Chapter 9

It was Cecilia calling.

Nicholas stared at his phone, silent for a long while before pressing the answer button.

"Nicholas." Cecilia's weak voice came through. "My heart doesn't feel well. When are you coming back? I'm alone and so scared..."

"The racetrack incident—was that you?" Nicholas suddenly asked.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, then Cecilia's coquettish voice came through: "Nicholas, you already know?"

Nicholas froze. She admitted it?

"I'm asking you, did you have someone tamper with her car?"

"You're really well-informed." Cecilia laughed.

"I just wanted to learn racing, so I had someone go to the parking lot to help me look at the car models. Nicholas... you're not mad, are you? If you don't like me doing racing, I won't learn it."

"Cecilia." Nicholas took a deep breath. "I need you to tell me the truth."

"What truth?" Cecilia was confused.

"The surveillance caught your driver giving money to a mechanic. That mechanic tampered with the brakes on Sophia's race car. Sophia almost died!"

"What? How could this happen!" Cecilia cried out, her voice instantly choking up.

"I really didn't know, Nicholas. Don't you believe me? You watched me grow up..."

"Cecilia?"

"My heart... it hurts so much... the medicine is on the nightstand..." Her voice became broken.

Nicholas gritted his teeth: "I'll call an ambulance right away."

"No... I want you to come back... I'm so scared..."

The sound of something heavy hitting the floor came through the phone.

Nicholas closed his eyes, looked in the direction Sophia had left, punched the steering wheel, and finally turned the car around toward Lakeview Villa.

Three days later, two uninvited guests showed up at Scarlett's apartment door.

Scarlett looked through the peephole, and her face darkened: "It's Nicholas and Cecilia."

"Let them in." Sophia stood up calmly.

She had guessed Nicholas would come. To protect his precious sister, nothing he did would surprise her.

The door opened. Nicholas stood outside, looking rather worn out.

"Mr. Jackson, what do you want?" Sophia showed no concern for him whatsoever.

Nicholas's eyes flickered, and he said in a low voice: "Can we come in and talk?"

Sophia stepped aside: "Make it quick."

Nicholas and Cecilia entered. Cecilia's eyes swept around the room, then immediately filled with tears.

"Sophia, are your injuries better?"

Sophia didn't answer Cecilia's question. She looked at Nicholas: "Just say what you came to say."

Nicholas sighed and gestured for Cecilia to step forward.

Cecilia quickly bowed with red eyes: "Sophia, I'm sorry. The racetrack incident was my fault. I shouldn't have had someone touch your car, but I really didn't know he would tamper with your brakes! I just wanted to learn racing and had him help me look at the car models! I didn't mean it, please forgive me..."

Tears kept falling down her face, and Nicholas, beside her, frowned.

"Sophia, Cecilia knows she was wrong. She promises not to do anything like this again. She's apologized—can we just not pursue this matter any further?"

Sophia almost laughed at his words.

She knew Cecilia wouldn't admit it easily, but she didn't expect Cecilia to make up such a terrible excuse, and Nicholas believed it.

"Nicholas, are you a child?"

Nicholas's face stiffened.

"Sophia, Cecilia is really just young and playful."

"Playful? Nicholas, if your precious sister's 'playfulness' killed you, I hope you'd be this casual about it too."

Cecilia immediately cried harder: "Sophia, how... how can you curse Nicholas like that? I really know I was wrong. I... I can pay you money..."

After hearing Sophia's words, Nicholas's face had already darkened. He stepped forward, blocking Cecilia behind him.

"Sophia, what's done is done. Let's look forward. Cecilia's health isn't good. If this gets bigger, it will affect her condition too. Why do you have to be so aggressive? Don't push things too far."

"I'm pushing things too far?" Sophia laughed in anger.

"So doing whatever you want and endangering someone's life isn't pushing things too far, but seeking justice for myself is?"

"That's not what I meant." Nicholas rubbed his nose bridge in frustration.

"What I mean is, Cecilia didn't do it on purpose. We can completely resolve this privately—there's no need to go to court. It's bad for the Jackson family's reputation, and bad for you too."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm negotiating." Nicholas took a deep breath, trying to speak calmly to Sophia.

"Sophia, we were husband and wife. There's no need to make this so ugly. As long as you don't sue Cecilia, we can negotiate the divorce terms. The 10% of the Jackson Group shares you wanted—I'll give them to you."

Sophia was stunned.

10% of the Jackson Group shares—that was something countless people dreamed of. When she had proposed it before, he refused to agree. Now he was willing to hand it over for Cecilia.

"You love her that much?" After a long while, Sophia said in a hoarse voice.

Nicholas ran his hand through his hair in frustration: "I told you she's my sister. I promised my parents I would take care of her."

Sophia smiled mockingly: "Ask yourself honestly—are your feelings for her really just brotherly love?"

Nicholas's expression changed slightly. He didn't answer.

Sophia took a step back: "Too bad. I'm not accepting."

"Sophia!"

"We're getting divorced, and I'm still suing Cecilia." Sophia declared coldly. "No room for negotiation. Now, please leave."

Scarlett, who had been unable to stand listening any longer, immediately stepped forward and started pushing them out, unceremoniously shoving Nicholas and Cecilia out the door: "Did you hear that? Sophia told you to leave! You're not welcome here!"

"Sophia, you..." Nicholas wanted to say more, but Scarlett slammed the door shut.

Cecilia clutched Nicholas's sleeve, crying non-stop: "Nicholas, what do we do? Will Sophia really call the police? I didn't mean it. Why won't Sophia believe me?"

Nicholas saw her crying so heartbrokenly and couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest. He quickly steadied Cecilia.

"Don't be afraid, Cecilia. I won't let anything happen to you. Your heart isn't well—stop crying. Come on, I'll take you back first."

After taking Cecilia back to Lakeview Villa and being pestered by her for quite a while, Nicholas finally returned to the Jackson Villa.

He hadn't been back once since the day Sophia left.

It was already late at night when he entered. A servant heard the sound and quietly came forward.

"Mr. Jackson, you're back? Would you like something to eat?"

Nicholas waved his hand: "I'm going to my room."

"Mr. Jackson." The servant nervously stepped forward, hesitant to speak.

Nicholas frowned: "What is it?"

"The room... when Mrs. Jackson left, she left it in quite a state. But there are some very important things, and we didn't know how to handle them, so we haven't dared to touch anything." The servant kept her head very low.

Nicholas looked at her questioningly, then walked upstairs.

Opening the door, he finally understood what the servant meant by "quite a state."

In the master bedroom, all the wedding photos of him and Sophia had been destroyed by Sophia. What could be torn was torn, what could be smashed was smashed, and what couldn't be destroyed, she had used lipstick to scribble all over her own face.

In this room, there wasn't a single photo of her left.

Nicholas's breathing caught, and his chest suddenly felt heavy.

He turned and walked toward the closet, only to discover that Sophia had taken only the clothes she had bought before the marriage.

She had left cleanly, leaving behind everything related to the Jackson family.

Nicholas clenched his fists and turned away, unwilling to look anymore. But as he walked out, his foot suddenly stepped on something.

He looked down. It was a thin piece of paper.

The words on it clearly came into view.

Patient: Sophia Brown.

Diagnosis result... tumor!