Chapter 209 What did you just say to me?

Chapter 209: Chapter 209 What did you just say to me?

"Why is he taking so much time?"

Grandpa James glanced toward the hallway with growing impatience. His fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair and his brows were drawn together in irritation. He had been waiting for Cedric for quite a while now and his patience was beginning to wear thin.

Jenna, who was sitting nearby, immediately put on a polite smile. Her posture was perfect, her hands folded neatly in her lap, but there was a tightness around her eyes that shows her own unease.

"He’s getting ready," she said smoothly. "He’s not a free person, you know. Every second he earns millions. Of course he’ll take his time."

James gave her a look. His eyes were sharp, unimpressed. "Millions?"

Jenna nodded quickly. "Yes."

James let out a sigh. He’d been around for ages. "Money doesn’t make someone less capable of being punctual."

Jenna’s smile tightened. Her lips pressed together and she looked away. She didn’t argue.

After everything that had happened yesterday, she was already feeling uneasy about the divorce. She had spent most of the morning trying to convince herself that perhaps this was actually for the best. At least now Cedric could marry Jessica. And she would finally have the kind of daughter-in-law she had always imagined.

Someone confident. Someone talkative. Someone who could easily socialize with guests and carry a conversation without needing someone to interpret her gestures. Someone who could stand beside the family at events and charm everyone with her presence.

Jenna glanced toward Daisy. Daisy was sitting quietly nearby, listening to James and Margaret. Her hands were resting in her lap and her expression was calm.

Jenna’s lips pressed together. She had never understood Daisy’s quiet nature. To Jenna, a daughter-in-law should be able to stand beside the family, talk comfortably with relatives, entertain guests and participate in conversations without making everything feel awkward.

Daisy had never been able to do any of that. She had always been the silent one, the one who faded into the background, the one who made people uncomfortable with her silence.

Jessica was completely different. Jessica knew how to speak. She knew how to charm people. She could easily fit into social gatherings.

At least Cedric will have someone who can actually communicate with him.

Jenna forced another smile. Still, despite all her attempts to convince herself, something about yesterday continued to bother her. The situation had become far more complicated than she had expected.

She looked toward James. He was still staring impatiently toward the hallway.

"Honestly," he muttered, "how long does it take to get dressed?"

Margaret tried not to laugh. "Maybe he’s nervous."

James immediately frowned. "Nervous? About signing divorce papers?"

He shook his head. "These young people..."

Daisy lowered her eyes, quietly listening. She didn’t know why but the mention of Cedric made her feel strangely distant. She simply wanted everything to be finished.

A few minutes later, footsteps finally came from the staircase.

Everyone’s attention turned toward the hallway.

Cedric appeared.

He was dressed casually in a dark blue shirt and matching dark trousers, his shirt slightly wrinkled as though he had put it on without giving much thought to his appearance. His hair was messy, falling naturally over his forehead and his face was completely expressionless.

But his eyes told a different story.

Dark circles had formed beneath them, making it obvious that he had barely slept. His eyes were bloodshot and there was a hollowness in his gaze that hadn’t been there before.

He had spent the entire night staring at the ceiling, thinking about the divorce, Daisy and everything that would change once those papers were signed.

Now he looked exhausted. Yet he refused to show it.

He walked toward them without greeting anyone and stopped in front of Grandpa James.

"Let’s go."

His voice was cold and blunt.

James’s eyebrows immediately rose. His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened.

"What is this attitude?"

Cedric looked at him without much expression. His gaze was distant, almost defiant.

"So what?"

Silence.

Margaret glanced at Daisy, her eyes wide with shock. Jenna didn’t mind his attitude.

James stared at his grandson. His old eyes, which had seen so much, now held a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

Cedric sighed. He sounded very exhausted.

"I said, so what?"

He knew he was being rude. He knew Grandpa James was already irritated with him. He knew he was pushing boundaries that he shouldn’t push. But after spending the entire night awake, he had no patience left to pretend that everything was fine.

James’s face turned red with anger. His hands gripped the arms of his chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"You dare speak to me like that?" His voice rose, trembling with intense anger. "After everything you have done? After everything I have just witnessed?"

Cedric looked away. His jaw tightened but he didn’t respond.

James continued, his voice growing louder. "You were caught with another woman in your own home, on my birthday and now you stand here acting as though you are the one who has been wronged?"

Cedric’s eyes flickered with dark emotions.

"I didn’t ask you to come looking for me," he muttered.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Margaret’s mouth opened. Jenna’s face went pale.

James stared at him in disbelief. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

Then he slowly stood up. His old body trembled with anger and his eyes burned with a fury that Cedric had never seen before.

"What did you just say to me?"

Cedric finally looked at him. His eyes were red and his voice was shaking.

"I said I didn’t ask you to come looking for me!" he shouted. The words exploded from his chest, sharp and uncontrolled. "It’s you who found me instead. That’s not my fault!"

"You—"

"You always do this!" Cedric interrupted, his voice rising even higher. "You always interfere! You always decide what’s best for everyone without asking them! You decided I should marry Daisy! You decided she should live here! You decided everything!"

James’s face went pale.

"I never forced you to marry her!" he shouted back. "You came to me! You agreed!"