?Chapter 1157:


    Clearly, he had misjudged Cedric.


    His gaze flicked from Cedric to Dani, and something clicked. So Dani was his Achilles’ heel.


    Without another word, Niks walked toward the second car. Meanwhile, Dani took her seat beside Cedric in the back of the first one.


    As the vehicle rolled forward and paused at a red light, Cedric spoke. “The question Niks asked… you haven’t answered yet.”


    Dani didn’t need to ask what he meant. Her eyes stayed on the passing view outside.


    “You said you had no family,” he added.


    The words hung in the silence.


    The driver nced in the mirror, then quickly pressed the button to raise the partition. The air inside was too heavy to bear.


    No one spoke again.


    The hope in Cedric’s chest faded. What had started as longing settled into quiet resignation.


    When the car arrived at the entrance to Phillips Group, the driver stepped out in a hurry, as though escaping something suffocating.


    Dani opened the door.


    Behind her, Cedric spoke up. “If you want, I can be your family. I’d never betray you.”


    Dani stopped for a second. Her fingers rested on the doorframe. Then, without a word, she got out.


    Niks stepped from the car behind them, took one look at Cedric, and scoffed. “Pathetic.”


    He didn’t need any more proof. Cedric was hopelessly tied to her. Moving forward, he would handle things through Dani.


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    After the meeting ended, Niks made his way over to Dani alone. They met at a café. He sat quietly, eyes on the traffic outside.


    “I’m willing to work with you,” he said tly. “But I’ve got a condition.”


    Dani took a sip of her coffee, unfazed.


    He nced at her, surprised by her calm. Most people would be eager over an offer like his. Why wasn’t she?


    “My condition’s simple,” he added. “Cedric must never leave Olisvine.”


    Dani raised her eyes, her expression unreadable.


    Niks loosened his tie, suddenly aware of how warm the room felt. “Do you get what I’m saying? My family will purchase every product Phillips Group puts out. No matter the volume, we’ll take it all. Isn’t that a rare chance? What do you say?”


    Dani gave a faint smile. “You really think that’s a rare chance?”


    His brows pulled together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”


    She ced her cup down and spoke evenly. “You just said you’d buy everything Phillips Group made. Based on the current numbers, we’re talking fifty billion a year. Over twenty years, that’s about a trillion.”


    Niks nodded slowly, his smile still holding. “So, you’re saying—”


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