Chapter 422

"How's the progress coming along?" Joyce asked the plastic surgeon with growing impatience.

The surgeon let out a concerned sigh. "Well, people's bone structures do vary, so..."

Without a word, Joyce pulled out a check from her bag and slid it across the table towards the surgeon.

The surgeon eyed the figure on the check with greedy interest, then clapped his hands and smiled.

Through the thick glass, she saw someone being led out.

Joyce froze for a moment, staring at the person inside in disbelief.

The figure in the room was being helped by medical staff, his posture and stance being adjusted.

Joyce remained silent for what felt like forever.

Was that really Alexander?

The surgeon smiled reassuringly at Joyce. "Trust me, we're professionals."

Joyce's gaze flicked from the person inside to the photo of Cedric pinned on the wall, a hidden longing surfacing within her. "Isn't there still something not quite right?"

The surgeon looked at her and nodded. "Yes. Like I said, the skin can be made to match, but there will always be small differences in bone structure. They're barely noticeable unless you look closely,though."

"That's not good enough," Joyce replied, watching as Alexander, still shaky on his feet, was led back into the ward. "It has to be flawless."

"Understood. As I mentioned, we're professionals. But just so you're aware, to make the bone struIcture a perfect match, we'll need to break the original bones and reshape them. It's a long, painful process-far worse than before."

Joyce waved her hand dismissively.told you, money's not the problem. Just make sure he looks exactly like the guy in the photo. No flaws."

The surgeon took the check with a grin. "Also, just so you know, this comes with some serious risks and possible side effects. We'll need the patient's signature to proceed.

Behind the glass, Joyce called out to Alexander, who sat rigidly in a sterile chamber, still not fully recovered.

Without beating around the bush, she simply asked, "Are you really happy with this?"

Tears of pain welled up in Alexander's eyes, and the medical staff by his side quickly wiped them away.

Joyce held his gaze and spoke in a calm tone. "Don't you want to take back what was yours? Can you bear the thought of Daniela and Cedric making love? Can you handle that?"

Alexander, heavily bandaged, could barely manage to hold a pen.

At her words, he didn't hesitate for a second. He signed the agreement without even looking at the surgical notice, which clearly warned: "If the surgery succeeds, the effects will fade in less than a year, and eventually, the face will collapse, becoming hollowed-out."

This time, Joyce didn't rush off right away.

She contacted a top-tier media company nearby and arranged for someone to follow Cedric, filming his every move. They would break down each frame with experts to give Alexander professional training after the surgery.

Her goal was clear-she planned to turn Alexander into a perfect replica of Cedric.

Lately,Cedric couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He constantly felt like someone was watching him.

Whether at public events, press conferences, banquets, or even just dining out, he always felt a pair of eyes trained on him.

After a few days, he realized the person wasn't doing anything other than filming his habits-no attempts to interact, just observing. Daniela noticed it as well.

When she and Cedric went to dine at the new revolving restaurant by Phillips Group, Daniela sensed something wasn't quite right, even before the first dish was served.

At first, she thought someone was just admiring her, so she offered a faint smile in return.

But moments later, she quickly realized that the attention was actually on Cedric.

The smile on her face slowly faded.