Chapter 679

Cedric never smoked. However, when the security guard at the entrance offered him a cigarette, he took it anyway.

Restless, he stepped outside, rolling the cigarette between his fingers. Before he realized it, he had wandered into a narrow alley.

Leaning against the brick wall, hestared at the ground.Moments later, a faint shadow emerged at the alley's

entrance.

Cedric paused, the cigarette dangling from his fingers,and glanced up to see a man standing there.

The man,dressed in black, had a cold, fierce gaze and a long scar cut from his forehead to his neck, making his already menacing presence even more chilling.

Cedric stood upright, the cigarette still lazily dangling between his fingers.

A gust of wind rushed through the alley as the man lunged at Cedric.

Minutes later, Cedric stepped out of the alley, the cigarette still untouched in his hand.

Meanwhile,Daniela stepped into the elevator. Nikolas caught up just as the doors closed, and it began to descend.

Daniela's voice was cold. "If Cedric is hurt even slightly,you'll live to regret it for the rest of your life."

Just before the doors opened and they could step out of the elevator, Daniela twisted Nikolas' arm.

His screams reverberated through the halls of the Elite Lux building.

Daniela strode out of the elevator, unmoved by the chaos unfolding behind her. A security guard hurried over and peeked inside.

"Mr.McCoy?"

Hearing the commotion, the secretary hurried over immediately.

Nikolas crumpled to the floor, his face pale as sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his white shirt.

"Help me!"

Daniela ignored his pleas and kept walking.

After walking a few steps, she spotted Cedric across the street,purchasing flowers from an elderly woman. In that moment, her restless, cold heart seemed to be soothed and she calmed down.

The sunset painted the sky in gold as Cedric walked toward her, lilies in hand, unharmed, and the spring breeze ruffling his hair.

"Why are you out here?" Cedric asked, offering Daniela the flowers. Before she could answer, he buttoned up her coat. "It's cold."

A wave of relief washed over Daniela, and she smiled softly.

The crushing weight in her chest dissolved, and she felt relaxed.

"|I thought you didn't smoke," Daniela remarked, her gaze drifting to the cigarette between Cedric's fingers.

Cedric flicked it into a trash can and smirked. "I don't.Just holding it for fun. Let's go inside. How about l make steak for dinner?"

Daniela answered casually,"Okay." Then, after a pause,she asked, "Why did you go out?"

Cedric took the flowers from her hands."T(get you these. Aren't lilies your favorite?"

Daniela nodded, scanning the street. The familiar watchful eyes, like a predator stalking its prey, were nowhere to be found.

"Don't go out alone again," Daniela warned.

Cedric was about to answer when he spotted Nikolas being carried out of the elevator, pale and trembling,supported by his secretary.

"What happened to him?"

Daniela approached Nikolas, raised her hand, and a sharp snap echoed.

Nikolas' screams gradually faded into silence.

"Let's go upstairs," Daniela said to Cedric, ignoring Nikolas entirely. "I'm hungry."

Drenched in cold sweat, Nikolas stared blankly at Daniela and Cedric, who seemed perfectly fine and completely unharmed.

"Why is this happening to me?" he yelled, his voice laced with despair. Was he the only one who got injured?

Nikolas stepped outside to call Ghost, but the line remained unanswered.

His arm barely hurt anymore when he shook it, buta deep unease coiled in his gut. "Daniela's a lunatic," he muttered, as he rushed out to find Ghost.

As he passed an alley, something made him stop and he took a step back.

"Ghost?"

The sky was slowly fading into dusk.

Nikolas squinted. He couldn't tell if the person inside was Ghost.

He called out to Ghost again.

A low, ragged sound from the alley answered him.

Nikolas rushed inside, his heart pounding as he saw Ghost lying in a pool of blood, the words "Get Lost!"

scrawled across his face in jagged letters.

A cold dread slithered down Nikolas' spine.

His hands began to shake uncontrollably once again.

Ghost, feared for his invincibility, had been defeated.

Daniela had been with Nikolas the entire time, never stepping out. So, who could have left Ghost in such a state?

Did Cedric have another ally? If such a formidable ally existed, Nikolas thought, he would have to recruit them into his family at any cost

Nikolas crouched beside Ghost, his voice urgent. "Who did this to you?"

Ghost struggled to clutch his chest, and in the next second, he coughed up blood and collapsed unconscious.

Nikolas hurriedly transported Ghost to emergency care,then arranged for his family's private jet to take him back to Oiscoll, a country renowned for its advanced healthcare.

Ghost remained unconscious as he was loaded onto the jet, a reality Nikolas couldn't help but regret.

He still hadn't uncovered the identity of the person who had defeated Ghost.

But it didn't matter. There was still time.

As the secretary boarded with Ghost, Nikolas specifically instructed, "If Ghost wakes up, ask him immediately who it was."

The secretary gave a sharp nod.

Nikolas made his way back to Elite Lux.

Unlike before, this time he entered Daniela's office with a palpable sense of trepidation.

Daniela was a cold-hearted,ruthless woman!