Chapter 404: Only One

As soon as Edie got home, she went straight to Cecil’s room. He had a strange look on his face, and eyes were full of tears, he sniffled and wiped them away. "What happened?" she asked, sounding worried.

Cecil put his head in his hands to hide his face. "I’m sorry," he said. His voice sounded muffled, but Edie could make out the words quite clearly. He raised his head and looked at her helplessly. "I promise I’ll be good."

"Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice quivering as she spoke.

Cecil hesitated, then said slowly, "He spanked me."

Edie took him in her arms and hugged him. Right at that moment, Stuart entered the room, "Look what Edie brought you," he said as he passed Cecil a bag full of snacks.

"Stuart, you shouldn’t....." she was immediately interrupted by Stuart.

"I know what you’re going to say, but he deserved it. Cecil and I now have an understanding, don’t we?" he looked at Cecil, waiting for a reply.

Cecil nodded his head and smiled. "Yes, and I’m going with you to a party tonight," he said, unable to hide the eagerness in his voice.

Edie could hear the excitement in his voice when he replied. "A party?" Then she turned her head and looked at Stuart questionably.

"It’s a business party, and as the CEO of the company, my wife is to attend. I thought Cecil could come with us...." Stuart hesitated and winked at Cecil. "In case you get bored," he explained.

Edie was pleased with Stuart’s change in attitude toward Cecil. She smiled and said, "All right! Let’s get ready." Everyone was busy rushing around the mansion, getting dressed for the party. Edie was putting on her makeup, then hurrying in and out of Cecil’s room. "I don’t, and you look handsome," she said, looking at Cecil. He was dressed in a tailored gray suit and red tie.

***

At the entrance of the building, Cecil put one hand behind his back and the other in front of him. "May I have the honor of escorting you this evening," Cecil giggled. His merry laugh and playful manner smote her to the heart. Edie was amused by his behavior and put her hand in his. He smiled and gently put a kiss on her hand. "I will protect you tonight!" he said enthusiastically.

Edie handed over the invitation. They walked together through the crowd. Her silver-gray satin evening gown, embellished with rich-colored sequins, flowed as she walked arm in arm with Cecil. While walking through the room, all eyes turned their way. She couldn’t find a single face she knew in the crowd, making her even more anxious to get this night over with. The people’s expressions range from shocked disdain to positive envy.

Cecil sensed something was wrong right away and said, "Everyone’s staring because they’ve never seen such beauty before,"

England was the corporate headquarters for the L. N. Group. Edie was in unfamiliar territory, but Stuart told her a lot about the business and the people. There were mainly aristocrats at the event. Which were the wealthiest, most educated, and powerful people in England?

Two women in the crowd were whispering, "The CEO married her! A commoner who married a king!" she said with a tone of almost bitterness in her voice.

"He could have married any woman in the world. Why would he marry her?" The other woman said.

Edie tried to ignore them, focusing on Cecil and wondering if he could hear them. She started to feel uncomfortable and took Cecil to a corner in the room. Without even knowing she was squeezing his hand tightly. He looked at her, he saw in the open expression on her face, concern. He thought, ’I was given an important job! I must do it well!"

The whole time Cecil and Edie entered the building, Stuart never took his eyes off them. "You were given a job!" he mumbled anxiously under his breath.

Then Edie heard a familiar voice, she turned around, and it was Brittany with a few other women. "Edie, these are my friends from college. Joan, Liz, Connie, and the last one is Corey. " She introduced them one by one. Brittany looked at the expression on Edie’s face and said, "Don’t worry, they speak English very well."

Edie let out a sigh of relief and said, "Nice to meet you."

They smiled, looking at Edie curiously, wondering about the rumors about Stuart. Joan gathers up the courage and asks, "I thought Stuart didn’t like women?"

Edie was just about to speak, and Brittany said, "That was the only gossip. This is Stuart’s wife, and he loves her very much. I’ve seen it myself." She smiled and laughed.

Suddenly someone called Brittany. "I have gone, but I’ll be back," she said as she walked away.

The second Brittany turned around, the smiles that had been on the women’s faces disappeared instantly. They began to whisper amongst themselves. "Did you know she’s an actress? She’s not even famous," Liz laughed rudely in Edie’s face.

"How could Madame Yates allow such women to marry her son? She must know it would bring disgrace upon the whole family." It was obvious Connie was the most arrogant of the women. The sound of her voice made Edie cringe.

"I went on the internet and looked her up. I thought there would be a lot of information about her being the wife of an heir, but there was nothing." Corey was looking at Edie with a strange expression on her face.

Every passing second, their voices began to carry, getting a little louder with each sentence. Edie tried to ignore them, but it was making her terribly uncomfortable.

"I can’t believe she doesn’t even speak French. Honestly, I can’t be bothered with women like her," Connie said in a patronizing voice.

No one moved, making Edie even more nervous. Because they were all talking in French, she had no idea what they were saying, but it was obvious they were talking about her. She’d been around people like this before. The familiar sneer of ferocity and contempt was on their faces as they spoke. She stood with her arms crossed tightly against her chest, a disapproving frown on her face as she stared at them.

Liz could see the fleeting expression of distaste come over Edie’s face. She questioned Edie with a sly smile on her lips. "Mrs. Yates, how many languages do you speak?"

Edie was perplexed but began to have a sinking feeling. "Only one," she replied. Feeling embarrassed and suddenly tense, she finished, "Where I’m from, it’s all I need."

Connie couldn’t keep a giggle from erupting, even though she covered her mouth. When Edie exaggeratedly lifted her eyebrows, she giggled even more. "We speak at least three languages. We were taught at the age of ten," she snickered.

"Money can buy you anything," Edie replied sarcastically.

Connie’s sinister smile widened. "You of all people would know that because you married a rich man," she replied.

Edie gritted her teeth as if trying to hold back a mean comeback.