Chapter 209: I’ll protect her with my life.

The next morning...

Noah barged into Cedric’s office without warning, his expression tight with fury.

Cedric looked up, stunned by the sudden intrusion. "Noah Sinclair. What are you doing in my office?"

Before he could understand what was happening, Noah crossed the room and grabbed him by the collar.

"Why? Why are you following Elena?" Noah barked.

Fury exploded inside him, hot and uncontrollable. Every muscle in his body tensed as he struggled to control the rage surging through him.

"I warned you to stay away from her. But you didn’t take my warning seriously."

"That’s enough." Cedric shoved him away. He smoothed his crumpled suit and glared at him.

"If you are so worried about her, take her away. Don’t let her stay with Elias. Or I can’t guarantee you I won’t hurt her."

"You..." Noah raised his fist to hit him. But his fist stopped inches from Cedric’s face, trembling with barely restrained anger.

Cedric instinctively lurched backward into his chair. His eyes widened, shock and fear flashing across his face.

"You... Have you lost your mind? We are business partners. And you barged into my office like a hooligan."

He wiped the sweat from his brow and straightened himself. "We are partners. We can’t start beating each other."

"I am not your partner," Noah snapped. "I agreed to invest in your business only because of Victor. And I had a condition—no hurting Elena."

He slammed his hand against the table and leaned toward Cedric, his eyes filled with warning.

"Your problem is with Elias. Why can’t you keep Elena out of it?"

Cedric stared at him. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then a malicious smile slowly curved his lips.

"As long as Elena is with Elias, she will always be a target. If you don’t want her to get hurt, take her away. Keep her as far away from Elias as possible."

Noah’s nostrils flared. He wanted to scream. He wanted to smash everything in the room. More than anything, he wanted to punish Cedric for even thinking of using Elena.

"She is Elias’s wife," he said through clenched teeth. "Do you think taking her away is easy? I don’t want to mess with Elias."

Cedric let out a sarcastic chuckle.

"You are already standing against Elias. You are his enemy’s business partner. Do you really think he will spare you?"

He laughed coldly.

Noah stepped back, his eyebrows furrowing.

"You are already facing his wrath," Cedric continued. "Your business is suffering. If Victor had not helped you, your business would have collapsed already."

He spread his arms. "We are all in the same boat, Noah. To survive, we need each other."

His expression hardened. "And we need to defeat Elias. Or he will destroy us."

Noah snorted. "If you want to compete with him, do it fairly. Defeat him in business. Why are you after his wife?"

Cedric picked up the cigar packet from his desk, opened it, and extended it toward him.

"In a war, everything is fair."

Noah didn’t even look at the cigars. His glare only sharpened.

Cedric quirked his lips, pulled the packet back, and took out a cigar for himself. He lit it and slowly blew out the smoke.

"Elena is his weakness. If we have her, Elias will be completely under our control. For her, he can do anything. He won’t hesitate to give up everything he owns to get her back. Isn’t it wonderful?"

His eyes shone with anticipation.

But Noah’s anger only rose as he heard his words. "Dare you touch her, and I’ll rip your hands apart."

Cedric froze for a moment. Then he burst into laughter. His laughter was filled with contempt.

"Love is crazy," he scoffed. "You didn’t care about her when she was your wife. I know what you did to her. You hurt her, betrayed her, and caused her miscarriage. And now you are acting like her protector?"

"Shut up," Noah growled.

But Cedric wasn’t finished.

"I know you still love her," Cedric added. "You want her back. I’ll help you. Take her away and claim her back. I swear I won’t target her. If you don’t, she will also get hurt along with Elias."

Noah grabbed his collar. "Do you believe I can kill you right here?"

Cedric swallowed. Fear flashed in his eyes, but only for a moment. His smugness returned.

"Accept the proposal, Noah. It’s beneficial for both of us."

He carefully loosened Noah’s grip on his collar.

"I don’t want to hurt her either. But Victor won’t hesitate to kill her. You have no idea how dangerous he is."

Noah’s expression changed. An uncertainty crossed his face.

Cedric straightened his suit jacket and took a long drag of the cigar. "He has connections with the underworld. Over the years, his power has only grown. Elias cannot defeat him."

Hesitation crossed Noah’s face.

"Victor once destroyed the Rowan family," Cedric recalled. "It was he who had killed Elias’s parents."

Noah’s eyes widened. A cold wave of disbelief swept through her.

He had suspected Victor might be behind the assassination of the Rowan couple back then. But hearing Cedric say it so confidently made his stomach twist.

"He can destroy Elias too." Cedric took another drag from his cigar. "Victor has been waiting for the right opportunity to finish what he started. He wants the Rowan fortune, the company, everything."

His expression turned cruel.

"All he cares about is power. He uses people when they are useful and destroys them when they are no longer needed. If hurting Elena helps him bring down Elias, he won’t hesitate for even a second.

He leaned forward, looking into his eyes. "You still have a chance. Take her away, and save her."

Noah stood frozen.

He knew Cedric was trying to manipulate him. He knew taking Elena away against her will would only destroy whatever trust remained between them.

But the thought of Elena being caught between Cedric and Victor terrified him.

He wanted to protect her. But he wouldn’t do that by hurting her again.

"I’ll protect her with my life," he said, determined. "And I won’t let anyone hurt her. If you or Victor try to hurt her or use her against Elias, you will have to face me first."

Dropping that warning, he stormed out.