CHAPTER 672

“No. This person is absolutely cunning. I set up a trap to lure him to appear, but little did I know he created a false identity and sent a substitute to meet me. In the end, his fake guy took his place in death.”

For a moment, both men were silent.

Apart from the sounds made by the humidifier and a soft, occasional hum by Benedict, the room was exceptionally quiet.

“So you secretly issued an arrest warrant to catch this crafty fellow.”

Charles could imagine how tense the situation was.

Cedrick sneered. His piercing gaze and overpowering aura could easily send shivers down anyone’s spine.

“Although he was not caught, I have a rough idea of his appearance. Once the arrest warrant is issued, his various actions will be restricted, and we’ll get him sooner or later.”

Charles nodded.

When he lifted his head, he was greeted by Cedrick’s bloodshot eyes. This case must have turned his world upside down.

Arching his brow, Charles uttered a rare word of concern, “Go and get some rest. I’ve got everything here.”

Cedrick’s lip curled upward. He clicked his tongue and left without saying a word.

Meanwhile, in the minimalist hospital lounge, a slim figure was sitting on the bed with her back facing the door. Her beautiful back was smooth and attractive. She had porcelain skin as white as snow.

The dim lighting cast a hazy glow on the voluptuous figure.

The moment Cedrick opened the door, he was greeted by such an enchanting scene.

Instantly, his mouth became dry. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he walked lightly across the room.

When he got closer, he saw some light red scars on her back that got him frozen there and then.

Jasper had only informed him that Gwendolyn had offered to be locked up in the basement in order not to let the enemies sense something amiss. Apart from that, no other details had been shared.

Now that he had seen her injuries, his heart throbbed with pain.

Gwendolyn stretched out her hand holding the cotton swab to apply some medicine to her wounds. However, the angle made it very inconvenient for her to do it herself. She could not control how much force to apply either.

Suddenly, she furrowed her brows and gasped in pain. This is from .

“Let me do it.”

A pair of big hands took away what she was holding in hers. He put some ointment on his fingertips and gently applied the medicine to the wounds on her back. She could barely feel any pain.

Gwendolyn turned around and saw his slightly reddened eyes. She muttered, “It doesn’t hurt much, and I’m not as delicate as you think. It’s you guys who assumed that I’m vulnerable and weak.”

She caressed Cedrick’s forehead, smoothing his frown lines.

Cedrick did not respond, and neither did he refute her statement.

After a while, he withdrew his hand and cleared his throat. “Done.” He kissed Gwendolyn’s forehead and added in a soft voice, “I’m heading to the small bathroom next door to take a shower.”

Gwendolyn nodded.

The sound of running water soon came from the bathroom.

Gwendolyn lay on the bed and eventually fell asleep.

Late at night, she felt a bit chilly.

She squirmed to the side and habitually hugged her husband. But to her surprise, she grabbed nothing but frosty cold air.

Within seconds, she came to her senses and realized that the other side of the bed was empty with no residual heat whatsoever.

Where did Cedrick go? He was taking a shower before I went to bed.

It was the middle of the night. Her eyes darted across the pitch-black room. After gradually getting used to the darkness, she saw a tall figure on the balcony.

“Hubby?” she called out groggily.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare, Darling?” Cedrick responded in his usual gentle voice, but he did not move an inch.

Gwendolyn immediately got out of bed. She covered herself with a thin blanket and walked on the cold hospital floor tiles toward him. “It’s chilly at night. Why aren’t you sleeping? Is something bothering you?”

Cedrick did not respond.

Since morning, Gwendolyn had noticed how distracted he was upon returning from the mountains. She did not expect him to stay up late and not get any rest throughout the night.

“Are you thinking about what happened today?”

She approached him and enveloped them both in a blanket. Like a fluffy kitten, she buried her head in his sturdy chest and wrapped her thin arms around him.

The moonlight gleamed on them, giving them a glowing silver coat.

“Is your arm injury so painful that you can’t sleep? Or did something happen at Broadbay Hill that I’m not aware of? Something’s off with you since we got down from the mountains. If you’re going to continue acting weird, should I get someone to give you a check-up?” Gwendolyn could not help but ask when she noticed he did not look good.

Cedrick hugged her waist gently and chuckled. “I guess I can never hide anything from you, Darling.”

He shared his suspicions with Gwendolyn. He spread open his right palm, revealing a note.

Upon receiving it, Gwendolyn switched on the lights on the balcony and read the note in Cedrick’s hand. She knitted her brows and asked, “Is this what Quintrell, the chief bodyguard, left behind?”

As she read it over and over again, she could clearly feel Cedrick’s whole body stiffen. His expression was solemn, and his fingers holding the note were trembling.

As the king of the military, Cedrick has personally visited the border of Chanaea and survived countless battles. He has also witnessed uncountable atrocious acts. But why did he react so strongly to a note?

Gwendolyn could tell that the information in the note was something unusual. She tiptoed and embraced his broad figure. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear, “Is it a thing of the past? Tell me, I might be able to share your burden…”

Cedrick buried his face in the curve of her neck. It took him a while to calm himself down before he straightened his back, took a deep breath, and gradually shared his past.

After listening attentively to the full story, Gwendolyn made a logical analysis of it. “It’s a pity that the man died, but… since Joe was buried in a sea of flames, there was no possibility of him surviving. So how could he single-handedly orchestrate the milk powder contamination case? Even if he escaped the fire unscathed by chance, he shouldn’t hate you and take revenge on the wealthy family.”

Cedrick’s eyes still reflected an overwhelming wave of emotions he was feeling. It was hard for him not to think about the unresolved past.

Back then, there had been a murder case where Cedrick and Joe were the prime suspects. In the end, an order had been issued to dismiss Joe from the army. Cedrick had gone around begging for mercy on his behalf, and he had managed to mitigate Joe’s punishment. The latter had been given a demerit instead.

For some reason, the incident had prompted a wedge to be driven between them, and Joe had started targeting Cedrick all the time. Later on, the two had gone on their separate ways until the fire broke out.

Come to think of it, could there be a secret behind this murder?

“Hubby, is there another possibility that this note was deliberately forged by someone who wanted to avenge Joe’s death, and the person seized the opportunity to leave the evidence and then escaped?”

The more Gwendolyn thought about it, the more she thought the possibility was huge. “Why don’t we follow this line of thought and investigate further? I’m sure something will surface. Joe is dead, but

there are still people making an issue out of him. This seriously leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

Cedrick’s expression turned grim.

It’s not at all impossible that Joe isn’t the culprit.

After pondering for a very long time, he slowly opened up and told her the incident.

“He was always cruel and vicious, and he had no conscience. If he survived the fire that year and remained alive till now, he would surely have such an ulterior motive, considering the old grudge between us.”

Gwendolyn fell silent thereafter.

She knew how horrible Cedrick must have felt when his comrade-in-arms became his enemy. And now, he even had to issue an arrest order to capture that person.