Chapter 353: Neither Dead nor Alive

The board meeting lasted nearly an hour. Cecelia Archer secured a unanimous vote, with the exception of her second and third uncles.

The Human Resources department prepared the documents, and soon, the official letter appointing Cecelia Archer as Vice President was issued.

Worried that her sudden promotion to Vice President would spark more gossip and speculation about Damien Vaughn’s whereabouts, Cecelia Archer specifically registered a Weibo account. She then tagged the official account of the variety show, "In the Mood for Love," and posted photos of two marriage certificates.

"We’re officially married. Thank you to the show’s production team. Thank you all for your support. I’m grateful."

The people who had just been speculating all over the internet that Damien Vaughn was dead were now left speechless.

Not only was he alive and well, but he had also married the woman he had such fiery chemistry with on the show. All the clueless netizens should probably stop worrying about things that weren’t their business.

"AHHH, I wish you an eternity together! A match made in heaven! My ship has sailed, I’m so happy!"

"They’re both so gorgeous, wouldn’t their kids be out-of-this-world beautiful? Have kids soon, have kids soon! I can’t wait to see you have babies!"

"Promise me you’ll post updates on Weibo often, okay? I want to ship you two forever!"

"SOB SOB, President Vaughn is so romantic, he just went and got married, just like that! When’s the wedding? Can you livestream it?"

Cecelia Archer had successfully defused a crisis.

Looking at the fragile peace she had just plastered over, she wearily rubbed her forehead and sent a message to Ryan.

"Have you arrived?"

Ryan, after being busy for a while, called her back.

"The moment I landed, I went straight to the police station and found the case file. President Archer, you might have been right. There are suspicious points in the case."

"Suspicious points? You saw them at a glance, but the professionals didn’t say anything?"

"I’m afraid there’s some kind of backroom deal involved. Fortunately, the legal team is all here. I’ll have them cooperate and investigate thoroughly to gather evidence as quickly as possible. You’re all alone back home with no one to help. I hope you can hold on."

Cecelia Archer: "I’ll hold on. Don’t worry. As long as we can find him as soon as possible, that’s all that matters."

Ryan: "Right. If there’s a huge conspiracy behind this, you and Candy need to be careful, especially Candy."

Ryan settled in Rivia and officially began his investigation.

Meanwhile, with Damien Vaughn, Sherry Cohen brought a bowl of water to his lips, but he had no strength to drink.

He couldn’t lift his head or open his mouth.

He could only watch helplessly as the water wavered before him, just out of reach.

Seeing he really couldn’t drink, Sherry sat beside him, struggled to lift his head onto her lap, then pinched his mouth open and poured the water in.

Like a parched land receiving welcome rain, Damien Vaughn finally felt some life return to him.

He spilled as much as he drank, managing to get down about half the bowl.

After he finished, seeing that he still looked like he wanted more, Sherry went to get him another bowl.

Damien Vaughn was much more comfortable now. After she laid him back on the floor, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Sherry checked his breathing and found he was just asleep. ’It’s almost time for my shift.’ She left quietly, locked the door, and went to the restaurant.

Even in the back kitchen of a restaurant, doing the most menial jobs in the world, there was a pecking order.

Sherry was young and a girl, so it was common for the chefs and waiters to tease and mock her.

The moment she showed up today, they saw her eyelids, swollen like walnuts, and immediately sensed that the fun was about to begin.

"Your dad beat you again? I’m telling you, how can you still come to work after that? Why don’t you run away? How attached to him can you be?"

"If I were a woman, I’d have gone to work in the red-light district or a club long ago. Why would I need to wash dishes and scrub floors every day, just to get beaten all the time? So stupid."

"How do you know she doesn’t want to? But look at her. She’s so scrawny. Would any man pay for her in a place like that?"

"HAHAHA. But Asian girls have their own... assets. Some guys are into faces like hers."

"I’m just saying, don’t tell me you’re into her?"

"No way! Every girlfriend I’ve had is super hot! Look at her. Not only is she flat-chested, she’s also dirty and short."

"Hey, you were gone all morning. Look at how many dishes have piled up. The dinner rush is coming. Hurry up, or you’ll piss off the boss, and he’ll swell up your other eye too."

"HAHAHAHA!"

The group burst into collective laughter.

Sherry paid no mind to their taunts. On the contrary, she was rather thankful that she was small and skinny, like an underage girl.

If she were fair-skinned and beautiful, with a curvy figure, she would have been devoured without a scrap left in a wolf’s den like this.

Every day, she deliberately didn’t wash her face or comb her hair, keeping herself grimy. She just knew to keep her head down and work. Although she lived without a shred of dignity, at least she could safely earn enough money for food and to buy bread for her mother back home.

’Her life used to be so good; it was a world apart from her current reality. She didn’t know what the point of barely surviving was anymore, or if there was any hope left to see, but...’

’Whatever, it’s better not to overthink it.’

In the past, though Sherry was poor, she had never considered stealing food from the restaurant to take home.

Today, after being viciously mocked by everyone, she watched as they all stuffed things into their pockets. When it was time to leave, she stuffed some away as well.

’I have one more person to feed now. God should understand.’

Dragging her exhausted body home, she first settled her mother in, then went to the basement with a flashlight.

Damien Vaughn was just as she had left him, lying silently on the dark floor as if he were dead.

Sherry checked his breathing. Still breathing. Still alive. She gave him a little push.

"Wake up, wake up. Get up and eat something. I brought you some bread and milk."

But no matter how much she pushed him, he wouldn’t wake up.

The flashlight beam fell on Damien Vaughn’s face, but his expression didn’t change at all.

Puzzled, Sherry couldn’t help but try to lift his eyelid. The moment her hand touched his face, she was scalded by the heat.

’So hot. He has a fever.’

’It makes sense. He was left by the pond for so long and drenched in the rain all day.’

’So annoying.’

’If he were going to die, he should’ve just died so I could bury him. If he were going to live, he should just get better and leave after a few days.’

’But no, he has to be hovering between life and death, and now he’s sick.’

"Are you thirsty? Drink the milk first. Drink some milk and then go back to sleep, okay?"

Sherry desperately tried to lift his head and pour the milk into his mouth, but his jaw was clenched shut, and he couldn’t drink a single drop.

There was nothing else she could do. It was a human life, after all, and her upbringing over the years wouldn’t allow her to ignore it. Sherry put the things down, left the basement, crossed the pond, and knocked on the door of a low-built house in the residential area on the other side.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Lisa? Lisa? Are you there? Can you get up for a second?"

After knocking for a long while, the light in the room finally turned on.

A fair-skinned, chubby, middle-aged woman came out, rubbing her eyes.

"Why are you getting off work so late again? What’s wrong? Are you sick, or is your mother sick?"

"My mom, she has a fever. My dad hit her a couple of days ago, and she has injuries. Could it be from an infection? Can you get me some medicine?"