Chapter 520 - 516: A Very Accurate Suspicion

Zelda Warner’s color had improved significantly, but she was still very weak.

Childbirth takes a huge toll on a woman’s body, so Cecilia Sterling had brought some revitalizing supplements from home.

Zelda Warner felt a wave of relief at the sight of Cecilia. "Why didn’t you sleep in?"

"I got about six or seven hours," Cecilia said, pretending not to have heard the earlier conversation. She casually handed the items to Mrs. Yates. "Ma’am, I brought some supplements for my sister-in-law. You can prepare them for her later. They’re all top quality."

"Oh, my dear, you’re so good to Zelda," Mrs. Yates said, accepting the supplements with a cheerful smile. She didn’t forget to add a compliment for Cecilia. "And you’re so young and pretty. Zelda was singing your praises all morning."

Cecilia smiled faintly and said with deliberate intent, "My brother specifically told me to take good care of my sister-in-law before... everything happened. I have to do what I promised, or he won’t be able to rest easy in there."

On the surface, it sounded like a perfectly normal thing to say. But a closer look revealed Cecilia’s true meaning: she was taking such good care of Zelda Warner only because her brother had asked her to. This implied her relationship with Wesley Yates was the closer one, a point she made deliberately for Mrs. Yates’s benefit.

Mrs. Yates was a bit slow on the uptake, and it took her a moment to process the implication.

"Well, our Jeb must trust you a great deal then, my dear. Zelda trusts you too, which just goes to show you’re a trustworthy person," Mrs. Yates said.

Cecilia feigned humility, but her words were just as calculated. "My brother has helped me so much. It’s the least I can do."

Mrs. Yates lowered her gaze, her eyes shifting thoughtfully. ’It seems this young woman really is closer to Jeb,’ she thought.

With that in mind, she picked up two apples from the table. "My dear, let me go wash an apple for you."

"Please, ma’am, stay seated. I can do it."

"Oh, it’s no trouble. Don’t be so formal."

"Then let me go with you. We can wash the rest of these too, to save us a trip later."

"All right. You’re such a thoughtful young woman. I can’t believe Jeb has such a wonderful sworn sister and never brought you home to meet me." Mrs. Yates took Cecilia’s hand with a familiar warmth.

Cecilia didn’t pull away. She glanced over at Zelda Warner, giving her a subtle look. Zelda instantly understood that Cecilia had overheard their conversation and gave a slight nod.

’Whatever Cecilia is planning, I trust her completely.’

Besides, in her current condition, she didn’t have the extra energy to deal with such matters.

Once they left the hospital room, Mrs. Yates started chatting warmly with Cecilia as they walked, asking about her age, whether she had graduated, and other personal details.

It wasn’t until they reached the sinks that Mrs. Yates suddenly grabbed Cecilia’s arm, her face a mask of grave concern.

Cecilia, in turn, put on a concerned expression. "What is it, ma’am?"

"Sigh..." Mrs. Yates let out a soft sigh and looked at Cecilia. "My dear, since you’re Jeb’s sworn sister, I’m not going to treat you like an outsider. There are some things... I just don’t know who to talk to about them."

"Please, ma’am, you can tell me anything. You’re my brother’s mother, and since he’s not here, I’m happy to look after you in his stead."

Cecilia’s earnest act was convincing. Mrs. Yates couldn’t possibly imagine that such a young woman could be so calculating; she took her at her word. "Zelda has had the baby now, but there’s still no resolution in sight for your brother’s situation."

"I’m... I’m not a very capable person. As soon as your brother went in, the whole family lost its backbone. I can’t help but let my mind run wild."

At this, Mrs. Yates’s expression grew tense, and she lowered her voice. "My dear, I heard from Zelda that she’s living in your house. That means you must see her quite often, right?"

Cecilia nodded. "Yes. She was pregnant and didn’t want to stay in the hospital before her due date. And while Mrs. Lynn was there taking excellent care of her, I still stopped by to check on her every couple of days. I’m much more relieved now that she’s delivered."

"Ma’am, what is it you’re trying to say?" Cecilia asked, looking directly at Mrs. Yates.

Mrs. Yates pursed her lips, looking conflicted, before finally saying, "It’s just... I have this worry on my mind, and I don’t know how I could ever bring it up with Zelda."

She looked up at Cecilia. "My dear, I’m afraid Zelda is going to leave Jeb."

"Oh?" Cecilia feigned a slight shock and played along. "Ma’am, are you worried that my sister-in-law will file for divorce while my brother is serving his sentence?"

Mrs. Yates nodded. "Exactly. You know what they say—a couple is like two birds in a forest, but when disaster strikes, they fly their separate ways. I want to believe in Zelda, I really do, but who can be certain in a situation like this?"

"I even consulted a lawyer about it. In a situation like your brother and sister-in-law’s, if she files for divorce, it’s almost guaranteed to be granted."

Cecilia nodded, her expression one of dawning comprehension. She adopted a similarly worried tone. "I see... What you’re saying isn’t impossible, ma’am. Even though my brother and my sister-in-law are deeply in love, no one can guarantee that feelings won’t change down the road. And with my brother in prison... it’s really hard to say."

"See!" Hearing Cecilia agree with her suspicions, Mrs. Yates grew animated. "And my son... he can be so brilliant and so foolish at the same time. On the one hand, he was smart enough that even though he got arrested, he managed to protect the company, the house and car he bought for me, and even his own brother."

"But then he was foolish enough to not entrust the company or any of his assets to his family! Zelda claims she doesn’t know anything, but I refuse to believe that. He must have left everything in her hands. Who else would he give it to? Some outsider? He’s not *that* foolish!"

Cecilia nodded along. "So, you’re worried that my brother entrusted the company and his personal assets to my sister-in-law, and that if they divorce, she’ll just walk away with everything?"

"Exactly!" Mrs. Yates clapped her hands, her expression a mask of worry, though she made sure to affect a look of conflict as well. "Logically, your sister-in-law has given my son a son and a daughter—she’s done a great service for the Yates family. I shouldn’t be suspecting her like this as her mother-in-law. But as his mother, I have to think about my son! He made all these arrangements and protected so many assets because he’s planning to make a comeback when he gets out. If I fail to protect all that for him, wouldn’t that be my failing as a mother?"

The whole speech was remarkably smooth. ’It’s amazing,’ Cecilia thought, ’that this uneducated old woman could present such a coherent and well-reasoned argument.’

’It seems my suspicions were spot-on. Tony Yates definitely fed her these lines.’

Still, Cecilia didn’t rush to judge the old woman herself. ’There are two possibilities,’ she mused. ’Either she’s in cahoots with Tony Yates, and they plan to fleece my brother of all his company’s assets, or she’s simply been brainwashed by her younger son. Older women like her often don’t have a strong will of their own. With only her younger son around, she’d naturally believe anything he tells her.’

’But either way, there was a limit to what she could do to Mrs. Yates.’

’The reason was simple: she was my brother’s mother. For that reason alone, I would never harm a single hair on her head.’