Chapter 751 - 747: If You Don’t Talk, I’ll Send You Back

"See what you want to eat. You don’t have to be polite with me."

Cecilia Sterling scanned the QR code to order, then pushed the phone over to Melinda Sterling. She poured her a cup of hot water. "Drink some of this to warm up. You’re not wearing nearly enough. If I hadn’t come to pick you up today, you would’ve frozen and caught a cold going out dressed like that."

"Thank you, Cecilia."

Melinda Sterling felt a little shy. From the corner of her eye, she couldn’t stop sneaking glances at Cecilia Sterling. Her cousin was just too beautiful.

Her memories of Cecilia were few and hazy. She only remembered her aunt bringing Cecilia back to their hometown once, but they had only stayed for three or four days before leaving.

’I can’t believe Cecilia is so beautiful now, and so elegant. Compared to a small-town girl from Fornan like me, we’re from two different worlds.’

"I’ll have a friend bring some clothes over. You two are about the same size, so they should fit you."

Melinda Sterling instinctively refused. "You don’t have to, Cecilia. That’s too much trouble. I have a little money, I can buy my own."

"How much money did you bring to Lorcain?"

"I’ve saved up five thousand."

Afraid her sister wouldn’t believe her, Melinda even showed her the balance on her phone.

’Cecilia glanced at the number. Five thousand yuan. That might seem like a lot to Melinda, and it was undoubtedly the nest egg that gave her the courage to run away from home, but in Lorcain, it was next to nothing!’

"The cost of living in Lorcain is very high, so you’ll have to be frugal," Cecilia said, her tone gentle and persuasive. "The clothes I’m getting for you are just some things a friend of mine doesn’t wear anymore, so you don’t need to feel bad about it. For now, let’s order."

Melinda didn’t argue. She could feel her cousin’s kindness. She scrolled through the menu on the phone. The prices were actually quite reasonable for Lorcain, but to Melinda, they were still shockingly expensive.

’Things were much cheaper in Fornan.’

Finally, she scrolled to the very bottom and ordered a plate of "Egg Fried Rice."

"Cecilia, this is good enough for me."

Cecilia took one look and felt a mix of pity and exasperation. "You’re too thin. You need to eat something nutritious. Besides, I can’t have you come all the way to Lorcain just to treat you to egg fried rice. If your grandma and your dad found out, there’s no telling what they’d say about me."

"I’m not going back!" Melinda blurted out, her reaction sharp and sudden. A second later, she realized she’d been too loud, but she couldn’t stop herself from explaining urgently, "Cecilia, I’m not going back. I won’t be a bother to you or my aunt, I can make it on my own. Doesn’t everyone say there are jobs everywhere in Lorcain? I can survive as long as I find one that includes room and board."

Her reaction was so strong that it even startled Cecilia for a moment.

’Just how badly must she have been treated at home,’ Cecilia wondered, ’to run off to a strange place where she knows no one, determined to make it on her own?’

"I was just making a point. I’m not sending you back."

As Cecilia spoke, she quickly ordered several more dishes. Just as she looked up, she saw Estelle walk in, bringing a gust of cold air with her and pulling a suitcase.

"Darling!"

She spotted Cecilia from across the room and waved happily, then came huffing and puffing toward them, dragging the large suitcase behind her.

Cecilia was stunned. "Good grief, isn’t this a bit much?"

Melinda subconsciously stood up, blinking as she stared at the other beautiful woman who had just appeared.

’Are all the women in Lorcain this beautiful?’

’If I stay here, could I become this elegant someday?’

"You said on the phone I could bring anything I don’t wear, so I picked out a few things. I’ve got more at home. If this isn’t enough, I can drop more off at your place tonight."

"It’s more than enough," Cecilia said, exasperated but amused. She finally found a moment to introduce Estelle and Melinda.

"Is this your cousin from back home?" Estelle Goodman looked at Melinda Sterling with curiosity, noticing she looked nothing like Cecilia.

"Yes. She just showed up out of the blue."

Estelle Goodman looked warmly at Melinda Sterling. "They’re secondhand, but I haven’t even worn some of them—the tags are still on. I hope you don’t mind."

"Not at all, thank you," Melinda said quickly. "I feel bad, taking so many clothes from you for free."

"Any cousin of Cecilia’s is a cousin of mine, so don’t mention it! If this isn’t enough, I have more. We’re about the same size, so you should be able to use my things. Just let Cecilia know if you need anything. I also brought you two pairs of shoes, size 7. Will they fit?"

"Yes, they will. Thank you."

Melinda’s eyes reddened as she listened. She held back for a moment, but then tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Cecilia quickly grabbed a tissue for her. "Mindy, don’t cry."

Estelle was taken aback. "Why is she crying?"

Melinda Sterling wiped her tears with the tissue, her voice choked with emotion. "No... I’m sorry, I’m just..."

"Let’s not talk about it. Let’s eat first."

Cecilia cut her off, not wanting her to dwell on unhappy things. ’She can probably guess what made Melinda cry. She and Estelle had shown her a little warmth and kindness, and it was enough to move her to tears. It was clear no one at home had ever been good to her.’

Melinda nodded, just as the waiter began bringing out a series of delicious and beautifully presented dishes: Braised Prawns, Home-style Braised Yellow Croaker, Braised Pork Belly with Abalone, and more.

"Go on, eat up. Don’t let it go to waste."

"You two eat, too."

Cecilia smiled faintly and picked up her chopsticks, and Estelle did the same.

They ate in relative silence for a while. Cecilia didn’t press the conversation, and Melinda seemed to be truly famished, her thin frame downing two bowls of rice in one go.

Only after Melinda put down her chopsticks did Cecilia straighten up and look at her. "Are you full? All right, then tell me. Why did you run away to Lorcain all by yourself?"

Melinda’s expression visibly tensed, and the atmosphere around her immediately grew heavy.

"I just didn’t want to stay in my hometown anymore. I wanted to come out and see the world, try to make it on my own," she said, her voice quiet. People’s voices tend to shrink when they’re not being entirely truthful.

But Cecilia heard her clearly.

"If you don’t tell me the truth, I can’t help you."

"Cecilia, you’ve already helped me enough. You were never obligated to help me in the first place. I can manage on my own. Like I said, as long as I can find a job with room and board, I can survive in Lorcain."

Cecilia shook her head and reminded her, "The problem is, I’m the one who picked you up, and your aunt is also here in Lorcain. We could choose to ignore you, but if anything happens to you while you’re here, that responsibility will fall squarely on your aunt’s shoulders."

Melinda listened, a stunned look on her face.

Cecilia continued, "So, Mindy, listen closely. If you refuse to say anything, then I have no reason or motivation to help you. To avoid causing trouble for your aunt—my mother—I’ll have no choice but to send you back. After that, you can go wherever you want, but you can’t stay in Lorcain!"

"Do you understand?"

Melinda clutched the corner of her shirt, her eyes red as she nodded. "I understand."

Cecilia leaned back in her chair and looked at her. "Then talk."