?Chapter 1426:


    Carol rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Dani has been in this lc dress all day. You’re remembering wrong.”


    Alexander epted her answer with a nod, though his eyes wandered toward the door. “Where’s Arthur?”


    Dani dropped into her chair and replied tly, “Isn’t he your assistant? Why are you asking me?”


    Carol arched an eyebrow, smirking. “He’s your guy, not ours. You lose track of him, and now you’re asking us?”


    Dani reclined in her chair, folding her hands with deliberate calm. “Are you nning to finish your report or just keep talking?”


    Snapped out of his daze, Alexander cleared his throat. “Right. Where was I?”


    He picked up his presentation, while Carol, already checked out, leaned in closer to Dani with a mischievous whisper. “So, what’s with the outfit change? Spill.”


    A sly smile flickered on Dani’s lips. “I spilled some blood on myself.”


    Carol’s jaw dropped. “You did what? Seriously?”


    Dani bit back a retort; there was no point in denying it. Some things just couldn’t be fixed on the fly.


    Dani admitted, “I couldn’t deal with it, so I just took a shot of the tranquilizer. All good now.”


    Relief flooded Carol’s face, only to be reced with a sharp re. “You’d better hope Cedric doesn’t find out. He made me promise to keep an eye on you while he was out. If he catches wind that you took tranquilizer…”


    She never got to finish. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the doorway.


    Both women turned, tension crackling in the air, as Cedric appeared in the doorway, his expression thunderous.


    Years of friendship hadn’t prepared Carol for the steely edge in Cedric’s voice as he called out, “Dani, get out here!”


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    The suddenmand left Carol reeling, unable to find her footing. Alexander, equally blindsided, gaped at Cedric in disbelief.


    As Dani started to rise from her seat, Alexander finally found his nerve and snapped, “Who the hell do you think you are, barking at Dani like that? Dani…” He barely got the words “don’t go out” out of his mouth before Dani brushed past him without a nce.


    Seething, Alexander turned to Carol. “What’s Cedric’s problem? Why did he yell at Dani like that?”


    Carol kept her gaze fixed on the floor and replied with icy detachment, “That’s got nothing to do with you. Just say what you need to say and get out.”


    Alexander dropped what he was holding. “That’s it—I’m done talking. I have to see Dani right now. What the hell is Cedric doing, shouting at her like that?”


    Without waiting for a reply, Alexander bolted from the room, anxiety prickling beneath his skin. He couldn’t shake the fear that Cedric, given his earlier outburst, might do something reckless to Dani.


    But the moment Alexander shoved open the door to Dani’s office, he froze. Inside, Cedric had her caged against the wall, kissing her with a fierce urgency. Cedric’s body pressed Dani so tightly there was barely a sliver of air between them—every inch of her was pinned flush against him. The sight hit Alexander like a punch to the chest, leaving him rooted in the doorway, utterly stunned.


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