We Want Mommy Not You Daddy (Cedar) novel Chapter 174

Chapter 174

“Well, well. The great Ridley Sterling, taking time from his busy

schedule to call little old me?” I answered with a smirk.

“Velvet. Eight o’clock. I’m buying,” came Ridley’s clipped voice before

he hung up.

I stared at my phone in disbelief. “Invites me for drinks but can’t be

bothered with basic manners. Classic Ridley.”

I slipped my phone into my pocket and stood up. “Emma, let’s head to

Velvet tonight. Ridley’s buying drinks for everyone, and I’m not

passing that up.”

Emma eagerly followed me out. Velvet was Chicago’s most exclusive

nightclub–a playground for the wealthy elite. Getting in was nearly

impossible unless you were somebody, or knew somebody.

Fortunately, we were both.

The main floor was pulsing with music and bodies when we arrived,

but the private VIP section told a different story. The atmosphere was

frigid, and not because of the air conditioning. Ridley sat in the

corner, radiating such cold intensity that even Chicago’s most

confident trust fund babies were keeping their distance, nursing their

drinks in uncomfortable silence.

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Chapter 174

“Quite the party you’ve got going,” I announced as I pushed open the

door to the private room.

The relief on everyone’s faces was comical. I’ve always been the one

who could lighten the mood, even around Ridley’s infamous iciness.

But tonight, even my arrival didn’t thaw him. He sat motionless in the corner, staring at his untouched whiskey, expression dark and distant.

Emma, sweet as always, moved to sit beside him. “Ridley, what’s

wrong?”

I scoffed. “Anyone would think our mighty CEO is lovesick.”

The room went dead silent. Everyone suddenly remembered that just

days ago, Daisy–the Sterling daughters‘ dance instructor–had been

fired and apparently sent abroad. The timing was suspicious.

“Ridley, you’re the head of the Sterling family,” one brave soul

ventured. “If you actually have feelings for Daisy, you could bring her

back. Your mother would probably accept it eventually. Why sit here

drowning your sorrows?”

Another chimed in, “She’s been with you for years. It’s normal to miss

her. Let her cool off somewhere, then bring her back. Absence makes

the heart grow fonder, right?”

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Chapter 174

Several others nodded encouragingly, until Ridley’s icy glare froze

them mid–motion.

“Which part of me has ever suggested I had feelings for Daisy?” His

voice was soft but cutting, like a blade wrapped in silk.

Everyone shrank back, not daring to say another word.

I’ve known Ridley longer than most, and I know enough about the

Daisy situation to understand. “That toxic woman should stay as far

away as possible,” I said bluntly. “If you ever bring her back, I’d

seriously question your sanity.”

Ridley ignored me and took a sip of his drink.

Emma tilted her head curiously. “If it’s not about Daisy, then what’s

bothering you?”

Every head in the room swiveled toward Ridley. In all the years we’d

known him, he’d been nothing but a workaholic, capable of burying

himself in business for twenty–four hours straight.

He was even relentless with his son. Poor Aiden was only six and

already carried responsibilities that would crush most adults.

For someone like Ridley to waste time drinking sulkily in a club was

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