Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Caden raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening. “So, five more times in bed then?”
Her silence stretched on, thick with tension.
Eventually, Alicia let out a long, defeated sigh and gave a reluctant nod.
Caden, satisfied, amended their little “agreement.” Alicia’s hands hovered over the keyboard, clenching tightly as she struggled against the urge to scream.
Caden looked up at her, his expression softening ever so slightly.
“I want you to apologize,” she demanded, her voice low but firm.
She wanted him to at least show some remorse for speaking out of turn.
But Caden wasn’t about to give in so easily. He brushed her hand aside, dismissing her demand with cold detachment. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. This agreement says we’ll have sex, and we will. After that, we can go back to quarreling.”
Alicia’s heart sank.
She wasn’t willing to let this go, but she knew deep down there was no winning with him. Even so, she pressed down on the keyboard, refusing to let him type.
His eyes darkened as he looked at her. “Alicia,” he said coldly, his earlier playfulness evaporating, “this is not negotiable.”
Her gaze met his, and she saw that the cunning from earlier had vanished, replaced by something far more ruthless.
He was like a cold-blooded serpent; his very presence sent a chill down her spine.
Alicia yanked her hand away, her eyes blazing with anger. “Before the agreement ends, if either of us so much as breathes wrong, there will be consequences!”
Caden didn’t seem to mind at all. “And what consequences would those be?”
She bit out each word with a sharpness that matched her glare. “A public apology posted online, chemical castration, and a ten-billion-dollar payout to the other party.”
At this, Caden’s expression finally faltered.
Chemical castration?
A sudden shudder ran down his spine, and though he would never admit it, he felt a phantom ache-a discomfort creeping beneath his skin.
Five days of this month had already passed.
Excluding the days of her period, and considering they had already been together once, that left the unfortunate reality of an average of once a day for the rest of the month.
Alicia tried to dodge him at every turn, finding excuses and stalling, but Caden…
He wasn’t in a rush.
After all, she could only evade him for so long.
The next evening, her phone rang with a call from Caden. She hesitated but ultimately answered, still simmering with the anger she hadn’t yet let go of. “What do you want?” she asked, her voice sour.
Caden’s tone was cool and matter-of-fact. “Don’t you want what Randolph gave me?”
Her irritation was immediately replaced by curiosity.
“Of course I do.”
“Then come to my office.”
Relief washed over her-at least he wasn’t calling her back to the apartment.
She wasted no time and hurried over.
Upon arriving, Alicia bumped into Hank, who was just leaving work. A broad smile lit up his face.
“Mr. Ward is in his office,” he said cheerily.
Alicia couldn’t help but smile back at him. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”
Hank chuckled, his grin widening. “I got off work early today. It’s a rare treat. I’m meeting an old friend for dinner.”
Alicia gave him a congratulatory thumbs-up, recalling how eerily quiet it was when she stepped foot inside the building-no employees, no bustling activity.
It was still early, but the place was deserted. She couldn’t help but envy their early departure.
But her smile vanished the moment she stepped into Caden’s office.
The sound of water running greeted her, which meant Caden was in the shower.
A sinking feeling spread through her chest-this wasn’t a simple business meeting. She had hoped to avoid any torment by meeting him here, but she quickly realized that coming to the office had been his plan all along.
He lured her into the bathroom to shower. After that, his true intentions surfaced, evident in the wicked gleam in his eyes.
The vast, empty office floor was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass windows, towering above the city, yet hidden from prying eyes.
Alicia found herself pressed against the cold glass, her fingers digging into Caden’s neck for support as her breath grew uneven and ragged.
Her lips, swollen from his relentless kisses, pressed desperately against his damp shoulder, trying to muffle the sounds of her surrender.
She felt completely undone by him-his touch had changed.
His skill had grown sharper, more intense, as if he’d honed it for this very moment. His hands, his lips… they knew exactly how to unravel her.
When it was finally over, Alicia’s nails bore the evidence of her struggle.
Blood marked Caden’s broad back, chest, and neck-her feeble attempts to push him away had turned into traces of her surrender.
Reality struck her as she caught her breath, panic curling around her chest-this would be her life, her reality, for the rest of the month.
Tears welled up in her eyes as her last sliver of strength crumbled. “I’ll cook… I’ll cook, okay? Just cancel those five times, Caden, please…” She sobbed, her voice shaking.
Caden cupped her tear-streaked face in his hands, his lips brushing against her wet cheeks. He kissed her softly, tasting her tears.
He let out a low chuckle, teasing her as he swallowed her sadness.
Alicia drifted off to sleep on the bed in the dimly lit lounge.
Caden, on the other hand, remained fully awake, despite their passionate affair just now.
His body thrummed with a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction coursing through his veins.
He pulled out the USB drive Randolph had slipped to him earlier, and until now, Caden hadn’t bothered to look at its contents.
He had intended to watch it with Alicia, but she had tired more quickly than expected.
A wry smile tugged at his lips. Actually, he had made sure of that. Wearing her out had been part of his plan-a sly way to keep her compliant, perhaps even coax her into cooking for him.
Caden plugged in the USB and clicked on the audio file, and the next second, a low hum emerged from the speakers.
The crackling sound was unmistakably from a secret recording, untouched and raw.
Caden’s casual demeanor shifted as the recorded conversation filled the room. At first, it seemed like any other piece of incriminating evidence-something banal in its criminality. But as the recording continued, a deep crease formed between his brows.
His gaze flickered toward the closed lounge door, where Alicia slept peacefully.
Reaching for the volume, he dialed it down to barely a whisper, leaning in closer to catch every word. The recording wasn’t long-less than five minutes-but each second was packed with damning details.
It took him back three years, to the time of a tragic plane crash.
No survivors, the headlines had said, and everyone believed it was a terrible accident. Except, it wasn’t.
Joshua’s name surfaced in the recording; he had been one of the orchestrators behind it all.
Caden clenched his jaw, the weight of the revelation hitting him hard. Though he had distanced himself from the Yates family long ago, their dirty deeds had never truly been out of reach.
They reaped what they sowed, and he had no intention of being dragged back into their web.
More importantly, that crash three years ago-Alicia’s parents had died in it.
His thoughts raced as he quickly cross-referenced the details.
While there was no direct proof linking Joshua to the death of Alicia’s parents, the pieces were starting to fit too neatly.
Caden pressed his lips into a tight, thin line, his face shadowed by the harsh light overhead.
The sharp brightness felt oppressive, casting stark contrasts over his expression and amplifying the rising tension beneath his cool exterior.
Without a second thought, he grabbed his phone and dialed an anonymous number.
“Get this done for me. I want answers within a day.”
Once the call ended, Caden slipped the USB drive into the safe, locking it securely away.
Two hours later, Alicia stirred, her mouth parched and her body aching in familiar places.
Every sexual encounter with Caden left her crotch and legs throbbing with soreness, a discomfort she’d unfortunately grown used to. Wincing slightly, she slid off the bed, her steps slow and cautious as she made her way out.
By now, the sky outside was already dark.
In the dim office, only two wall lamps remained on, their soft glow casting long, indistinct shadows that danced across the room.
By the window, Caden sat in quiet contemplation, a half-finished glass of wine in his hand.
Alicia found her eyes drawn to him, studying the tousled strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead. His shirt, now slightly wrinkled, had several buttons undone, revealing the hard planes of his chest.