Chapter 375
Fidelia had been worrying about how to find information on that man from earlier, but luck was on her side today-just as she needed an answer, the opportunity practically fell into her lap.
Still, she didn’t press for details. As a young woman from a prominent family, she carried herself with a certain dignity.
She smiled and said to Camilla, “Mrs. Crawford, would you mind passing along my thanks to him?”
“Of course, dear,” Camilla replied warmly.
Fidelia grinned. “I’m off to catch my movie-the show’s about to start.”
“Go on, then! Don’t miss the best part,” Camilla encouraged her.
With a spring in her step, Fidelia walked away. She had the odd feeling that
Camilla’s gaze lingered on her, but she couldn’t be sure if she was just imagining
it.
In fact, Camilla did watch Fidelia and her classmate head toward the cinema before finally turning her attention elsewhere.
“Not bad, not bad at all,” she murmured to herself.
Just then, Jacques returned, looking a little dejected.
He hadn’t been able to find Effie, and disappointment was written all over his face.
Camilla asked, “Where did you run off to just now? You disappeared so quickly!”
He didn’t want to talk about it; failing to find Effie had left him in a foul mood. “I just had something urgent to take care of,” he said curtly.
Camilla assumed he meant he’d needed the restroom and let the matter drop.
As they neared home, Camilla turned to Jacques and asked, “What do you think of that young woman from earlier?”
Jacques’ eyes flickered-he wondered if Camilla knew he’d gone after Effie. “Which young woman?”
“Today’s guest-the Etheridge family’s daughter, Fidelia. She’s lovely, isn’t she? Polite and well-educated.”
Until now, Jacques hadn’t been sure if the girl he’d seen was truly the Etheridge heiress, but now that Camilla confirmed it, he knew he hadn’t been mistaken.
“She’s nice, isn’t she, Mom?” he replied.
Camilla nodded. With Fidelia’s background, there was nothing to criticize.
“She may not be from the senior branch of the Etheridge family, but she’s their only daughter, and the
whole family dotes on her. Whoever marries her will have a brigh@future ahead.”
Jacques pulled a face he had no interest in family politics.
When he liked someone, it was simply because he liked them, nothing more.
Meanwhile, Effie and Nita were strolling through the mall when they suddenly saw someone collapse ahead of them.
They exchanged a look and rushed over.
Others had witnessed the fall too, but most just stood around, unwilling to step in and help.
Effie quickly checked the man and realized his heart had stopped and his breathing was barely there.
“I learned CPR at a training session,” Effie said, kneeling beside him. “Let me try.”
“Okay, I’ll call for an ambulance,” Nita replied, fumbling for her phone.
With no sign of the paramedics yet, Effie kept up the chest compressions.
Nita could see how exhausted Effie was becoming, but she didn’t give up. “Keep going, Effie,” she encouraged softly.
Effie pressed her lips together, silent,
didn’t dare pause, knowing that any
She was tired, but she
x could undo all her ha
efforts.
At last, the medics arrived. Miraculously, the man’s heart started beating again
just in time.
The lead paramedic praised her, “Ma’am, your technique is
excellent-you saved him durim
those crucial first minutes! Are you a professional doctor?”
Effie shook her head. “No, but my company values this kind of training. They
made sure we all learned emergency response skills.”
She’d taken the lessons especially seriously, knowing her grandmother lived with them-danger could come at any time.