?Chapter 1388:


    Cedric stood at the stove, carefully tending to the pan. Dani satfortably in the living room, her eyes fixed on the television.


    The housekeeper hovered nearby. “Sir, you’ve been working at thepany all day. Why not take a break? I can handle this.”


    Cedric smiled without taking his eyes off the pan. “I appreciate it, but I’d rather prepare my wife’s meals myself. You can just lend a hand.”


    The housekeeper chuckled as she handed him a bottle of oil. “Aren’t you worn out, sir?”


    He paused to stir the sauce. “Not at all. It’s just part of my day. I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t cook for her myself.”


    She watched him thoughtfully. “She neverins about food. She always seems easy to please.”


    Dani indeed rarely fussed over a meal. Before Cedric arrived, the housekeeper used to guess her preferences based on what she left untouched on her te. Even when something wasn’t quite right, Dani seldom mentioned it. Buttely, she had begun to share little requests about what she’d like to eat. Cedric never treated those as burdens—he simply listened and adjusted.


    The housekeeper felt a strange sense of discement. There wasn’t much left for her to do aside from keeping the shared areas tidy. Still, she appreciated the peace of the household and hoped to stay here for as long as possible.


    As rain hammered against the windows, Cedric stirred the pot onest time and nced toward the living room, where Dani was answering her phone. The steady rhythm of the storm outside matched the calm warmth of the home he was creating for the woman he loved.


    Nobody noticed that Niks was still standing outside, soaked to the bone. The man who once unted his name now shivered at the front door.


    When Carol stepped inside and closed the door behind her, she nced at Dani. “Hey, why is Niks still out there? He looks miserable.”


    Dani paused midbite and exchanged a look with Cedric. Their shared expression said it all: they had bothpletely forgotten him.


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    The housekeeper opened the door and ushered him in. Niks sneezed, droplets flying from his damp hair. His onceimpable suit clung to him, water pooling on the floor beneath his shoes.


    “Did you forget I was still here?” Niks’s voice trembled with frustration.


    Cedric didn’t answer. Dani, who had never cared for anyone’s difort but his, didn’t even look up from her te.


    “Who do you think you’re shouting at?” Dani said, her tone icy. She pushed her te aside and rose from the table. “You just got kicked out of the McCoy family. Don’te in here acting entitled. Mind your tone, or I’ll show you the door myself.”


    Without another word, she walked toward the living room, ignoring the rainsoaked figure in the doorway.


    Niks stood frozen, his chest tightening as he watched her retreat. He had risked everything for her—even his ce in the family—yet Dani showed no trace of empathy. Weren’t he and Cedric at least bound by blood? It seemed none of that mattered.


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