Chapter 75

Joyce exited the restroom, meticulously retouching her makeup.

Just as she finished, her phone vibrated with a text from Katrina. "Don't forget tonight's family dinner."

Joyce typed back,"Got it."

Another message quickly pinged. "You haven't been fooling around, have you? Remember, we can't have a repeat of last time! I've invited Richard and Alexander for tonight's dinner. I plan to talk about your engagement to Alexander."

Joyce's eyes sparkled with excitement. She was on the brink of becoming Alexander's wife.

Overwhelmed with elation, Joyce didn't wait for the workday to conclude. She grabbed her purse and left the office early.

Her heels clicked decisively against the floor as she made her way to the upscale salon upstairs.

At the salon, Joyce splurged on an exclusive annual membership card costing $500, 000, insisted on receiving the premier service they offered.

Joyce was in high spirits. Daniela's setback had already made her day sweeter, and now, the prospect of her imminent engagement to Alexander filled her with a sense of triumph.

As she lay on the treatment bed, fantasizing about her upcoming luxurious life, a jasmine aroma wafted into the room.

Normally, Joyce adored this fragrance. Yet today, as soon as it hit her senses, she sat up abruptly, her hand over her mouth, feeling queasy. Grabbing a glass of water, she gulped it down, attempting to quell the sudden nausea.

"What the hell is happening?" she whispered to herself, her frustration evident. "Pregnancy can't be contagious, can it? I need to keep my distance from Daniela!"

After her spa session, Joyce headed for the elevator. As the doors slid open, a brisk breeze swept through the lobby.

A man entered, covered in grime and still sporting a hard hat.Joyce's expression twisted into a scowl of disdain.Wheeling around, she was ready to chastise the man for his disarray. However, her rebuke froze on her lips when she recognized him.

"Cedric? What on earth happened to you?" She observed his condition-his clothing was caked with dirt and his face lined with sweat, as though he had come from a construction site.

The sight of him, so unkempt and incongruent with the setting, filled her with embarrassment. In her mind,she compared Cedric's ruggedness to Alexander's polished demeanor, and any residual affection she might have felt for Cedric evaporated.①

Without sparing him another look, Joyce straightened herself and walked briskly away.

Meanwhile, Cedric headed to the 25th floor.

Lillian was stationed outside the CEO's office, peering through the slightly open door.

Upon the sound of the elevator's arrival, she turned and saw Cedric, his appearance marked by toil and dust.She realized immediately that he hadn't bothered to clean up after leaving the construction site.

"Why did you come here like this?" she asked in a low voice.

Cedric glanced through the door's narrow crack. The office was quiet, empty of any activity.

"She's on the couch, asleep. Don't wake her," Lillian murmured, nodding towards the interior.

Those close to Daniela understood that she often sought refuge in sleep when troubled.

As a child, neglected and alone, she had learned to soothe her emotions through slumber-a coping mechanism that persisted into her adult life.

Cedric nodded in acknowledgment, catching his breath."Alright."

"How's everything at the site?" Cedric responded simply, "It's fine."

Lillian suggested, "You should really have someone else oversee the site. Can you manage shuttling back and forth like this? I heard your secretary even set up an office there. Cedric, you need to delegate. You can't keep going at this pace. It's too much. With all that's happening at Phillips Group, how can you handle it all?"

Managing a multibillion-dollar project was a colossal task, fraught with endless challenges.

For Cedric, the CEO, to personally monitor the site seemed to Lillian an unnecessary strain.

The construction environment was harsh, filled with dust, hardly suitable for someone of Cedric's stature.

Yet Cedric, his gaze still fixed on the office door, dismissed her concern with a gesture. "She's asleep. Go find a blanket and cover her."

Lillian shook her head. "That's not going to work. She's always on alert, even in sleep. If I touch her, she'll wake up right away."

The office windows were ajar, letting in a breeze that had cooled the room significantly.

Cedric frowned. "We can't have her catching cold. Get a blanket."

Lillian nodded and hurried off to fetch one.

Taking the blanket from Lillian, Cedric quietly pushed open the office door with careful steps.

He approached Daniela, crouching beside her and gently unfolding the blanket.

As he covered her,Daniela stirred slightly.

Her eyes, large and clouded with sleep, fluttered open, her voice soft and husky. "Cedric?"

Hearing his name from her lips momentarily disrupted his calm. He adjusted the blanket around her more snugly and whispered, "Go back to sleep." And she drifted off once more.

A pang of emotion tightened Cedric's chest. His eyes dwelled on the subtle redness beneath her eyes, emotions brewing inside him-a mix of heartache,tenderness, and a fierce protectiveness. He harbored a deep-seated urge to confront Alexander, to make him pay.

But he hesitated. Was Alexander still a fixture in her heart? If she still held feelings for him, then he would restrain himself.

Cedric remained crouched beside her, watching over her slumber. He waited until her breathing deepened,indicating she was fully at peace, before he quietly stood and exited the office.

Outside, Lillian exhaled deeply and muttered with evident disdain, "Alexander is such a scumbag!"

Cedric's face showed nothing, his features set in an impassive mask. His hands, however, betrayed his inner conflict, clenching and unclenching at his sides as he fought to keep his emotions in check.