Chapter 78
Suzanne stood patiently as she waited for Austin and Evelyn to arrive.
As the couple joined her, they got into the car and headed back to the Jackson residence.
Unable to contain her dissatisfaction, Evelyn questioned, “What is wrong with Cassandra? She gets involved with someone like Scott and keeps the family in the dark. We’ve lost face in front of so many people. If this news gets out, it may seem like we were hard on her. And giving the painting to Peter in her name? That should have been done in the name of the Jackson family.”
S
“Mom, why are you always so strict and cold with Cassandra?” Suzanne interjected abruptly, cutting off her mother’s discontent before it could fully unfold.
There was a sudden silence that fell over the car.
Evelyn turned to Suzanne and asked, “Suzanne, what are you talking about?”
Suzanne met her mother’s gaze and asked earnestly, “Isn’t Cassandra your daughter too? Why question and distrust her openly in front of everyone? She is part of our family, isn’t she?”
Suzanne’s words cast a contemplative silence over her parents.
After a long pause, Evelyn said in a low voice, “Suzanne, did she complain to you about something?”
“No,” Suzanne replied.
Evelyn added, “Suzanne, you’ve been with us since childhood. You’re kind and generous. I know you’ve got a soft heart, but in this situation, Cassandra messed up without thinking about the Jackson family. So…”
Suzanne frowned and raised her tone, saying, “Mom… Cassandra didn’t complain about anything to me. I just feel that both of you don’t like her. Is this all because of me?”
Suzanne didn’t know the real reasons behind her mother’s coldness toward Cassandra. She attributed it all to herself after hearing Rebecca’s words.
It was true that she disliked Cassandra because the latter was too cold and always seemed to have a natural sense of pride. Cassandra, however, showed no signs of frustration, even when she seemed to be defeated.
However, Suzanne’s feelings were more rooted in envying her sister.
She envied how Cassandra was genuinely straightforward and easygoing.
In the meantime, at the Dustmeadow Mansion….
Orlando didn’t go to the company. Instead, he went home.
As soon as he entered the house, he went upstairs and pushed open the bedroom door.
He could see a figure lying on the bed through the dim light. He turned on a lamp and walked over to the bed. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke softly, “Cassandra, Cassandra…”
However, Cassandra did not respond.
He tried again and said, “Cassandra, wake up. Let’s talk.”
He assumed it would not disturb her rest as it was not too late at night.
Chapter 78
However, Cassandra remained unresponsive.
Orlando furrowed his brow and reached out to pinch her cheek, thinking it would wake her. But when his cold fingertips touched her face, he was startled by an intense heat. He quickly placed his hand on her forehead. Cassandra’s skin burned with a terrifying, feverish heat. He hurriedly shook her and said, “Cassandra, wake up. You have a fever. Let’s go to the hospital, okay?”
Cassandra was so exhausted. She felt her head heavy and her body weak. She could not open her eyes and just wanted to sleep. She reacted forcefully to Orlando’s disturbance, impatiently brushing his hand aside as she said, “You’re so annoying. Stop touching me, will you?”
Orlando, stunned by her unexpected outburst, lifted her from the bed in bewilderment. He looked at her seriously as he insisted, “Cassandra, you have a fever. If we don’t go to the hospital, at least take the medicine, okay?”
Cassandra found herself bombarded with questions. She opened her eyes reluctantly to confront the person before her. She resisted the urge to push him away and spoke indifferently, “I’m not taking any medicine. Leave me alone. If I’m sick, it’s my problem, not yours. If you want to take care of someone, take care of Rebecca, okay?”
Orlando frowned. He was at a loss for words in response to her sarcastic remarks.
Cassandra didn’t give him a second look. She just lay back down after saying those words.
Cassandra had a fever throughout the night that persisted despite Orlando’s efforts to alleviate it with cooling patches. She even refused his help.
Early the next day, before dawn, Orlando summoned Weston. Weston prescribed some medication suitable for pregnant women and advised her to drink plenty of water, recognizing Cassandra’s weak condition.
When Cassandra awoke, she found Orlando entering the room with warm water and medicine.
She felt weak all over from the fever, and her face was flushed. Orlando walked toward the bed and sat down on a chair, and as she watched, her delicate eyelashes quivered, and her lips tightened slightly.
Orlando handed her the medicine and said, “Take this first. I’ve asked the kitchen to make some porridge for you.”
“I’m not taking any medicine,” she refused without hesitation.
Orlando coaxed, “Cassandra, don’t be stubborn. Not taking medication after a whole night of fever will only make it worse. Dr. Garrett mentioned that you need to drink more water to recover faster, okay?”
When Cassandra learned that Weston had prescribed the medicine, her expression softened slightly. But as she looked at Orlando, the images of last night’s events subconsciously flashed through her mind.
With a frail calmness, she replied coldly, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll take it myself later.”
“Why do you refuse to listen, Cassandra?” Orlando said, increasingly annoyed. It was her own health she was neglecting.
Cassandra looked up, taken aback by his anger, and said, “Orlando, I have done nothing, yet you accuse me of causing trouble. Is it because in your heart, Rebecca is the epitome of perfection?”
“Cassandra, we’re talking about your situation now. Why bring up Rebecca again?” he asked.
“It’s not that I want to bring her up all the time. It’s just that every word I say seems to somehow relate to her,” she said with a trace of a mocking smile on her lips, her eyes not even blinking.
Orlando frowned and handed her the glass of water as he said, “Take your medicine first. We’ll sort that out later.”
“I’ll take it myself. Don’t worry, Cassandra said.
Chapter 78
Cassandra, are you really going to force me to feed you?” Orlando asked.
“I said, I’ll take it myself,” Cassandra insisted.
Her growing irritation seemed to flare up as well.
Orlando narrowed his eyes, then abruptly put down the medicine and pulled Cassandra into his arms. She stiffened. Her body instinctively fought back, but she could not free herself from his embrace. Only her hands waved in protest.
Cassandra reacted strongly, her anger seething within her. Although Orlando’s physical strength allowed him to restrain and control her, he could not completely calm her with his other hand holding a glass of water.
The water from the cup spilled onto the quilt amid the struggle, soaking all their clothes to varying degrees.
They both fell into silence in the next second.
Cassandra took the opportunity to free herself from his arms. “I’ll get it myself later,” she said calmly.
With that, she rose from the bed and headed for the bathroom, not even glancing at him.
Orlando felt her indifference and rejection, but there was little he could do. She was his wife, and taking care of her was a duty he could not ignore.
Yet, an incomprehensible look flashed across his handsome face as his deep, dark blue eyes lingered on the bathroom door before he left the bedroom, as though he had expected her to come out from it.
Cassandra’s fever persisted for several days, and their relationship was lukewarm at best. Orlando, who was in charge, tried to help her most of the time, but her emotions and responses were minimal.
She felt unwell and low on energy and paid little attention to events beyond her surroundings. Early in the morning, Nellie called and brought some gossip.
Nellie said, “Rebecca became the talk of the upper–class society after Mr. Peter Quinn’s birthday banquet. She made a high- profile comeback and got endorsements and advertisements from other celebrities. Now, everyone is mocking her for digging her own grave.”
Cassandra, not particularly invested in the news, commented, “It’s her own fault. She brought it on herself.”
Nellie sighed before asking, “That’s right. By the way, do you feel better now?”
“Yes, much better,” Cassandra replied.
She did not go to the company, and her work came to a temporary halt because of her fever. If she had not been pregnant, she would not have been so cautious. She had to be careful with a baby in her womb.
As for Rebecca’s affairs in the upper class society, they held no real significance for her. She listened to the gossip and let it drift from her thoughts.
Later, Nellie continued, “Cassie, have you and Orlando thought about divorce? Do you plan to tell him about the baby? As the months go by, you won’t be able to hide it. You can cover up as the weather turns colder, but he sleeps in the same room with you. Has he not noticed your baby bump at all?”
