment she spotted Cecilia. She threw her arms around her with the unrestrained relief of someone who had tasted a prison cot far too recently. "Boss, see? I told you I'd be out!"

She drew a measured breath, pivoted, and met Nathaniel's cool gray stare.

"Mr. Rainsworth, thank you," she said, the words soft yet steady, carrying a weight of genuine gratitude.

She knew perfectly well that without Nathaniel's subtle pull on the right strings, Ernest would never have taken her case, let alone secure a quick release.

Nathaniel slid his hands into his coat pockets. "Save your gratitude for your boss," he answered, voice cool as polished steel.

If it were anyone but Cecilia, I would never have involved myself in mess.

"This is only a short-term bail,"

Ernest reminded them, adjusting his

glasses as though they were a

countdeyn clock,

"less we find.

proof that Charlotte never laid & finger on Felix, the court will send her back the minute the deadline expires."

Charlotte scratched the back of her head, anxiety shredding her earlier relief.

"How are we supposed to dig up

evidence? I never hurt Felix, not even a scrape. That ridiculous report is a complete fabrication." Charlotte voice quivered between outrage and desperation, fingers knotting the

hem of her coat.

"Whether it's fake or not isn't for us to declare," Ernest replied, each syllable as precise as a judge's gavel.

Charlotte's voice dipped to a whisper. "Then what do we do?"

"The easiest way is to have Felix take a new examination and the sooner the better," Ernest said, as though speed alone might tip the scales of justice.

Everyone present understood the first report reeked of manipulation, but without a second set of hospital records, they had no ammunition.

Cecilia folded her arms. "Miranda will never let us get Felix anywhere near another doctor."

"It's just a medical exam, isn't it?" Nathaniel said at last, his patience fraying into a razor-thin smile. "I'll take him."

Cecilia turned to him, baffled. "And exactly how do you plan to pull that off?" Nathaniel's answer was a gentle command that allowed no argument. "Leave that to me. Go home, both of you, and get some rest."

He ushered Cecilia and Charlotte into the waiting car, then signaled Ernest to ride with him. A moment later, their taillights bled into the night, heading toward Rainsworth Manor.

Cecilia, watching the city blur past her window, could not guess what Nathaniel intended. Unease settled in her chest like uninvited smoke.

Beside her, Charlotte sat rigid, shame and worry twisting together until she could hardly breathe.

"This is all my fault for sticking my nose in," she murmured, voice raw. "Boss, I'm sorry. I dragged you and Mr. Rainsworth into this mess."