The Ex and Her Riches

With those comforting words, Cedrick felt a wave of relief wash over him.

“You’ve been taking care of Benny all day long. Rest early. Let me be the one to watch over him at night,” he said.

Charles, never one to mince words, half-jokingly responded, “Being his biological father, it would be good for you to spend a little more time with him. Otherwise, when Benny grows up, he might be closer to me than to you.”

“I’m not going to pamper my son. If he dares to be closer to you than me, I’ll give him a lesson he won’t forget,” Cedrick replied without a hint of hesitation.

Charles was momentarily taken aback. With a snort, he said, “Benny must have accumulated some seriously bad karma in his past life to be reincarnated as your son. He’s only three months old, and you’re already contemplating how to discipline him in the future.”

Arching an eyebrow, Cedrick gave him an unwavering look.

Chuckling, Charles continued, “Considering Benny’s fragile health, we should check for any remnants of the S404 RNA virus in his body as he grows older. He may need to take medication for the long term to ensure his well-being. With his delicate health, he requires tender care. I don’t believe for a second that you could ever bear laying a hand on him, and even if you could, I highly doubt Gwen would ever agree.”

Cedrick remained silent at that.

Gwendolyn’s unwavering devotion to their two children often made Cedrick feel a twinge of envy. He couldn’t help but think that they held a higher place in her heart than he did. Even slightly rough handling of the children from him would result in a scolding from her.

Dissatisfaction welled up inside him, prompting him to change the subject. “Benny gets hungry once during the first half of the night. I’ll feed him with a bottle later. You can watch over him during the second half of the night. This way, both the godfather and the biological father will be caring for him, and he’ll be even more pampered and coddled.”

Charles, struggling to contain his amusement, chuckled and said, “Very well, I’ll rest for now. Just let me know when it’s time to switch shifts.”

He settled onto the adjacent bed, covered himself with a thin blanket, and drifted off into slumber effortlessly.

Cedrick stole a glance at Charles’ slumbering form before checking the time on his wristwatch.

It was nearly midnight. He wondered if Gwendolyn had already succumbed to sleep.

It had been an eternity since they had been apart like this since being married. Would she find it unsettling?

His thoughts swirled chaotically in his mind. Not long after, he realized that he had unconsciously braved through the first half of the night.

A day passed, and Channing confirmed that he would meet one of the suspected masterminds on Cedrick’s list to discuss a collaboration.

while Cedrick and Charles stood beside Benny’s hospital bed, they received

an update, boss. This person’s company has no ties to the milk powder industry, and there are no illicit factories operating without proper licenses within the company. We’ve eliminated our suspicion of

as he put away his

of whom were suspected of involving in nefarious activities. One had

situation, he placed his phone on the nightstand and carefully lifted Benedict, heading

the infant ward, organizing

Ring! Ring!

the nightstand rang, signaling an incoming

glanced at it. It displayed

paid little attention to it, continuing his

up the phone, intending to answer, only to find the

“What are you doing?”

from behind

“Just a moment ago, an unknown number called multiple times. Since they kept calling, I thought I’d pick up and take a message for

“I didn’t pry or look at anything. I don’t know your phone’s password either. During my time at the Central Intelligence Agency, I never learned how

the phone while cradling the baby in his other arm. Then, he dialed the number that had called him

swiftly on

Channing.

met, and in the quiet room, their expressions grew even

inquired, “Do you need to embark on a

Cedrick nodded.

initiative to approach, relieving Cedrick of his hold on Benedict. “I’ll take care of him.

nodded once again before turning to depart

world, with the symphony of chirping birds and

moment, lights flickered within Channing’s modest

he had received an invitation for collaboration. The sender, aware of his involvement in Gwendolyn’s kidnapping, wanted to

well in advance, Channing eagerly awaited their arrival at

an hour later, several figures emerged from the darkness,

the illuminated area near the villa’s entrance,

imposing. They were all clad in dark-colored suits and donned

hint of displeasure creased Channing’s brow. “Mr. Wendell invited me to collaborate with him, yet he himself fails to appear.