?Chapter 854:


    She let the words settle, silence stretching in their wake. Then, in a near whisper, she added, “Take your time. Choose whichever path you want.”


    Cedric leaned forward, picked up the divorce agreement, skimmed through it briefly, then set it back down.


    He looked up at her. “Which choice do you want me to make?”


    Dani’s teeth pressed into her lip, uncertainty creeping in. When she had woken up earlier, she had almost asked Cedric if he was afraid of her.


    Anyone else would be, wouldn’t they?


    Sleeping next to someone like her—a bloodstained lunatic—should’ve terrified him.


    So, she held back. Instead, she put everything on the table, hoping—just hoping—he would choose to stay.


    She had long stopped believing in people and in love. Yet, with Cedric, a flicker of hope still remained.


    It was underhanded, maybe even selfish, to tie him down with material wealth, but what other choice did she have? In the end, this was all she had left to offer.


    Cedric remained eerily calm, an edge of cold detachment in his demeanor, so unlike the man she knew.


    Something about his stillness made Dani uneasy. She hesitated. “If the risk is too much, you can—”


    “Give me a child,” Cedric cut in, his tone resolute.


    Dani froze, her mind scrambling. “What did you just say?”


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    Cedric wasn’t about to let this chance slip away. “I know what you’re about to do. I also realize there’s no way to make you change your mind, but in this rtionship, I’ve truly given my entire heart. If you insist on risking yourself and something happens, I’ll be left all alone, which would be unbearable. I’m asking you to give me a child, someone to be with me in the future. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”


    Dani’sshes fluttered as she processed his words.


    “What’s wrong? You don’t agree?” Cedric pressed.


    Dani narrowed her eyes. “I can’t just hand you a child right this second.”


    Cedric’s reply was instant, unwavering. “You carry the child. I’ll take care of everything else. You won’t have to lift a finger.”


    Cedric spoke like a businessman closing a deal.


    When it came to business, Dani thrived, effortlessly handling numbers.


    But when it came to bluffing and negotiation, she wasn’t Cedric’s equal.


    “To you, it’s just one child. You’re willing to give up your wealth, so why refuse to have a baby with me?” Cedric was cunning.


    One child could lead to two, and two could lead to even more.


    If he couldn’t keep Dani, their children surely would.


    He was certain this n would work.


    When Dani mentioned it to Lillian, she looked worried. “If I have a baby and something happens to me, can Cedric really raise the child alone?”


    Lillian nced at Dani, who always lost her wits around Cedric, and sighed.


    Once someone had a weakness, they could never go far.


    Cedric was using a baby to tie Dani to him.


    But as Lillian nced at Cedric, smiling in the kitchen, and Dani, lost in thought, she reconsidered—it might not be so bad.


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