Chapter 64

Douglas agreed without hesitation. With the matter settled by the siblings, Liliana had no chance to object.

On Saturday morning, she found herself hiking with the Sewells. It was also the day of the Forrest family's monthly dinner.

That afternoon, Cedric finished his work early and drove to the family estate. He figured Liliana had had enough time to cool down. The family dinner would be the perfect opportunity for her to apologize.

When his Maybach pulled into the Forrest estate, he got out but didn't see Liliana's car. Then he remembered her car had been totaled in the accident. The image of her with a bandage on her forehead, looking so vulnerable, flashed in his mind.

*If she behaves today, maybe I'll buy her a new car,* he thought. He had never been a stingy man.

Inside the villa, he changed his shoes, took off his coat, and walked into the living room. Dowager Forrest and Stoddard were sipping tea and looked up as he entered.

"Where's Liliana?" Stoddard asked with a slight frown, noticing Cedric was alone.

*She isn't here yet?*

Cedric's brow furrowed. After a moment, he said, "She should be here soon."

Usually, Liliana would have arrived in the morning. A shadow crossed his eyes. He loosened his tie and went upstairs to discuss some work matters with Mirabelle in the study.

When he came back down an hour later, he glanced at the living room from the landing. Stoddard and the Dowager were still the only ones there. He turned and went into his bedroom, pulling out his phone to check the security camera feed from their home.

It was nearly six o'clock, and the villa was dark and silent. Liliana wasn't there.

He patiently scrolled through the footage and discovered that she had left with a suitcase not long after he had. It seemed this whole drama wasn't over until Hale's situation was resolved.

He called Timothy. "Find out where my wife has been for the past two days."

"Yes, Mr. Forrest," Timothy replied, his heart sinking at the cold tone in his boss's voice.

Less than ten minutes later, Timothy called back with all the information. "Mrs. Forrest has rented an apartment at Polaris Court. Today, she went hiking with Miss Sewell."

Because the search was limited to the last two days, Timothy hadn't discovered that Liliana was starting a job at Cyan next week. He also didn't know that Douglas had been with them on the hike.

*She even rented a place.* Clearly, she was more serious this time than the last.

On the other end of the line, Timothy hesitated before adding, "Mr. Preston has been calling me constantly, demanding I find a way to get Hale out, or else..." The implication was obvious.

"Or else what?" Cedric asked icily.

"Or else he'll make Mrs. Forrest divorce you, Timothy said, steeling himself. He hadn't believed Liliana would ever side with Chuck so he'd been stalling him while urging Attorney Kerr to expedite the case. But now, she had actually moved out. Could she really be following Chuck's orders?

Cedric snapped. The pen in his hand broke in two.

"Keep an eye on my wife and the entire Preston family. Report any movements to me immediately." He couldn't be too careful. If the

Prestons decided to use their secret

manage as leverage, it could cause unnecessary trouble for Zephyr Group.

After hanging up, he threw the

broken pen in the trash and went downstairs. He had just reached the

living r room when Dowager Forrest approached him, phone in hand and a worried look on her face. "Cedric, why isn't Liliana here yet? I can't reach her. Did something happen?"