Chapter 513

As Rex was on his way out, something caught his eye.

He spotted Daniela's hair ribbon just as the elevator doors were beginning to close.

"Cedric!" Rex hastily pressed the button to reopen the elevator doors. "Your wife..."

Could she actually be the leader of Cealmaur?

This idea flickered through his mind but Rex quickly shook it off.

How could it be possible?

That woman led Cealmaur. It was inconceivable that she would appear in Cedric's office, let alone be his wife.

Rex scratched his head, entered the elevator, and departed.

Three days later, Joyce visited Phillips Group to meet with Daniela about a potential collaboration.

It was her first visit to Cedric's office.

Her heart raced with excitement, yet she maintaineda calm demeanor. "Daniela, I've brought the contract.Please sign it."

Daniela declined.

Joyce's expression darkened. "What do you mean? Are you turning down easy money? Daniela, what's holding you back?"

Daniela wasn't scared of anything. She simply didn't have the time recently.

Joyce tightened her lips and turned to Cedric. "What about you? Don't miss this golden opportunity."

Cedric also showed no interest. For him, nothing was currently more crucial than their plans to have a baby. Visibly annoyed, Joyce scowled. As she walked out, she said sharply, "Turning down easy money? I wonder how long you can maintain this pretense of nobility."

Joyce stormed down to the parking lot.

Once inside the car, she fixed a cold stare on Alexander, who occupied the passenger seat. "Didn't you claim that the so-called bounty order would ensure my desires were fulfilled? I just visited them, and Cedric is unharmed."

Alexander also found this puzzling. He had relied on insider information that boasted of the bounty order's flawless track record.

Considering Cedric was merely a businessman, lacking any form of protection, his evasion was puzzling.Now, the intermediary Alexander had used was nowhere to be found.

This situation left him with a bad feeling.

Alexander had initially planned to take out Cedric first, then get rid of Joyce, clearing his path to Daniela.

However, it appeared his strategy required some revisions.

Upon her return home, Daniela was met by Lillian with unexpected news. "Joyce has disappeared."

Daniela looked at Lillian. "Are you sure? She was in my office earlier today."

Lillian confirmed with a nod and showed Daniela a video.

The surveillance footage captured Joyce walking through a mall when suddenly, a battered, nondescript van pulled up alongside her. Within moments, she was pulled into the vehicle.

The incident caused panic among the bystanders, who quickly alerted the police.

By the time the police arrived, Joyce was already missing.

Lillian explained, "This appears to be a well-planned abduction. The van managed to evade all cameras while exiting. As of now, there's no sign of Joyce." Daniela's expression turned serious.

There was something particularly strange about this event.

Lillian continued, "Fairburne Group is in chaos. There's widespread speculation about who will inherit Joyce's assets should anything happen to her."

Since Joyce hnad no children and Katrina had passed away, the only remaining relative was Caiden, still officially recorded as family with Joyce.⑤

That indeed was a stroke of luck.

Lillian smiled broadly. "Daniela, given that Caiden is under psychiatric care and you're his only child,you have a legitimate claim to this wealth." Her excitement was evident.

Daniela, however, did not share her excitement. "If someone orchestrated this entire situation, do you really think they'd simply allow Caiden or me to inherit everything without a challenge? Just wait. The person responsible will show themselves eventually."

Daniela's insight was remarkably accurate.

Later that day, Fairburne Group convened an urgent press conference.

A mysterious figure, dressed in a black suit and masked, declared on camera that he would act as the interim chairman of Fairburne Group during Joyce's absence. He added that should Joyce be officially declared deceased, he would legally inherit all her assets.

This announcement stunned the public, who began to speculate about the masked man's identity.

Watching the broadcast, Daniela focused intently on the man's eyes visible behind the large mask. They looked remarkably like Cedric's.

She was not alone in her observation.

Others also made the connection, comparing photos of Cedric.

Before long, rumors circulated that Cedric had inherited Joyce's vast fortune. Resourceful Individuals even uncovered video footage of Joyce at Philips Group merely an hour before she vanished.

As a result, # sparked widespread speculation that Cedric was, in fact, the new chairman of Falrburne Group.

Public curiosity envisioned a dramatic love triangle and an intense battle for power.

However,following the press conference, the interim chairman withdrew from public view.

This absence only intensified the rumors, leading people to conclude that Cedric had to step back from public appearances as he could not juggle two roles.

Cedric scowled as he read the flood of congratulatory texts on his phone from business contacts. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Seeing Cedric's puzzled look, Daniela chuckled lighntly.

She reached out and gently patted his back as if comforting a puppy. "I know you're not responsible.Pl catch that person myself."