Chapter 113

Richard stood frozen for a moment, his mind reeling.

Then, a spark of realization flashed in his eyes.Dreamscape launching its new heart medication?" he asked,his voice bubbling with excitement.

"Yes," Alexander answered in a flat tone.

Richard's face brightened, his voice nearly trembling with joy. "This is it! Dreamscape and Bennett Group should team up! What a golden opportunity!"

Alexander was drained of energy, while Richard practically burned with fervor.

"And Daniela marrying into our family-isn't that the best thing ever?" Richard continued, his excitement almost contagious.

Alexander had never heard him so animated before.

"Daniela's brilliant at making money, you know! And who knows, she might even have hidden identities. Do you realize how lucky you are? She's cut ties with her family. It means she has no backing now, no one to protect her. Everything she owns could be yours. Wait, no, ours! Go speak to her about the medical deal,"Richard urged.

Standing in the biting wind, Alexander remained unnervingly composed.

As Richard's enthusiasm grew, Alexander allowed a faint smile to tug at his lips, but his eyes spoke of nothing but irony. "Dad, think for a second. If you were Daniela, would you even consider working with the Bennett family?" Do you know why I laughed just now? Do you remember what you said about Daniela when she was after me? You said Daniela was just some unwanted daughter her family didn't care about and was shamelessly clinging to me because she was after our wealth and power. You said with her poor background, marrying her would ruin the Bennett family. And what use was a woman like that if she was not obedient and submissive? And at our wedding,you openly pointed at Daniela and accused her of marrying me for my money."

He could still picture Daniela's unshaken calmness that day.

She smiled slightly, her eyes showing quiet strength.Behind her, a sea of whispering guests pointed fingers and threw accusations. Through it all,she remained by his side, her resolve unwavering.

Alexander laughed bitterly at himself. He had been given a rare treasure but hadn't recognized its value.

He was, without question, the most foolish man to ever walk the earth.

Daniela had no time to waste on fools.

She didn't bother with people who weren't on her level. Occasionally, out of boredom, she might entertain their nonsense, but she didn't wNaste much energy on it.

After finishing her work, she moved on to inspect another property.

Later, she stopped by a barbecue restaurant and rented out the entire place.

She placed an order for hundreds of skewers and had them delivered to the construction site in the North District.

Lillian, holding a megaphone, shouted, "Cedric has ordered barbecue for us! Everyone, take a break!"

Cedric spun around in surprise and found Daniela standing behind him, her smile warm and genuine.

"What are you doing here?" Cedric asked, his brow furrowing. "It's cold and windy, you'll catch a cold."

Daniela,dressed in Elite Lux haute couture, looked like she had stepped out of a luxury advertisement. Yet there she was, casually sitting on the sidewalk as if it were the most natural thing to do.

She offered Cedric a skewer with a teasing smile."Care to do me the honor of trying one?"

Cedric couldn't help but smile. Shaking his head, he grabbed a clean piece of cardboard and slid it under Daniela for her to sit on before sitting down next to her.

It was already past 11 p.m.

The dim lights from the distant construction site cast long shadows. The two sat there together, watching as the towering structure slowly took shape in front of them.

"What do you think?" Cedric asked with a grin,mimicking Daniela's earlier tone. "Any suggestions?"

Daniela shook her head, nibbling on a piece of corn."None."

It was the plain truth.

Cedric was dependable and thorough-someone who could be relied upon to get things done without a hitch.

She had no feedback or advice to give. In that moment, Daniela wasn't focused on work or plans. She just wanted to sit on the cool concrete in front of what would soon be her empire, enjoying barbecue and beer with Cedric.

When Alexander showed up, he found Daniela and Cedric clinking beer bottles, casually seated on the sidewalk,completely carefree.

Alexander frowned deeply as he walked over. He looked at Cedric and said, "She's being reckless,but you should know better. Daniela is the CEO of Elite Lux. If someone catches a picture of this, it'll cause a storm of rumors. You need to think about your own reputation and stop encouraging her careless behavior."

Alexander believed his words were perfectly reasonable. However, to his surprise, Daniela's face turned to a cold frown.

The friendly, relaxed vibe she'd had with Cedric disappeared in an instant, replaced by clear frustration that was impossible to hide.

"Mr. Bennett, do you know where you're standing?"Daniela's voice was icy, and she didn't even glance his way. Her eyes stayed locked on the muddy construction site in the distance. "This is my domain.You don't get to come here and act like you're in charge." Alexander quickly tried to explain, "I'm doing this because I care about you."

But Daniela got to her feet and wiped her hands clean.She looked at Cedric and said, "I've seen enough.The progress looks good. I'll send someone else to take charge from here. You don't need to stay. Focus on your company."

Only then did she face Alexander. "Care about me,huh? I've outgrown that kind of talk. Consider this your first and final warning. Never say that to me again.We're not fools here."

With that said, she turned and started walking away.

After a short while, she stopped and looked back at Cedric,her face relaxing into a smile. "Do you need a ride back?"

Cedric laughed and nodded. "I'd really appreciate it