His Untamed Rose novel Chapter 79

Cedric let out a cold snort, all too familiar with her temperament.

Every time she got mad and ignored his calls, she’d lie about it—claiming she was off with some other man.

After being fooled a few times, Cedric had stopped caring. “Come over. Now.”

Lumina was about to fire back with a curt “I’m busy,” when he added, “I have something to ask you about your father.”

Her father?

The playfulness drained from Lumina’s face. She straightened, her tone suddenly serious. “What happened to him?”

“Come here and I’ll tell you.” With that, he hung up and sent her an address.

The address was a hospital—the same one where Lumina had gone for her prenatal checkup.

When she arrived, she spotted his car from a distance in the open-air parking lot; it stood out like a sore thumb.

She hurried over, climbed inside, and spoke, her voice edged with urgency. “What’s wrong with my dad?”

Cedric sat beside her, unmoving, his expression remote as he lifted his gaze. “Where were you today?”

An hour earlier, he’d assigned an investigation—gathering financial reports from every company that had worked with Jardin Timber. In the end, every single contract with Jardin Timber had something fishy about it. Even a rough calculation showed at least a seven-figure sum missing.

His eyes scrutinized Lumina’s face. She’d been in charge of this project. If Tonia hadn’t uncovered the discrepancy, they might have lost half a million dollars without realizing it.

Lumina was known for her meticulous, methodical work. Was this deliberate cover-up, or just a careless mistake?

After a pause, Lumina replied, “I went home to rest for a bit.”

“Still lying!” Cedric’s frown deepened, his voice rising.

The sudden outburst startled both Hilton and Lumina. She stared at him, bewildered. He almost never lost his temper like this.

Lumina could barely breathe. The words seemed to crawl over her skin, chilling her to the bone.

Yael had always been quick-tempered, sometimes even cruel to her. But in her mind, he was a pillar—upright and honorable. He’d never cross such a line.

“Do you know who uncovered all this?” Cedric asked, his expression growing even colder when she didn’t answer. He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Your loyal assistant. Tonia.”

Lumina’s shoulders shook.

“This was your project, Ms. Jardin.” Cedric watched her, waiting for an explanation. “So tell me, how do you explain it?”

His words were like a blast of winter air, leaving her shivering inside.

She lifted her pale eyes slowly, meeting his. “You think I’m covering for him?”

She exhaled shakily. “I admit I trusted his company too much. When they sent over the government funding documents, I didn’t check if they were real. I saw the official stamp and just signed.”