?Chapter 257:


    “You know, you two really have the whole old married couple act down pat.”


    Upon returning, Cedric paused in the doorway, his gazending on Dani, who was quietly sampling the dishes he had ced on her te.


    He watched her for a moment, a surge of simple happiness bubbling within him. He didn’t understand why he loved her so deeply.


    Shaking off his reverie, Cedric finally proceeded to his chair and resumed his ce.


    Dani said lightly, “You really should avoid getting into fights, you know.”


    Cedric’s face softened, his eyes crinkling at the corners.


    “How about a deal? Be my girlfriend, and not only will I avoid fights, but I’ll hang on your every word and devote myself entirely to you,” he whispered in a voice that no one else could hear.


    Lillian cast a quick nce at Cedric and asked Dani, “What is wrong with him?”


    Dani shook her head.


    “I’m not sure. He seems to be in a world of his own.”


    At the same time, Alexander was wheeled into the emergency room. His return to consciousness was marked by agonizing screams of pain that echoed through the sterile corridors.


    Richard arrived momentster and was met with a harrowing sight: Alexander’s face, a horrifying tableau of bruises and swelling, distorted beyond recognition. He let out a heart-wrenching cry.


    Their cries resonated through the hospital,pelling nurses, doctors, and even other patients to peer into the room, curious about the source of such distress.


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    They were met with the grim visage of Alexander, sitting on the bed, his features battered and raw.


    That evening, the incident captured the attention of the media. Reporters descended on the hospital, eager for a sensational story. However, Alexander was in no state to confess that he had been mercilessly beaten by a single individual who had nonchntly continued his evening as if nothing had urred.


    The thought of acknowledging such a humiliating defeat was mortifying.


    The turmoil within him mounted, pushing Alexander to the brink of madness.


    As the room emptied and quiet settled once more, he dragged himself to the mirror.


    Confronting his reflection, he was rooted to the spot, the severity of his injuries mirroring the turmoil inside him.


    Every inch was marred by bruises and swelling, turning his features into those of a man who’d suffered a grave cmity.


    Now, he realized the source of the excruciating pain that shot through his skin with even the slightest movement.


    “Cedric is envious because Dani preferred my looks! That’s why he targeted my face!” Alexander thought, his mind a storm of confusion and disbelief.


    Richard found himself utterly speechless.


    At the doorway, their secretary asked, “Should we call the police?”


    Richard whirled around, his eyes zing as he fixed the secretary with a stern re.


    “Call the police? Have you lost your senses? Just look at his face! If word of this gets out, it’ll be said that the president of Bet Group was assaulted. Do you want to tarnish ourpany’s image?”


    The secretary stood there, dumbfounded. Cedric was stepping on their dignity, and yet, their primary concern was thepany’s image? This was not the Richard and Alexander he knew.


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