Chapter 221

Daniela nodded. A gift was customary, even for an acquaintance. Even if it was one of her employees getting married, she would send a gift.

Caiden caught her gesture and quickly shared a satisfied glance with Katrina. "So, Daniela, have you thought about what you'd like to give?"

Daniela's lips curled into a subtle smile."What would you suggest as a fitting gift?"

Even $1, 000 felt more than generous in her mind.

Katrina let out a practiced chuckle. "Oh, Daniela you're heading Elite Lux now. Of course,you'd want to maintain a certain standard, but don't worry-we wouldn't dream of asking for too much. Just a small token,something modest."

Daniela's smile widened, though it carried a sharp hint of mockery. "Katrina, you have quite the knack for dressing up your true intentions with polished words."

Katrina's expression hardened instantly. Had she not come here asking for money from Daniela, her temper would have flared without hesitation.

Daniela, however, seemed uncharacteristically tolerant today. Normally, she would have ended this conversation by now.

Instead, she leaned back slightly, her faint smile suggesting she was watching a cheap performance put on by a pair of desperate clowns.

"Daniela," Caiden finally said, his tone losing its usual warmth. "Here's the thing. Joyce is getting married,and as her stepsister, you shouldn't be to0tightfisted. We're not asking for a lot, just $20million. What do you say?"

He barely finished before Cedric's eyes turned cold,a sharp glint of danger flickering in them. Caiden caught the change in Cedric's demeanor and gulped audibly. Hastily, he added, "If $20 million seems excessive, maybe a small percentage of shares in your robotics company instead? Surely that wouldn't be asking for too much, right?"

Daniela looked at them both. "Are you even aware of the current valuation of the robotics company?"

Caiden faltered, his lips tightening briefly. He knew the answer,of course.

Daniela had invested hundreds of millions into the company-a fact widely recognized within the industry. Her bold, ambitious investments had earned her a reputation for taking calculated risks that few others would dare.

The company's profitability was no secret either;even in its early stages, it had made significant waves in the market. Experts were already speculating that Daniela's robotics venture could cement her position as the wealthiest individual in the world for decades, if not an entire century. This was exactly the prize Caiden had been eyeing all along.

But, of course, he couldn't let that show. He needed to keep up the act of being an uninformed, innocent parent.

Putting on a naive smile, he replied, "Oh, I wouldn't know. I've heard the robotics field is a challenging one, with massive investments and minimal returns.That's why we felt it was reasonable to ask for just a small share for Joyce. It wouldn't hurt you much, and it would certainly earn you plenty of admiration for your generosity. Don't you think that sounds fair?"

His smile grew wider, the creases on his face becoming more pronounced as he worked to seem completely harmless.

Daniela sat in silence, observing him. The sunlight poured into her bright, spacious office, illuminating everything except the man before her. Try as she might, she couldn't recall a single instance when Caiden had treated her with genuine kindness. Whatever fleeting image she had once clung to of him as a loving father had long since disintegrated-just like Brylee's once-beautiful face, now erased by the unforgiving passage of time.

A faint trace of sadness surfaced in Daniela's heart,but it was swiftly devoured by a wave of disgust.

Caiden had lingered in her office the entire night,fully aware of the true worth of the robotics company. Yet, he had the audacity to demand shares -for Joyce.

"If you won't part with shares, then just hand over $20 million," Katrina chimed in without hesitation.

Daniela laughed then, a genuine sound laced with biting mockery. "Oh, so this is a multiple-choice test now? What happens if I gve you nothing? What leverage do you think you have over me? You strolled in here, brazenly demanding money. If people heard about this little extortion attempt, what do you think they'd say about you? Do you honestly believe you can take anything from me just by holding out your hands?" Katrina's face flushed red with anger. She opened her mouth to retort, but Daniela was quicker. "And one more thing. Does the Bennett family know you're broke? That you came groveling to me like beggars?Alexander and his family don't care about Joyce.What they're after is what they think Elite Lux can offer Harper Group. That's the only reason they agreed to this farce of a marriage. If I were to inform the Bennett family that I have no plans to support Harper Group, do you think Alexander would still go through with marrying Joyce?"

Her words landed like a bolt of lightning.

Katrina started to tremble, her body shaking with a mix of fear and fury.

She stared at Daniela, finally recognizing that the woman before her was no longer the meek little girl she had once manipulated with ease.

That once-shy girl had transformed into a queen-crowned and commanding her power with unwavering authority. "Daniela! You can't destroy Joyce's marriage!"Katrina's expression was a far cry from the smugness she'd shown when she first learned Joyce had sabotaged Daniela's wedding with fire. Now, she looked completely defeated.