Chapter 15
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Chapter 15
Lilly looked deeply apologetic as she turned to Scarlet. “Dr. Benson, I’m so sorry. Xyla has been nothing but a headache for you.”
“It’s not much to do with her,” Scarlet replied. “I have rounds to finish, so I’ll head out.”
Once Scarlet left, Lilly turned and glared at Xyla. “Look at the mess you’ve made with that big mouth of yours! Are you happy now?”
Xyla pouted, still defiant. “Their marriage is a disaster anyway. It’s not like I’m making things up.”
“Their marriage is none of your business,” Lilly snapped. “You’d be blind if it weren’t for Dr. Benson. You will be respectful from now on, and I don’t want to hear another word about her being the Coopers’ adopted daughter!”
“Why? It’s not a secret. Everyone knows it.”
“You’re too young to understand what really happened back then.”
“What do you mean?”
Lilly hadn’t intended to say more, but Xyla wouldn’t let it go. Thinking it might actually make Xyla show Scarlet some respect, Lilly finally relented.
“Dr. Benson’s father was a high-level executive at Heritage Bank. Years ago, their family was kidnapped during a corporate power struggle. Her parents were murdered, and Scarlet was the only one who made it out alive.
“Her father was a loyal man. He chose to die rather than betray the Cooper family. If it weren’t for that tragedy, she wouldn’t have lost everything and spent years in the orphanage,” Lilly recounted what had happened back then.
Xyla had no idea of Scarlet’s tragic past. Everyone in their circle called Scarlet lucky, assuming she had hit the jackpot by being taken in by the Coopers. But if the success of Heritage Bank had been bought with her parents’ lives, then the Coopers owed her a debt they could never truly repay.
Thinking back to the nasty things she’d said, Xyla felt a flash of genuine shame. “You should have told me sooner. I wouldn’t have been so mean…”
“How’s that my fault?” Lilly nudged her shoulder. “Next time you see Dr. Benson, you’d better apologize.”
“No way. That’s too embarrassing.”
“Oh, now you’re embarrassed? You weren’t embarrassed when you were running your mouth!”
“I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!” Xyla shoved her head under the covers, but she moved too fast, causing her wound to reopen, and she yelped in pain.
That afternoon, Scarlet had just finished a surgery when a nurse hurried into her office. “Dr. Benson, the patient in Room 23 is claiming there’s a knife in her eye. She’s demanding to see you.”
“I’ll be right there.” Scarlet finished updating Madison on the current patient and headed to the patient room.
Lilly was out, leaving Xyla alone and bored. She was staring at the ceiling with her one good eye. Scarlet’s professional demeanor hadn’t changed at all despite the morning’s drama.
“What’s wrong with your eye?” Scarlet asked.
“It hurts like hell,” Xyla groaned. “Are you trying to get revenge on me? Did you leave a scalpel in there?”
“Your head isn’t big enough to fit a scalpel,” Scarlet said dryly. “The anesthesia is just wearing off. It’s normal to feel pain.”
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Scarlet carefully checked the eye. Everything looked fine. “Look up.”
Xyla obeyed. Scarlet leaned in, her movements practiced and gentle as she applied a drop of local anesthetic. Watching Scarlet’s focused expression from such a close distance, Xyla blinked her good eye. “Dr. Benson… you’re actually really pretty.
“I didn’t just wake up looking like this today,” Scarlet replied flatly, turning to leave.
“Wait!” Xyla called out.
“Is there something else?”
Xyla fidgeted for a long moment before mumbling something under her breath.
“I didn’t catch that,” Scarlet said.
“I said I’m sorry!” Xyla blurted out. Now that it was out, she dropped the act. Her tone was sheepish but sincere. “About this morning. I didn’t know about your parents and the Coopers. I spoke without thinking. Just pretend I never said anything.”
After a moment, Scarlet replied, “Okay. I heard you.’
Xyla waited, but Scarlet said nothing else. “That’s it? Aren’t you supposed to say it’s fine and you forgive me?”
Scarlet looked her in the eye. “Because it’s not fine. And I’m not forgiving you.”
Everyone had pride. Did Xyla think Scarlet wanted to be an orphan? Did she think Scarlet enjoyed a childhood spent walking on eggshells?
Scarlet never asked for her loved ones to get hurt. She never wanted to live a life full of humiliation.
Before Scarlet turned seven, her life had been perfect. Her father was a top banking executive, and her mother was an associate professor at Sanferd University. She had private tutors for piano and art, and she had traveled the world. By the time she turned six, she was already fluent in four languages.
They might not be filthy rich like the Cooper family, but they were more than comfortable. If her parents were still alive, Scarlet would have grown up as sheltered and loved as any other child.
That kidnapping was the turning point that shattered her world.
Scarlet had an aunt, but shortly after her parents were killed, her aunt abandoned her, dumping her at an orphanage. Even though every child there came from a broken background, the place was still a breeding ground for bullies.
As a child, Scarlet looked innocent and fragile. It was obvious she came from a well-off family. She was still traumatized from witnessing her parents’ murder, so she was skittish and rarely spoke, which quickly made her the favorite target of the house bully.
The bully faced no consequences since Scarlet never told anyone about it.
It would make no difference even if she did. The bully had been left at the orphanage as an infant and was practically raised by the staff, who naturally favored him.
Every child there lived for the day they might be adopted. They saw potential parents as saviors, but saviors were rare to come by.
Once, a couple had come looking for a child. They had seen a photo of Scarlet and were instantly drawn to her quiet, angelic
face.
They were kind and gentle. When they held her hand, she felt a warmth she hadn’t known in years. For a moment, she really thought she was being saved.
But after spending a day at the home, the couple found themselves charmed by a more extroverted girl-someone bubbly who knew how to sweet-talk. And they chose her instead.
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Introverted children were rarely the first choice to be adopted.
Scarlet remained in the system until she was 12.
At that time, a journalist dug up her story and wrote a viral piece about her father’s sacrifice. The public hailed him as a hero of unwavering loyalty and argued that the Cooper family owed it to him and that they should take in his orphaned daughter. The Coopers were suddenly thrust into a public relations nightmare.
However, news like this barely affected the powerful Cooper family. Ten years ago, the internet wasn’t what it was today. With their power, the Coopers could have made the story vanish with a single phone call.
Scarlet was only brought into the Cooper household because Emily Miller, William’s grandmother, insisted on it.
Arthur had great respect for his parents and obeyed Emily without any questions. Justine, however, never wanted to take Scarlet in. She had been forced into the arrangement and resented it.
Scarlet was a quiet child. She didn’t know how to sweet-talk the adults. Justine found her to be ill-mannered, so she never liked her. She paid for Scarlet’s school and food, but gave her zero affection.
While Scarlet didn’t live with the housekeepers, she was essentially raised by a housekeeper, Ellen.
Ellen would buy her clothes and help cut her hair. She was kind to Scarlet, but she was a simple woman from the countryside with no sense of style. She always dressed Scarlet shabbily and gave her a bowl-cut.
William used to make fun of her.
He’d smirk and tease her. “Who did your hair? You look like a boy!”
From then on, Shaun and the others gave her the nickname “Bowl Head”. Scarlet never liked any of them. The feelings were
mutual on both sides.
She was called the Coopers’ adopted daughter, but her name was never on the family registry. No one treated her like a real heiress. She and William grew up under the same roof, but they lived in different universes.
He was the golden boy-loved, pampered, and worshipped. He could be as reckless or as arrogant as he wanted. Meanwhile, Scarlet spent every ounce of her energy just trying to survive.
A spoiled heiress like Xyla, backed by a fortune and unconditional parental love, could never understand how Scarlet felt.
“You’re so petty,” Xyla grumbled from the bed. “I already apologized.”
Scarlet ignored her and walked toward the door.
“Hey! I’m not done yet!” Xyla shouted. “Why did you marry William anyway? He doesn’t love you, and you don’t look like you even like him.”
Scarlet didn’t slow down. “Gossip won’t help your eye heal. Silence will.”
Bova Capital’s office had been under a heavy cloud of tension all day. From the executive assistants down to the interns, everyone was walking on eggshells, terrified of making a mistake that might trigger the CEO’s foul mood.
William was famous for a tongue sharper than a double-edged sword. A few words from him could send an employee straight
to tears.
Earlier, the secretary, Helen, had accidentally misplaced a decimal point on a report. William hadn’t yelled at her. He had simply looked at her with a deadpan expression and asked, “A missing zero isn’t a big deal. Why don’t we just move it over from your salary next month? Does it sound fair?”
Helen left the office and complained to Chris, “Mr. Hemworth, don’t you think Mr. Cooper’s mood has become harder to read after he returned?”
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“Do I have a sign on my back that says ‘Talk Trash About Me’?” he asked. “Everyone seems remarkably obsessed with dissecting my life today.”
Helen’s knees buckled. “I… I didn’t… That’s not what I…”
William sneered, “Since I’m just a heartless scumbag that’s worth nothing, why don’t you just fire me? You can find a CEO who actually meets your standards.”
Helen was speechless. She never said he was a scumbag.
She shot Chris a pleading look, but he just stood there with his hands folded, staring intently at nothing, clearly wanting nothing to do with her.
Her heart sank. At that moment, she felt like she was done for.
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