Wife You Discarded is a Billionaire's Crush novel Chapter 40

A wave of relief washed over Liliana, lifting the heavy cloud of despair that had been hanging over her for days.

"Was there something else you needed?" Stoddard asked.

"No, that was it," she replied.

Stoddard's brow furrowed. "You could have just asked Cedric to handle this."

Liliana fell silent.

Stoddard seemed to understand. He smiled and changed the subject. "Well, since you're here, stay for lunch. Your grandmother is napping, but she was just asking about you."

"I can't, Dad. I have other things to take care of."

She knew Cedric rarely came to the estate, but she was afraid that if Dowager Forrest saw her, she would call him and summon him over.

Stoddard didn't press her. He knew she was stressed about Hale and offered a few more words of comfort.

After Liliana left, Stoddard picked up the newspaper again. His eyes fell on the front-page headline: *The CEO od Zephyr Group Goes to War for Vice President's Dog*.

He stared at it thoughtfully for a long moment before picking up his phone and making a call.

—

After leaving the Forrest estate, Liliana went to the police station and learned where the deceased had worked: an electronics factory in the suburbs.

When she arrived, two reporters were still lingering at the gate, trying to interview the security guard. She waited for them to leave before getting out of her car and approaching the guard herself.

"Which paper are you with?" he asked, looking her up and down.

It happened so fast that she didn't even have time to react until she was at the car door.

She started to struggle, but he gave her no chance to escape. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other scooped under her legs, and he shoved her into the car, sliding in after her and blocking her exit.

The dim interior lights flickered on. Liliana scrambled to the far corner of the seat and turned to face him. He cracked the window, his long fingers resting on the edge, the cigarette held loosely between them.

"What are you doing?"

"What have you been doing all day?" he shot back, his voice low and dangerous. "You know exactly what." The air around him was thick with displeasure.

Liliana didn't want to provoke him. She turned and tried the door handle, but it was locked. She looked back at him. "I don't want to see you. Open the door."

"Do you know why I married you in the first place?" Cedric tossed his cigarette out the window and closed it, his dark, unreadable eyes boring into hers.