Chapter 197

After they finished their meals, they retreated to their respective rooms.

Daniela lingered in the living room, playing a game on her phone. Cedric, unbothered by the late hour,began his meeting on his laptop.

Upstairs, Caiden yawned and glanced at Katrina,who was leaning against the banister, her eyes half-closed.

"It's already two in the morning. Are they planning to stay up all night?" he muttered, stifling another yawn.

Katrina blinked slowly, her mind too clouded with fatigue to muster a proper response.

Downstairs, Daniela remained engrossed in her game until three in the morning. It wasn't until Caiden heard footsteps creaking up the stairs that he stirred,groggily getting up from the hallway floor. "Daniela, you're finally going to bed," he muttered,rubbing his eyes.

Holding her phone loosely, Daniela stopped and tilted her head with a faint smile. "What? Were you waiting for me?"

Caiden chuckled awkwardly, brushing off her question. "No, no. I just thought you should get some rest. Staying up this late isn't exactly healthy."

Without a word, Daniela smirked, a trace of mockery in her expression, and walked off to her room.

Caiden rushed downstairs and knocked hurriedly on Cedric's door.

Cedric, freshly out of the shower, opened the door and gave Caiden an unimpressed sideways glance.

Looking desperate, Caiden held out his phone,shoving it towards Cedric. "Look at this! The money hasn't arrived!"

Cedric frowned slightly and retrieved his own phone.

Pulling up his banking app, he pointed at the screen, showing the transaction record. It was processed at eight this morning.

Caiden stared at Cedric, his frustration bubbling over.11|swear, I didn't receive it!"

Cedric, unfazed by Caiden's panic, called the bank manager.

"Mr. Phillips, I can confirm that the transaction was successfully processed on our end."

Cedric had put the call on speaker, and Caiden heard it too.

Before Cedric could reply, Caiden interjected, "But I didn't get it! My account balance is still the same-it's not there!"

The manager replied, "Let me review the transaction logs in detail. This may take a few moments."

While the call continued, Caiden clung to Cedric's phone as though it were his lifeline, rambling nervously about his situation. Cedric, on the other hand, appeared utterly unconcerned. He returned to the sofa, opening his laptop to resume his meeting without sparing another glance at Caiden.

As Caiden's gaze wandered to Cedric's phone screen, he caught a glimpse of Cedric's bank balance and realized three hundred million dollars was laughable compared to the wealth Cedric possessed.He should have asked for more.

Even after a lengthy wait, the manager couldn't find out the problem.

Cedric, visibly exhausted and ready for bed, took the phone back with a calm but firm tone. "If the funds are stuck in processing, can you reverse the transaction? I'll transfer another three hundred million."

"Mr. Phillips, I advise you not to. I'm not sure if I can reverse the transaction successfully."

Caiden, now panicking, blurted out, "If I receive six hundred million, I'll send half back to you. I swear!"

Cedric was confident that Caiden wouldn't dare pocket more than his share.

Without further hesitation, he nodded in agreement.

He entered another three hundred million on his phone, typed in his password, and confirmed the transfer.

Caiden clutched his phone, his breath caught in his throat.

One second.

Two seconds.

A minute.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes! The silence stretched unbearably.

Finally, utterly deflated, Caiden turned to Cedric with a bewildered expression. "Why hasn't it arrived?"

Cedric frowned slightly, his patience waning. He didn't have an answer.

Neither did the manager, who had been silent on the line, likely just as puzzled.

Frustrated, Cedric tried sending funds to Katrina's and Joyce's accounts, but every attempt failed inexplicably.

Caiden's emotions teetered between exasperation and awe. Cedric must be ridiculously wealthy-to still have enough for all these failed transfers.

"Let me try sending it to Daniela." Finally, Cedric processed the transfer.

Not a moment later, Daniela's message appeared on Cedric's phone."?"

Caiden froze, his face draining of color.

Cedric's expression darkened as realization hit.Sending money to Daniela, of all people, had been an impulsive and foolish move. He shook his head in quiet disbelief. Taking a step back, he distanced himself from Caiden, as though sheer proximity to such absurdity might somehow infect him.

On his phone, Cedric quickly typed out a curt reply. Apologies, sent by mistake."

The response from Daniela came almost instantly."Come to my room."

Cedric stared at the message, his jaw tightening.