Chapter 832

Daniela noticed that Cedric was busier than she was.

She was eating the meal Cedric had prepared, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The maid explained, "Mr. Phillips had something urgent come up and would be back later. He told me to remind you to get plenty of protein tonight-he'll be checking up on it."

Daniela let out a low laugh. "He'sgoing to check? How's he supposed to do that when he's not even here?"

"He tracks everything you eat. Before he left, he told me to not clean up the table. That way, he'll know exactly how much you left behind."

She paused, her voice softer now. "Honestly, I've never seen a man fuss over his wife like this. You can't just pick at your food tonight. He noticed you've dropped a few pounds. He wants you eating well."

Daniela just nodded and ladled herself a bowl of soup.

Halfway through her meal, her phone buzzed-a new message from Alexander. The day's report, apparently,had gaps and needed to be resubmitted tomorrow.

Daniela suggested patching it up with supplemental notes, but Alexander wasn't having it.

Carol rolled her eyes. "Since when did Alexander get so dedicated?"

Daniela let out a sharp, mocking snort. "Dedicated? Please. Cedric knocked a pot of coffee over the notebook.Everything's ruined-they have to redo it."

A mischievous smile flickered across Carol's face. "That analyst is hopeless. Should we agree to their request?"

Daniela's lips curled into a sly grin. "Yes. They'll never learn if they don't at least give it a shot."

Alexander showed up the following day, with Arthur in tow.. As the meeting kicked off, Daniela spoke up. "I have some things to handle. Carol, record a video of the session."

Arthur shot to his feet, flashing a polite smile. "I'll get some air. Mr. Bennett's got things covered in here."

Alexander's gaze tracked Arthur as he slipped out after Daniela, his expression unreadable.

Half an hour passed before Daniela reappeared.

Alexander was still presenting, but he paused, his brows furrowing in confusion."Why did you change clothes,Daniela?"

Amusement flickered across Daniela's face at his sharpness."Did l?"

"You did. When we got here, you had on a white dress, a limited edition from Elite Lux."

Unruffled, Daniela replied, "You're imagining things."

Carol rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Daniela has been in this lilac dress all day. You're remembering wrong."

Alexander accepted her answer with a nod, though his eyes wandered toward the door."Where's Arthur?"

Daniela dropped into her chair and replied flatly, "Isn't he yourassistant? Why are you asking me?"

Carol arched an eyebrow, smirking. "He's your guy, not ours. You lose track of him, and now you're asking us?"

Daniela reclined in her chair, folding her hands with deliberate calm. "Are you planning to finish your report or just keep talking?"

Snapped out of his daze, Alexander cleared his throat. "Right. Where was I?"

He picked up his presentation, while Carol, already checked out, leaned in closer to Daniela with a mischievous whisper. "So, what's with the outfit change? Spill."

A sly smile flickered on Daniela's lips. "I spilled some blood on myself."

Carol's jaw dropped. "You did what? Seriously?" Daniela bit back a retort; there was no point in denying it. Some things just couldn't be fixed on the fly.

Daniela admitted, "I couldn't deal with it, so l just took a shot of the tranquilizer.All good now."

Relief flooded Carol's face, only to be replaced with a sharp glare. "You'd better hope Cedric doesn't find out. He made me promise to keep an eye on you while he was out. If he catches wind that you took tranquilizer..."

She never got to finish. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the doorway.

Both women turned, tension crackling in the air, as Cedric appeared in the doorway, his expression thunderous.