Chapter 54

His not answering her calls last night had been an accident. Her hanging up on him was deliberate.

The ingratitude!

He shoved his phone back into his pocket, got into the car, and sped away from the hospital. Sylvia sensed the shift in his mood and wisely kept quiet. She discreetly dropped her lipstick under the passenger seat.

As Liliana and Juniper exited the elevator, Cedric's call had come through. She glanced at the screen and, without a second thought, rejected it.

A late apology is worse than none at all. She didn't need his concern. And knowing Cedric, it probably wasn't concern anyway. It would be a perfunctory, business-like inquiry into how she had managed to get herself into such a mess.

Her heart ached with a familiar, stabbing pain.

Near the hospital was a street famous for its breakfast stalls, a staple of Riverbend City life. Juniper cursed Cedric under her breath all the way there, but out loud, she did her best to distract Liliana.

"I have you to thank for this. I never have time to come here anymore. The food is amazing."

Liliana played along, avoiding the topic. "The last time I was here was before I graduated from college."

"The last time I was here was when you brought me in college!" Juniper sighed, inhaling deeply. "Today, we're going to conquer this street. We're eating one of everything!"

The alley was crowded and noisy, and the vibrant atmosphere began to chase away Liliana's sadness. She let Juniper push her wheelchair from stall to stall until their hands were full. They found a small table at a pasta stand and sat down to eat.

"Junie, after you take me back to my room, you should go if you have things to do," Liliana said. She knew Juniper was usually busy managing the Sewell family's restaurants.

Juniper arranged the food on the table in front of her. "My brother's back, so I'm free! I'm not dealing with those restaurants anymore."

"Why did Douglas come back so suddenly?" Liliana asked,

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remembering what he'd told her. The Sewell family business was in hospitality, but Douglas had chosen to study interior design. He had refused to take over the family enterprise, which had infuriated hist family and even landed Juniper's father in the hospital.

Juniper sighed. "I have no idea what he's thinking. He started his own design firm overseas, even won some awards. Dad was so proud and their relationship was finally starting to heal. Then he suddenly liquidated everything and came back. Dad was so angry he dumped all the family businesses on him. Now he's just trying to keep his head above water so Dad doesn't have

another heart attack."

The Sewell family had a sizable empire, and now he had to manage Cyan on top of it all. Liliana thought keeping his head above water was an understatement. But it was a family matter, so she just listened to Juniper vent without offering an opinion.

An hour later, they returned to the hospital. The room next door was empty. Juniper paced restlessly, moving from the sofa to Liliana's bedside, staring at her expectantly.

"If you have something to say, just say it," Liliana said. She didn't want to talk about Cedric, but she was afraid Juniper might explode if she kept it in.

"Has there been any progress on your brother's case? When are you finally going to divorce him?" Juniper asked, avoiding Cedric and Sylvia's names to spare her feelings.

Liliana shook her head. "If there were any news, Timothy or the lawyer would have contacted me."

"Since Cedric is involved, it should be resolved quickly," Juniper said. "Have you considered not taking the job at Cyan and just leaving Riverbend City?"