Chapter 99\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
As expected, the ballroom erupted in shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who dares call my son a bastard again will find themselves blacklisted by Sterling Design Group, Ridley announced, his glacial gaze sweeping across the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched as the crowd physically recoiled from his stare. Even Nathaniel Wright, who had weathered seventy years of business dealings in Chicago\u2019s cutthroat design world, seemed utterly speechless when faced with Ridley\u2019s piercing glare. Sterling Design Group could buy and sell Wright Creatives a hundred times over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore,\u201d Ridley continued, his voice cutting through the hushed silence, \u201canyone who spreads tonight\u2019s events beyond these walls is declaring themselves an enemy of the Sterling family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another bombshell. I noticed several guests discreetly putting away their phones. Crossing the Sterlings meant professional suicide in Chicago\u2019s design community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, well, let\u2019s not dwell on misunderstandings,\u201d Jonathan quickly intervened, his voice unnaturally cheerful. \u201cThe birthday dinner is ready. Please, everyone, take your seats. Ridley, Cedar, please join us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had wanted to escape this nightmare, but Ridley had already seated himself at the table. Walking out now would seem ungrateful after he\u2019d defended Oliver. With a stiff expression, I took the seat beside him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our table was filled with VIPs\u2013Wright Creatives\u2018 most significant past clients. These people might be important to Jonathan, but on any normal day, they wouldn\u2019t be important enough to share a meal with someone of Ridley\u2019s caliber. They knew it too; I could see the excitement in their eyes at this unexpected opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Sterling, we met at a charity auction a few years ago. Do you remember me?\u201d a portly businessman attempted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley barely glanced up. \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The businessman\u2019s smile faltered but persisted. \u201cI have a common face, so that\u2019s understandable. Let\u2019s get acquainted now\u2013I\u2019m William\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smith from-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no interest in making acquaintances,\u201d Ridley cut him off, taking a sip of wine, his expression remaining glacial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William\u2019s face contorted in an attempt to maintain his dignity despite the public snub. Jonathan quickly jumped in to smooth things over, offering a toast to William and praising his development projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The other guests at our table, having witnessed William\u2019s humiliation, kept their attention on Jonathan while stealing glances at Ridley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley showed no interest in the gourmet spread before him, occasionally sipping his wine. After several uncomfortable minutes, I shifted\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:43 Tue, Feb 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 99\u00a0<\/p>\n
closer to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for defending me earlier.\u201d I whispered. I\u2019m sorry you got dragged into this mess.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI already have three children. One more makes little difference,\u201d he replied nonchalantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I knew better. If tonight\u2019s events leaked to the press, Aria\u2019s identity might be exposed. This man had protected his three children so\u00a0<\/p>\n
carefully\u20131 feared my problems might undo all that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should have found a better way to handle Nathaniel\u2019s interrogation instead of creating this complicated situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCedar, stop daydreaming,\u201d Jonathan called out. \u201cServe Mr. Sterling some food. He\u2019s barely eaten anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded, selecting a perfectly seared lamb chop from the platter and placing it on Ridley\u2019s plate. \u201cThe rosemary lamb is exceptional. You\u00a0<\/p>\n
should try it,\u201d I suggested softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ridley, who hadn\u2019t touched his silverware all evening, picked up his fork and knife and tasted the lamb. \u201cIndeed, not bad,\u201d he\u00a0<\/p>\n
acknowledged with a slight nod.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave some more then. The duck breast with cherry reduction is excellent too, though quite rich\u2013just a small portion should suffice. Would you care for the truffle risotto? And the Maine lobster bisque is outstanding\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My guilt made me unusually attentive. Gradually, the ice in Ridley\u2019s expression began to thaw, the coldness surrounding him dissipating. By the end of the otherwise unremarkable meal, he had eaten a substantial amount.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Selena\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
My face darkened with rage. How could Ridley possibly claim that brat was his child?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Impossible. Cedar couldn\u2019t possibly have had his child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then\u2026 why did Ridley always protect her? And looking more carefully at the boy, he did resemble Ridley quite a bit\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout dinner, Dad kept facilitating interactions between Cedar and Ridley. The shameless woman kept leaning close to him, serving\u00a0<\/p>\n
him food. Disgusting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sitting at a nearby table, I nearly broke my manicured nail in frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, look at Dad,\u201d I hissed to Elara. \u201cHe\u2019s practically fawning over Cedar. So what if she seduced Ridley? If Ridley actually cared about her, wouldn\u2019t he have acknowledged his son before the boy turned six? She\u2019s just his plaything, but Dad can\u2019t see that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEven as a plaything, she\u2019s a successful one,\u201d Elara replied, her eyes dark with malice. \u201cBearing a Sterling heir, keeping it hidden for six years\u2026 Whether she becomes Mrs. Ridley or not, she can live in luxury forever because of that child.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 90\u00a0<\/p>\n
1 clenched my jaw, Are we supposed to just watch her live like royalty while we took up to her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s only valuable because she caught Ridley\u2019s eye. Let\u2019s make him despise her,\u201d Elara whispered, leaning closer to outline her plan in my ear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When dinner was half over, I approached Cedar with a champagne flute and a fabricated smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Sister, it\u2019s been so long since we\u2019ve spent time together,\u201d I said sweetly. \u201cLet me toast you\u2013I\u2019ll drink mine completely, you can sip yours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedar remained guarded, not touching her glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no, sister, I\u2019m so sorry!\u201d I exclaimed as I \u201caccidentally\u201d spilled most of my ice\u2013cold champagne down her back. The frigid liquid soaked\u00a0<\/p>\n
through her dress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked up sharply, her eyes cold. \u201cAre you finished with your games?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The confidence in her voice irritated me. She used to tolerate my pranks quietly. Now, with Ridley\u2019s protection, she had grown a spine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m truly sorry,\u201d I feigned tears. \u201cSister, I genuinely didn\u2019t mean to this time. Let me take you to change clothes\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had deliberately taken the champagne straight from the ice bucket. It must have been terribly uncomfortable against her skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSelena, I\u2019m warning you,\u201d she said tightly. \u201cIf you\u2019re planning something, I won\u2019t let it go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her threat annoyed me. This nobody thought she could threaten me? No matter. Once we destroyed her relationship with Ridley, we\u2019d see how brave she remained without his backing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I doubled down on my act. \u201cSister, I was childish before, doing thoughtless things. I\u2019ve changed. Mother bought me a new dress yesterday that would look perfect on you. Let me show you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo need. Just bring me any dress. I\u2019ll wait in the changing room,\u201d she replied, walking away without a second glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I followed her, discreetly sending a text: \u201cChange of plans. Meet at the changing room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sky Remembered the Touch of Our UnfiAnished Goodbyes by Lysa Orion Rehn 99 Chapter 99\u00a0 Cedar\u2019s POV\u00a0 As expected, […]<\/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-30498","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\/30498","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=30498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30498\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}