The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Cedrick lowered his gaze and stroked his son’s head while saying seriously, “Keep Gwenny’s disappearance a secret

for now. I don’t want it to cause panic in Salinsburgh. Besides, I’ve arranged for Swain to conduct a comprehensive

investigation on this matter. So far, there are two phones found, and their data are getting recovered. We’ll be

getting some results tomorrow.”

Even though he was feeling conflicted, he still did a great job in planning all of that.

Charles listened silently and mulled over it before saying, “So you’re planning to wait until tomorrow morning? For

the results?”

Cedrick said nothing, but his silence was a tacit agreement to Charles’ words.

It had been a long night, and investigation results needed time to be produced. Not to mention the other party had

many tricks up their sleeves and were familiar with Salinsburgh. They could hide themselves perfectly without

making any mistakes.

Waiting was all he could do.

Charles’ expression grew more solemn when he saw Cedrick falling silent.

The paper in his hands was getting crumpled as he endured his emotions in silence.

He could not remain there without doing anything when there was a possibility of Gwendolyn already hurt.

Charles was not as patient as Cedrick.

At that, Charles stood up, put down the report, and turned around to leave.

Puzzled by Charles’ sudden actions, Nico called out, “Charles! It’s midnight, and there isn’t much that can be done.

What are you trying to do?”

Charles halted and said in a determined tone without turning around, “To have one more person involved means

we’ll have one more solution. Since Cedrick wants to investigate the matter lawfully, I’ll do it the other way.”

With that, he marched out of the room, leaving the door to close behind him with a thud.

Just like that, the office fell into complete silence.

Cedrick focused on watching over the children, his gaze dark and inscrutable.

Although Cedrick did not blame himself in public, Nico, who had been working with the former for over ten years,

knew him well to understand what he was feeling.

Having no intent of exposing his superior, Nico got up, straightened his clothes, and said seriously, “Cedrick, you’ve

had a long night and have been drinking. You should get some rest and not burn yourself out. You’re still needed to

take care of the children. I’ll go look for Swain and work with him to speed up the investigation.”

Cedrick merely pursed his lips and nodded in response, suppressing the overwhelming despondency he was feeling.

Soon, the next day arrived.

Cedrick had only gotten two hours of sleep because Benedict had to be taken to the laboratory for his IV therapy.

Hence, he helped the children wash up on time.

When they were ready, Cedrick got a police officer to deliver breakfast from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s

cafeteria and then fed the children patiently.

However, Zendaya had only taken two sips of the soy milk when she frowned and stuck her tongue out.

“Daddy, the food here is horrible. I still like your cooking better.”

Alas, the comments only fell on deaf ears. Cedrick ate his food as if he was on autopilot; he had not registered a

single word Zendaya said.

“Daddy?” Zendaya called out, her head tilted in confusion. Just then, Benedict stopped her.

“Don’t be picky. You’re lucky to have food to eat. Didn’t you hear what Daddy said last night? Mommy and Daddy

will be busy for the next few days, and they won’t be available to take care of us. Let’s be more sensible and not

give Daddy any more trouble.”

“Oh… Okay.”

Zendaya pouted unhappily and picked up her fork to continue eating. From then on, she did not comment about the

food.

Not sleeping well the whole night had given Cedrick a terrible complexion and obvious dark circles under his eyes.

The sight made Benedict feel bad, so he gave his father his fried egg.

“Daddy, I don’t feel like eating eggs. The IV drips messed up my appetite. I only feel like drinking water now. Can

you help me eat it?”

Snapping back to reality, Cedrick patted his son’s head and asked, “Are you feeling unwell? Do you feel nauseous?”

Benedict shook his head. “I’m okay. I just can’t eat the egg because of the smell, but I don’t want to waste it. You

should eat more.”

“Okay.” Cedrick smiled and ate the egg he got from Benedict.

After breakfast, Cedrick brought the children to the lab.

“Zendy, I’ve applied for a few days of leave for you at your kindergarten. Could you keep Benny company at the lab

for the next few days?”

Zendaya, who sat obediently in the high chair, bobbed her head. “Okay. I’ll take care of Benny.”

Once they entered the ward, Joshua entered with a medical tray to give Benedict the IV fluids. Meanwhile, Zendaya

sat beside the bed, reading her storybook.

Cedrick, too, stood by the bed, but his mind soon wandered off as he watched his son get his fluids.

As if reading the man’s mind, Benedict looked up and said decisively, “Daddy, I’ll be fine with Zendy here. You still

have a lot of work, right? You can go. I’ll take good care of Zendy and me. We’ll stay here and not make you worry.”

The boy was only five years old, yet he was thoughtful and great at studying a person’s expression. Cedrick could

not be prouder of his son, and he bent forward to plant a kiss on the former’s forehead.

“Be a good boy, Benny. I’ll come over at night.”

Smiling, Benedict waved at the man. “Go on. I’ll wait for you tonight.”

Right then, Zendaya put down her storybook and pointed at her face, saying, “Daddy, I want a kiss on the cheek,

too.”

Of course, Cedrick walked over and kissed her gently on the cheek. To his surprise, the little girl wrapped her arms

around his neck and forcefully planted a few kisses on his face.

“I know you’re busy with work. I’ll be a good girl and do my best not to cause you any trouble.”

Although it did not sound exactly promising, it was not easy for a troublemaker like her to make such a promise.

The children’s reassurance filled Cedrick’s heart with warmth. Even tears began to well in his eyes.

Holding back his tears, Cedrick gave a few reminders calmly and got up to leave.

Joshua, too, walked out with Cedrick. When they were out of earshot, the latter said softly, “I really don’t have extra

energy to spare these days. Please watch the kids for me when I’m not around.”

Ever since Charles found out that Gwendolyn was missing, he, too, disappeared. There was no news from him, nor

did he return to the Newton residence.

On the other hand, Nico, Neville, and Swain had been busy working on a huge case in Salinsburgh. Hence, Joshua

was the only person Cedrick could rely on to take care of the children.

Joshua promised, “Don’t worry, Cedrick. I’ve just finished medical research, so I’ll be free for a few days. You can

leave Benny and Zendy to me. I’ll take good care of them.”

Now that he had his friend’s promise, Cedrick patted the former firmly on the shoulder and drove to the Federal

Bureau of Investigation without wasting another second.

In the ward, Benedict had turned his head to look at the leaves rustling outside the window; his childish features

tensed to form a stern expression like Cedrick’s.

Before he dozed off to sleep the previous night, he vaguely heard the conversation between Cedrick, Charles, and

Nico.

That was when he found out that his mother had gone missing and that her absence from the Harris residence was

not because of her busy schedule.

Benedict knew how upset Cedrick was feeling at the moment, so he did not want to drag the latter down.

I need to let Daddy carry out the investigation without worrying about anything else. That way, he’ll find Mommy

sooner.

Meanwhile, Zendaya sat at the foot of the bed, focused on reading a storybook. There was an innocent look on her

face as if nothing concerned her other than having fun.

Just then, Benedict took an orange from the table and offered it to her. “Didn’t you say the breakfast was horrible?

This is sweet. You’ll be full after having some.”

After leaving the lab, Cedrick sped off to look for Owen, the repairman.

At the same time, Owen was focused on repairing the phone Cedrick brought to him.

In fact, it was almost done. There were a few steps left until Owen could try turning on the device.

Hence, Cedrick sat patiently in the corner for ten minutes so the man could focus on his job.

“Mr. Jenson, it’s done.”

Owen handed over the phone he managed to piece together with a look of pride. “It’s quite damaged, but

fortunately, the data chip is intact. I changed the screen and some hardware. It can’t be restored completely, but

you can still browse the original information on the phone.”

Immediately, Cedrick took the phone and opened the contacts list.

Fortunately, the latest call log was retained. What caught Cedrick’s attention was the suspicious call log between

the phone’s owner and two seemingly plain unknown numbers.

The calls were not frequent, but they always lasted for more than five minutes.