Never Judge

When the announcement was made Cedric nodded at Nicole and Ian who were holding hands on the side. Nicole mouthed a thank you to Cedric before kissing Ian gently on the lips. 

"Dinner\'s on me." Ray proudly announced with a laugh.

​​

The members of the Chan family that were heavily against Nicole\'s appointment cursed under their breath. Cedric knew that they had done something no one had predicted, and he had to admit, Miguel\'s dramatics helped catch them off guard.

One by one the board members began to leave, those that voted for Nicole came up to congratulate her. Most of them were people who had been saved by Miguel in the past and decided to invest into Saints Group, they were mostly progressives that didn\'t care for tradition and cared more about how Saints would be able to help people at a profit.

Eventually everyone except the Chans, the four princes, and Katerina were left in the room.

"We\'ll hear more from those relatives of ours." Eric said in a slightly gloomy tone.

"Hey, cheer up a bit. Take the win." Katerina said as she held his hand. 

"Okay." Eric suddenly pulled Katerina and kissed her.

"Asshole! Your parents are here!" Katerina said as she punched Eric on the chest. Eric simply laughed at her reaction. Cedric knew that the Chan parents were more than happy to see the couple being in a healthy relationship.

"So where are we having dinner?" Cedric asked Ray.

"Where else, of course we\'re eating at the Bamboo Room. I\'ve already asked the manager to close it and just set up an outdoor dining space for everyone that had reservations, I call it al fresco nights!" Ray said proudly.

"Can I bring someone?" Ram asked.

"Yeah. But won\'t it give Cedric and Adrianna a hard time?" Ray asked, clearly concerned about his brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

"It\'s alright. She signed an NDA." Cedric had made sure that Francesca Rocci didn\'t reveal what lengths they took to get the shares, he also covered all bases so that she wouldn\'t exploit what she learned from Ram during their fake relationship. Cedric made sure everything was covered. "Adrianna and I will enter through the staff entrance." Cedric said as he still wanted people to hide his wife from the public.

"Will you bring little Emilio?" Katerina asked. "All the parents will be there anyway." She explained.

Cedric simply nodded, agreeing to her request. 

The group soon dispersed and Cedric picked Adrianna up at their Mountain View home. Adrianna cradled their little bundle of joy who was soon turning one.

"Ma! Pa!" Little Emilio called out with a laugh. 

"I can\'t believe he has grown so much." Cedric said as he carried his son.

"He\'s a fast learner, just like his dad." Adrianna said as she kissed both father and son.

As they drove to Bamboo Room, Cedric took over watching and playing with his son, while his wife relaxed and scrolled through her phone. Cedric knew that between work and taking care of their son as well as the matters at home Adrianna rarely had time to just sit and relax. 

"Oh!" Adrinna said, as she saw the latest news on social media.

"What is it?" Cedric asked, as he tried to take a look at the screen of his wife\'s phone.

"I didn\'t know Ram was dating Francesca Rocci." Adrianna said as she showed him her phone. 

It seemed that someone had snapped a photo of Ram and Francesca entering Bamboo Room while holding hands. The article further explained that it seemed to be a private dinner among the five princes and their families.

"It\'s fake." Cedric said as he bounced Emilio on his lap.

"What do you mean it\'s fake?" Adrianna asked with a confused look on her face. "How can this photo be a fake, it\'s clearly not photoshopped." Adrianna said as she zoomed in on the photo.

"Not the photo, the relationship. It\'s all part of a deal we worked on with her. It helped us get Nicole back as the Vice President of Saints Hospital." Cedric explained to his wife. "What are people saying?" Cedric asked.

Adrianna quickly scrolled through the comments to see people\'s opinions on the match.

"Well one says, they are like a match made in heaven, the powerful entertainment boss and the beautiful female lead. I ship! Oh and this one says, no wonder Francesca has been getting the best opportunities, her backing is just too strong. This one is funny, I was kinda rooting for Francesca and Eric Chan to cross paths, now that would be like a drama that came to life." Adrianna continued to read the comments, clearly the feedback was more positive than negative. Ram had been a constant fixture in front and behind the camera due to their family\'s business. He was handsome enough to rival some of the current artists who had risen to fame, it also helped that he dressed well, never shy about trying the latest trends that had just walked off the runway. 

"Ha! Looks like someone is about to steal the spotlight from Ram!" Adrianna said as she refreshed the app she was looking at.

"Huh? No one was supposed to drop a bomb today." Cedric said with a confused look. The only news he expected to see was that of Ram and Francesca. 

"Nicole just dragged Ian out into the public\'s line of sight." Adrianna said with a laugh as she showed Cedric the latest update.

This time it was a photo of Nicole hugging Ian and looking up to him lovingly. Behind them were the Chan parents who smiled at the couple, it showed that they had approved of the father of Nicole\'s child. 

"About time she admitted to their relationship." Cedric smiled as he saw the image. At least the couple was no longer hiding.

"It\'s sad though, people are questioning why Ian won\'t do right by Nicole and marry her, if only they knew the truth." Adrianna said with a sigh as she scrolled through the comments that were mostly people hating on Ian. "Luckily they still don\'t know who Ian is. Do you think it will have some backlash on you if they realize he is your assistant?" Adrianna asked.

"There might be, but I\'ll protect Ian. He\'s a friend after all." Cedric said with a gentle smile to comfort his wife that he would be alright despite rumors, after all this wasn\'t the worst.

When they finally arrived at the Bamboo Room Cedric\'s car drove up to the back entrance where the staff often passed. When people saw the infamous white Rolls Royce, they knew who had arrived. Many stood up and tried to see who had gotten out of the car, unfortunately the back entrance was blocked by a wall and some bamboo which allowed Cedric and Adrianna to alight the car without being seen. 

When they finally arrived in the dining area everyone excitedly greeted them, Katerina quickly took little Emilio from Cedric\'s arms and played with the baby, she even used little Emilio to tease Nicole that if she had a girl the child should marry the handsome baby in her arms. 

Cedric held Adrianna\'s hand as they walked over to their seats.

"Ah Francesca, this is the Reyes Heir and his wife. This is your first time seeing them as they really are." Ram said as Cedric and his wife approached.

Francesca who had her back turned gasped when she saw who the Reyes Heir\'s wife actually was.

"Adrianna?" Francesca said in a surprised tone.