Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 560

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Cedric still felt a slight unease around his cold-faced cousin.

Even after working under him for so long.

Damon cast him a fleeting glance before sitting down casually. "What is it? Spit it out."

Taking a deep breath, Cedric recounted the whole incident from start to finish. When he finished, Damon's expression remained as indifferent as ever—not a flicker of emotion, as if Cedric had just relayed some trivial, everyday matter. Cedric watched him nervously, his stomach twisting with uncertainty.

Damon met his gaze briefly and responded with a single, noncommittal, "Hmm."

Hmm? What the hell did that mean?

Cedric's lips twitched slightly, but he didn’t dare press further. Instead, he stole cautious glances at his cousin, trying to read any hint in his demeanor.

A trace of exasperation and resignation flickered in Damon's eyes before he spoke again, his tone flat. "Lambert isn’t the type to act out of personal grudges, and this is hardly worth mentioning." Whether Lambert might subtly make things difficult behind the scenes wasn’t Damon’s concern.

Frankly, it had nothing to do with him.

Truth be told, Cedric had come mainly to demonstrate his loyalty.

He knew perfectly well that Lambert wouldn’t let such an insignificant matter sour relations between the Stone and Castro families. But he had to report it to Damon—otherwise, if his cousin heard about it from someone else, the story might not be as favorable to him.

Cedric was acutely aware of how many envious eyes were watching him from the sidelines among the branch families.

They’d been itching to drag him down for ages.

Which was why he couldn’t afford a single misstep. Not one.

Cedric let out a subtle sigh of relief, realizing his elder brother wouldn't press the matter further. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he said, "That's good to hear. I was genuinely worried my actions might cause trouble for you and the Castro family."

Damon cast him a sidelong glance before drawling, "Lambert may adore his wife, but he's not the type to lose his head over trivial matters. If he were, he'd never have inherited the Stone family legacy." The Stone family would never entrust their empire to someone ruled by sentiment alone.

Men like that rarely achieved anything noteworthy.

Take Lambert's father, Hugh, for example. The man had decent business acumen, but his priorities were... unconventional.

He believed love conquered all.

Such temperament made him utterly unfit to steer the Stone empire—one emotional misstep could topple generations of work. That's why Old Mr. Stone had bypassed his son entirely when selecting an heir. With no satisfactory candidates among his children, he'd turned to his grandson instead.

Cedric understood perfectly.

They were men of the same world, after all.

How could he not see the obvious? At Lambert's level of influence, petty gossip wouldn't provoke retaliation—especially not against the Castro family. Role reversal aside, even if he adored his wife as much as Lambert did, he'd never wage war over something so insignificant.

Particularly for men bred in dynastic families like theirs.

Affection mattered, certainly.

But blood ran thicker than water, and profit ran thickest of all.

Damon seemed to read his cousin's thoughts. After studying him for a prolonged moment, the corner of his mouth quirked. "Still," he said leisurely, "You'd best tread carefully these days."

Cedric snapped to attention. "Huh?" He blinked, uncomprehending.

With a casual wave, Damon clarified, "Lambert won't feud with our family over this, true. But that doesn't mean he'll let it slide. Knowing his temperament from our dealings... he might take action against you." A pause. "And your wife. You should pay them a visit to apologize."