?Chapter 99:


    That face—so eerily simr to the one that had tormented him for years. The face of the woman who had once made him feel insignificant and weak.


    His chest swelled with rage. Without a second thought, he stormed toward her and pped her in the face.


    The sharp crack of the p echoed through the entire basement, bouncing off the cold walls.


    Everything stopped.


    The chatter of shopkeepers, the footsteps of passersby, and the hum of the crowd all vanished as people froze, their attention now drawn to the sudden noise.


    Lillian stood rooted to the spot, her eyes wide with shock, unable to process what had just happened.


    Cedric, stepping out of the elevator just as the p echoed, felt a tightness in his chest. Without thinking, he sprang into action and rushed toward the scene.


    In the heavy silence that followed, one person remainedposed. It was Dani.


    She stood firm, her eyes steady and unwavering. Her hands had initially balled into fists, but she slowly rxed them, choosing calm over reaction.


    The sound of hurried footsteps echoed behind her, and before Dani could fully grasp the situation, she was enveloped in a warm embrace. For a brief moment, the burden in her chest lightened. She looked up, her eyes catching the man’s corbone, his strong Adam’s apple, and the familiar scent of his cologne.


    The scent stirred something in her, as if she had smelled it before.


    Yet, she couldn’t quite ce where.


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    “Dani! You ungrateful bitch! You’re just as cruel as your mother!”


    Regaining herposure, Dani pulled away from the embrace. Noticing it was Cedric, she whispered quietly, “Thank you.”


    She then turned to face Caiden—the man who imed to be her father. His face contorted with fury, his hand shaking as he pointed an usatory finger at her.


    “I always wanted you to be nothing like your mother. I dreamed of you being obedient andpassionate. I imagined you as gentle, kind, and pure—not corrupted by the murky maniptions of the business world. When you were after Alexander, you were so innocent, so soft, like a helpless littlemb! How did you turn into someone so heartless, so driven by nothing but greed and power?”


    He pointed fiercely at Katrina.


    “This is your mother!” His finger then swept over to Joyce.


    “And this is your sister! And yet, you’ve turned on both of them! Yes, you’re the CEO of Elite Lux now, but does that mean you have the right to crush your family’s dignity? To disgrace us in front of the world? Dani! Do you have any idea how much you’ve hurt them?”


    Dani stood there, silent, her eyes fixed on the man before her—the man who had just pped her, right in front of everyone.


    She longed to ask him if he realized the pain he had caused her, if she was unworthy of his affection and care, or if he only valued the manipted, lesser version of her from before.


    These questions had haunted her ever since her mother’s death, since Katrina brought Joyce into the Harper family and took control, and since the countless meals Dani spent with the servants while her father enjoyed his dinners with his new family.


    She had asked herself time and again: Was she not also a Harper? But today, Dani didn’t ask—not because she couldn’t, but because she didn’t want to.


    The p had already spoken volumes.


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