?Chapter 412:


    “I promise.”


    Afterward, she lowered her gaze and pretended to focus on her tablet. As soon as Cedric turned away, she absentmindedly touched her nose.


    Ryan and Lillian walked in from outside and caught Dani’s subtle gesture. Ryan leaned in toward Lillian and whispered, “Did Dani lie again?”


    Those close to Dani knew well—whenever she lied, her hand would instinctively reach for her nose. This habit had been with her since childhood. When she was young, her mother had once jokingly told her that lying would make her nose grow longer. That innocent joke had stuck with her ever since.


    Dani’s eyes stayed glued to her tablet, yet her thoughts were miles away from the screen. She didn’t take in a single word of the report she was supposedly reviewing.


    Joyce believed her priceless shares granted her an untouchable power. As time went on, her arrogance would only grow, testing the patience of the Bet family and pushing them to their breaking point. Then, Katrina would step in, attempting to calm the situation with money. And there would be the inevitable sh between Katrina and Caiden over financial matters.


    That would be Dani’s cue to act. She would take Joyce’s shares from her. Once that was done, chaos would flood the Harper family. All Dani had to do was be patient. She had to wait for the right time. When the truth was revealed—when the one responsible for her mother’s death was finally exposed—Dani would tear them apart.


    This was the strategy she had set in motion, and Cedric didn’t need to be part of it.


    Under the gentle glow of the living room lights, her eyes drifted to Cedric’s handsome face. Her thoughts inevitably turned to their childhood. It was Cedric who had lifted her from the shadows and guided her carefully through the murky depths of her depression, step by step. Now, she couldn’t bring herself to involve him.


    He deserved a life of peace, free from the turmoil she was facing.


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    Harper Group had been hanging by a thread, flirting with ruin for what seemed like forever. Joyce, having severed all financial aid to Caiden, left him without a cent to his name. Overwhelmed by desperation, he finally let go of his ego and reached out to Cedric for support.


    Caiden’s initial n was to reach out to Alexander for assistance.


    Yet, Katrina shattered this notion with a scathingment.


    “Seriously? You can’t even take care of your own mess, and now you want to screw up your son-inw’s life too? Are you trying to make Joyce theughingstock of the Bet family?”


    Feeling crushed and shamed, Caiden reluctantly discarded the idea. That bitter moment unveiled Katrina’s true intentions. Her prior endearments and praises were nothing more than a charade, cleverly orchestrated to manipte him and exploit the Harper family’s wealth tond Joyce a prosperous match.


    Now that she had secured her daughter’s future, Katrina’s facade of concern dissolved. The once docile and amodating woman had vanished.


    Brewing with resentment yet trapped by his financial destitution, Caiden realized his dire situation. Devoid of funds and influence, and dependent on Katrina even for daily essentials, he was forced to navigate his days with utmost caution around her dominating presence.


    Whenever Katrina’s temper red, she would not tolerate Caiden’s presence at the dinner table. Time and again, Caiden was left to sit at the bottom of the staircase, his meals apanied only by the weight of his solitude. These moments inevitably led his thoughts to wander to Dani’s early years.


    Had she experienced this same feeling of exclusion and istion within her own family home? She was merely a child of five back then. The idea sent a cold shudder rippling through Caiden.


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