Never Judge

Ian and the others hid inside the lobby of Mae's apartment, waiting for Cedric to arrive.

According to Mae, she had agreed to meet Cedric at 11pm outside her apartment. It was five minutes to 11pm now and there were still no signs of Cedric.

"Do you think he decided not to come?" Camila asked Ian. "Maybe he figured that we knew about Mae."

"I doubt it." Ian said, shaking his head. Cedric was smart, he wasn't psychic. "All he probably knows is that I saw him at the hospital. It wouldn't be easy to figure out that he was speaking to Mae."

"What if he thought we asked Leon about Mae's connection to Mia?" Dave asked.

"I doubt that." Leon said, shaking his head. "Cedric didn't know how little Mia interacted with others. He often saw her speaking to Adrianna and Camilla so there is no reason for him to doubt that she had other friends."

"What are we even going to say to him when he shows up?" Mia asked the boys.

"I have no idea." Leon said, shaking his head. "No matter what we are always on his side, I think that goes without saying. And confronting him today goes against that."

"We aren't against him." Ian said with a sigh. Leon was right, at the end of the day they were all Cedric's people. They would do almost anything and everything he asked.

"Then why are we sneaking around trying to catch him?" Camilla asked in an annoyed tone.

"Because we need to at least speak to him. We need to say something. I'm honestly worried about Adrianna's pregnancy, she's so stressed I feel like his disappearance may put their unborn child at risk." Ian said, shaking his head.

"It's not just Adrianna." Dave said with a frown. "The whole company knows something is wrong, because of that they aren't functioning at the same level they used to. Even our enemies are circling, people are getting the sense that something is off at the Reyes Group."

"Also there are spies everywhere." Camilla added. "They will eventually figure out that Cedric hasn't shown his face at the office in a week. They will also notice that Uncle Emilio is back and Adrianna is working at R Tower, that will definitely raise suspicion."

"We just need to tell him these things." Ian told his companions. "He might just not notice them. I understand that his recovery is a priority, but too much is at stake."

"So I'm assuming that you will be doing most of the talking, Ian?" Camilla asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"I will." Ian said with a nod.

"You know him best anyway." Leon said with a shrug.

"Yeah, Ian has known him the longest and the best." Camilla explained. "They started working together at Mor Co. and they just clicked. I mean I got along with them, but not the same way they got along with each other."

"I don't even know what I will say to convince him." Ian said with an awkward smile.

"Speak from the heart, I guess." Dave said with a shrug, making everyone laugh.

"Dave is right though." Camilla said, shaking her head. "You need to tell Cedric how lost and worried we feel without him around. The company feels like a car without a steering wheel."

"Hey, hey!" Leon said as he nudged Ian, pointing at a distance. "Is that Cedric?" Leon asked.

Ian squinted, he saw a lone figure approaching. He could tell from the silhouette that the person had the same build as Cedric.

They watched as Mae lifted her head and her body language changed, clearly she recognized the person that was approaching.

"I think it's him, observe Mae." Ian said with a nod.

The silhouette soon became clearer, at this point Ian was sure that it was Cedric. He was wearing a jacket over his plain shirt and jeans.

He had a baseball cap over his head, and he wore glasses and a facemask. Most of his face was obscured, but Cedric and the others had been working long enough for Cedric to be able to identify him even in disguise.

"You said Adrianna was not feeling well?" Came the familiar voice they all knew.

Ian looked at Camilla, Leon, and Dave and smiled. They were now sure that it was Cedric.

"Yes." Mae said with a nod. "I think your disappearance is affecting her. She's also sick a lot, something is wrong, boss." Mae said in a sad tone. This part was not scripted, it was the real reason why she had asked Cedric to meet her that night.

"Tell her to visit Nicole tomorrow." Cedric instructed. "Or Migue. One of the siblings will know what to do."

"No offense Cedric, but I think this isn't a physical issue. I think it's an emotional one." Mae said with a frown.

"I'll ask Eric to pay her a visit." Cedric said with a shrug.

"Don't you care about your wife at all?" Mae asked Cedric in a frustrated tone. "Why can't you just go back?"

"Because it's not yet time." Cedric said, shaking his head.

"Then when will it be time?" Ian said as he finally stepped out to face Cedric. "Seriously Cedric, when? Will you wait for your enemies to be at your doorstep?"

"There are no enemies anymore Ian." Cedric said, shaking his head. "How did you even know I was meeting with Mae."

"Because Mia only had one female friend." Leon said, joining Ian.

"Ah, Leon, I'm happy to see you out of the hospital." Cedric said with a nod. "Who else is here with you? Camilla? Dave?"

Camilla and Dave soon stepped out as well, joining everyone.

"Cedric, we know Adrianna is pregnant, we know you've been staying at Saint's Hospital." Ian said in a stern tone. "Can't you see you are hurting her?"

"It's better if I come back when I am better." Cedric said, shaking his head.

"By that time it will be too late, Cedric." Camilla said, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "Cedric, don't let it be too late."

"Boss, we need you back. Not just us, the whole company, your friends, your family." Dave said as he too tried to convince Cedric.

"Are you really willing to miss your son's first day in school?" Ian asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Emilio doesn't start school soon, he still has three months." Cedric said, shaking his head.

"Adrianna can't keep him around all of the time, she is planning on letting him start school early." Ian informed Cedric. "Plus you've messed up your schedule. He was supposed to start school this week, but you disappeared."

Cedric refused to speak, shaking his head.

"You are just running from the world Cedric." Ian suddenly said. "You are hiding from your feelings and you are pretending that you are trying to heal when you are just too afraid to show the people that care for you that you can hurt too."

"I'm supposed to protect them Ian, not be protected by them!" Cedric shouted.

"And the truth was revealed." Ian said, shaking his head. "You might be able to lie to yourself, but you can't lie to us. We know you too well."

Cedric glared at Ian, but he didn't say a word. He simply turned around and left.

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