Chapter: 459

Cedric let out a heavy sigh. So much was happening all at once. He was overwhelmed.

It took him a while to finally speak, and when he did, his tone was stern. "I will help you, but you have to promise that after all this mess goes away, you will quit the entertainment industry and behave yourself, once and for all. Do we have an understanding?"

Lilliana bobbed her head up and down in earnest. She was willing to say yes to anything, as long as it fixed this mess, as her father had called it.

Cedric stomped away, still fuming. Lilliana left soon after to go to Joshua.

Despite their differences at the moment, it was clear that this issue needed immediate resolution.

"It doesn't matter how much money we have, Joshua. We can't afford a scandal of this magnitude! We need to nip this shit show in the bud." Lilliana's eyes glinted maliciously as she spoke. “We'll have to get rid of Alicia for good. We can't waste any more time."

Countless cigarette butts were littered around Joshua's feet. He blew another puff of smoke as his face twisted into an expression of pure, unbridled hatred. "I know what to do."

Caden had just arrived at Joy Mansion. He had promised Ciara he would join her for dinner tonight. As he walked out of the garage, he received a phone call.

"We have an update on the suspect, Mr. Ward. It was all orchestrated by Jerald."

Caden brushed off the snow that had fallen on his shoulders, his Lips curling into a smirk.

So the person who was trying to eliminate him was his own father.

He wasn't surprised at all, nor did he care that much. “There's no need to keep an eye on him. He won't cause any real trouble."

“Understood, Mr. Ward."

Caden gave a few more instructions and hung up.

The mansion was all lit up, and Ciara held court in her chair, dignified and elegant while exuding a cozy warmth at the same time.

She shifted when he saw Caden walk into the foyer all by himself.

“Why are you alone?" she asked calmly.

Caden took off his coat and passed it to a waiting servant. "I ended up working late, so I told Hank to head home first."

Ciara gave him a dry look. The young man was getting more and more glib these days. More cunning, too.

But since Caden wasn't keen on discussing the matter of his love life, she had no choice but to let it go. Worried that he might be hungry, she quickly ordered the kitchen staff to serve dinner.

She had brought a much-trusted maid from her hometown, and the woman had divine cooking skills. Every dish was tailored to Caden's taste.

Even so, he found the taste mediocre. The soup lacked flavor, and the stir-fried dishes were slightly undercooked.

“Have you had a check-up recently?" Ciara suddenly asked. "How are your results?"

Caden had forgotten all about his routine check-ups.

In fact, ever since he started living with Alicia, he barely thought about his illness.

The same could not be said for Ciara, however, who constantly worried about him.

Seeing as how he hadn't brought a woman home like she wanted, Caden figured the least he could do was put Ciara's mind at ease.

"I'll go for a check-up tomorrow."

"Be sure to forward your results to me," Ciara said without missing a beat. "I'd like to take a look at them myself."

"ALL right."