Never Judge

It tore Cedric's heart to watch his son and wife board a plane without him. He wished that he could go with them, but he needed to stay behind.

There were things back at the Reyes Group that couldn't wait, there were also matters with the Rajas that he needed to end or at least get some progress on before the twins were born.

He wanted his children to live in a world safer than it was now. He didn't want to fear for their lives.

The twins would be brought up differently from their older brother.

While they wouldn't be fixtures to the media, they would still be more visible compared to Yoyo.

Growing up, Cedric's parents would occasionally bring Ayanna with them to events. Ayanna hated going because she wanted to stay at home with Cedric, who at that time was busy with school.

Cedric didn't mind being left at home either since he didn't like the attention, a behavior he carried with him until now.

The attention coming from the public and the media was something he detested. All he wanted was to live his life as normally as possible, but those weren't the cards he was dealt with at birth.

Even if he had turned down the position as the Reyes Heir, the fact that he was the only son of his parents would keep the public's attention on him.

"Cedric?" Ian asked as he noticed Cedric deep in thought. "Are you alright?"

As a father and as a husband, Ian could relate to how Cedric was feeling. He too hated being far away from Tristan and Nicole, and yet the two people he loved the most were on the same plane as Adrianna and Yoyo.

"I'll never get used to being separated from them." Cedric sighed as he shook his head. "I know it's silly since I'm always at work, but at least in the Capital I can always stop working and go home to them."

Ian chuckled and shook his head.

"It's not like you can't do the same while they are on Kashmere." Ian pointed out. "Ray's island is three hours from the Capital by plane, just hop on one and be with them."

Cedric gave him a small smile and sighed.

"If I go, I don't think I could come back." He confessed. "I'd probably ask people to handle the work here so that I can spend more time with my family."

"Let's go." Ian told his friend as he dragged Cedric off of the tarmac and into his car. "We have a full day ahead and a lot of driving."

Cedric nodded as he got into the car and let Ian drive.

He decided that today they would visit the victims of the attack on the Mor Co. factory in the industrial center they had built.

It was quite a drive away and Ian suggested that they make it in one of his more discreet cars while Cedric's security team followed them at a distance.

Cedric was more than happy to agree to this plan. He wanted to show the employees that he cared about them and that he was worried about what had happened.

He knew that physically being there and hearing their stories mattered, so he planned the trip as soon as possible.

The drive to the industrial center was filled with Ian and Cedric reminiscing about their work together in the past.

As fellow assistants they had gotten themselves in and out of several sticky situations.

"Who knew that my best friend was actually the boss I was training to work for?" Ian said with a chuckle as they entered the province that the Sebastian family practically controlled.

"I was actually worried that you would be hesitant to work for me." Cedric confessed.

"Why?" Ian asked.

"You've worked with me for years before you found out my real identity. I was basically lying to both you and Camilla. Who would trust a person like that?" Cedric asked.

"It wasn't your choice, we understood that." Ian said with a nod.

"You and Camilla were more understanding than Adrianna at the time." Cedric said with a sigh as he brought up the painful memory from the past.

"It's different and both know it." Ian chuckled. "She's your wife, you aren't supposed to lie. And to be honest, Camilla and I were expecting someone worse."

"Worse?" Cedric asked as they passed several buildings that seemed to be quite new. It seemed that the entire province had greatly benefited from their industrial center.

"Yeah, we thought our boss would be some stuck up snotty man that never worked a day in his life." Ian said as the Reyes Group Industrial Center came into view. "When we realized it was you we were actually happy."

"Thanks, I guess." Cedric said with a smile as a guard stopped them at the gate.

When Ian rolled down his window the man was shocked to find the owner of the Reyes Group and one of his highest ranked men in the simple car in front of him.

"Won't you ask for my ID?" Ian asked the guard with a smile as he teased the man.

The guard quickly panicked, unsure of what to do or say.

It wasn't everyday that two powerful men just drove up to the gate. He was expecting Cedric and Ian to arrive in a caravan of security vehicles, but they looked incredibly down to earth in Ian's SUV.

"Don't bully the man." Cedric scolded in a more formal tone.

"Fine." Ian grumbled. "We're here to visit, the cars behind us are his security team."

"Yes, sir." The guard quickly saluted before waving to his companions to open the gates.

"Thanks." Cedric and Ian said before driving into the compound.

Since the attacks by the Rajas, Cedric had security increased. He also asked for more security cameras as well as for military assistance for his uncle Jose.

Inside the compound, life seemed to be going on as it would normally.

Children were rushing off to school, workers to their offices, and some women were gossiping on the side.

Ian and Cedric spotted their destination inside the compound, it was the local Mor Co. office where several high ranking officials were waiting for them.

"Wanna give them a shock?" Ian asked with a grin.

He didn't need to ask to know that Cedric would be more than happy to prank the high strung officials.