Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Alicia looked into his eyes. Despite the intensity of the moment overwhelming her, she wondered if he would willingly become her prey.
The mere thought thrilled her.
She was beginning to understand the pleasures of being in control.
She withdrew her hands.
Caden gently held her waist, clearly not ready to let go. “Last month, when you were in Bechorion, I noticed you spent a lot of time with people from the tech industry. What’s on your mind?”
Alicia wasn’t surprised that he knew about her movements.
She remained silent.
Seeing her reaction, Caden guessed. “Are you getting into tech development? I’ll invest. You could start your own brand.”
He knew she had the talent, and with his backing, she might even outshine Yolanda.
Alicia’s eyes lit up. “You would invest in me? Aren’t you worried you’re empowering a future competitor?”
Caden replied, “Even the Blizzard Group will belong to you someday. You’re not a threat.”
Alicia was taken aback.
Fully immersed in business now, his proposition was incredibly tempting.
She pinched herself to stay focused. “Anyone can make grand promises. What if I say I’ll draft a will tomorrow, leaving all my assets to you and vow to have eight children with you? Would you take that seriously?”
Caden chuckled.
“Eight might be too many; two would be enough.” His smile widened. “A boy and a girl, with the boy being the older sibling. What do you think?”
Alicia felt her heart skip a beat, and a warm vision briefly crossed her mind.
She pushed him away, the charmer that he was. “Go on, get back to your affairs. I have to take Mr. Langstaff to the gallery later.”
Caden snorted.
“He’s relatively unknown. He should feel honored to enter your gallery.”
Alicia glanced to the side and noticed Blake standing not far off.
The corner of her mouth twitched.
Blake had evidently witnessed their intimate exchange.
Caden, unbothered by who might hear, didn’t soften his words.
Blake caught the comment and couldn’t resist interjecting, “Ms. Bennett hasn’t made any complaints. Perhaps you’re overreacting?”
Caden turned to face him.
Instinctively, Caden wanted to drape his arm around Alicia’s waist to signal to Blake that she was with him, but she quickly swatted his hand away.
He felt a bit awkward.
Blake chuckled at the scene.
Stepping forward, he addressed Alicia, “Ms. Bennett, I’m available whenever you’re ready. When shall we leave?”
Alicia replied with a smile, “Now seems good.”
Caden casually added, “He has a past. Make sure you bring extra security when you take him along. He might swipe a painting.”
Blake was momentarily speechless. “Caden…”
“Don’t you have a history? When I was four, you had a sweet tooth for white chocolate but weren’t allowed any, so you talked me into stealing some,” Caden remarked.
Blake was lost for words.
Alicia asked, surprised, “You two know each other?”
Recalling that episode, Blake gave Caden a stern look. “We met at a family event when we were kids. We hardly know each other.”
Caden seemed intent on peeling away Blake’s composed exterior.
“Exactly,” Caden said, “I’m just his uncle. Nothing more.”
Blake, his voice deepening, asked, “Caden, are we done here?”
“I’m your uncle. Shouldn’t there be some respect?” Caden retorted.
Blake remained silent.
He then firmly took Alicia by the wrist and led her toward his car.
Caden frowned as he glanced at their hands.
Before he could react, Alicia withdrew her hand and followed Blake, saying, “Don’t mind the madman.”
Caden’s expression softened.
He completely disregarded the fact that Alicia had just called him a madman. Just then, his phone buzzed.
Hank’s voice came through the line, filled with seriousness and urgency. “Mr. Ward, Jerald has arrived at the office.”
Jerald looked as though he had aged a decade in just a few months.
With Joshua imprisoned and Jerald discovering that both Joshua and Shelia had conspired to make him ill, things had spiraled for him. Shelia had been placed in a mental health facility, adding another blow to his already fragile state.
After the New Year, many key employees left his company, and Jerald found his years of hard work at risk of crumbling. Desperate, he had no choice but to brazenly seek Caden’s assistance.
Yet despite his predicament, Jerald still carried himself with an air of superiority as he sat waiting. Caden exited his car, his presence imposing.
Jerald scowled, scolding him, “I’m your father! I come to see you, and your staff tells me I need an appointment!”
Caden stood firm against the breeze, his posture strong, while Jerald seemed bent and weak, making Caden appear even more dominant.
Caden responded bluntly, “The policy at headquarters is that irrelevant individuals can’t enter.”
“Irrelevant? I’m your father!” Jerald retorted.
“From the day my mother left, we ended all ties,” Caden said, his smile sharp. “So, whatever you’ve come to ask for, don’t expect any sympathy from me.”
Jerald’s face darkened. He hadn’t even shared his request yet, and Caden was already dismissing him. He panted in frustration. “Legally, I am your father. You can’t change that! Do you really want to challenge me in court?”
Caden smiled, coldly. “I was the one who put Joshua in jail. Do you really want to be next?”
Jerald’s chest heaved as his anger spiked, his blood pressure rising with it. He said sternly, “Caden, I am your biological father! Aren’t you afraid of karma for treating me this way?”
Caden looked down, his voice devoid of any warmth. “The only retribution I see is yours. You lived off my mother’s wealth for decades, forgetting that you started with nothing. Every cent of the Yates family’s fortune was earned by her. She loved you deeply, yet you betrayed her from the start, lying to her for seven years.”
Over the years, Caden had perfected his composure, his voice now cold and emotionless.
He faced Jerald calmly. “If you genuinely seek my forgiveness today and are willing to repent for your past wrongs, perhaps I might show some compassion and assist you. But you’ve relied on others your entire life. Are you capable of changing that?”
Jerald’s eyes reddened with anger as he scowled. “How can you blame me for cheating? Your mother always acted so high and mighty, constantly reminding me, either directly or indirectly, that I was never good enough for her! A man wants a woman who admires and respects him. Could she ever give me that?”
Caden sneered. “You lived off the Ward family, enjoying all their privileges. Yet, because your pride was hurt, you conspired with your lover and caused her death.”
Jerald gasped for air, his words faltering. With nothing left to lose, he spat out, “She wouldn’t accept Shelia and didn’t want Joshua to know his origins. She left me no choice!”
Caden pressed his lips tightly together. The memories of his mother’s death on the operating table flooded back, the pain excruciating, as if his heart were being torn apart.
Jerald, growing agitated, had a relapse of an old ailment. Struggling to catch his breath, he fumbled for his medication, swallowing several pills. But the pain lingered, unrelenting. Leaning on his cane, he tried to move toward Caden, but his body betrayed him, and he stumbled, falling to his knees.
He struggled to get up, but his body refused to cooperate. Looking up at Caden with defiance, he rasped, “Even if you despise me, my blood is in your veins. To hate me is to hate yourself! Fix the crisis in my company now, and release Shelia. I need her service!”
No other household help satisfied him like Shelia did. He wanted only her.
Caden gazed at him, his eyes cold and piercing. “Jerald, your days are over.”
Jerald, desperate, threatened, “If you don’t help me, don’t expect to succeed in Warrington. I’ll use all my connections against you!”
Caden scoffed, disdain clear in his voice. “You’re struggling to speak, and yet you think you can bring me down?”
With a deliberate step, he crushed the bottle of medication under his foot, adding to the weight of his dismissal.
“Ever wondered why your medication isn’t working?” Caden’s words hung in the air, and Jerald was stunned, unable to comprehend what he had just heard.
He asked shakily, “What do you mean?”
Caden’s expression remained cold. “The medication Joshua provided for you is fake.”
Jerald’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He reached out for the bottle, but Caden stepped down on his hand with force.
Jerald yelped in pain, his fingers curling around Caden’s pant leg in desperation. “Caden!”
Suddenly, a thought struck him. After his discharge from the hospital, he’d been on medication for a while and had started to recover. But once Joshua had taken charge of his treatment, his health had begun to deteriorate.
His face flushed with panic, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. His voice trembled as he pleaded, “Caden, the pills you have… they’re real, right? They must be! Give me the real pills now!”