Chapter 466

The next second, Cedric quickly withdrew his gaze.

The secretary pushed open the door to the conference room and cast a glance at him.

Cedric's lips pressed into a thinline.

The moment the executives heard Daniela was here,their faces lit up with excitement, their reactions even more animated than Cedric's.

Cedric cast a quick glance towards the door before leaning back in his seat with composure. "Let's continue the meeting."

"What?" The secretary frowned. "Mr. Phillips, didn't you hear? Your wife is here."

The finance manager, now an ardent admirer of Daniela, nearly shot up from his seat to take a peek outside.

The marketing manager, eager to get Daniela's insights, was growing restless, counting down the minutes until the meeting ended.

The sales manager, noticing Cedric's indifference.quickly chimed in, "Mr. Phillips, if you're not heading out, perhaps I should greet her instead? I make excellent coffee and have been meaning for her to try it."

He had already started rising from his seat as he spoke

Cedric swept his gaze over the overly eager executives.

Normally, these executives carried themselves with such self-importance that they wouldn't even lift a finger to make coffee, not even if he asked. But for Daniela? They were more than happy to oblige.

"Sit down. We're continuing the meeting!"

/

The room filled with silent pouts, while the secretary mumbled under her breath, "Throwing a little tantrum for attention, huh? Just don't regret it later if she doesn't pamper you."

With that, she turned and walked out.

Cedric remained stiff, his gaze unconsciously wandering to the door.

The rest of the executives, mirroring him, were also sneaking glances outside.

The secretary stepped outside, greeting Daniela with a polite smile. "Mr. Phillips asked me to kindly request that you wait a moment. He'll be out as soon as this meeting is wrapped up."

Daniela nodded in acknowledgment. Since she was here to appease Cedric anyway, waiting a little longer didn't bother her.

She rose to her feet and peered through the glass.

Cedric sat at the center, and the moment the executives inside noticed Daniela, they instantly greeted her with enthusiasm. Even the marketing manager got to his feet.

Cedric's gaze hardened as he watched the overly eager executives.

Yet, he didn't intervene-he simply continued with the meeting.

As his eyes drifted outside, they landed on the pink thermos in Daniela's hand.

His fingers twitched slightly.

The meeting dragged on.

Every minute or so, Cedric stole a glance at Daniela.carefully masking his interest behind anindifferent facade.

Suddenly, Kenny Shaw from the tech department spotted Daniela and greeted her, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

Daniela offered a warm smile, but before she could reply, Kenny quickly continued, "About that code model you mentioned last time-I still can't crack it.It's way too complex. Could you come downstairs and explain it to me again?" Daniela had come today with the sole purpose of appeasing Cedric. Yet the meeting was still dragging on.

As she hesitated, Kenny whined dramatically."Please!I've been struggling with this forever. Mr. Phillips keeps telling us to figure it out on our own, but 1swear,I could spend my whole life on this and still not get it. You're my only hope!"

Amused, Daniela completely forgot about handing the thermos to the secretary and followed Kenny downstairs.

/

One minute later, Cedric glanced over his shoulder.then looked awNay.

He froze.

Then,he turned back again.

Where was she?

Cedric shot up from his seat, his voice sharp as he barked towards the door, "Where is she?"

The secretary, exasperated, pushed open the conference room door, but before she could get a word out, the marketing manager groaned,"Mr.Phillips, we should've gone out earlier! Kenny got to her first. This is so unfair!"

Cedric shot a sharp glare at the secretary. "Where is it?"

The secretary blinked in confusion. "What?" Cedric clenched his jaw."The thermos! The pink one!"

The secretary pointed to the elevator. "She took it with her."

Cedric was speechless.

Fantastic.

They were all competing for his wife's attention.

Irritated, Cedric wrapped up the meeting in record time.

Instead of heading downstairs, he strode straight back to his office. This time, he was resolute. No matter what Daniela said, he would make her promise never to keep anything from him again.

He wanted to be part of every aspect of her life.

Cedric knew Kenny was utterly obsessed with computing techniques. The guy had been recruited with a hefty paycheck as an industry expert, but after one encounter with Daniela, he was completely hooked, always begging for a chance to visit her at Elite Lux.

Cedric had kept him at bay.

Now that he finally had his chance, Kenny wasted no time in picking her brain.

As Cedric waited for Daniela to wrap things up and return,he mulled over how to keep his pride intact. A man couldn't let a woman call all the shots Otherwise,where would that leave him in the family hierarchy down the line?

He wasn't one to fuss over family status, but Daniela constantly dangling herself as bait? That didn't sit well with him.

That kind of thing had to be put to an end-permanently.

His decision was final.

After knocking out two tasks, Cedric, growing impatient, snapped at his secretary, "Is Kenny's brain really worth the salary I pay him? How long does it take to ask one damn question?"

The secretary checked the clock-barely ten minutes had gone by. "Why not head down and check for yourself?"

Cedric crossed his arms, stubborn. "Not happening." If he caved now, she'd just pull another stunt next time and think she could smooth things over the same way.

He couldn't have that.

So he held firm, waiting for her to come to him instead.