Chapter 190

Caiden was furious. "So, you're telling me the company won't be handing out dividends right now?"

Daniela remained focused on her phone and didn't even spare him a glance. Caiden's frustration boiled over at this. He wanted to smash her phone.

"If there's any profit, we'll distributing dividends of course," Daniela answered, her voice calm and steady.

Caiden was left frozen, speechless. Profit? With the company losing money hand over fist, the idea of making a profit seemed absurd.

Realizing he wasn't getting through, he changed his approach. "In that case, I'll need to borrow money from the company."

To his shock, Daniela agreed right away."Sure Caiden blinked, taken aback. He had expected a firm rejection, not this.

Her response left him momentarily stunned.

A wide grin spread across his face as he decided to push further. "I need to borrow ten million."

"Sure," Daniela replied again, her tone still casual.

The smile on Caiden's face quickly faded, a sense of unease creeping in. There was something about how easily she agreed that didn't sit right with him. He furrowed his brow, his voice tinged with suspicion."Why are you being so generous all of a sudden?"

Daniela glanced up at him briefly, herlips curling into a small, almost playful smile. "You're running low on cash. How could I be so heartless, right? You were my father."

For a brief moment, he felt a glimmer of relief. Just as he was about to thank her for showing some compassion, Daniela continued, "And since you likely won't be able to repay it, it's no problem-you can always use your shares to cover it. Of course,borrowingfrom the company requires a promissory note, and the interest rate will be higher than what the bank offers. Just so you're clear."

Caiden's face darkened, his momentary relief evaporating, replaced by fresh anger.

Meanwhile, Cedric sat across the room, absorbed in a game. As he listened to Daniela's words, a faint smirk curled on his lips.

Caiden clenched his fists, the tension in his body growing as his frustration surged. He was itching to lash out, to let his anger explode, but Cedric's presence kept him in check. "Cedric, it seems like you're quite at ease making my villa your personal space."

Cedric, unbothered, gave a slight nod. "Exactly. I'm thinking about buying this villa once you put it on the market. For now, I thought I'd stay here and get a feel for the place. With your business sense, I doubt it'll be long before this villa goes to auction." Caiden instantly picked up on the mocking tone in their voices. His face flushed with rage and he stormed out with a forceful snort.

As he left, Cedric's calm and measured voice followed him. "If you're truly in need of money,feel free to borrow from me. I quite like this villa."

The words struck Caiden like a slap to the face,causing his anger to explode. He stormed downstairs, grabbed a vase, and hurled it to the floor.

Unfortunately, it was a vase that Daniela had brought.

When the bill for the vase came, Caiden's face turned red. He couldn't even scrape together enough money to pay for it.

In the end, he had no choice but to sign a promissory note and reluctantly hand it over to Lillian before slinking back to his room in shame.

Living without any money was torture.

Since Katrina had offended his mother and brothers, Caiden couldn't borrow a single cent from them.With no other options, he had to venture out himself to drum up business for Harper Group.

Katrina stood on the balcony, her brow furrowed in frustration. Holding her phone to her ear, she sighed and said, "Mom, can you ease up on your spending?Caiden's out of money."

The voice on the other end was cutting and full of mockery."Caiden? That man can't even take care of his own daughter. What good is he to you? Katrina,you married him to have a better life. If he can't provide that, then maybe it's time for you to start considering your options."

Katrina bit her lip, her voice hesitant. "Mom, it hasn't reached that point yet."

"If things don't improve, you'll need to make a move.Caiden's nothing but a freeloader. Haven't you figured that out after all this time? He had a golden opportunity and blew it. Do you really think you can count on him in the future? Like l've said before,there's a rich man who likes you. If Caiden doesn't work out, why not move on? Why waste your time?"

Katrina pressed her lips into a tight line. "I've been living with Caiden for so long. I can't bring myself to divorce him and marry another."

The voice on the other end scoffed. "Being kind to a man gets you nowhere, Katrina. You've endured enough, and so have I. Caiden isn't someone you can rely on. Marrying him was your first step toward a better life. Now,it's time to move forward. Don't let him hold you back any longer."

Katrina stared out at the trees swaying gently in the distance, her mind racing. For a moment, she was unsure of what step to take next.