Chapter 491

Daniela was coming on a little too direct.

A wave of unease tightened Cedric's chest, making it hard to breathe.

He fought to keep his composure, glancing away to avoid locking eyes with her. "You want to divorce me?"

Daniela gave a small nod.

Before she could utter a word, Cedric shot to his -feet,his emotions slipping out of control.

Daniela froze for a moment before hearing Cedric's firm declaration. "I don't agree!"

His face darkened, his eyes cooled, but beneath it all lingered a trace of hesitation.

Everything felt tangled and messy.

Cedric held her gaze, waiting-hoping-she would say something more.

Instead, all she offered was a short, "Got it."

Cedric remained still, waiting.

He braced himself, ready to counter any reason

Daniela threw at him for wanting a divorce.

If she insisted...

Cedric sat in silence, racking his brain for something -anything-he could use as leverage.

After all, merely being a source of comfort wasn't much of a bargaining chip.

He couldn't exactly say, "If you go through with this divorce, I won't let you sleep with me anymore,"could he?

And what if Daniela, cold as ever, agreed without a second thought? He'd just be humiliating himself.

Cedric realized his biggest disadvantage-he and Daniela had no child.

If they had, at least he'd say, "If you leave, I'll take the child with me!"

He regretted never making children a priority.

A thought struck him-was Daniela pregnant?

Daniela caught Cedric staring at her stomach,confusion flashing in her eyes.

What was that supposed to mean?

But she kept quiet.

Cedric waited a long time, but Daniela didn't speak again.

After a moment, he said, "Let's put this on hold and talk later, okay?"

Daniela nodded. "Okay."

The unexpected relief stunned Cedric. Had it really been that easy? Then what was the point of everything he endured abroad?

"Go to your meeting first. I'll head home. What do you want for dinner? Should I have Josie make something?" Daniela asked. Cedric answered sluggishly, "Anything is fine."

As Daniela turned to leave, Cedric reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, ornate box.

His secretary beamed. "Mr. Phillips picked this up at an auction overseas. A diamond-studded bracelet,engraved with both your initials. Gorgeous piece!Cost him over eight million dollars."

Cedric shot the secretary a look, part amused,part exasperated.

His secretary walked off with a knowing grin.

Cedric walked Daniela to the elevator. Once inside,she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.

The bracelet shimmered under the light, catching Cedric's eye and pulling a small smile from him.

"You knew I wanted a divorce, yet you still bought me a gift?" Daniela asked, curiosity laced in her tone.

Cedric cleared his throat. "You're the one asking for a divorce. Not me." Daniela gave a slow nod. "You really know how to treat your wife well,"

As Daniela was about to step into the car, Cedric caught her hand. His voice dropped to a low murmur." swear, what happened at the charity gala won't happen again. Please don't be upset."

Daniela hummed softly in response.

"I didn't even look at that person. I just wanted you to care about me more, but I ended up making a mess of everything. Were you feeling unwell that day?"Cedric couldn't hold back any longer-he pulled Daniela into his arms. "Please, don't be upset. This is _all on me. I won't do anything that stupid again. I was an idiot! Don't leave me. From now on, whatever you say,I'll listen."

Cedric drew in an unsteady breath. "But there's a line, Daniela. You can't keep throwing yourself into danger.I can't take it."

Daniela let out a quiet sigh, her hand resting lightly on his back. "I'm sorry." The entire ride home, Cedric kept his fingers wrapped around Daniela's hand.

The driver glanced at them, thoroughly puzzled.

Wasn't he supposed to just send Daniela back?

Then why was Cedric in the car too?

Back home, Cedric headed upstairs for a shower.Lillian eyed Daniela. "Didn't you go to hand over the divorce agreement? How did you both end up coming back together?"

If anything, Cedric looked even more smitten with Daniela than before.

He looked like a man set on one thing-getting Daniela pregnant just to keep her byhis side.

This didn't look like a couple on the verge of divorce,did it?

Daniela shot a quick glance upstairs before slipping the divorce agreement into the drawer like it was no big deal. "What's this about?" Lillianfrowned, unused to seeing Daniela hesitate."So...no divorce?"

Daniela swapped her shoes and responded lightly,"Hmm. No divorce."

Lillian let out a knowing sigh. "I figured as much."

At that moment, Cedric, lurking at the top of the stairs, quietly exhaled in relief.

But was his plan to have a child with Daniela really that obvious?