Chapter 313

As soon as Alexander noticed Daniela, he sat up quickly. "Are you alright?"

Daniela, realizing he was awake,started to leave.

"Daniela!" Alexander called out. "Are you really going to just walk away?"

Daniela retorted, "What? Haven't you been beaten enough? You want me to stay and hit you?"

Pain flickered in Alexander's eyes. "After everything we've been through, can't you at least speak to me kindly?"

He believed he had intervened to protect her.

He thought she should be thankful, not harsh.

His heart ached, his spirits sank.

He felt his sincere efforts wvere completely ignored.

Daniela dismissed his feelings as ridiculous. "Just keep out of my affairs next time."

Alexander stared at Daniela in shock. "I saved you! Is this your thanks to someone who saved you?"

She continued walking without replying.

Suddenly, Alexander yelled, "Daniela, doesn't my risking my life for you deserve another chance? Am I inferior to Cedric?"

Daniela stopped briefly, then chuckled. "The audacity, comparing yourself to Cedric."

Alexander remained motionless. He was bewildered.

He knew Daniela was fiercely loyal to those she cared about. To others, she was indifferent. Yet, here she was, vehemently defending Cedric. This realization chilled Alexander. "What do you mean by that? What exactly is happening between you and Cedric that makes you defend him so passionately?"

Daniela didn't see the need to elaborate. Her relationship with Cedric was clear and uncomplicated.

However, due to Alexander's close relationship with Katrina, Daniela chose not to disclose details that might reach Katrina. It simply wasn't worth the risk.

"We're just friends," she remarked casually, looking down at her phone.

She was reading Cedric's message when footsteps approached.

Alexander quirked an eyebrow. "Cedric, did you hear that?" he exclaimed with evident glee, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

At that moment, Daniela understood that Alexander had tricked her.

"Really?" Alexander pretended to be disappointed, eyeing Daniela. "Just friends, huh?"

Seeing Cedric disappointed was a rare sight for Alexander, and he was visibly pleased by it.

Alexander's mood remained uplifted even after Daniela had gone.

He clung to hope as long as Daniela was not officially with Cedric.

They had never become a couple, leading him to believe they never would.

Alexander felt confident, considering his recent close encounter with Daniela during the kidnapping.

Reflecting on their shared ordeal, Alexander smiled and started browsing the trending news.

He scrolled but found no reports on their kidnapping.

Alexander's brow furrowed deeply in confusion.

This seemed incorrect.

Why was there no news? Shouldn't the police have caught those criminals by now?

With their level of influence, Alexander expected some media coverage.

He continued to search without success and eventually contacted a few media outlets.

They confirmed having no information on the matter.

Alexander's last memory was being punched by one kidnapper.

If Daniela had not informed the authorities, how had they escaped without issue?

What more did he not understand about her?

Meanwhile, Joyce was taken aback by Daniela's unharmed condition.

Even more troubling, Joyce had just received a menacing message from Flash, her debt collector,threatening to sell her if she failed to pay within five days.

The thought made Joyce shudder.

Katrina was groggy as she answered a call from her mother.

"Katrina, you're aware that Joyce has only five days to clear her debt, right?"

"Yes," Katrina responded, her brow furrowing.

"What are your thoughts? It's quite urgent. We're out of options. Remember that affluent man I told you earlier? What do you think about meeting him?"

Katrina hesitated, biting her lip. "Mom, could you possibly lend me some money instead?"

Silence lingered on the line,

"Mom, over the years, I've contributed a lot to you. Surely you have some savings left. I'm really in a bind and have no other options. Could you lend me a part of it? I promise to repay you once I'mn back on stable ground."

In a detached, terse tone, Erika responded, "I'Il see what's available, though it might not be much. Why must you be so stubborn? You have an opportunity with a good man now, yet you choose to stay with Caiden.

What do you gain from that?"

"I'm okay, Mom. I just need a little support," Katrina replied,maintaining a neutral tone.

The conversation concluded abruptly.

Joyce was nervously awaiting Katrina's decision to assist, only to receive a brief message instead.

"Joyce, your grandmother has agreed to lend you the money."

Infuriated by the disappointing outcome, Joyce threw her phone across the room, watching it smash into pieces.