The Ex and Her Riches
Chapter 677

Chapter 677

Carrying Zendaya in his arms, Cedrick stopped in his tracks. He fixed his jet-black eyes on Charlesbefore 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 grandcelebration, I bought a cake and gifts for them to commemorate the occasion. I only learned that youtwo 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 slightlybefore he finally mustered the courage to ask, “Are the test results out yet? What are… Benny andZendy’s conditions like?”

In a calm voice, Cedrick answered truthfully, “Zendy is fine, but Benny has remnants of the virus withinhim. It’s also the reason he’s weaker than Zendy upon birth. Joshua says he’s too young and weak towithstand the potency of the antidote, nor can suppressants be used to alleviate his pain during arelapse. Thus, only conservative treatment of having intravenous infusions and taking medication areviable.”

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 suppressthe guilt surging within him.

He opened his mouth to explain and justify his actions back then, expressing his mistake in implicatinginnocent babies in grievances between adults.

However, all the excuses on the tip of his tongue seemed weak and pathetic. Ultimately, he hung hishead 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 shouldcompensate him for your mistake back then.”

In response, Charles nodded. “Yeah. Hurting him is my greatest regret in this lifetime. I’ll definitely goall 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 possiblyrecover 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 withboth 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 intoholding 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 bothhands and burrowed into his embrace.

“I want to put aside the matters regarding Newton Group to devote all my energy to Benny’s care. Willyou 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 hecould 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 youdare 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 nolonger my past self who was on opposing sides with you. It was even thanks to your help that Isuccessfully 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 abottle 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 downrightpriceless. It’d be an utter waste if it’s used on you. You’d best give up whatever plans you had and takecare of Benny wholeheartedly. Even if you really got infected, I wouldn’t give you the antidote, andthere’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 merelydipped his head in acknowledgment. “Don’t worry. I won’t do that. If you don’t trust me, you can sendtwo police officers to follow me.”

Since Cedrick had already warned him, Charles would have to weigh the consequences himself. Assuch, 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, andwe’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 andentered 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, butlittle 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 ifhe 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 theoceanarium, 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 theafternoon, Charles received information on the oceanarium.

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

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

That aside, he remotely purchased a dolphin that looked most exquisite and placed it under Zendaya’sname, rearing it in Benedict’s oceanarium as her one-year-old birthday gift.

Despite replaceing the gifts too expensive and disproportionate to the twins’ age, Gwendolyn knew thatCharles 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 andJennifer, 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 smallgold 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 withpeople in the afternoon.