Chapter 828

Cedric frowned while slipping the phone out of Daniela's pocket, not realizing how close he was getting.

Daniela looked up, catching his eyes.

Cedric turned his head slightly, holding the phone between them, their gazes locking at just a breath's distance.

The space between them felt electric. So near, Daniela could even make out the tiny details on Cedric's skin."Cedric..."

Before she could finish, Cedric leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on her lips.

Daniela froze,caught completely off guard.

"Sorry, I acted on impulse," Cedric muttered, straightening up and glancing down at the phone like nothing unusual had happened.

Daniela caught the faint pink tint spreading across Cedric's ears. She couldn't help but smile softly.

Cedric punched in the number from the latest message, but the call wouldn't go through. He frowned,muttering, "Why send a message and then switch the phone off?"

In the living room, Damon had been watching Daniela the whole time, caught in a swirl of feelings. When he saw Cedric's unexpected kiss, he was taken aback.

Even though Daniela and Cedric were together, Damon had never seen anything so personal between them before.

Not even once.

The kiss hit him like a surprise.

He stood there for a long time, then muttered bitterly,"Cedric doesn't deserve Daniela." Nikolas stopped working on his project, considering the question."What weaknesses?" he asked.

Damon shrugged. "Not sure yet."

Nikolas glanced away, cool and confident. "Tell Dad she has none."

Without another word, he grabbed his laptop and went off to find Daniela.

Meanwhile, Daniela's fingers flew over the keyboard. She was used to quietly accessing McCoy Group's secure system every day to review fies.

Just as she was about to finalize the login, her finger hovered over the confirmation key.

That was when she noticed Nikolas standing nearby.

She glanced up and asked, "Do you need something?"

Nikolas hesitated before asking, "Can I borrow some money from you?"

Nervousness crept in. As Hamilton's eldest son, Nikolas was not someone who usually struggled for cash.

Yet asking Daniela-a younger woman-for a loan felt awkward and a little embarrassing.

He had asked Cedric before, but Cedric just pointed to Daniela and said she handled all the money.

He didn't get why Cedric let his wife take care of the finances.How pathetic!

Sitting across from Daniela, Nikolas felt stifled and frustrated. If he were borrowing money from Hamilton,the latter would have flat-out refused.

But this time, he was determined to stand up for himself.

Carefully, he laid out his plan, speaking clearly. "I want to start a business of my own. I've studied your successful growth strategies, and I believe this could work. But I need some startup capital. Could you help me out?" He wasn't very optimistic. Years working under Hamilton had trained him to expect rejection and suppression.

Even his father treated him harshly, so how could he expect any different from Daniela?

Holding up his laptop, Nikolas added, "Here's my idea and the concept. If you think it won't work, then l..."

He was about to say more, but Daniela cut him off, asking, "How much money do you need?"