Cecilia was not a threat to Zach. He was more interested in the person supporting her. Whoever allowed Cecilia to become so brazen merely wanted to take control of Jardin Corporation. He had allowed her to do so just to see how much the person backing her was willing to sacrifice. The current Jardin Corporation was more complex than it seemed, and Cecilia did not have the ability to shoulder all of it.
Zach stared at Madelyn and said, “When will you give me some peace of mind? You never needed to compare yourself to her.”
His hand brushed Madelyn’s face as he felt the warmth of her body. She continued to sleep. Zach observed her while trying to etch every feature of her face into his mind. Since they received their marriage certificate, Madelyn had never worn her wedding band. She did not want to, and Zach did not force her.
When Madelyn woke up, her throat was hoarse. It was already nighttime, and she had no clue how long she had slept. As her head was spinning, a hand came and held her. Madelyn leaned into the embrace as Zach’s cold voice rang, “Why is she not well yet? Isn’t she just exhausted?” Kai replied, “You know she has a terrible immune system. Besides, we’re human, not gods. We can’t get well just by thinking about it.”
Zach could never keep his cool when it came to Madelyn’s affairs.
“Water,” Madelyn suddenly croaked. Her head was hurting from hearing them argue.
Margaret did not even manage to enjoy her holidays when she had to rush back as soon as she heard Madelyn had fallen ill. Madelyn did not expect to fall sick for so long after staying up late for just one night. She had spent most of her New Year’s Eve in deep slumber. Due to Madelyn’s sickness, the Jardin Corporation annual dinner was also canceled.
Zach had reached an agreement with SkyNet Technologies, so he would be very busy. He would rarely come and visit her at the hospital.
That evening, Zach was the center of attention at the banquet. The banquet was held to celebrate the collaboration of Jardin Corporation and SkyNet Technologies. Cecilia was by Zach’s side, socializing with all the other businesspeople. She sipped her wine and commented, “Thankfully, I was here today. If it were Madelyn, she would’ve panicked.”
Zach stared ahead as he was clearly still not present at the moment. Cecilia chuckled and said, ” However, I will apologize for delaying your wedding with her. I hope Madelyn could understand that thirty billion is not a small sum of money.”
‘I want Madelyn to see her defeat with her own eyes,’ Cecilia thought.
Zach put down his glass of wine and checked the time. He also swiped Cecilia’s hand away. She knew what Zach was going to do and where he was heading. She held onto him tightly and said, “Did you forget what happened at the press conference once you left last time?”
Zach answered, “There shouldn’t be an issue with you here, Ms. Samford. If anything happens, tell Kevin to contact me.
There were many people around, so Cecilia suppressed her emotions. She watched on with an ugly expression as Zach left.
At the hospital, Madelyn lay in bed with her eyes shut. She allowed the nurse to get her
temperature. The nurse told her solemnly, “Your fever is not gone yet. Did you eat anything else, Mrs. Jardin?”
Madelyn shook her head and answered, “I didn’t eat anything. I’ve had a weak body since I was young, so I have difficulty recovering from even flu and fevers. You should get some rest soon. I might feel better after a night’s sleep.”
The nurse nodded and said, “Just ring the bell if you need anything, Mrs. Jardin.”
It was New Year’s Eve, so Madelyn had Margaret go home during the day. On such a holiday, Madelyn hoped that Margaret could be with her family even though she did not have her own. After that, Madelyn watched the fireworks show outside. She then shut her eyes when the scene of her dying on the sickbed came to mind. It was all so familiar. She had returned to that moment again.
At midnight, Madelyn shivered as cold water ran across her skin. She had just showered in cold water. After the cold, her body felt like it was on fire. The two sensations were causing so much pain to her.
When she walked out of the bathroom fully dressed, she saw Kai’s cold expression. He scolded her, “Have you not recovered because you’ve been hurting yourself this way? Are you not afraid to die?”
Madelyn replied, “Compared to death, I’m more afraid of being connected to him in this life. I had no choice since he forced me to get the marriage certificate. I won’t let him finish this wedding ceremony.”
“So you would rather keep yourself sick and keep delaying?” Kai said furiously with his hands on his hips.
“What delay?” Zach’s cold voice suddenly rang from outside.
