Chapter 175

As Daniela made her way back to her bedroom, Joyce offered a saccharine smile and cooed,"Sweet dreams,Daniela."

Katrina fixed Joyce with an icy stare and declared, "You're coming to the hospital with me tomorrow!"

Joyce blinked, taken aback."What?"

"We're getting a DNA test!" Katrina declared vehemently.|refuse to believe that someone as witless as you could share my blood!"⑨

The house lay wrapped in silence, deep in the clutches of the night.

In the stillness, soft footsteps whispered along the stairs.

A gentle knock sounded at the grandest door on the second floor.

Daniela swung the door open, her eyes locking with Cedric's, who lingered in the dimly lit hallway.

"What's up?" she queried.

Cedric clutched a medical kit, her expression was a mix of sorrow and slight indignation. HHe gestured towards Daniela's hand.

Following his gesture, Daniela's eyes fell on the faint red mark marring the back of her hand. Fresh from her bath, her damp skin made the mark all the more pronounced.

"You're wounded," Cedric observed,,his tone tinged with a blend of accusation and concern. "I saw it earlier.Now that we're alone, let me attend to it."

"It's really just a scratch," Daniela dismissed. "I've weathered far worse storms."

Over the years, she'd suffered her fair share of nicks and cuts from pencil tips while immersed in herdesigns. Those injuries had been more severe than this minor scrape.

Cedric's jaw clenched."May l come in?"

Daniela stepped back, granting him entry.

Inside, Cedric made his way to the sofa and set the medical kit on the coffee table. Without a glance, he commanded,"Sit."

His voice carried a note of grievance, as if he bore the injury himself.

Amused, Daniela complied, rolling up hersleeve and presenting her hand.

Cedric maintained silence as he cleaned her wound with iodine. "Keep this dry," he instructed softly.

"Got it."

"Steer clear of spicy foods, and lay off the soy sauce-it might darken the scar."

As Daniela was about to acknowledge it, Cedric was already extracting a tube of ointment. "This should work wonders. Apply it once the wound closes to prevent scarring. You shouldn't worry about any lasting marks."

His voice was gentle, laden with an undertone of self-reproach.

"This was my fault today. I failed to protect you. It won't happen again."

After he finished, he discarded the used swab in the trash and stoodto leave.

But before he could, Daniela instinctively caught the hem of his shirt. Her action was spontaneous.She looked up and froze at the sight of his reddened eyes."You..."

"I'm alright," Cedric muttered through gritted teeth.1-should go now."

Daniela's grip on his shirt didn't waver."Why are you beating yourself up? Today's mishap wasn't your fault.That ashtray-I flung it myself.How does that implicate you?"

She paused, then handed him a tissue. "Honestly, I wouldn't have even noticed the scratch if you hadn't shown up."

Cedric's frown deepened at her words.

When he finally met her gaze again, his eyes conveyed deep censure. "Daniela, can't you be nicer to yourself?"

In that instant, Daniela was taken aback.

It had been ages since anyone had cared enough to say that to her.

She remained still for several seconds before managing a weak smile.

"Cedric, you make it sound like I'm some porcelain doll. I'm not that fragile," she teased.

At her words, Cedric's eyes lifted, flashing with irritation. With a snort, he picked up the medical kit and stormed out of the room.

A moment later, Lillian entered, her expression puzzled. "What's got into Cedric? Did he wake up onthe wrong side of the bed?"