The Ex and Her Riches

Carrying Zendaya in his arms, Cedrick stopped in his tracks. He fixed his jet-black eyes on Charles before him, looking the man up and down without saying anything.

Charles took two steps forward with his eyes lowered to mask the guilt within them.

“It’s the twins’ one-year-old birthday today. While I know Gwendolyn and you don’t plan to have a grand celebration, I bought a cake and gifts for them to commemorate the occasion. I only learned that you two brought Benny and Zendy to the lab for a blood test after making a trip to Harrick Villa.”

He paused briefly, not daring to look at the little girl in Cedrick’s arms. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly before he finally mustered the courage to ask, “Are the test results out yet? What are… Benny and Zendy’s conditions like?”

In a calm voice, Cedrick answered truthfully, “Zendy is fine, but Benny has remnants of the virus within him. It’s also the reason he’s weaker than Zendy upon birth. Joshua says he’s too young and weak to withstand the potency of the antidote, nor can suppressants be used to alleviate his pain during a relapse. Thus, only conservative treatment of having intravenous infusions and taking medication are viable.”

The more even-sounding each word out of the man’s mouth, the heavier it weighed on Charles.

His clenched fists trembled violently, and his eyes turned red-rimmed as he tried his best to suppress the guilt surging within him.

He opened his mouth to explain and justify his actions back then, expressing his mistake in implicating innocent babies in grievances between adults.

However, all the excuses on the tip of his tongue seemed weak and pathetic. Ultimately, he hung his head in despair and murmured dejectedly, “I’m sorry.”

Other than those two words, I’m seemingly incapable of making amends in any way…

Cedrick did not bother with pleasantries, leaving him to stand in the rain and get drenched. “Indeed, you should apologize, but you should be doing so to Benny instead of me. In fact, you should compensate him for your mistake back then.”

this

the grim look in his ebony eyes, there

already in the past. Even if he were to take the man’s life, Benedict could not possibly recover immediately. Hence, it would be far better to have Charles

seemingly heard her godfather’s familiar voice. Yanking at her raincoat with both hands, she pried it open a crack and turned to stare at Charles

Coo!

innocently while babbling happily, she stretched her tiny hands out

she was asking

his gaze gentle. “I’m

though grasping the man’s meaning, Zendaya stuck out her lower lip. She looked pitifully aggrieved, seemingly on the verge of bursting into

lowly, “Don’t cry on purpose to trick your Uncle Charles into holding you. If you catch a cold and run a fever, you’d need an injection, and your

wrinkled. She clutched her

Benny’s care. Will you please allow me to keep him company at the

of him, sure. But…” Pausing, Cedrick narrowed his

in the lab are top secret. You’re no longer a civil servant now.

who was on opposing sides with you. It was even thanks to your help that I

of stealing a bottle of the drug and using it on yourself to suffer alongside

words eluded Charles. Gosh, he hit the nail on the

are all unique, so they’re downright priceless. It’d be an utter waste if it’s used on you. You’d best give up whatever plans you had and take care of Benny wholeheartedly. Even if you really got infected, I wouldn’t give you the antidote, and there’d be nothing you could do but await

garner much of a reaction from Charles. He merely dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Don’t worry. I won’t do that. If you don’t

have to weigh the consequences himself. As such,

bringing her home for some milk first. I’ll give you the access card to the lab. When you go in, tell Gwenny to come out. She hasn’t had lunch yet. I’ll bring her home with me,

“Sure.”

card Cedrick handed him. With that, the two