Chapter 509

Daniela's expression turned grave in an instant.

Cedric turned his head and saw the solemn look on Daniela's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice low with concern.

Daniela slowly lifted her head, a faint smile curving at the corners of her lips. "Nothing. Just go ahead."

Cedric wasn't convinced. He was about to say that Daniela looked unwell, when the office door suddenly burst open.

Lillian rushed in, panting, her phone clutched tightly in herhand.

She froze for a split second when her gaze landed on Cedric.

Still holding the scissors, Cedric straightened, eyeing Lillian in confusion.

Lillian pressed her lips together before blurting out an excuse. "Daniela, Ryan is bullying me."

Daniela gave a brief nod. "I'll take care of him."

Without another word,Lillian turned and backed out of the office.

Daniela sat still for a moment before reaching for her water glass. Cedric watched her and immediately moved to help. "I'll get the water for you."

Daniela pointed to the flower instead. "That needs trimming."

Cedric followed her gaze, then picked up the scissors and resumed cutting.

Lillian was already waiting just outside the door. "Daniela, have you seen the underworld bounty?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Daniela's gaze turned sharp, ice-cold and laced with deadly intent. "I saw it." "Who the hell would do something this insane? An underworld bounty isn't just some petty hit. The base price alone is over ten billion, enough to mobilize every mercenary out there. And all of this-just to capture Cedric? That's completely insane!"

Daniela's eyes remained as cold as steel.

"Should we tell Cedric?" Lillian hesitated, then quickly shook her head.′′NO′, never mind. If he finds out,he'l probably freak out! He's just a regular businessman. And if he starts asking questions, your identity as a mafia boss won't stay hidden for long."

Daniela glanced through the gap at Cedric, who was unaware of the storm brewing around him. For once,there was a rare sense of tranquility.

"It's unnecessary," Daniela said firmly."Spread the word-Cedric is under my protection. Anyone who dares touch him is declaring war against me."

Lillian grinned and shot her a thumbs-up. "Got it."

Inside the office, Cedric's phone buzzed nonstop. He picked up.

"Cedric, you've been issued an underworld bounty." The voice on the other end was frantic. "Who's the lunatic behind this? You're leader of the Lone Wolf, for God's sake. That's unheard of! Cedric, I've already called back all our men to protect you. You have no idea what kind of reputation you've built."

Cedric listened, unsure if the caller was panicked or secretly thrilled.

"Cedric, should we let Daniela know someone just slapped a massive price on your head?"

Cedric frowned. "No need;" he said impatiently.

Lately, he had been trying to find time to focus on having a baby with Daniela. She was always busy, and now,with this chaos looming over them, telling her would only make things worse.

If she found out, she'd be too stressed to even think about starting a family.

"Cedric, I don't know, but Daniela doesn't strike me as the type to scare easily." The man on the other end couldn't explain why he felt that way-it was just a gut instincf.

"What do you know?" Cedric snapped. "She lost her mother young and had no one to rely on but herself.She had to become strong and independent, but that wasn't who she was meant to be. She used to be the sweetest, most gentle girl. Life forced her to be tough, but that doesn't mean she wanted to be. No woman wants to shoulder everything alone. Deep down, they all want to be protected. No mafter how strong she looks, she still gets scared. If she finds out about this, she might not sleep for days. She's just a businesswoman, brilliant in the corporate world, but she's never dealt with something like this. Who knows how terrified she'd be?"

Cedric's expression darkened. "I'm heading back to Phillips Group. I need to get to the bottom of this. I want to see who's willing to spend that much money to take me down."

The man chuckled. "Cedric, you do remember your wife is the richest person in the world, right? You don't reach that level without having nerves of steel."

Cedric clicked his tongue. "You don't get it. My girl is the most considerate, the gentlest-sweet as a bunny.You wouldn't understand."

There was a long silence on the other end.

A bunny?

"Cedric, I swear, you're beyond saving.Between the two of you, I think you're the real sweet little thing."

Cedric laughed. "Get lost!"

When Daniela returned with her glass of water, Cedric looked up."Phillips Group has an urgent situation.I need to head back and take care of it. I'll be gone for a few days."

Daniela nodded slightly."Alright. Have your secretary prepare an office for me at Phillips Group. I can work from anywhere."

Cedric hesitated."What?"

Daniela took a sip of water, her lips curving into a smile. "What? You don't want me there?" Cedric nodded."◯f course, I'd love to have you there. But didn't you say before that you didn't want to disturb mne at Phillips Group?"

Daniela tilted her head slightly, as if she were ringing a bell. "Did I? Later, I thought about it and realized that as a couple, we shouldn't keep our distance. There's no reason to worry about getting in each other's way."

Cedric had no argument against that. Since Daniela had made up her mind, there was nothing more to say.

And so, she accompanied him to Phillips Group.

The journey, however, was anything but smooth.

Their brakes failed. A tire blew out. As they neared Phillips Group, unidentified objects came crashing down from above.

Cedric kept his gaze on the road, but he stole a glance at Daniela and asked gently, "Honey,are you alright?Are you scared?"

Daniela blinked."Oh,absolutely.I'm terrified."

Cedric's heart tightened. Without hesitation, he guided her inside Phillips Group.

Just as they stepped through the doors, Daniela's pitiful expression hardened. Her gaze flicked to a shadowy corner across the street-sharp, calculating, and lethal.