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.

the evening, while Cedrick and Charles stood beside Benny’s hospital bed,

to the milk powder industry, and there are no illicit factories operating without proper

he put away

there were four names, all of whom were suspected of involving in nefarious activities. One had

over the situation, he placed his phone on the nightstand and carefully lifted Benedict, heading to the fully-equipped nursery

infant ward, organizing Benny’s toys, diapers,

Ring! Ring!

the nightstand rang, signaling an

it. It

he paid little attention to it, continuing his tidying

however, grew increasingly annoying. Finally, he walked over and picked up the phone, intending

“What are you doing?”

came from behind him near the

ago, an unknown number called multiple times. Since they kept calling, I thought I’d pick

sensing his disbelief, Charles added, “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,

phone while cradling the baby in his other arm. Then, he dialed the

call connected swiftly

expression shifted. “It’s Channing.

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

you need to embark on a

Cedrick nodded.

Cedrick of his hold on Benedict. “I’ll take care of him. You go

before turning to depart from the

veil upon the world, with the symphony of chirping

moment, lights flickered within Channing’s modest

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

prepared well in advance, Channing eagerly awaited

an hour later, several figures emerged

approached the illuminated area near the villa’s entrance, Channing

stood before him, tall and imposing. They were all clad in dark-colored suits and

yet he himself fails to appear.