Never Judge

"You don't need to pretend." Cedric said with a laugh as he noticed both Mae and Dave relax.

What shocked Cedric was when his best friend, Ian seemed to tense up and relax at his words as well.

"You knew?" Cedric asked in an angry tone as he glared at Ian. It didn't matter that Dave and Mae didn't tell him, but his most trusted employee and friend chose not to as well.

"Yes, I knew." Ian said with a nod as he maintained his solemn look. 

"And why did you not tell me?" Cedric asked as he crossed his arms on his chest and leaned back against his seat. A look of disappointment crossed his face, making Ian frown.

"Auntie Priscilla never approved of co-worker relationships." Ian decided to say in a straight tone, choosing not to make excuses.

"And because my mother did not like her employees dating, you thought I wouldn't approve?" Cedric asked with a raised eyebrow.

By his question Ian, Mae, and Dave knew that the older assistant had been wrong to think that Cedric would have something against co-worker relationships.

"I assumed." Ian said.

"Yeah, and a lot of people assumed I was some poor bastard." Cedric said with a cocky laugh as he shook his head in disappointment.

Ian frowned as he realized how mistaken he was to assume that Cedric would treat things the same way as either of his parents.

He knew that Cedric was someone different, someone that chose to go against the flow. He often introduced new things to the company. Practices that would be traditionally frowned upon, but Cedric dared to innovate.

It was what kept the Reyes Group ahead of everyone else, Cedric wasn't afraid to move towards the future.

"Cedric, sorry." Was all that Ian could say as he looked down at his plate. He knew that he should have thought better of his friend, but there was no denying that some parts of the old rich world were hard to shake off. 

"It's fine." Cedric said with a sigh as the side of his mouth formed a slight frown. "You were only protecting these two. You meant well." He shook his head as he resumed eating his breakfast.

"Sir, we didn't mean to keep it a secret." Dave said in a regret filled tone as he reached out and held Mae's free hand on the table. 

Mae looked at Dave and she simply smiled back. Cedric could see how much the pair were in love. He had heard about his mother's policy in the past and it had it's pros and cons.

"Mom never wanted her employees to date because she was afraid that it would be too taxing on both sides if they broke up and had to work together." Cedric explained as he recalled what his mother had told him.

His three companions were stunned with what he had said. According to rumors there were other reasons surrounding the policy.

"The employees didn't take it well when your dad implemented that rule as well." Ian said as he recalled what Marco had told him. When Ian had arrived at the Reyes Group the policy had been around for a while so there were only rumors about the reason behind it. 

"Dad wasn't fully on board with implementing the same policies in the Reyes Group as mom had in Clarin Industries, but you know my dad." Cedric said with a shrug.

Emilio Reyes III rarely won arguments against his wife, aside from the fact that he was wrapped around her finger, she was also a brilliant businesswoman. 

In her youth, Priscilla Reyes had worked for the largest companies locally and abroad. She was trained by the best and she brought that training home. Where she built up her family's business to new heights.

"I heard a rumor once that the reason why your mother didn't want employees dating was because of a break up that caused major problems." Mae said as she recalled the talk she had heard in the office.

"Hmmm. . ." Cedric said with a raised eyebrow as he found the rumor quite curious. "I mean, it's possible for breakups to affect a person's work, but it would not be enough to have any major repercussions on the company."

"So, are you alright with us dating?" Mae asked Cedric. 

Cedric simply nodded and smiled at his two assistants. 

"I don't have the right to tell you who not to love and who to love. That's your heart's job." Cedric explained as Mae and Dave looked at him in awe.

"So that just leaves Camilla." Dave told their group with a cheeky smile.

Ian laughed at Dave's comment, surprising everyone but Cedric.

"She loves someone." Cedric said with a smile. Camilla had told him that she carried the torch for a person, that was why she would never fall for Lucius.

"She has loved him for almost a decade." Ian said with a grin as he nodded.

"You know who it is?" Cedric asked. Camilla had never mentioned a name in their discussion, just that she loved someone.

"He promised to return for her, it's been years but I've been keeping tabs on him, he has never been with anyone else." Ian confirmed.

"His heart must be breaking with the news." Dave said with a frown.

Camilla had just gone public with her fake relationship with Lucius Ting. To the media and the public it looked genuine, Lucius seemed to be truly in love with Camilla.

"I just hope that he has enough faith and trust in her to know that he still needs to hear the full story." Ian said with a frown.

"Have I met him?" Cedric asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sadly, no." Ian said as he shook his head. "But I think you will like him."

"As long as he loves Camilla and she loves him, I see no issue." Cedric said as he smiled.

"I just hope he finishes what he needs to do soon. Camilla has been waiting for him for way too long." Ian said with a sigh as he thought of his poor friend.

"If they are meant to be, then it will happen." Cedric said with a nod. "So what's the agenda for today?" He asked his assistants.

"Work in the morning, you have one meeting." Ian told Cedric as he took a sip from his coffee. "Then the Mayor and the major players in this town have prepared a welcome lunch for you." 

"They are pissed, aren't they?" Cedric asked as he recalled how he had completely ignored them the day before.

"They aren't happy, but I don't think they can get mad at you." Ian explained. 

"I have some documents for your approval, they arrived this morning." Mae told Cedric.

"Bring them here, let's get all of this work done as soon as we can." Cedric said with a nod as Mae got up and left the room.

"Did you find anything out about the mining company?" Cedric asked Dave.

"Yeah, and you're going to enjoy this." Dave said with a grin as Cedric leaned in to listen.

"I'm listening." Cedric said with a nod.

"The company has ties with the people we are having lunch with later." Dave revealed, making Cedric smirk at the news.

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