The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Carrying Zendaya in his arms, Cedrick stopped in his tracks. He fixed his jet-black eyes on Charles before him,

looking the man up and down without saying anything.

Charles took two steps forward with his eyes lowered to mask the guilt within them.

“It’s the twins’ one-year-old birthday today. While I know Gwendolyn and you don’t plan to have a grand

celebration, I bought a cake and gifts for them to commemorate the occasion. I only learned that you two brought

Benny and Zendy to the lab for a blood test after making a trip to Harrick Villa.”

He paused briefly, not daring to look at the little girl in Cedrick’s arms. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly before he

finally mustered the courage to ask, “Are the test results out yet? What are… Benny and Zendy’s conditions like?”

In a calm voice, Cedrick answered truthfully, “Zendy is fine, but Benny has remnants of the virus within him. It’s

also the reason he’s weaker than Zendy upon birth. Joshua says he’s too young and weak to withstand the potency

of the antidote, nor can suppressants be used to alleviate his pain during a relapse. Thus, only conservative

treatment of having intravenous infusions and taking medication are viable.”

The more even-sounding each word out of the man’s mouth, the heavier it weighed on Charles.

His clenched fists trembled violently, and his eyes turned red-rimmed as he tried his best to suppress the guilt

surging within him.

He opened his mouth to explain and justify his actions back then, expressing his mistake in implicating innocent

babies in grievances between adults.

However, all the excuses on the tip of his tongue seemed weak and pathetic. Ultimately, he hung his head in

despair and murmured dejectedly, “I’m sorry.”

Other than those two words, I’m seemingly incapable of making amends in any way…

Cedrick did not bother with pleasantries, leaving him to stand in the rain and get drenched. “Indeed, you should

apologize, but you should be doing so to Benny instead of me. In fact, you should compensate him for your mistake

back then.”

In response, Charles nodded. “Yeah. Hurting him is my greatest regret in this lifetime. I’ll definitely go all out to

make things up to the twins.”

Cedrick remained silent. Despite the grim look in his ebony eyes, there was no trace of resentment.

After all, that was already in the past. Even if he were to take the man’s life, Benedict could not possibly recover

immediately. Hence, it would be far better to have Charles make amends.

In his arms, Zendaya had seemingly heard her godfather’s familiar voice. Yanking at her raincoat with both hands,

she pried it open a crack and turned to stare at Charles with crystalline eyes.

Coo!

Smiling innocently while babbling happily, she stretched her tiny hands out in the latter’s direction.

In other words, she was asking Charles to cuddle her.

Charles shook his head at her, his gaze gentle. “I’m too wet to carry you, Zendy. You’d catch a cold.”

As though grasping the man’s meaning, Zendaya stuck out her lower lip. She looked pitifully aggrieved, seemingly

on the verge of bursting into tears.

Wearing a dark look, Cedrick chided lowly, “Don’t cry on purpose to trick your Uncle Charles into holding you. If you

catch a cold and run a fever, you’d need an injection, and your butt would be sore. Are you scared now?”

At once, Zendaya’s brows furrowed, and her nose wrinkled. She clutched her father’s lapel with both hands and

burrowed into his embrace.

“I want to put aside the matters regarding Newton Group to devote all my energy to Benny’s care. Will you please

allow me to keep him company at the lab for his IV infusions and treatment?”

“If it’s only to take care of him, sure. But…” Pausing, Cedrick narrowed his eyes sharply as though he could see

right through Charles.

He then continued, “All the drugs in the lab are top secret. You’re no longer a civil servant now. If you dare

capitalize on the opportunity to play tricks, I’d never spare you.”

Charles’ long eyelashes obscured his blue eyes. His voice was as soft as a whisper. “I’d never. I’m no longer my past

self who was on opposing sides with you. It was even thanks to your help that I successfully gained control over the

Newton family. I’m on your side, and I won’t sabotage you again. Even if I were to take those top-secret drugs out,

it wouldn’t do me any good.”

Cedrick stared at him. “It’s best that you don’t have any ulterior motives. Don’t even think of stealing a bottle of the

drug and using it on yourself to suffer alongside Benny as atonement.”

For a moment, words eluded Charles. Gosh, he hit the nail on the head!

Subsequently, Cedrick continued, “The S404 RNA virus samples are all unique, so they’re downright priceless. It’d

be an utter waste if it’s used on you. You’d best give up whatever plans you had and take care of Benny

wholeheartedly. Even if you really got infected, I wouldn’t give you the antidote, and there’d be nothing you could

do but await death.”

That remark was exceedingly brutal, but it did not garner much of a reaction from Charles. He merely dipped his

head in acknowledgment. “Don’t worry. I won’t do that. If you don’t trust me, you can send two police officers to

follow me.”

Since Cedrick had already warned him, Charles would have to weigh the consequences himself. As such, there was

no need to arrange for someone to monitor his every movement.

“Zendy is hungry, so I’m bringing her home for some milk first. I’ll give you the access card to the lab. When you go

in, tell Gwenny to come out. She hasn’t had lunch yet. I’ll bring her home with me, and we’ll be back after eating.”

“Sure.”

Charles took the access card Cedrick handed him. With that, the two men parted ways.

Thanks to the access card, Charles bypassed the security at the laboratory’s entrance unimpeded and entered the

building brimming with a sense of technology.

As he walked along the corridor, Cedrick’s words continued echoing in his ears, disturbing him greatly.

Previously, I teased Benny because he was slower at drinking milk and weaker compared to Zendy, but little did I

know that his sickly condition was my doing.

The guilt within him was so overwhelming that he felt he might go mad from the sense of oppression if he were to

do nothing.

After pondering for a while, Charles took out his phone and made a call.

“Find out the investor of the biggest oceanarium and its location.”

On the other end of the phone, his assistant was somewhat startled. “Are you planning to invest in the oceanarium,

Mr. Newton?”

“No, I want to acquire it. No matter the price, deduct it from my personal bank account.”

His assistant was taken aback. A long moment passed before he replied, “Okay, understood.”

Sure enough, an assistant working at Newton Group was beyond efficient. At one o’clock in the afternoon, Charles

received information on the oceanarium.

It so happened to be located in Salinsburgh and was the most luxurious oceanarium in the entire country.

Charles bought it on that same day and placed it under Benedict’s name as a gift for his one-year-old birthday.

That aside, he remotely purchased a dolphin that looked most exquisite and placed it under Zendaya’s name,

rearing it in Benedict’s oceanarium as her one-year-old birthday gift.

Despite finding the gifts too expensive and disproportionate to the twins’ age, Gwendolyn knew that Charles felt

guilty and would only rest easier after doing more for them, so she did not object.

Apart from that, Gwendolyn and Cedrick also received gifts from Nico and Summer, Treyton and Jennifer, Kieran

and Inez, and Asher and Sienna on the twins’ birthday.

All of them were extremely expensive trinkets.

Even Valentino personally made a trip to Harrick Villa in his wheelchair and gifted the twins two small gold lock

charms and two pure gold bracelets inlaid with diamonds.

Although there was no birthday celebration at Harrick Villa, the villa’s living room was still filled with people in the

afternoon.