Chapter 842

Kohen stepped inside to find Daniela quietly serving Damon food.

Kohen mouth, "Shame on you!"

Damon, unfazed, clutched his bowl like an overgrown child and obediently shoveled food into his mouth.

The sight made Kohen blink, caught off guard for a heartbeat.

For a fleeting second, he was transported back to their childhood. Damon had always been the troublemaker, driving their father to drag him from house to house, making endless apologies on his behalf.Each time they came home, Damon would sob,and their mother would comfort him.

Watching the scene now, Kohen couldn't shake the feeling that Damon was still the troublemaker and Daniela was comforting him like their mother used to do.

Kohen lingered in the doorway, caught in the memory.When reality snapped back, he convinced himself he was going insane. How could Daniela possibly see them as family?

If Daniela and Cedric joined the McCoy family,there would be no place for him.

Morning arrived, and Kohen was already waiting in the living room, car keys in hand, determined to take Daniela to the construction site himself.

He didn't believe for a second that Damon had the guts to lie to their father. All that mattered now was finding out just how crippling Daniela's fear of heights really was.

After they'd wrapped up breakfast, Kohen escorted Daniela to the car. But just as he was about to start the engine, Damon slid in beside them, grinning.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kohen snapped "Get the hell out!"

"Why? Am I not allowed to go?" Damon shot back,his tone almost teasing.

Kohen squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back irritation."The car's already cramped, and the site's a dust bowl.Don't you have business to run at the casino?"

He kept making subtle gestures, practically begging Damon to get out. Before Damon could say a word,Cedric climbed in as well. Damon,worried Carol would squeeze in next, stepped on the gas and drove off without another word

Inside the car, the air grew thick with tension.

Kohen forced a strained smile and aimed for small talk."Cedric,how's work going? You've seemed really busy lately."

Cedric didn't bother turning his head. He just stared out the window, offering nothing.

It hit Kohen then-Cedric hadn't said a single word to him. Cedric had chatted with everyone else in the house, but never once looked his way.

Kohen pressed his lips together, feeling more and more left out.

He glanced at Daniela through the rearview mirror,hoping for some support, but she too was fixated on the passing scenery, ignoring him.

Left with no other option, Kohen forced another brittle smile and tried again. "Damon, you barely touched breakfast. Once we get to the site,I'll have someone grab you something to eat, all right?"

Silence.

Absolute,suffocating silence. Nobody said a word.

Kohen's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel,irritation simmering beneath his controlled exterior as he stared straight ahead

For a wild second, he fantasized about swerving into the guardrail-just to see how these three would react.

They soon rolled up to the construction site, dust swirling in the morning air.

Kohen gestured toward the looming fifteen-story building, its skeleton rising stark against the sky."Going up will give us abetter sense of any issues."

Cedric reached for a safety helmet and slipped it on."I'll go."

Kohen blinked in mild surprise. "Daniela, you're not coming?"

Daniela remained rooted to the spot, arms folded."You want me to go up there?"

Kohen mustered an uneasy smile, feigning casualness."Aren't we here to spot any problems? How can we do that if we don't actually go up? Not that I'm doubting Cedric, of course-I'd just feel more reassured if you took a look yourself."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Daniela'slips. "Is that so? Well, to ease your worries, I suppose I should go."

Kohen's fake smile almost slipped

Did she see through him?

Every answer felt loaded with subtext.

But then again-if Daniela had truly uncovered his intentions, why would she bother coming here at all?Wouldn't that just give herself away?

Uncertain,Kohen silently handed her a safety helmet