Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedars POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
A chill ran down my spine when Ridley\u2019s expression changed. His face, always controlled, now displayed open contempt. I had crossed some invisible line,\u00a0<\/p>\n
stepped too far into territory where I didn\u2019t belong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I immediately backpedaled. 1\u2013I\u2019m sorry. Forget I asked. It was inappropriate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was I thinking? A mere staff at Nest Design trying to influence the CEO of Sterling Group about a major acquisition? This was way above my pay\u00a0<\/p>\n
grade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The information about my birth parents would have to wait. I\u2019d find another way,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop,\u201d Ridley commanded, his voice cutting through my panic. \u201cYou want me to spare Wright Creatives? That could be arranged\u2026 if you show some genuine\u00a0<\/p>\n
commitment to the idea.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The negotiator in me immediately recognized the opening. I\u2019d been the assistant marketing director at Wright before joining Nest Design. Negotiation tables\u00a0<\/p>\n
didn\u2019t intimidate me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned back to face him. \u201cWhat kind of commitment would you consider adequate, Mr. Sterling?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley\u2019s fingers drummed against the desk in an irregular pattern, his dark eyes studying me like I was a particularly puzzling challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re just their adopted daughter,\u201d he said coldly. \u201cAnd they\u2019ve treated you terribly for twenty\u2013six years. Are you really willing to make sacrifices to save Wright Creatives?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Make sacrifices? That might be overstating things. The information about my birth parents was important, but there were other avenues I could explore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was just one possible path.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, at a negotiation table, you always project confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as what you\u2019re asking isn\u2019t completely unreasonable, I\u2019m willing to discuss terms,\u201d I replied evenly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The smile that spread across Ridley\u2019s face wasn\u2019t pleasant. It was cold, almost pitying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve never met anyone as foolish as you,\u201d he said, his voice barely above a whisper. \u201cAfter twenty\u2013six years of being treated like you were worth less than nothing, you\u2019re still willing to sacrifice for the Wright family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He exhaled sharply, his expression suddenly unreadable as his eyes fixed on something beyond me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something in his tone made me wonder if we were still talking about business at all. The conversation had shifted into territory I hadn\u2019t anticipated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I struggled to find a response, but before I could speak, his expression changed again, and I realized we had moved into a different kind of negotiation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
My gaze locked onto Cedar\u2019s right hand\u2013specifically the fourth finger where an elegant platinum ring caught the light. Diamond center with distinctive blue sapphires arranged around it in a pattern I knew all too well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
5:49 pm P\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d seen that exact ring at a jewelry auction once. One of a kind piece that had caught my attention, though I passed on bibling since it seemed impractical at the time. The price tag had been astronomical\u2013definitely not something the Wright family could ever afford.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So how the hell did Cedar end up wearing it?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat ring\u2026\u201d My voice dropped an octave as ice crept into my veins. \u2018Who gave it to you? I stepped closer, studying her reaction. \u201cThe father of pear child?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar instinctively backed away, bumping into the design display behind her. \u201cThat\u2019s none of your business, Mr. Sterling. My personal belongings aren\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
subject to your interrogation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is it?\u201d I hissed through clenched teeth. Something primal took over as I reached out and seized her wrist. \u201cTell me!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me go!\u201d She struggled against my grip, but I held firm, needing answers more than I needed her comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers brushed against the platinum band, an impulse to rip it off her finger nearly overwhelming me. This doesn\u2019t belong to you\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop!\u201d Cedar cried out in pain, her eyes flashing with defiance. \u201cYou have no right to treat me this way! Who do you think you are?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hand froze mid\u2013motion, but the fire in my chest wouldn\u2019t extinguish. I needed to know. \u201cTell me,\u201d I demanded, my voice dangerously low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t owe you any explanations!\u201d Despite her significantly smaller frame, Cedar stood tall, meeting my gaze, without flinching. This is my life, my choice. Sterling Design Group hired me for my professional skills, not so you could interrogate me about my personal life!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as the tension between us reached breaking point, three measured knocks sounded at the office door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reluctantly released Cedar\u2019s wrist, straightening my posture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in,\u201d I commanded, my voice arctic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Albert stepped through the doorway, immediately sensing the charged atmosphere. His eyes darted between Cedar\u2019s reddened wrist and my thunderous expression before quickly composing himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling, Gerald Kittel from Kittel Group is here. He says it\u2019s urgent\u2013regarding the Lake Michigan project. He\u2019s waiting for you in the VIP conference\u00a0<\/p>\n
room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I inhaled deeply, forcing my attention away from Cedar and the damned ring that had triggered something dark inside me. Without another word, I strode out of the office, leaving Cedar and Albert in awkward silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As I closed the door behind me, I knew this wasn\u2019t over. Not by a long shot. Whatever game Cedar Wright was playing, she\u2019d soon learn that no one challenges me in my own domain. No one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our Unfinished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 80 Chapter 80\u00a0 Cedars POV\u00a0 A chill […]<\/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":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zero-stars-for-daddy-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30479","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=30479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30479\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}