?Chapter 536:


    Dani, too, was only human. She could lose control. She had someone she cared about, and that was Cedric.


    With that realization, Joyce slumped into unconsciousness.


    Lillian and Ryan returned from theirte meal to a surprising scene—Cedric holding Dani.


    “Hey, you two, it’ste. Maybe take the romance upstairs?” Lillian was poised to exit, but Cedric’s voice halted her retreat.


    “Deal with the mess down here.”


    At that moment, Caiden, disturbed by the noise, descended in a hastily worn robe.


    He entered the living room just as Cedric spoke. As he noticed Joyce prone in a puddle of something odious, disgust flicked across his face.


    Ignoring everything, Cedric guided Dani upstairs, their hands intertwined as though they were alone.


    Catching sight of Dani, Caiden recoiled instinctively.


    “What’s with her? Why the fury?” Caiden murmured.


    “Was she about to kill Joyce?”


    Dani’s intensity shook him, drawing the remark from him without thought.


    Upon hearing him, Dani looked up from the intertwined hands of her and Cedric.


    Caiden stood frozen, struggling to find words. Locked under Dani’s daunting gaze, as terrifying as a ghost from tales of old, he opened his mouth.


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    But the malice in her eyes silenced him before he could speak.


    She advanced a single, menacing step towards him.


    Startled, Caiden hit the floor with a loud thud.


    Cedric drew Dani closer with a gentle tug of her hand. Bending close, he murmured, “Come on, honey. Let’s go back to our room.”


    Dani blinked, seeing her own reflection in Cedric’s eyes.


    He then led her into their bedroom.


    For a while, Caiden’s heart raced until it finally calmed. He suddenly recalled that it wasn’t the first time Dani’s eyes had held that fierce look.


    Back when Brylee passed away, whispers of her hysteria circted.


    These whispers morphed into wild rumors that Brylee had overdosed on aphrodisiacs, which led to her death.


    She wasbeled a slut by many.


    Initially, Dani didn’t grasp the meaning of “slut.” Observing Caiden, she tried to discern if the term was derogatory.


    By that time, he had married Katrina and seemed indifferent to the nder about Brylee.


    Time moved on.


    Dani matured.


    Exceptionally intelligent, she advanced several grades, entering senior high at just ten.


    Among older peers, she frequently heard the careless slinging of the word “slut.”


    Her gaze then mirrored the intensity seen moments ago. One ssmate’s insult resulted in him sustaining five broken ribs, a disfigured face from candle wax, and deep emotional scars.


    Caiden was taken aback.


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