Cecilia Ye felt uneasy under his gaze. Normally, Charles Chase was calm and steady. She'd never seen Charles Chase fight so viciously like he did yesterday, nor seen him look this tense.
"Chen...Yuxiu, is my baby okay..." she asked cautiously, her voice trembling as she sniffled.
"It's all right. The baby is fine. Are you feeling unwell anywhere else? I can have the doctor come in," he replied.
For some reason, Cecilia Ye saw a depth of concern in Charles Chase's eyes she hadn't noticed before...
She shook her head. Other than her stomach still aching a little, her body felt much better.
The bell rang, and Dr. Zhao—the same doctor who'd examined Cecilia Ye last time—walked in.
He checked her over again. Dr. Zhao reassured her that she was fine, but needed plenty of rest and had to avoid getting too emotional.
Cecilia Ye obediently promised to listen to Dr. Zhao. Charles Chase sat silently nearby, brows furrowed tight.
He truly wished Cecilia Ye wasn't carrying Xavier Foster's child.
Thinking of everything Cecilia Ye had endured left Charles Chase with a tangle of complicated feelings. He himself had a father like Gao Kangshi, but since Gao Kangshi had been kicked out of the Chase family early on, Charles Chase barely had any memory of him. His mother had raised him single-handedly, and he also had a beloved grandfather. As the young master of the Chase family, he'd never suffered any real hardship.
But Cecilia Ye, his half-sister—they shared the same father but had lived such different lives. He originally thought he could ignore the daughter of someone as heartless as Gao Kangshi. But...with half her blood the same as his, she was still family in his eyes.
Ye Jing and his own mother had both suffered at the hands of fate, though their personalities and backgrounds were worlds apart, leading them to completely different destinies.
How could he tell Cecilia that her mother had killed someone to protect her—yes, it was a wretch she killed—but now her mother was gravely ill, languishing in a dark, hopeless prison cell?
Charles Chase had always been calm and composed when handling matters, running a massive company with ease. He'd never encountered a situation as thorny or painful as this. He was afraid that opening his mouth would only add another wound to Cecilia's already-battered heart.
Watching the emotions flit across his face, Cecilia Ye wondered if she was just being too much trouble for him.
"Charles Chase... I'm sorry. Yesterday, I didn't want him to find out about the baby, so I had to trouble you to bring me here," her tone was timid, and her pale fingers twisted the bedsheet under the blanket. "I'm fine now. If you're busy, you—"
She wanted to say, if you're busy, go ahead and leave. But she couldn't find the words, afraid of being misunderstood.
Charles Chase shook off the muddle of thoughts in his mind and managed a gentle smile. "It's fine, I'll stay with you. Is there anything you want to eat?"
Cecilia Ye didn't quite understand why he was acting this way. She shook her head. "And about yesterday, you guys..."
Charles Chase sat down by her bedside, his gaze softening with affection. "Don't worry so much. I won't let Xavier Foster bully you again. There are some things I'll need to tell you in a few days. For now...just treat me as your big brother."
Sarah Chase, ever since her divorce, had lost faith in marriage and never had another child. Charles Chase had always grown up alone and never really knew how to care for such a delicate girl, so he was doing his best to speak as gently as he could.
"Oh... okay." Cecilia Ye obediently asked no more. She had just woken up and was still tired. After a bit more conversation, she closed her eyes again.
As for Xavier Foster, she didn't know what the future would bring. Last night, he had left her at a loss, and all she could do was push him away, ask him to leave.
Cecilia Ye clutched her heart tightly. If only those things had been said—if only they could have been said earlier. Before things spiraled out of control. Before she'd lost all hope in Xavier Foster.
But...it was too late now.
Drained, Cecilia Ye drifted off to sleep amidst her thoughts.
Half-awake, she vaguely felt Charles Chase’s genuine concern. He really did feel like a big brother...
Seeing that she was asleep, Charles Chase quietly stepped out of the hospital room. From his pocket, he fished out his phone—the one with the shattered screen from last night's fight. Thankfully, it still worked. He called his company's assistant.
"Hello, President Chen."
"Terminate all cooperation projects with Fu Corporation—everything that's being negotiated, if it’s connected to the Fu family, put it on hold." His voice was calm and businesslike again.
"President Chen, that means we'll have to pay hefty penalties."
"Pay them. From now on, reject any projects related to Xavier Foster. Anything they want to take, grab it for us!"
From his tone, the assistant knew the boss was utterly serious. Though she didn't know the reason, she asked no more and simply affirmed her orders.
Charles Chase hung up, then called his mother. He told her everything—Leaf Jing’s* ordeal, as well as Cecilia Ye's.
The woman who had always been so open-minded and cheerful fell silent. If she hadn't decisively ended things early and kicked Gao Kangshi out of the Chase family, perhaps she would have ended up the same as Ye Jing.
"All right. I understand. She's a good kid; take care of your sister," she said, her voice tinged with sorrow.
"I will."
......
Xavier Foster brought Zoey Zhang back to the Fu mansion early that morning. Normally, he never allowed Zoey Zhang to sleep on his bed, but last night he let the little one sleep there all night.
He couldn't think about work at all. He told Henry Hart to investigate Cecilia's condition, then drove himself to Qingshui Bay.
The place was quiet when he arrived. The courtyard still looked as chaotic as it had after last night. Cecilia hadn't come back—was she still unwell?
In the car, Xavier Foster's face was icy cold, bruises darkening his features where he'd been punched the night before. The usual spark was gone from his eyes, all of him shadowed with exhaustion.
He'd spent all night thinking. Cecilia clearly couldn't stand his presence now. He shouldn't force things.
Last night, he’d been too impulsive, unable to stop himself from pulling her into his arms the moment he saw her. He wanted to make things right, to go back to how they were, even if he didn’t know how long a road that would be.
He would wait—wait for Cecilia to nod, wait for her to give him another chance.
Once he’d made up his mind, he would never give up.
He was a stubborn bastard, but he couldn't live without her.
Lost in thought for a long time, Xavier Foster finally carried Zoey Zhang out of the car and into the courtyard. Tall and imposing, he knelt and picked up every shard of the broken flowerpot—something he’d never done before. He had new pots brought in and re-potted the plants that had been knocked over.
His hands still bore scrapes from the night before; now covered in dirt, he didn’t seem to notice. He worked numbly.
As he did all this, Xavier Foster's heart grew calm.
Their relationship was just like that flowerpot—shattered. But he would piece it back together again, even if it took a lifetime.
......
"Hello, it’s me."
"What is it?"
"I need your help. Any price is fine."
In a dim room, the only light was the pale glow of a phone’s screen, and the speaker’s voice was cold and venomous.