Chapter 43

Before Liliana could finish, Cedric pulled his arm away, shaking her hand off.

"I'll have Timothy handle it," he said without turning back, heading straight for the bedroom door.

Timothy was Cedric's right hand, which meant the matter would be handled competently.

Liliana hadn't expected him to deal with it personally. But when she thought of how he rushed to Sylvia's side, ready to solve her every problem, while tossing her own crisis to an assistant, a bitter chill settled in her heart.

She hadn't slept, but she felt no desire to. Instead, she called Timothy and asked him to get in touch with Attorney Kerr. With Timothy now serving as the liaison for Hale's case, Liliana found herself with nothing to do.

She dragged herself out of bed and went downstairs, retrieving her long-dead phone from her purse in the entryway. The moment she plugged it in and powered it on, a flood of messages and missed calls poured in. Most were from Juniper, who had been terrified when she hadn't come home and her phone had been off all night.

Liliana quickly called her back. Juniper answered immediately, though her tone was less frantic than Liliana had expected.

"I... I'm back at Cedric's," she murmured, bracing herself for a lecture.

"I know," Juniper said, her voice dripping with disdain. "I saw that jerk Forrest's assistant at the police station with a lawyer."

Juniper had gone to the station to report Liliana missing and had run into Timothy and Attorney Kerr discussing Hale's case. The fact that Cedric was taking it on was proof enough that something had happened between him and Liliana.

"Liliana, you'd better have a damn good explanation—"

"I'm still leaving him," Liliana cut in, her voice firm and quick. "I'm just waiting until he gets Hale's case settled!"

Juniper, who had been walking down the steps of the police station, froze. A slow smile spread across her face. "So you're squeezing that bastard for all he's worth? Okay, you're forgiven!"

Liliana felt no sense of victory, only a rising anxiety. She knew better than to think Cedric was an easy target.

She had to be ready for it when he struck back.

Just then, she remembered her interview with Cyan. A full day had passed, and she'd completely forgotten. Cyan hadn't called her, either. She quickly found the number from the interview notification and dialed.

A polite woman answered. Liliana introduced herself and apologized profusely. "I'm so sorry, I had—"

"Miss Preston, not to worry," the woman's gentle voice interrupted. "Mr. Sewell has just returned to the country and has had a very busy schedule himself. Would it be,

possible to reschedulehe

your interview for nine o'clock this

morning?"

Liliana was flooded with relief. "Yes, of course! Thank you so much!"

It wasn't even eight yet; she had plenty of time to get there. The only problem was

that she didn't have any professional clothes at Cedric's house. She settled on a conservative pair of jeans and a black trench coat.

She arrived at Cyan at 8:50, right on time. The company occupied three floors of a high-rise in the business district. The first floor was mainly for reception, the second housed the designers' offices, and the third was for executives and conference rooms. Liliana's interview was scheduled for the third floor, in a room next to the CEO's office.

Through the frosted glass wall of the CEO's office, she could just make out the tall, imposing figure of a man sitting at his desk. A receptionist led her into the adjacent

room.

"Thank you," Liliana said, pulling her gaze away.

"You're welcome, Miss Preston. Please have a seat. Mr. Sewell will be with you as soon as he's finished."

The receptionist brought her a cup

of coffee and left. Liliana felt a knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach. she couldn't get a job at Cyan she wasnt sure where else she could go in Riverbend City. This interview felt more crucial than any of the others.