?Chapter 527:


    Dani caught sight of Joyce entering and narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing.


    Cedric quickly took a seat beside Dani. He wasn’t interested in Joyce, but he thoroughly enjoyed being the center of Dani’s attention.


    A little pampering now and then didn’t bother him at all. As Cedric moved closer to her, Dani offered a faint smile before turning her attention back to the documents spread out in front of her.


    Joyce felt like she had just been subjected to an overly sugary moment. Mumbling something under her breath, she stomped upstairs.


    When Joyce returned downstairs, Dani’s secretary was already gone.


    Joyce threw herself onto the living room sofa, exuding a newfound sense of confidence. Even Caiden couldn’t help but notice how much Joyce’s mood had improved.


    “So, what’s the deal? Did someone bail you out of your debt mess?” Caiden asked, raising an eyebrow. Joyce let out a sarcastic chuckle.


    “Yeah. Who needs a useless dad when I’ve got someone who actually steps up?” Caiden instantly caught the meaning behind her words. He didn’t care much and shrugged it off as something that didn’t affect him.


    Caiden turned his attention back to the TV, while Dani cast a calm, measured nce at Joyce. To Dani, there were people who would never learn restraint, no matter how many times life knocked them down. And Joyce was exactly that type of person.


    Settling on the couch, Dani opened herptop and started typing with purpose. She’d already had a nagging feeling that something didn’t add up.


    Katrina had imed to be out of options, yet somehow she’d managed to gather millions to secure Joyce’s release. Katrina, who had been Caiden’s wife for years, might have stashed away a small fortune. But did she truly have ess to a hundred million? That question alone stirred Dani’s suspicions.


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    With swift precision, she hacked into the banking system and retrieved Katrina’s recent transaction records. As expected, a seven-figure transfer hadnded in Katrina’s ount just one day before Joyce’s release.


    Dani tapped on the screen, and the sender’s name popped up. Erika Schmidt.


    Dani recognized the name instantly—it was Katrina’s mother, a notorious gambler. Katrina had often supported Erika financially in the past, so it wasn’t shocking to see some money flowing back her way. But still, where did Katrina manage to secure a hundred million for Joyce?


    Dani checked every phone number linked to Erika, her fingers dancing over the keyboard. It didn’t take long for her to uncover all of Erika’s recent calls and messages.


    One message, in particr, grabbed Dani’s attention.


    “There’s a man named Doug Fairburne. I told him you need money, and he said he’s willing to help. If you keep himpany, he’ll transfer the funds right away.”


    Dani angled herptop, letting Cedric read the message glowing on the screen.


    Cedric’s eyes instantlynded on Doug’s name. He lifted a hand and tapped the screen lightly. Dani gave a small nod in response. Cedric winked at her.


    “What are you doing?” Joyce asked, her mood noticeably brighter after reading the message, which she believed held the key to solving her problems. Her dreams of a fresh start rekindled, and she looked at Cedric with affection.


    But Cedric and Dani seemed so engrossed in each other that they barely acknowledged her presence. They looked as if they might lean in and kiss at any second. Dani tilted her head slightly, catching Joyce’s gaze, and offered a faint smile.


    The moment Joyce caught that smile, a sense of unease gripped her. She knew all too well that whenever Dani smiled like that, it usually spelled trouble for her.


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