Chapter 633

"l've gone over it countless times. I designed the security system at my villa myself-there shouldn't have been any weaknesses."

Daniela's voice was calm, steady-too steady. It was as if she were narrating a stranger's tragedy, not her own.

But Josie knew better. She had spent three years cooking for Daniela, watching her every day.

Once upon a time, Daniela had confided in her, sharing both her joys and heartaches.

That was why Josie understood-the quiet fury buried beneath Daniela's unshaken exterior ran deep.

But despite it all, Daniela went on. "And yet, somneone managed to plant such a powerful bomb in my home.Who do you think could have done that? I don't remember much from before. But someone told me you practically raised Cedric-treated him like your own son. You must have been looking forward to his child's arrival, weren't you? I also heard that when your son struggled to find work, it was Cedric who took him under his wing, taught him,helped him stand on his own. Later, I personally gave him a promising project-the very one that turned him into the boss people admire today."

Josie's tears spilled over, unstoppable.

Daniela continued, "Back then, danger was everywhere.But I believed my home was safe. I trusted the people around me. And yet, in the one place I thought was secure, I lost my child. Josie, why do you think that happened? Is trust never enough?"

Josie's head shook violently as sobs wracked her body.

From a distance, Alexander narrowed his eyes,watching intently.

He moved closer, just in time to hear Daniela's next words. "The doctor said I might never be able to have children again."

The moment she said it, the entire world seemed to go stilL.

Josie's sobs stopped mid-breath. She stared,frozen.

Alexander, too, came to an abrupt halt.

Daniela's face betrayed nothing as she rose to her feet. "So,this is what trusting others too much gets you,"

Without another word, she turned and walked away. With a heavy thud, Josie dropped to her knees.

Seconds later, she bent forward, forehead touching the floor as she wailed, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I betrayed your trust. I had no choice! They forced me!They threatened my son's life-I had no choice! I've been trying to make it right ever since,I swear!"

Hands clasped together in desperate prayer, she pleaded between sobs.

Onlookers murmured, unsure of what they were witnessing.

Alexander remained rooted to the spot, hearing nothing except Daniela's words, echoing in his mind."The doctor said I might never be able to have children again."

He went home with mixed feelings.

"What? Daniela can't have children anymore?"Richard's face drained of color, his shock palpable."That's impossible! You must have misheard! She was pregnant with Cedric's child before. How could she suddenly be unable to conceive?"

Alexander ran a hand through his hair, frustration tightening his chest. "She said it herself. You know Daniela-she doesn't joke about things like this."

Richard's response was instant and cold. "That's unacceptable. A woman who can't bear children?Absolutely not."

Alexander groaned, raking his fingers through his hair."What the hell am I supposed to do? I gave up once -I won't do it again. I can't."

Richard's glare was sharp, unyielding. "And then what?Who will inherit the family business? If you choose Daniela, that's the end of the Bennett name. I won't allow it. Never!"

Once, Richard had been Daniela's biggest supporter.Now,he was her fiercest opposition.

To him, a woman's worth was measured by her ability to bear children and carry on the family name.Without that, what purpose did she serve in his world?

"Alexander, listen to me. Don't be reckless. You're a man of power now-you don't need Daniela. Find a woman who can give you heirs. I want a grandson. If you choose Daniela, you'll lose my blessing."

Alexander's head dropped, but his jaw tightened in defiance.

The woman who haunted his thoughts, his dreams,was finally within reach. And now they expected him to walk away?

Over something like this? Not a chance.

Daniela was his. No matter what.

That night, father and son clashed. Voices were raised,doors slammed. In the end,Alexander packed his bags and left-choosing solitude at his office in Bennett Group.

Yet even as he left, the weight of it all sat heavy in his chest.

He was a man of old-fashioned values, and in many ways, he saw eye to eye with Richard. To him,a woman's role was to bear children and shape the next generation.

If there were no children to inherit his legacy, then what was the point of all his struggles?

Suddenly,all of it felt hollow-empty.

A storm of emotions tore through Alexander,leaving him restless and aching.

A bitter part of him blamed Daniela for not taking better care of herself, for putting him in this impossible position.

Josie walked back to Cedric's home, her thoughts a tangled mess. Cedric stood by the kitchen counter.tlipping

a cookbook, lost in concentration

Josie stepped inside. her gaze drifting to Cedri profile,her mind swirling with thoughts.

If fate had been kinder, that child would be tugging at Cedric's sleeve, calling him"Dad" by now.

Cedric moved across the kitchen,his limp making him look less like the strong, dignified man he once was and more like someone carrying the weight of unseen wounds.

The past three years had been nothing but an endless cycle of pain, one that never let up.

Josie clung to the belief that by taking care of Cedric,she could somehow atone for what she had done.

But now, with Daniela tearing through the fragile peace she had built, Josie found herself unable to stay composed.

She had broken the faith Cedric had placed in her.

She could still recall the day Daniela came back after the divorce-how Cedric had personally asked her to look after her.

With a gentle smile, he had said, "Josie, my girl has finally come home. Please take care of her for me. She never had a mother's warmth and doesn't trust easily. If you watch over her, she'll come to love you too."

In the end, she had let him down in the worst way possible.