One Night Mistake… Now I Carry the Mafia Heir

Chapter 82: 82/The Forbidden Confession

Chapter 82

Cedric’s Point of View

I rose from my seat abruptly, a strange tension coursing through my veins like a bothersome electric current. I couldn’t grasp the idea of Stephanie starting work at this particular time; she was in the early months of her pregnancy.

Everyone knows the exhaustion and pressure pregnancy causes how could she balance her volatile health with the demands of a grueling job? I narrowed my eyes as I looked at her, trying to read what was going on in her mind.

Then, Alex’s provocative voice rose as he leaned back with cold indifference: "Is there a problem with that, Cedric?"

His words drove me insane; his constant interference in every tiny detail concerning her set my chest ablaze. I turned to him, my body taut like a bowstring, and shouted in anger: "Are you Stephanie, to speak on her behalf?"

A cold, steady smile formed on his face, and he replied with absolute confidence while looking me directly in the eye: "I am her husband, and that gives me the right to support her decisions."

I lost all control. My voice was jagged with intensity as I snapped: "And I am the father of the twins she is carrying! Their safety matters to me more than anything else!"

A heavy silence fell for a few seconds before Grandpa struck the table with his palm so hard the dishes rattled. He shouted at us with clear frustration: "What is wrong with you two this morning? Are you going to turn every breakfast table into a battlefield?"

Stephanie looked at us helplessly, despair clouding her beautiful features. "I don’t even know if the company will accept my application or not," she said in a low voice. "Why are you creating all this chaos for no reason?"

I tried to soften my tone, stepping closer to her, speaking as gently as possible: "Stephanie, think about this rationally... you are pregnant. Working will cause you unnecessary, double exhaustion."

She furrowed her brows and looked at me defiantly. "Am I to understand that you stand against my ambition and my work?"

"Of course not," I answered quickly so she wouldn’t misinterpret me. "I will support you with all my strength if this is truly what you want. But don’t you see that working with the weight of pregnancy will be too much for you?"

She shook her head with a strange persistence. "No, I don’t see it that way. I’m not sick; I’m just pregnant. I have no problem exerting effort."

I tried to convince her one last time: "Stephanie, honey... how about you postpone this step until after the birth? It will be easier then."

But Alex, as usual, wouldn’t leave me be. He intervened again, giving me a mocking look: "Leave her be, Cedric. Stop trying to control her. If she wants to work now, it’s her personal decision, and we must respect it."

I turned to him and let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh: "Oh, thank you so much, ’Defense Attorney’... you always find a way to act like the perfect hero."

Suddenly, Stephanie bolted up from her seat, her agitation visible as her chest heaved rapidly. She screamed at us, her voice shaking with rage: "Enough! Enough of this nonsense! I am suffocating here between the two of you! I cannot stand you two constantly fighting over me as if I were a prize or a child with no opinion. I want to work simply because I am tired of this psychological chaos that happens every day in this palace!"

I tried to move toward her to calm her down: "Stephanie, listen to me..."

But she cut me off sternly, raising her hand to stop me: "I don’t want to hear a single justification from either of you! The discussion is over."

She grabbed her portfolio from the table and marched upstairs with fast, angry steps. Alex turned to me, his features full of spite. "This chaos and tension... it’s all because of you and your pursuit of her," he said sharply.

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head in despair. "Really, Alex? Do you think you’re innocent? Am I the only reason for everything that happens here?"

Grandpa exhaled in frustration as he rose from his seat with visible weariness. "I’m tired of you both as well," he said sadly. "Your childish bickering will give me a heart attack one day."

At that moment, Stephanie came down carrying her handbag and clutching her portfolio. I watched her departure with concern. "Are you going to the interview now?"

She answered dryly, walking toward the door without looking back: "I haven’t gotten the job yet, Cedric. I’m going to my friend Kyra’s house to rest for a while."

Alex rushed to speak, grabbing his car keys: "I’ll drive you."

She replied with clear sharpness: "I don’t want you to. Thank you."

Then she turned toward Grandpa, her tone shifting to become more tender and pleading: "Grandpa, is it possible for you to drive me?"

Grandpa smiled and agreed immediately: "Of course, my daughter. I would be happy to."

Stephanie left with Grandpa, leaving Alex and me alone in the dining hall. A stifling silence, filled with tension and hostility, hung between us. "Look," I said bitterly, staring at the closed door. "It seems she’s starting to take Grandpa’s side too. She’s becoming repulsed by us."

Alex looked away with indifference and muttered a single word: "You’re an idiot."

I seethed with rage as I stormed out: "An idiot? You’re the fool who understands nothing!"

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Stephanie’s Point of View

I sat beside Mr. Victor in his luxury car. As he prepared to start the engine, his hands holding the steering wheel with dignity, I spoke with genuine gratitude: "Thank you, Grandpa. You have no idea how much I appreciate you driving me right now."

He turned to me with a calm, warm smile. "No need for thanks, my daughter. It’s my duty. By the way, do you have a driver’s license?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes, Grandpa, I do."

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Excellent," he said firmly but lovingly. "Then starting tomorrow, there will be a private car at your disposal. I’ll take care of it."

I felt deeply embarrassed by his generosity. "Oh, Grandpa, really, there’s no need for all this trouble. I can manage."

"You are a member of this family," he replied as he put the car in gear. "You are my daughter now, and I don’t want you depending on anyone or being without a car to make your movements easier."

I smiled warmly at him, feeling a glow in my heart for this wise man. "Thank you, Grandpa. You are a wonderful person."

Throughout the drive, I was lost in thought, staring out the window at the city streets passing by, trying to gather the scattered pieces of my mind. When we finally arrived at Kyra’s house, I thanked Grandpa again and hurried out of the car as if escaping the pressure of the palace. I knocked on the door loudly. As soon as Kyra opened it with a worried expression, I threw myself into her arms, letting out a long, heavy sigh from the depths of my chest. "Oh, Kyra... I’m done."

She returned the hug, gently rubbing my back. "Steph, calm down... what’s wrong? How are you?"

"Let’s sit," I said, pulling back to wipe my face. "I’ll tell you everything."

We went inside and sat on the comfortable sofa. I began to recount everything Alex’s manipulation and his new coldness, Cedric’s arguments and possessiveness, and the violent fight that broke out that morning. When I finished, Kyra sat in dead silence, her eyes wide, as if she were watching an unbelievable movie.

"Stephanie..." she said in a faint, disturbed voice, trying to process it. "Am I to understand from all this that you... you want Cedric and Alex together, at the same time?"

I took a very deep breath, leaning back against the sofa as if a mountain were on my shoulders. Then, I confessed in a sincere, trembling voice that shook the silence of the room: "Yes, Kyra... that is the bitter truth. I love them both, and I cannot imagine my life without either of them."