Chapter 5 Verbal Altercation

• "News, news—it's always the news that consumes you. Do you ever spare a thought for your daughter?" Gwendolyn sighed deeply, her disappointment etched across her face.
• "You, a man so lacking in courage, how can you even begin to compare yourself to the young marshal? Do you truly believe you have the right to measure up to him?"
• Cecilia's gaze flicked briefly towards the LCD TV.
• Since childhood, the title 'young marshal' has resonated in her ears. To her, those words symbolised a hero, an idol, the very prince charming of her dreams.
• Yet, cruelly, he remained beyond her reach, nameless and distant.
• Now she was bound to a man who seemed devoid of any redeeming qualities. She resigned herself to this twist of fate.
• On the news, a throng of media reporters had assembled at the Shoresea International Airport, but the young marshal's face was obscured by cleverly placed props.
• Figures like him were guarded national secrets of the SSSSS rank, never to be divulged to the public eye.
• Larry remained composed throughout.
• Click!
• Gwendolyn abruptly shut off the TV.
• "What are you playing at, woman? He's a bastion of our nation, a luminary revered worldwide, the very pride of Estagon!" Harold exclaimed, his irritation palpable.
• "And what concern is that to you?" Gwendolyn gave Harold a withering look, her frustration evident. "Now that we're on the brink of being cast out, do you not have a single coherent thought?"
• "What thoughts can I have? It's Dad's decree. What else is there for me to do?" Harold's tone was resigned, a tacit admission of his own shortcomings. Despite being the eldest son, he lacked the fortitude to challenge his fate.
• "How could I have married such a man as you!" Gwendolyn's anger flared, her disappointment searingly clear. Wealth and status held no candle to the shame of being ousted by the Faradays. What would the neighbours say?
• They'd never lift their heads in this community again.
• More pressingly, the family faced the dire prospect of losing their livelihoods, leaving them with nothing.
• "Mom, after all these years, you know Dad's nature well enough. Don't make things harder for him," Cecilia interjected gently before retreating into her room.
• Larry trailed silently behind, fully aware that the turmoil he had ignited would demand his solitary resolution.
• Another call interrupted the quiet.
• "Hello!" Cecilia answered, her voice tinged with curiosity.
• "Cece, do you still recognise my voice?" A clear, feminine tone emerged through the phone.
• "You're ... "
• "Laura Lure!"
• "It's you, Laura?" Cecilia perched on the bed, her expression betraying both surprise and suspicion.
• "Yes!"
• "Weren't you abroad?"
• "I've just returned, so I thought I'd ring my bestie. I heard you tied the knot today, is that true?"
• Cecilia glanced at Larry, finally answering with a tentative 'yes.'
• "So, you really got hitched! You were the belle of our college days. Your husband must be a looker. Which eligible young man swept you off your feet?"
• "Well ... " Cecilia hesitated, her heart heavy with unresolved emotions.
• "Oh, by the way, it's my birthday tonight. I've got a crowd of old classmates coming. You have to be there, bestie, and bring your husband!"
• "I've been busy lately, so ... "
• Cecilia intended to decline. She knew such gatherings were about flaunting success, something she found distasteful.
• "No, you're not! Tonight, at 6 o'clock, at the International Hotel. Don't stand me up!" The voice insisted firmly before hanging up.
• "Hello? Hello ... " Cecilia stared at her phone, a conflicted expression etched on her face.
• She wasn't in the mood for a party, but Laura was her closest friend, and they shared a special bond. Their birthdays were on the same day.
• Which also meant today was Cecilia's birthday.
• Larry discreetly texted on his phone.
• Little did Cecilia know that message would set in motion events that would reshape her life, ricocheting her to levels of success she never thought imaginable.
• "C'mon!" Cecilia rose abruptly, tugging Larry out the door without a word of explanation.
• In the heart of the bustling business district, nestled within the confines of a prestigious international retail emporium, Cecilia piloted an electric scooter with Larry perched behind her.
• They arrived at the mall's grand entrance, where Cecilia seized Larry's hand and steered them towards its opulent interior.
• Larry remained clad in the threadbare vestments Cecilia had bestowed upon him a decade ago, a striking contrast to her own attire.
• "Darling, what brings us here?" Larry queried.
• "Are you seriously attending a birthday bash dressed like that?" Cecilia cast a discerning glance over Larry's attire, not recalling having gifted him such raiments a decade ago.
• Now that he was ostensibly her spouse, she couldn't bear his shabby appearance.
• "I do have other clothes!" Larry asserted.
• "Cast them aside!" Cecilia proclaimed.
• Larry pondered silently.
• Is she truly discarding my attire?
• Larry felt a twinge of vexation. His wardrobe, beyond his current ensemble, commanded values exceeding fifteen thousand each. Naturally, Cecilia failed to comprehend. She viewed Larry as ineffectual, adrift in a life devoid of ambition, hence her likely presumption that his old attire paralleled his current garb.
• They ventured into the men's department of the mall, where courteous young women greeted them with smiles.
• "Select an ensemble for yourself!" Cecilia commanded Larry.
• Larry paid scant heed to his sartorial choices, strolling nonchalantly towards the casual wear section, selecting a designer outfit, and proceeding towards the fitting room.
• "That one doesn't suit you!" Cecilia interjected upon observing Larry's casual approach.
• "You're an exceptional wife, and I'm fortunate to have you," Larry beamed with delight.
• Cecilia glanced at him. "Enough with the flattery."
• After those words, Cecilia swiftly selected a black suit from the formal attire section and passed it to Larry. "Give this a try!"
• "Today, I've come to appreciate how fortunate I am to have a wife!" Larry quipped, clutching the garment and persisting in his flattery.
• "Could you desist from peppering 'wife' into every utterance?" Cecilia sighed inwardly, still not embracing the title in her heart.
• "I relish saying it, and I'll continue to do so indefinitely!" Larry grinned naively, his charm undiminished. He bore little resemblance to the formidable figure he commanded; were his subordinates to witness this, they'd certainly snigger covertly.
• Cecilia found herself incredulous at his audacity.
• "Cecilia, what an unexpected encounter!" A voice dripping with sarcasm echoed from the entrance after Larry entered the changing room.
• Cecilia turned to see a man and woman strolling in, welcomed warmly by the staff. The woman, heavily adorned and provocatively dressed, clearly lacked refinement.
• "You." Cecilia's gaze turned icy.
• "Rex, this is the Cecilia you mentioned? The one married to that epileptic chap!" The woman nestled against Rex's chest, laughing mockingly.
• "And who else is there besides her?" Rex sneered, clutching the woman's waist with disdain. "And this epilepsy, it's inherited. Imagine if they have offspring—what a farce!"
• Cecilia quivered with fury.
• How could anyone stoop so shamelessly low?
• She yearned to turn away, to dismiss them outright.
• But Rex had no intention of letting her off so easily. "Cecilia, tomorrow you'll be cast out, yet here you are splurging in a place where a single garment costs a fortune. In the future, you and your epileptic husband will be dressed in market stall scraps!"
• Rex wore a smug expression on his face.