Chapter 8 The Blind protector

Lying on the floor, Daphne Vance flashed a triumphant smile that Elena alone could see. Then, in a delicate, trembling voice, she cried, "It hurts so much, Elena! I only came to see you out of the kindness of my heart. Why are you so mean? It really hurts."

​Cillian Thorne quickly wheeled himself in from the doorway and reached down to help Daphne up. His eyes glared coldly at Elena Vance. "Do you have any idea who she is?"

​"She started it first. I only pushed her lightly to defend myself!" Elena retorted, her voice shaking with indignation.

​"Cillian, please do not be angry. Elena probably did not mean it. I know that given my current position, I really should not have come to see her," Daphne said, covering her face and sobbing. She looked incredibly pitiful. "But I am her cousin after all. We are family no matter what. Elena, do not worry, I will not ruin your relationship with Cillian. You do not need to be so hostile towards me."

​Cillian frowned, feeling inexplicably annoyed by the chaos. "Assistant Woods, call a doctor to examine Daphne immediately."

​Assistant Woods hurried out to fulfill the order.

​"Cillian, it hurts so much," Daphne looked up at him with teary eyes, appearing vulnerable. As Cillian helped steady her, she took the opportunity to throw herself into his arms. "Cillian, can you help me?"

​For some reason, Cillian felt a flash of repulsiveness at Daphne's closeness and gently pushed her away. "Sit down first. The doctor will be here soon." His voice softened slightly, a change that Elena found absolutely ridiculous.

​Was Daphne really Cillian's woman? Elena thought his taste was terrible.

​"Elena Vance, who gave you the nerve to bully my woman?" Cillian said coldly.

​Daphne quickly interjected, "Cillian, it is understandable that my cousin does not like me. After all, she is your wife now. What am I?" As she spoke, she lowered her head in grievance, tears streaming down her face.

​Cillian gave Daphne a protective look, a cold sneer flashing in his eyes as he turned back to Elena. "Wife? I can make her leave this house right now. Tell me, how do you want me to punish her?"

​"It is okay, Cillian. I do not mind suffering a bit for the sake of the family," Daphne said, hanging her head.

​"No one gets away with hurting someone who belongs to Cillian Thorne. Elena Vance, you will apologize to her right now, and we will let this matter drop!" Cillian commanded.

​Elena looked at him in surprise. "Cillian, do not tell me you actually think I hit her on purpose? She is faking the entire thing!"

​"I saw you push her with my own eyes!" Cillian retorted.

​Elena opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. Daphne was the woman he claimed to love, so the truth of what he saw did not matter. He simply wanted to vent his anger on Daphne's behalf.

​She said coldly, "I will not apologize to her. I did nothing wrong. She was the one who came here to start trouble! Cillian, you are blind!"

​Cillian's face grew darker than the storm clouds outside. "Very well! Elena, it seems you will not shed tears until you see the coffin. You even dare to lecture me! Someone, take her back and lock her in the basement!"

​With a wave of his hand, two bodyguards immediately came forward and dragged her away.

​Back at the Thorne mansion, Elena was locked in a dark, cramped basement. The room was dim and lightless, filled with a decaying, musty smell. Elena was hungry and exhausted. Furthermore, she had just lost blood to save her child, making her even weaker. By nightfall, she had fainted from sheer depletion.

​When she woke up again, she did not know how much time had passed. She only felt weak all over, surrounded by oppressive darkness.

​Upstairs, Cillian Thorne was eating lunch. He glanced at the time, realizing that a full night had passed. The woman had received her punishment. He suddenly asked, "Does she know she was wrong?"

​The question came out of nowhere, but Assistant Woods immediately understood. He hesitated for a moment, then lied to protect Elena from further harm. "Mrs. Thorne said she knows she was wrong and has something important to say to you, Mr. Thorne."

​"Good, she knows what is good for her. Let her out. I want to see what she has to say," Cillian said.

​"Yes, sir." Assistant Woods breathed a sigh of relief and hurried downstairs with the key.

​When the basement light was turned on, they saw Elena lying on the cold floor, her face ashy. She looked to be in terrible condition. Assistant Woods quickly advised her, "Madam, you should just apologize to Mr. Thorne. Knowing his personality, he will not soften his heart even if you starve to death here!"

​Looking pale and weak, with a voice barely above a whisper, Elena stubbornly insisted, "I am not mistaken. Daphne Vance started it!"

​Assistant Woods sighed, feeling a massive headache coming on. "Madam, you have seen what Cillian Thorne is capable of. Why put yourself through this?" He paused, then added, "Besides, your grandmother is having surgery in a couple of days. Do you not want to see her?"

​Elena paused, a flicker of realization in her eyes.

​"If the Seventh Young Master gets angry again and stops your grandmother's surgery, I believe you would not want to see her suffer, would you?" Woods added pointedly.

​Elena slowly came back to her senses, nodding weakly. "Yes, yes. Grandmother. I still have Grandmother."

​"Yes, what would the old woman do if something happened to you?" Woods prompted.

​Elena nodded hurriedly. "Okay, okay. I want to see Cillian Thorne. Take me to see him!"

​Assistant Woods breathed a sigh of relief. Without even letting Elena wash up, he took her to the dining room in her disheveled state, hoping her appearance might earn her some small shred of sympathy.

​"What did you do wrong?" Cillian asked, putting down his chopsticks and glancing at her as she entered. Elena's lips were dry and cracked, and her face was as pale as a sheet.

​But she stubbornly insisted, "I was wrong to argue with you! I do not have the power to argue with you right now. I have no chance of winning. However, I did not push Daphne Vance, and I am not jealous of her. If you want to divorce me and marry her right now, I would not lay a finger on her!"

​Assistant Woods, hearing Elena's words, broke out in a cold sweat. Was the madam crazy?