Chapter 19

Edmund was stunned by the slap, taking a long moment to recover. He slowly raised his hand to touch his swollen cheek. "Is this… not a dream?" he asked. Cecilia, already irritated by the absurdity of the day, sneered coldly. "A dream? Of course it's a dream. "What bad luck, running into this nightmare!" Without sparing another glance at him, she turned and headed downstairs. "Cece!" Edmund finally snapped out of his daze and rushed after her. As they struggled, Cecilia missed a step and suddenly felt herself falling. "Watch out!" Panicked, Edmund instinctively reached out to grab her, but he was too late. All he could do was shield her with his body as they tumbled down. The two of them crashed to the ground with a loud thump. Thanks to Edmund's protection, Cecilia only felt a bit dizzy and was otherwise unharmed. Edmund, however, lay on the floor as blood slowly seeped from the back of his head. "Sir!" The villa erupted into chaos. Peter quickly arranged for both of them t