Chapter 417

The spacious villa was hauntingly silent.

The silence was broken only by Caiden's frantic shout. "Daniela, I'm your father! Have you completely lost your mind?"

He fought against the ropes, but they only tightened with every movement he made.

Daniela was dressed entirely in black. She sat across from him on the sofa, her face cold and emotionless.

"Daniela, I haven't done anything lately. Why are you doing this? You know murder is a crime. You're the CEO of Elite Lux now, with power and influence. It's not worth risking jail over me."

Daniela stayed quiet, gripping a butcher's knife, her eyes burning with a deadly intent.

"Cedric!" Caiden's heart raced with panic He gasped and shouted in a trembling voice. "Cedric!I'm your father-in-law. My life matters to you too. Get down here, quick!"

Cedric tried to head downstairs, but Ryan and Lillian blocked his path.

In the dark, Daniela smirked. The room was shrouded in darkness, with only the cool moonlight casting a ghostly, silvery glow on the floor, radiating an unsettling chill.

"I'll ask the questions, and you'll answer," Daniela said coldly, standing up with the knife in hand, her piercing gaze bearing down on Caiden. "I only want the truth. If you lie, don't blame me for being merciless."

The moon was hidden by clouds, leaving Daniela in complete darkness. Her voice was cold and emotionless, like a ghost emerging from the shadows.

Caiden's heart pounded with fear. "What do you want to know? This has nothing to do with me! It was all Katrina's doing, not mine! If you want answers, go to Katrina and Joyce!"

Daniela chuckled, a defiant smile playing on her lips in the darkness. "Don't worry. I'll get to them. But right now, it's your turn."

Caiden's chest tightened at the ominous weight of her words.

"The first question is simple. When you went after my mother all those years ago, was it your idea, or were you following someone else's orders?"

Caiden's heart lurched, and he quickly responded,"Of course, it was my idea. Your mother was breathtakingly beautiful back then, admired by so many men. I fell for her at first sight, and then you came along. It's that sim..."

Before he could finish the word "simple," a cold gust of wind rushed past him.

In the blink of an eye, Daniela was right there,standing in front of him. Just as Caiden was about to react, a sharp pain stabbed through his chest.

He froze, staring down in a dazed confusion.

A knife was buried deep in his left thigh, blood spurting out likea fountain. Slowly, Caiden raised his head to glance at Daniela.

Moments later, he screamed in agony, "Ah!" The piercing scream echoed through the entire villa.

The front door of the villa swung open, and Nina stepped in, her eyes widening at the gruesome scene in the living room.

Daniela didn't flinch. Amidst Caiden's agonized cries,she yanked the knife from his thigh with brutal force.

Caiden screamed once again.

Daniela looked down at him, her voice calm and deliberate as she asked, "Do | really need to ask again? Was it a calculated move or real affection?"

Caiden's lips quivered uncontrollably from the excruciating pain, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

He turned his head, his eyes pleading as he glanced at Cedric standing at the top of the staircase."Cedric, help me. Daniela's lost her mind..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a second stab came down, plunging into his right thigh.

"Ah!" Caiden's forehead veins throbbed as his body teetered on the edge of collapse. He almost lost consciousness.

Daniela stood still, like a hunter torturing his prey,waiting patiently for Caiden's screams to subside and for him to endure the unbearable pain.

She then pressed the sharp tip of the knife against Caiden's chest. "If this knife goes any deeper,I doubt you'll hear me ask again."

"P'l talk. I'll teIl you everything." Sweat drenched Caiden's forehead, mingling with the blood, making him appear both fierce and pitiable. "I'll answer any question you ask. Before I met your mother, I was just a poor farmhand. We were worlds apart." His words rushed out, punctuated by sharp breaths from the pain. "Someone gave me an invitation to a banquet and a set of fine clothes, which let me attend that event."

Daniela shot him a cold glance. "And then, did my mother notice you?"

"No. Your mother was so stunning back then. How could she even notice someone like me? I saw her,and I heard people talk about how she wNas the wealthiest person in the country, with unimaginable riches.It was just like that. I never dared to dream of her, honestly. After the banquet, I went home. Then,someone started giving me information about where she would be, what she liked, and tips on how to get her attention. "Your mother was unbelievably beautiful, like a star I could never reach. Without those tips, I would never have had the nerve to dream of marrying her." Caiden's voice shook, but there was honesty in his words, his eyes lost in the memory of those days filled with beauty. The moon broke free from the clouds, spilling a silver glow across the floor.

Daniela stood, half bathed in light, half swallowed by darkness.

The knife gleamed in her hand, with blood dripping onto the cold floor.

In a low voice, she asked, "If that was the case, why did you win her over and then fail to cherish her?"