The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Cedrick knitted his brows, maintaining a composed expression as he analyzed the situation.

Only a few individuals in Chanaea possessed the capability to defeat Gwendolyn unless her adversaries deployed a

significant number of elite fighters. However, such a course of action would be highly conspicuous, attracting

unnecessary attention within the hospital.

Alternatively, the other party might be armed.

Cedrick’s heart clenched as if someone was gripping it. The disheveled hospital room showed no signs of blood or

any traces of violence, and he hoped that his suspicion would turn out to be unfounded.

Another possibility popped into his mind. Gwenny intentionally surrendered, offering herself as bait. Otherwise,

Benny wouldn’t have been left behind in the closet. They would have taken them together.

After organizing his thoughts on the matter, he let out a deep sigh, feeling helpless and blaming himself for the risk

his wife had undertaken.

Benedict continued to cry, his small mouth pouting. His soft and delicate sobs echoed his father’s distressed state.

Cedrick patiently comforted the baby, while his peripheral vision caught sight of a spilled pile of milk powder under

the table.

He walked over, crouched down, and examined the traces of powdered milk.

His slender and graceful fingers touched the powder, twirling it between his fingertips, while his gaze darkened with

contemplation.

Since Nico had worked tirelessly throughout last night and had just returned home to catch up on some sleep,

Cedrick didn’t want to burden him with the task of investigating this incident.

“Contact Team Nine’s leader, Jasper, and instruct him to assemble a squad of ten soldiers. Also, bring a military

dog,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

While waiting for Jasper to quickly organize his team and Charles to arrive and take over, Cedrick comforted the

baby.

Charles raced to the hospital, and in under ten minutes, he arrived at the baby’s ward.

Observing the disarray in the room that had yet to be tidied, Charles was stunned. With a serious look on his face,

he immediately inquired, “Did you manage to locate Gwen’s whereabouts? Is she safe?”

Cedrick’s expression darkened. “No.”

Charles’s expression grew serious. “How can you remain so calm? The audacity of those individuals to cause

trouble right under our noses suggests a significant influence backing them. What if they harm Gwen? Didn’t you

enjoy putting up the image of a loving husband in public? Now that Gwen is missing, you don’t seem to show any

concern at all.”

Cedrick turned his head slightly, catching Charles’ fierce gaze and the icy expression on his face. “Charles, my wife

is missing, and yet you seem so eager to take my place. Are you trying to usurp my position? I’m still alive, in case

you haven’t noticed.”

Upon hearing that, Charles was bereft of words. “Now is not the right time to get jealous. Finding out where Gwen

is, should be our top priority.”

Cedrick stood up with a stern expression, placing Benedict in Charles’ arms. “You should be well aware of your own

hidden motives. Take care of your godson and ensure his safety. I’ll go find Gwenny.”

Charles narrowed his eyes, which showed a mix of concern and reluctance. “Can you take me with you? After all, I

am the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and my skills could be of assistance in finding Gwendolyn.”

“That won’t be necessary. The agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are equally skilled,” Cedrick replied,

giving him a cautious look. “I don’t trust the inexperienced officers at the bureau to take care of Benny. I can only

entrust him to you. However, if you fail to take good care of him and cause me any trouble, it will only put Gwenny

in further danger. I hope you understand the consequences.”

Charles kept mum.

Meanwhile, Team Nine, led by Jasper, had already assembled. Cedrick turned around and swiftly left the hospital.

Meanwhile, after walking through the woods for over ten minutes while being held hostage, Gwendolyn finally

arrived at their destination.

Her high heels echoed crisply as she stepped on the stone bricks, a stark contrast to the muddy paths she had

previously walked on. Looks like we’ve arrived.

She kept mum throughout the journey while the men in suits remained eerily silent as well, refusing to divulge any

information.

With her eyes blindfolded, Gwendolyn’s heightened auditory senses picked up the crisp sound of her high heels on

the ground.

The ground beneath her feet felt different, more like expensive marble tiles rather than rough terrain.

It seemed the abductors had taken her to a fancy place. Aren’t they supposed to lock me in some abandoned

cottage in the woods?

With confusion lingering in her mind, Gwendolyn was led into a house. The men in suits held her shoulders, guiding

her to sit down.

The seat felt soft to the touch, with a texture resembling fabric and cotton. Am I sitting on a couch?

Gwendolyn was perplexed, struggling to comprehend the situation unfolding before her. Did they kidnap me or

invite me here as their guest?

As the blindfold was removed, Gwendolyn was momentarily blinded by the sudden burst of bright light. It took her a

while to get used to the blinding light before lifting her gaze.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a luxurious mansion before her, and she found herself sitting on a

couch in the grand hall.

Gwendolyn turned her head and saw a middle-aged man in a tailored suit. He looked roguish but at the same time,

exuded dominance.

The man, reclining languidly on a couch, was puffing on a cigar.

His sharp and murky eyes narrowed slightly as he exchanged a glance with his subordinate nearby.

The subordinate, displaying an unusually polite attitude, approached Gwendolyn, removed the rag in her mouth,

and poured her a cup of coffee.

“Allow me to introduce myself, Mrs. Jenson. I’m Channing Kron, and I oversee an underground enterprise in

Salinsburgh. Welcome to my private mansion, which, I must admit, has been neglected and is not in its finest state.

Please accept my apologies for the untidiness, Mrs. Jenson,” Channing uttered.

Gwendolyn’s expression turned distant and cold as she cast a glance at the coffee on the table. She scoffed, “Mr.

Kron, do you truly expect me to drink the coffee when my hands are still bound? And isn’t it rather excessive to

resort to such measures just to invite me here?”

Channing puffed on his cigar and grinned. “I’m confident you can untie the rope yourself, Mrs. Jenson. If my men

were to do it for you, your true intentions would have been exposed.”

Gwendolyn was struck dumb for a moment. He was aware that I deliberately allowed myself to be abducted. It

appears that there’s more to him than meets the eye.

Now that he had uncovered her secret, she thought it was better for her to come clean.

Although it seemed like her wrists were bound behind her back, the ropes were actually easy to remove.

Had she been in a life-threatening situation, she could have easily untied the ropes and freed herself.

With a composed expression, she showed no sign of awkwardness after being exposed. Gracefully and effortlessly,

she untied the ropes and placed them on the coffee table. “You’ve gone through all this trouble to bring me here.

So, what is it that you want from me?”

Channing casually puffed on his cigar and calmly responded, “It was purely a coincidence that my men happened to

capture you, Mrs. Jenson. You’re the wealthiest person in Chanaea, and Mr. Jenson is the ultimate figure who

controls the military. Since the both of you are prominent figures in Chanaea, I couldn’t afford to be disrespectful on

your first visit.”

Noticing his respectful tone when referring to Cedrick, Gwendolyn grew suspicious.

“So your initial plan was to capture my baby, not me, huh? Do you think you can threaten Cedrick by taking the

baby away?” she asked.

Channing replied, “You’ve misunderstood me, Mrs. Jenson. I wanted to take Benedict away because I want to

protect him, not to harm him.”

Gwendolyn narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“My wife finally gave birth to a son when I reached my forties. He’s slightly older than your baby, around four

months old. He’s also consuming PureVita formula milk. Two days ago, my baby fell ill and was admitted to the

hospital. Coincidentally, he was placed in the same ward as your baby. Upon receiving information about the

formula milk issue, I began investigating the mastermind behind it. It soon came to my knowledge that the

mastermind is also involved in underground activities and might wield more influence than myself. I received intel

suggesting that they’re aware of Mr. Jenson’s investigation into the formula milk matter and are planning to target

several infants who have been admitted to the hospital for treatment. Hence, I took preemptive action under the

guise of kidnappers, aiming to deceive them and create the impression that Mr. Jenson has amassed numerous

adversaries. This strategy was intended to make them lower their guard, believing that the situation is

advantageous to them. Mrs. Jenson, I must say I’m impressed by your vigilance and resourcefulness. Not only did

you manage to hide the baby from us, but you also took the risk of coming here to investigate the truth,” Channing

explained.

Gwendolyn grasped the situation and took a sweeping look around his mansion. Nonetheless, she refused to blindly

believe his words.

“Your baby is only four months old, and I’m sure he won’t stand the smell of tobacco and alcohol, yet you’re

smoking a cigar in front of me. I could already smell the tobacco as soon as I walked in. This means you’ve smoked

more than just one,” Gwendolyn sneered, “You should have handled the details more carefully if you want to use

this method to gain my trust.”

Channing nonchalantly flicked the unburned portion of the expensive cigar into the ashtray.

Upon hearing Gwendolyn’s words, he paused, extinguishing the expensive cigar that he had barely smoked,

displaying no concern for the wasted portion.