Never Judge

Cedric tried to send all of his friends home since he didn't want to burden them with the additional problem of Dominic's father calling Jonathan. But naturally, all of them wanted to stay and find out. 

"The three boys are all tucked in. They didn't want to stay in separate rooms or separate beds so their nannies all placed them in Yoyo's bed." Katerina explained as she joined them in Cedric's office.

They decided to move the party from outside to a much more comfortable area. 

"Thanks for doing this for us, Katerina." Adrianna said with a smile as she looked at the young lawyer.

"It's fine. I love those boys as if they were my own." She replied with a grin.

"Maybe we can make one of our own too?" Eric teased, earning him a punch on the shoulder from his girlfriend.

"Do you want our parents to disown us?" She asked.

"I doubt our parents would disown us for starting a family." Eric said with a laugh as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"Your career and mine would suffer, we've already discussed this." Katerina complained as she tried to pry his hands off of her.

"Fine, fine." Eric said as he pulled Katerina onto his lap. 

"Hey, I don't want to see you getting all sweet and horny with my sister." Alexi grumbled. "I am happy that you are together but I don't want to see this."

"We'll keep it at a minimum." Katerina told Alexi as she slid off of Eric's lap and down to the space next to him on the couch. 

"Do you think Jonathan is in any danger?" Adrianna asked Cedric who was smiling as he observed the exchange between his friends.

"It's possible." Cedric said as he looked at his wife.

He could see the worry and concern on her face as she thought of her friend's younger brother. It was clear that she cared for him and treated him as her own brother. 

Cedric knew that as an only child Adrianna had always wanted to have a sibling, unfortunately her mother, Gracia Hernandez, had a difficult time conceiving.

Gracia Hernandez almost died when she gave birth to Adrianna. This was also one of the reasons why the Hernandezes worried a lot about their daughter.

Unfortunately the way they showed that they cared went beyond what was not normal and even encroached on Adrianna's personal freedom. 

"What are you thinking about?" Adrianna asked as she noticed that Cedric had zone out. 

"Oh, just about how you really consider Jonathan to be like a younger brother to you." Cedric said as he placed a hand on his wife's cheek.

"I can't help it. He grew up around us." Adrianna said with a shrug.

"He will only be in danger if Dominic's father has the capability to harm him." Cedric explained. "It's possible that the man could be quite powerful and influential. I mean how can you hide from the Esteves family for this long if you didn't have your own resources." 

"I just wish he wouldn't go after Jonathan." Adrianna told Cedric.

"We both know that we can't control that." Cedric told his wife. "Jonathan knows where Dominic is, he also knows where Julia is. To Dominic's father, Jonathan is a key piece."

"Cedric, do you think Jonathan would like to meet Dominic?" Veronica asked as she joined in on his conversation with Adrianna.

"I'm sure he would love that, but are you ready to do that?" Cedric asked her.

"Yes, I think we are." Veronica responded with a nod. "Dominic deserves to know that a lot of people love him. The more people love him, the happier he will be."

"I don't think Dominic will be able to meet Jonathan tonight, V." Miguel said. "Katerina already put the boys to bed and if we wake one of them up we will end up waking all of them."

"They can meet each other tomorrow." Cedric told the couple. "I'm planning on asking Jonathan to move food here in the meantime. I think it would be best for his safety."

"What about their parents?" Adrianna asked.

"I'll give them added security." He told his wife.

A knock soon came from the door and a maid entered.

"Sir, Mr. Jonathan Tiu is here." A maid announced.

"Let him in and please bring everyone refreshments." Cedric told the maid, who bowed in response and let Jonathan into Cedric's office.

"Please, sit." Cedric told the other man as he gestured towards the empty seat closest to him and Adrianna.

"I didn't expect that everyone would be here." Jonathan said as he scratched the back of his head.

"We were having a party when you called." Cedric said with a smile. 

"Oh, I'm sorry if I crashed the party." Jonathan apologized looking down at his feed, avoiding eye contact with the people in the room.

"It's fine. Do you know everyone here?" Cedric asked.

"N- no." Jonathan replied, shaking his head. "I only know Dr. Miguel and his wife, Miss Veronica, and of course, Mr. Abad." 

"Just call me Ram, please." Ram told Jonathan. "My past is with your sister, not with you. I think we would have been friends if it weren't for my break up with her."

Jonathan smiled but said nothing.

"Right, let me introduce you to everyone." Cedric said as he began pointing at each person and introducing them to Jonathan.

The younger man simply nodded and smiled, Cedric knew that the people in the room could be quite intimidating so he worried that Jonathan wouldn't speak because of the people around. 

To Cedric's surprise, Jonathan didn't seem intimidated, he was simply a quiet person. 

"Jonathan, you can't let anyone know that Guan Ming is here with us." Cedric warned.

"I won't. I actually have reason to protect that information now." Jonathan said with a determined tone in his voice.

"Sir, your drinks." A maid said as several of them entered the room with everyone's preferred drinks.

"Thank you." Cedric told the maids.

"Please prepare rooms for everyone, including Jonathan." Adrianna instructed the maids who simply nodded and left to do what they were told.

"We don't have to stay too." Alexi said.

"It's late, stay the night. Have breakfast. It will be like when we were kids." Cedric said with a shrug. 

"I don't think I should stay either, I don't want to intrude." Jonathan told Cedric and Adrianna as well.

"Cedric and I want to make sure you are safe. Plus there is someone we think you should meet." Adrianna told Jonathan with a smile.

"M- m- my nephew?" Jonathan asked in a shaky voice. "You'll let me meet him? I mean his parents will let me meet him? Can he know who I am?" He asked.

"Yes, we have nothing against it." Miguel responded with a nod. "As a matter of fact I think it will be good to have you in his life."

"Thank you, thank you." Jonathan said as he began to cry.

Cedric allowed Jonathan a few moments to gather himself before asking him the question that was burning at the back of everyone's minds. 

Who was Dominic's father?

"Jonathan, you have something to tell us?" Cedric asked when he noticed that Jonathan was in a better condition.

"Yes, yes, I do. I know who Dominic's father is and you won't be happy, because I'm not." Jonathan said with a frown.

"Who is it?" Adrianna asked.

"It's Lucius Ting.." Jonathan announced.