Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Yolanda was taken aback, a bitter feeling washing over her.
“Caden, I…” she began, but before she could finish, the call ended. Holding the now silent phone, Yolanda was overwhelmed by a surge of bitterness.
She vividly remembered how desperate Caden had been when he found out Alicia was in danger. She knew he had been with Alicia all this time. Wasn’t she jealous? Wasn’t she hurt? Of course, she was. But there were bigger issues at hand.
She had made mistakes-answering Alicia’s call with Caden’s phone without permission and lying about it. She needed to correct these wrongs first.
Just then, Dorian called her.
Yolanda looked at the screen but wasn’t in the mood to talk, so she hung up.
Dorian then sent a text: “Have you spoken to Caden?”
Yolanda responded with a simple “Yes.”
Dorian, sitting in the living room, set his phone down and sighed. “I don’t understand her thoughts. She keeps lowering her standards for a man.”
For years, Yolanda had been cherished by her family. She was their darling, always getting whatever she wanted. Yet, her infatuation with Caden seemed to have enchanted her, causing her to lose sight of herself.
Yolanda’s mother, Regina Moss, overheard his words and smiled. “Isn’t it you who spoiled her? You urge her to be sensible, yet behind the scenes, you lower yourself to form an alliance with the Ward family. She knows you adore her, which is why she acts so willfully.”
Dorian’s lips tightened, and his face took on a serious look.
He knew Regina was right, but Yolanda was his only child, and he loved her deeply. What else could he do but make her wishes come true?
Regina went to fetch a bottle of headache pills and was about to open it when Dorian intercepted her. “Regina, let me do that.”
Regina looked down. “Dorian, Yolanda is an adult now, and she has her own plans. We shouldn’t control her. Let’s not interfere in her personal matters anymore.”
Dorian’s face was unreadable. “If I don’t help her, she’s going to go through a lot of pain by Caden’s side.”
“We’ve seen Caden grow up. We know his character,” Regina argued. “If he cares for Yolanda, that’s wonderful. If not, we can’t force him.”
Dorian’s headache intensified. He frowned deeply, filling the room with tension.
“What if I choose to be unfair?” he asked.
Regina looked at him dispassionately. “Then I won’t force you.”
He paused, feeling the tension between them. He tried to reach out to embrace her, but Regina stood and walked away. He didn’t even manage to touch the edge of her clothes.
After returning to town, Alicia went straight to see Monica.
Monica’s calf had been bitten, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone. After a week in the hospital, she was back home. Lennon had arranged for a family doctor to care for her.
Alicia showed up with a gift. Lennon had initially blamed Alicia, but his anger faded after hearing about what she had gone through. Still, he couldn’t manage a smile.
Alicia was filled with remorse and apologized sincerely. She entered to see Monica while Lennon instructed the servant to put away the gift. He looked at it and felt something was off.
“Wait. Bring it here for me to see.”
He opened the gift box and found a heavy, solid gold ornament. The gold was finely crafted.
The gold itself wasn’t anything special, but the pearl in the center was truly stunning. With his keen eye, Lennon instantly recognized the pearl as a rare piece from the Ward family.
Caden was known to collect rare items to gain favor, but Lennon had never expected to receive one himself. He was shocked, thrilled, and then a chill ran through him. The gift was from Alicia, and Caden hadn’t appeared or said anything. Still, the intent was clear.
Caden was trying to make up for her mistake, and Lennon should be smart enough to recognize the effort. Taking a deep breath, Lennon quickly instructed the housekeeper, “Go buy the finest and most expensive ingredients. Prepare a feast and treat Alicia as an honored guest.”
In the bedroom, Alicia and Monica were deep in conversation. Both had come close to losing their lives, but Monica, ever carefree, shrugged it off. She reassured Alicia that she’d be back to her usual energetic self by next month. Alicia smiled, feeling a sense of relief.
“The evidence of Joshua’s crime has been verified, and the police are taking action. Neither the Green family nor the Yates family can protect him,” Alicia said.
Monica remained positive. “I suppose we owe him thanks for his disgraceful behavior.” They exchanged a knowing smile.
Just then, a doctor knocked and entered to change Monica’s bandages. Monica’s face went a bit pale, but she tried to stay composed.
“Alicia, why don’t you step outside and grab a bite to eat? The smell of the medicine isn’t very nice,” she suggested.
Alicia didn’t leave. As the bandages came off, she caught sight of the severe wound on Monica’s calf. The sight of the blood and Monica’s pale face, along with her inaudible groans of pain, brought tears to Alicia’s eyes. She remained by Monica’s side for several hours, silent.
“I’m alright, Alicia,” Monica tried to reassure her. “It’s just a bit of flesh gone. It will heal eventually.”
Alicia’s gaze remained firm as she softly replied, “I will make things right for you.”
When Alicia visited the police station, she encountered Caden. He was in conversation with the sergeant, and a lawyer stood next to him.
Alicia immediately recognized the well-known lawyer. It was Jeffrey Benson. At that moment, Jeffrey was respectfully handing some documents to the police sergeant. After their discussion, they walked out, and Caden noticed Alicia.
His features were impressive, giving off a sense of authority. “What brings you here?” he asked.
Alicia responded, “I need the police’s assistance to locate something.”
Jeffrey, noticing the unusual vibe between them, said his goodbyes and left.
Alicia watched him as he walked away, admiring his confident stride.
Caden casually remarked, “Do you like him? I have WhatsApp. I can send you his ID later.”
Alicia was brought back to reality, unaware of the slight jealousy in his voice. Curiously, she asked, “Did you hire him for a case?”
Caden hesitated. A case?
“Yes, there’s a case to be dealt with.”
Alicia had her own matters to resolve, so she didn’t dwell on the subject.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” she said, then added, “Wait for me outside.”
Caden raised an eyebrow. “Are you ordering me around?”
Alicia entered the police station without another word. After addressing her needs, she exited the station and entered Caden’s car. Once inside, she immediately questioned, “Did you hire Jeffrey to handle Joshua’s case?”
Caden confirmed with a nod.
“How did you manage that? I heard he hasn’t accepted any cases in recent years.”
Caden smiled and replied, “I requested his assistance, and he agreed to help.”
She paused, taken aback. Was Caden really that influential?
Alicia considered his wealth and assumed he must have compensated Jeffrey generously.
“How much did you pay him?” she asked, curious. “Someone like him must charge tens of millions of dollars.”
“I pay him an annual salary of 80 million dollars after taxes.”
Alicia was utterly astonished. Her eyes widened.
“He’s your company’s in-house lawyer?” she asked, incredulously.
Caden replied with ease, “Yes, he’s been with Blizzard Group for two years now.”
Alicia suddenly remembered a past conversation with Caden, where she had teased him about his inability to hire Jeffrey. It turned out she was the one mistaken.
Alicia smiled awkwardly and said, “That’s quite remarkable.”
This world truly was a playground for capitalists. Without dwelling on her discomfort, Caden asked, “What did you need at the police station?”
“I’m looking for a dog,” she answered, referring to the one that had bitten Monica.
Caden didn’t ask more. He drove her to the gallery.
During the drive, he received a call from Joy Mansion. They informed him that Yolanda was feeling unwell and requested his return.
“Is it serious?” Caden asked with a furrowed brow. “Did you call a doctor?”
He spoke openly, allowing Alicia to hear the entire conversation. She wisely chose to stay quiet and simply looked out the window.
“I understand. I’ll return shortly,” Caden said, ending the call with a serious expression.
Alicia didn’t intrude with questions.
When they arrived at the gallery, Alicia got out, and Caden drove off. At Joy Mansion, Yolanda’s room was crowded with doctors.
Yolanda continued to cough, and upon seeing Caden, Ciara explained, “We’ve been to the hospital already. Her weakness is a longstanding issue, and it’s not something that can be cured quickly. She needs time to recover. She caught a cold from staying up late working and now has a slight fever.”
In short, the situation wasn’t critical, but since her illness was work-related-and involved Caden-Ciara felt it necessary to call him.
Caden removed his coat and approached Yolanda. Yolanda coughed so violently that she bent over, eyes closed, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Caden’s lips pressed together. “Take her to the hospital,” he ordered.
Yolanda raised her head at the sound of his voice, her eyes briefly brightening. She wiped away the blood and said calmly, “I’m fine…” Caden.”
The doctors left to arrange the hospital transfer. Yolanda sat up and looked at him intently. Her eyes were red as she smiled. “I’m really fine. It was just a cold. But Ciara got so worried that she insisted you come.”
She paused, then added with a touch of resentment, “Did I disturb you by making you hurry back? Will Ms. Bennett… hold it against me?”
Caden was unhappy.
What did this have to do with Alicia?