Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Alicia pulled away from him. Then she spoke with the auction staff to have Caden’s payment reversed back to his account.
She paid for it herself.
And then, she arranged for someone to retrieve the necklace.
Caden sat in the chair, maintaining a cold expression, exuding an air of superiority.
The man who had been trying to win Alicia’s favor observed the scene and felt secretly pleased.
Caden’s earlier actions had startled him, leading him to think that Caden and Alicia were a couple. But now, it appeared that, like him, Caden was just another suitor competing for Alicia’s attention.
Gathering his courage, he approached Alicia.
“Ms. Bennett, if it’s alright with you, may I assist you in putting on the necklace?”
Upon hearing this, Caden glanced over, his gaze sharp as a blade.
Alicia could feel Caden’s gaze boring into the back of her head.
It was heavy and oppressive, and she was certain that if she looked back at him, she would see the clear threat and possessiveness in his eyes.
But she wasn’t about to indulge him in this behavior. Alicia wasn’t some juvenile girl; she had no interest in such childish games.
Since they were still in a public space, she maintained her composure and acted graciously toward the man, all while keeping her distance.
“I have no plans on wearing it at the moment. Please go ahead with your business. I have something to attend to myself. Good day.”
The man was persistent, however.
“Then please allow me to give you a lift, Miss Bennett.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she calmly replied. “I will be looking at some other jewelry with my friend.”
At that, the man finally took the hint.
He waved for one of the employees and had the girl escort Alicia out.
Men were highly susceptible to beauty, especially when the subject managed to captivate them at first glance.
The same applied to the man now, as he reluctantly watched Alicia leave. He wasn’t quite ready to let her go just yet.
Caden fiddled with his lighter, his cold eyes taking in every single detail as he sized the other man up. How dare this bastard covet Alicia?
As if sensing Caden’s malicious gaze on him, the man turned and smiled warmly.
“Ah, Mr. Ward. Shall I have someone see you off as well?”
Caden got up to leave without saying anything.
Alicia was standing in front of a display case, smiling as Monica tried on various pieces of jewelry.
Monica’s eyes sparkled as she reached for an emerald necklace. Everyone could tell that she liked it very much.
Without wasting another second, Alicia walked up to the cashier to pay for it.
Caden had been watching the entire time, his expression turning pensive.
Had he misunderstood the situation?
Alicia didn’t seem the least bit upset.
If he didn’t know any better, he might have thought that the incident in Averibon hadn’t occurred at all.
The next thing he knew, the man from earlier had sidled up next to him.
Caden didn’t need to look to know that he was checking out Alicia, too.
“Miss Bennett is truly remarkable,” the man murmured with a dreamy sigh.
“Don’t you have other things to do?” Caden snapped, irritation creeping into his voice.
The man shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He admired Caden, but also feared him.
In the face of a romantic rivalry, however, he refused to back down.
“I can spare some time to admire Miss Bennett while she’s still here,” the man replied boldly.
Caden glowered. “She’s mine. Can’t you understand that, you twat?”
The man knew that, of course, but he wasn’t keen on accepting it as fact.
“Is that so? But Miss Bennett seemed rather cold to you earlier. She didn’t even want to spend your money.” The man’s tone grew sly as he added, “Though, I am very impressed, Mr. Ward. Not every man is able to tame their girlfriend to be so considerate.”
Caden felt a pang in his chest at that last word, and he vaguely wanted to crawl out of his skin.
It was true that he had once hoped for Alicia to be considerate, docile, and obedient to him. He had wanted her to be like the traditional wives from the previous generation, relying solely on their men to provide for them.
Well, it looked like he was getting what he wished for now.
Alicia wasn’t getting jealous, refused to spend his money, and wasn’t being difficult like she used to be.
So, why was her behavior bothering him?
She used to get all sarcastic with him at the mere mention of Yolanda’s name, but now, Alicia didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow whenever Yolanda was brought up in conversation.
The more Caden thought about the differences between the past and present Alicia, the more distressed he became.
In the end, he couldn’t take the frustration and stomped out of the establishment.
As for Alicia, she completed her purchase and headed back to the gallery.
She was still swamped with work, and she threw herself into it with gusto.
Everything was in order, and no one noticed anything unusual in her behavior.
Apart from her short trips home to feed Cade, Alicia practically lived at the gallery in the days that followed.
Caden, on the other hand, didn’t want to come home to a cold and empty apartment. So, he began dining at the mansion with Ciara.
But things weren’t going as he expected. In the past, Ciara would call him, nagging about not visiting enough. Now that he willingly spent more time with her, she kept complaining, even short of actually kicking him out.
“Why do you keep hanging around, eh? You should be sharing your meals with Alicia,” she scolded.
Caden suppressed his inner turmoil and calmly took another bite of his dinner. “I especially came here to eat with you, and you’re complaining?”
Ciara’s eyes narrowed, ever perceptive. She saw right through him. “So you haven’t groveled at her feet and asked for her forgiveness, have you?”
“Why would I do such a thing?” Caden scoffed. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Alicia is not an unreasonable girl. I’m sure she has a perfectly good reason to be upset with you. Am I wrong?” Ciara’s words stung, but Caden furrowed his brows, his temper flaring. “Stay out of this.”
It wasn’t until Yolanda had completely moved out of Joy Mansion that Caden finally agreed to stay there.
After a shower one night, he wandered around the halls and noticed several new paintings hanging on the wall.
He learned soon enough that Ciara had bought them from Alicia’s gallery.
“Since when did you start collecting paintings? Do you even like art?” Caden frowned as he asked, though the questions were mostly rhetorical. “You sought her out on purpose, didn’t you?”
Ciara lifted her chin like a petulant child. “So what if I did? I was just supporting her business as your grandmother. She’ll be entitled to our family’s wealth once you’re married, anyway. What’s wrong with giving her a bit of it now?”
Caden peered at the paintings, realizing they were pretty valuable pieces. They must have fetched a hefty price each.
No wonder Alicia was so confident during the bidding. She hadn’t even flinched when she bid 200 million dollars for a single necklace.
It turned out that someone had recently lined her pockets, and generously at that.
Caden’s face darkened. “You just keep making things difficult for me,” he muttered to his grandmother before turning away.
Ciara watched him walk off, utterly bewildered. “You brat! Can’t you see that I’m helping you win her back? Why are you blaming me? Are you having a quarter-life crisis?”
Caden didn’t acknowledge her, continuing down the hall without a word.
Ciara huffed in frustration. Brushing off Caden’s tantrum, she put on her reading glasses and opened the painting catalog she’d been holding.
She waved Jasmine over. “Come here and help me choose.” Despite the tension, Ciara was in high spirits, as if her brief exchange with Caden hadn’t happened at all. “I’ll buy a few more of the expensive ones and hang them all in that rascal’s bedroom!”
The next day, Caden received an unexpected call from Alicia.
“Do you have time in the coming days?” she asked gently.
Caden glanced at his desk calendar. His schedule was packed.
“Yes,” he lied smoothly.
“Great. I’m going on a business trip in the next couple of days, and I need someone to feed Cade. I’ve written down instructions on what and when to feed him. You just have to follow them.”
Caden’s jaw dropped open.
This was why she called? To ask him to take care of a dog? The bite in his voice was unmistakable when he said, “So you’re more concerned about a dog than me?”
Alicia asked, “Are you really comparing yourself to Cade? Cade is a pet. He’s dependent. Are you suggesting you’re like him?”