Chapter 111

Richard jolted awake in the hospital bed, his breathing uneven as he clutched Alexander's hand tightly."Alexander, you must not breathe a word about Cedric being that boy. If you do, you can kiss any chance of seeing a penny from Daniela goodbye for the rest of your life."

He glanced at the clock on the wall-it was well past midnight.

Letting out a strained sigh, he continued, "Go home.Put all your energy into winning Daniela over. I'm fine here.All I want is for you to win Daniela back."

Despite Alexander's hesitation, Richard insisted,urging him to leave and focus on the bigger picture.

As he drove aimlessly, Alexander eventually found himself parked at the Elite Lux building.

He stepped out of the car, his gaze instinctively drawn to a specific floor of the towering structure. Without a word, he lit a cigarette, letting the hours slip by as he smoked in silence under the cover of night.

Richard's tireless efforts to win over Daniela were falling flat, despite all the time, money, and energy he'd poured into the attempt. The lack of progress gnawed at Alexander, leaving him with an uneasy restlessness he couldn't shake.

He remained there until the first light of dawn crept over the city, then finally got back into his car and drove off to check out the plots of land in the South and East Districts.

Richard hadn't been exaggerating-these plots combined were massive, easily over five times the size of the North District. Securing them would come with an astronomical price tag,running into tens of billions.

Alexander couldn't help but admit that Daniela's wealth and influence were nothing short of extraordinary.

As Alexander stared at the vast land before him,his phone suddenly buzzed.

It was his secretary calling. "Mr. Bennett, you're trending online."

Alexander's brow furrowed.′′|Sthis about my father being taken to the hospital yesterday?"

"Actually, no. It's about you standing outside Elite Lux last night. Someone caught it on camera, andit's gone viral this morning. Do you want us to have it removed?" After a brief pause, Alexander replied evenly, "No,leave it. There's no need."

Ending the call, he glanced at his watch. Daniela should be up by now. Had she come across the viral post yet?

Would it stir something in her heart? ①

The first light of morning found Daniela face-to-face with Lillian.

She stood by the door, tablet in hand, peering at Daniela with a curious look.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Daniela greeted her,"Good morning."

"Did you catch the trending topic this morning?"

Daniela stretched out,leisurely taking in the morning air. "No,I haven't."

Between juggling major deals and the recent acquisitions in the South and East Districts, she hadn't had a moment to check her phone.

"You're such a rebel against modern habits! Most people grab their phones the moment they wake up,"Lillian teased. Daniela chuckled, continuing to stretch her limbs."Anything interesting going on?"

"Yes, there is. The number one trending topic is Alexander standing outside Elite Lux last night,smoking away the entire night!"

Daniela replied nonchalantly, "Is he eyeing the building?We can move out and let him bid for it."

"Daniela! He's interested in you!" Lillian exclaimed,her voice filled with concern.

Even though nearly six months had passed, Lillian couldn't shake her worries about the possibility of Daniela and Alexander reigniting their old flame.

They had shared ten years together.

After all,how many decades did one have in a lifetime?

It was hard for most people to let go of a relationship that had lasted that long, and Lillian wasn't sure if either of them could truly move on.

Daniela gave a relaxed smile, ready to head to the dining room for breakfast, when Lillian suddenly gasped, "Wait, why did they take down the trending topic?"

Lillian looked at Daniela's radiant expression and mused, "Could someone be interested in you and not like seeing you and Alexander trending? Maybe they had it removed first thing this morning?"

Daniela nibbled on a small piece of bread as her eyes skimmed through her schedule for the day.

Lillian suddenly thought of a certain man from the construction site and felt a pang of sympathy.She had never witnessed such devotion, a person who asked for nothing in return-not even acknowledgment.

She felt it would be harsh to leave Cedric working at the construction site. "We have an inspection today.How about we visit the land in the North District?"

Daniela gave a slight nod.

Ryan, standing just a few feet away, winked desperately at Lillian, but she pretended not to notice.

After Daniela went downstairs to get to work,Ryan turned to Lillian, frowning. "What's going on? Cedric asked us not to tell Daniela he's personally managing the project, so we don't add any pressure on her."

Lillian crossed her arms, clearly frustrated with the two clueless men. "Do you want Daniela to end up with Cedric or not?"

Ryan nodded eagerly. "Of course, I do!" Lillian pressed on, "One of them has to step up,make their feelings clear, and show they're present. Look at Alexander, he's at Elite Lux every day. Meanwhile,Cedric's out there getting dirty at the construction site.By the time he returns in a year, Daniela and Alexander might have kids."

Ryan was visibly shocked by the thought.

Josie appeared from the kitchen, spatula in hand,clearly agreeing with the conversation. "Exactly! What kind of guy chases a woman while vanishing for a whole month to work at a construction site? It'sjust ridiculous!"

When Daniela made her way downstairs, Alexander was already there, waiting in her office.

He stood and greeted her with a smile. "Good morning."

Daniela nodded back, sat down, and began working on her computer without a word.

Alexander had hoped she would be a bit warmer today,but instead, she remained as indifferent as ever,maybe even a bit colder.

"Did you see the trending topic this morning?"Alexander asked, trying to make conversation. Daniela kept her eyes on her screen, not responding to him.

The silence in the office began to gnaw at Alexander,his irritation building with each passing second.

Daniela's consistent disinterest and dismissive attitude towards him had left him feeling invisible, sidelined in his own efforts.

Now, he truly understood how she must have felt when he had ignored and neglected her all those times.

"Is this your way of getting back at me?" Alexander asked,staring at her.

At that moment, the secretary knocked before entering. "Ms. Harper, the car is downstairs, and the surveyors for the lands in the South and North n Districts are ready. Should we head out?"

t=Daniela replied, "Yes, I'm almost ready. Tell the driver y to bring the car to the main entrance."

As Daniela powered down her computer, it seemed rielike she finally noticed Alexander in the room. "Do you ahsneed something?"

Alexander was about to suggest joining her to inspect the land when Daniela quickly cut him off. "If it's not urgent, maybe you should head back to your own company. I've been swamped lately, and if you don't have anything important to discuss, it's better you don't drop by. We both run companies, and some things need to stay confidential. As another business owner, I'm sure you understand that, right?"