Her parents had often said in public that Roderick was their ideal son\u2013in\u2013law, while Roderick\u2019s own parents. had openly\u00a0<\/p>\n
stated that, given the chance, they hoped the two families could\u00a0<\/p>\n
be joined by marriage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clearly, few people believed in Roderick and Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
marriage. Most assumed divorce was inevitable since the two\u00a0<\/p>\n
seemed to be living a life separately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca leaned closer with a mischievous grin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy don\u2019t you just do what everyone expects? Divorce your\u00a0<\/p>\n
wife? I don\u2019t mind you being a divorc\u00e9.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick knew she was joking and didn\u2019t take it seriously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More than anyone, he understood that Rebecca had no feelings\u00a0<\/p>\n
for him. Her heart belonged to someone else she had never\u00a0<\/p>\n
been able to let go of.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All these years, to avoid her parents\u2018 nagging, she had only\u00a0<\/p>\n
pretended to pine after him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If anyone was a shield, he was Rebecca\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, enough joking. What exactly are you thinking about?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s desperate to hollow out the company and hand it\u00a0<\/p>\n
over to Edward, and you still let her come work here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick frowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s changed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChanged?\u201d Rebecca sneered. \u201cChanged for the worse, you\u00a0<\/p>\n
mean? Not only out to hollow out the company, but you, too?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She clicked her tongue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRoderick, let me remind you. You may be Chairman and CEO,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but the company doesn\u2019t belong solely to you. My family owns a\u00a0<\/p>\n
sizeable stake as well!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her message was clear. Whatever games he and his wife\u00a0<\/p>\n
played in private were their business, but they could not drag the company down with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRelax. She won\u2019t. She doesn\u2019t have the ability.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe might not, but Edward does! In just a few years, he\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
become our biggest rival.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca folded her arms with disgust. \u201cI can\u2019t stand that man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
What on earth does your wife see in him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The office chilled to freezing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca realized she had touched Roderick\u2019s sorest nerve and\u00a0<\/p>\n
coughed awkwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t mean it like that\u2026 Don\u2019t take it to heart. Maybe one day\u00a0<\/p>\n
she\u2019ll come to her senses, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sighed dramatically. \u201cWhen I first met you, how did I not\u00a0<\/p>\n
see you were such a lovesick man? Clinging to the same\u00a0<\/p>\n
woman for so many years, Roderick, sometimes I actually\u00a0<\/p>\n
admire you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She tutted twice. \u201cBut if Madeleine never falls for you in this\u00a0<\/p>\n
lifetime, are you planning to chain her to you forever?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long silence, Roderick suddenly spoke, telling Rebecca\u00a0<\/p>\n
about Madeleine\u2019s amnesia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s eyes widened in shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you crazy or just stupid? You actually believe that\u00a0<\/p>\n
nonsense?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick pressed his lips together. He had known she wouldn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
believe him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally, Mr. Livingston? Such a clich\u00e9? You\u2019ve truly let love cloud\u00a0<\/p>\n
your brain. Do you realize how serious the consequences would\u00a0<\/p>\n
be if she\u2019s faking it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick stayed silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca crossed her arms, her tone grave. \u201cIf I get evidence\u00a0<\/p>\n
that she\u2019s a corporate spy, I won\u2019t hesitate to send her straight\u00a0<\/p>\n
to the police. Roderick, if you want to protect her, don\u2019t let her\u00a0<\/p>\n
stay in the company.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, this was what Rebecca had wanted to say all along.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The reason she had rushed back was that she had learned\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine had joined the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t care how foolish that woman was in other matters,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but she would never let her endanger the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick lifted his gaze, his deep eyes locking with Rebecca\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she really did such a thing, I\u2019ll bear all the consequences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll bear it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca shot to her feet in fury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
He must have lost his mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFine, fine. I\u2019ll wait for you to take responsibility. Best case, you leave the company, and I take your place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throwing the words over her shoulder, Rebecca stormed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If he insisted on trusting Madeleine, then she\u2019d personally test\u00a0<\/p>\n
and expose that woman\u2019s true colors and finally kick her out for\u00a0<\/p>\n
good.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not far away, a few secretaries held their breath. Only when\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca slammed the door behind her did they dare whisper\u00a0<\/p>\n
together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though they hadn\u2019t caught the details, it was obvious the fight\u00a0<\/p>\n
had something to do with Mrs. Livingston.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it! Ms. Whitman must be mad at Mrs. Livingston.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m with Ms. Whitman. Sure, she\u2019s strict, but she\u2019s strong, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
with Mr. Livingston, they\u2019re the perfect power duo. I actually ship them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEh, I still think Mr. Livingston and his wife are the better match.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A handsome man and a beautiful woman. What a sight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cForget it. Her heart is already set on another man\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine went home and headed straight to the dance room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She buried herself in practice, running the steps again and\u00a0<\/p>\n
again, forcing herself to ignore the messy thoughts in her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since overhearing the secretaries\u2018 conversation, she had\u00a0<\/p>\n
started to wonder if working at the company had been a\u00a0<\/p>\n
mistake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 52 Her parents had often said in public that Roderick was their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29315\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}