Crescentia's phone was bombarded with phone calls from Damian but she silenced them. When it got too frustrating, she answered.
"What do you want?" She questioned as soon as the line connected, but immediately, she regretted it because Damian still hadn't paid her for attending the birthday with her.
The line was silent for a while, and when she parted her lips to apologize for her tone, he abruptly interrupted her.
"Why did you suddenly leave?" He asked, his tone as calm as usual.
Crescentia gulped down her saliva. "I had a wardrobe malfunction, so I decided to leave. Besides, it is already late. Make sure to send me my money." Then she hung up on the call before he could say anything else.
Crescentia fumbled into her bag, searching for her house key. After she moved in with Clara, she was given her own spare keys.
Crescentia went inside after unlocking the door and found the house quiet.
Her back was aching terribly after Lucian pushed her to the way, and she could already feel liquid dripping down her gown. So, silently, she went to her room but failed when the door to her room was opened and Clara stepped outside.
An ugly look instantly clouded her face when she saw Crescentia's condition.
"Who did this to you?" She questioned.
Crescentia peeked through the door and found Noella sleeping. She felt relieved the girl wouldn't see her the way she was and ask questions.
"It was Lucian," she replied, wincing in pain.
Clara's fists clenched, and she bit down on her lip to keep from saying something that might wake Noella. Without another word, she shut the door, led Crescentia to her room, and gently sat her down on the bed.
"That boyfriend of yours needs to be taught a lesson," she said through gritted teeth, rummaging through a drawer for the first aid kit.
"You mean ex," Crescentia corrected, her voice barely above a whisper.
"That ex-boyfriend of yours deserves to be six feet under already," Clara snapped, pulling out the kit and setting it beside her. "Give me your hand."
"I want you to help me with my back." Crescentia removed her clothes before Clara could say anything, and revealed her bloody back.
Clara was too dumbfounded to speak but Crescentia had an inkling feeling of what she was going to say.
"He was jealous because I went to the party with Damian, and accused me of cheating while we were still in a relationship," she explained.
"Did he drink or something?"
Crescentia thought about it. She was sure she got a whiff of alcohol from Lucian's breath. She nodded.
"The day I see that bastard, he's going to regret it," Clara threatened with rage evident in her tone.
**
At the Belmore mansion,
Magnus was fuming. After seeing Crescentia at the party and acting so close to the old lady, he knew there was no way left for things to be done anymore.
"I thought you said that she must have warmed his bed." He glared at Juliette who was too stunned to speak.
"That was what I thought," she defended. "She must have done something to him, or perhaps, she must have bewitched him."
Juliette's skin crawled as she recalled the way Damian had leaned in toward Crescentia—so casually intimate—while the old woman made her birthday wish. And then there was Lucian, looking at Crescentia like he still felt something for her. The memory made her blood boil, and her nails dug painfully into her own skin.
She hadn't gone through the trouble of stealing Lucian from Crescentia just to watch him spiral back into regret. The thought alone stirred a vicious jealousy inside her.
"That's enough," Victoria hissed. "Crescentia might be quiet for now, but God only knows what she's plotting in that little mind of hers." She turned sharply to her husband. "You need to get rid of her. It's about time she joined her parents—wherever they are."
Magnus had Crescentia followed one time because he was curious about where she was living. And found out she was living in her friend's house.
Without wasting a second, he dialed a number on his phone and gave instructions to the receiver, while also giving them the address and the photo of the person they needed to get rid of.
The next morning, Crescentia and Noella were headed to the hospital for Noella's medical checkup.
Although Noella's surgery was successful and she was out of the danger zone, there were still weekly checkups.
A pair of dark eyes hidden behind a heavily tinted window followed them as they got into the cap.
"I told you we don't need to go back to the hospital. I'm strong and healthy," Noella tried to show her biceps by acting strong.
"I hear you. But we still need to go so we can prevent another heart surgery," Crescentia replied while trying to hold back her laughter when Noella's face turned red from trying to make her biceps bigger.
"Fine."
"Ma'am, I think someone is following us," said the driver.
Crescentia looked back to find a truck speeding towards them.
"Why is a truck following us?" She wondered when it suddenly clicked to her. She turned to the driver. "Please speed us else that truck is going to crash into us."
The driver hissed, probably wondering what offense he'd committed that day.
He sped out, but the truck was moving at an accelerating speed.
Crescentia held Noella who was already starting to tremble in fear.
"Cress," Noella called very softly.
All of a sudden, the truck hit the taxi with a heavy impact that caused the taxi to flip and crash so terribly that some parts of the vehicle went flying away.
The truck driver immediately sped past them while people tried to stop him to take accountability for his actions.
He ignored them and made a call.
"Boss, the mission was a successful one," said the driver as he chewed a piece of stick.