?Chapter 414:


    Once the meal concluded, Caiden gathered his courage. His voice barely above a whisper, he addressed her.


    “Thank you.”


    Dani turned her gaze toward Caiden.


    “There’s no need for thanks. How did you find the meal?”


    Caiden offered a sincere reply.


    “It was really delicious.”


    A subtle nod came from Dani.


    “I’m pleased to hear that. Although we aren’t close personally, you’re always wee to dine here. Just so you’re aware, the meal here is $1,000 per person. How would you like to handle the payment? Cash, card, or would you prefer to settle up at month’s end?”


    Caiden was rooted to the spot, his voice lost to surprise. With a sly smile, Dani went on, “Whichever method you choose, payment is due. If paying per meal suits you, Josie will take care of it. Please understand, I don’t offer credit here. After all, supporting someone else’s father isn’t my responsibility, is it?”


    With those words, she turned on her heel and departed, leaving Caiden to grapple with a mix of embarrassment and frustration. Once Dani had taken a shower, she headed down the stairs, only to be greeted by Josie, who was grumbling over Caiden’s failure to pay and his bold excuse of being broke.


    From across the room, Dani’s eyes flicked towards Caiden before she pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to Katrina.


    Thirty minutester, Katrina returned, storming through the door. She fixed Caiden with a withering look before scolding him.


    “Uninvited, you impose yourself at Dani’s dinner table. Humiliated for a mere meal, how do you justify that? Serves you right! Caiden, you’re not a young man anymore. How could you let her humiliate you just for the sake of a meal? If she were willing to give you her attention, that would be one thing. But she doesn’t care about you, yet you still think there’s some lingering father-daughter connection between you? It’s absurd! Can’t you see the truth, Caiden? She no longer sees you as her father. She texted me in the middle of the night to settle your bill, threatening to cut Joyce’s shares in the roboticspany if I don’t. If you’re so troubled that you’re dragging your daughter into your mess, why not take the same path as Brylee? Spare others the pain!”


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    Having vented her frustration, Katrina angrily sent a thousand to Josie, grabbed her suitcase, and ascended the stairs, leaving Caiden standing there, nothing more than a cold, unfeeling silhouette.


    From the living room, Dani turned to Caiden with a smirk.


    “Do you remember how my mother died?”


    Caiden’s face turned pale at her question. He ran upstairs, his footsteps erratic, almost tripping over as he ascended.


    Life for Caiden grew more suffocating from that day forward. With Katrina’s return, their rtionship deteriorated further; she found him increasingly unbearable, and her verbal assaults intensified.


    In desperation, Caiden reached out to Alexander, using his influence to secure a few minor deals for Harper Group. He then begged Dani to transfer the profits from these deals to his ount.


    Subsequently, Caiden ventured into business independently. After several initial setbacks, he finally secured some contracts through Cedric.


    Having never encountered significant professional obstacles in his earlier years, Caiden now faced them head-on. Often returning home intoxicated fromworking events, he found the bedroom locked by Katrina and resigned himself to sleeping on the sofa.


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