?Chapter 1424:


    No text. No lines. Just dots.


    Cedric studied them as long as he could, but they didn’t make sense. He stepped into the hallway, pulled out his phone, and started looking up anything that might exin the markings.


    A momentter, Carol joined him. She crossed her arms, clearly irritated. “That guy gives me a weird feeling. I tried asking him about the project, but he said he was new and didn’t know much yet. So why is he even in there?”


    Cedric’s expression darkened. “He’s been watching Dani too closely. It’s not casual.”


    Carol gave a small nod. “I noticed it too. He’s staring at her like he’s studying her. The way he looks at her—it’s cold. Makes my skin crawl.”


    Cedric turned his head and looked through the ss into the meeting room. Arthur was still seated, still writing in that same notebook. Then, as if he felt Cedric’s eyes on him, Arthur looked up, met Cedric’s eyes, adjusted his sses using the same hand that held his pen, then looked back down and kept writing—like nothing had happened.


    Cedric narrowed his eyes and gged down someone from Lone Wolf. “Take a look at this for me.”


    Toward the end of the meeting, he walked back into the room holding a pot of coffee, “identally” spilling it all over Arthur’s notebook.


    Arthur jolted in surprise.


    Cedric quickly set the pot down. “Are you alright? I’m terribly sorry.”


    Arthur moved his leg and looked up at Cedric, but his expression didn’t match the apology. There was a flicker of something darker behind his eyes.


    Once the meeting cleared out, Cedric and Carol pulled Dani aside. “That guy’s not right,” he said, holding out the paper marked with dots.


    Dani studied the pattern but didn’t recognize it. “If we match this to what I gotst night, it lines up. He’s probably the one Hamilton sent to find out my weaknesses. He doesn’t ask anything about the project. But he tracks every move I make. That says more than anything else.”


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    With Dani’s words, Cedric felt a chill crawl down his spine. Carol looked uneasy. “What should we do now? He’s not going to find your weaknesses, right?”


    Dani stayed calm. “They’re not sure yet. They’re just guessing.” She nced toward Cedric, then leaned in to whisper something to Carol. “Get some tranquilizer ready for me.”


    Carol gave a nod and left. Dani turned back to—


    Cedric. “It’s alright. Even if they figure something out, I’ll be fine. The tranquilizer will keep things under control.”


    Cedric clenched his jaw. This wasn’t how business was supposed to be done. Tactics like this had no ce in a boardroom. He hadn’t thought much of the McCoy family before, but now he was certain—they’d crossed the line. Going after her like this? It was cowardly.


    “I get it,” said Cedric, voice low and tight. “But I’m not letting anything happen to you. I’ll handle it.”


    Dani stood close enough to feel the heat rolling off him. She wasn’t scared. Not really. But seeing Cedric like that stirred something in her. He was angry. Protective. And all of it was for her. She’d always taken care of herself. But hearing someone else step up to shield her? It felt different.


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