Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
“I’m afraid not,” the agent answered anxiously. “We’re still looking into it. Considering the uproar we caused on different online platforms, we’ll definitely be sued once we’re exposed. Also, someone posted records of your meetings with Joshua in various hotels, all while he was still married to Alicia. A bunch of netizens are already calling you his mistress. They’re stirring up a great deal of discourse as we speak.”
Lilliana was livid.
It must be Alicia again-there couldn’t have been anyone else! That bitch had gone after Joshua first, and now she was coming for Lilliana. Alicia was trying to ruin them one by one, that scheming wench!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Cedric was even more furious than Lilliana. “What the hell did you do to that woman?” he demanded in a booming voice.
Lilliana hung up and angrily tossed her phone to the side. “That bitch, Alicia, had it coming! I just put her in her place; it’s what she deserves! How was I supposed to know everything would blow up one day?”
She turned to her father and quickly changed her tone. “You have to help me, Dad!”
Cedric let out a heavy sigh. So much was happening all at once. He was overwhelmed.
It took him a while to finally speak, and when he did, his tone was stern. “I will help you, but you must promise that once all this mess is resolved, you will leave the entertainment industry and behave yourself, once and for all. Do we have an understanding?”
Lilliana nodded vigorously, eager to agree to anything as long as it would fix the mess, as her father had called it.
Cedric stomped away, still fuming. Lilliana left soon after to go to Joshua. Despite their differences, it was clear that this issue needed immediate resolution.
“It doesn’t matter how much money we have, Joshua. We can’t afford a scandal of this magnitude! We need to shut this down before it gets worse.” Lilliana’s eyes gleamed with malice as she spoke. “We’ll have to get rid of Alicia for good. We can’t waste any more time.”
Countless cigarette butts littered the ground at Joshua’s feet. He exhaled another puff of smoke, his face contorting into an expression of pure, unbridled hatred. “I know what to do.”
Meanwhile, Caden had just arrived at Joy Mansion. He had promised Ciara he would join her for dinner that evening. As he walked out of the garage, his phone buzzed.
“I have an update on the suspect, Mr. Ward. It was all orchestrated by Jerald.”
Caden brushed the snow off his shoulders, his lips curling into a smirk.
So, the person trying to eliminate him was his own father. He wasn’t surprised, nor did he care much. “There’s no need to keep an eye on him. He won’t cause any real trouble.”
“Understood, Mr. Ward.”
Caden gave a few more instructions before hanging up.
The mansion was brightly lit, and Ciara sat gracefully in her chair, dignified and elegant, yet exuding a warmth that made the room feel cozy. When she saw Caden walk into the foyer by himself, she shifted in her seat.
“Why are you alone?” she asked calmly.
Caden took off his coat and handed it to a waiting servant. “I ended up working late, so I told Hank to head home first.”
Ciara gave him a dry look. The young man was becoming more glib these days-more cunning, too. But since Caden wasn’t keen on discussing his love life, she decided to let it go. Worried that he might be hungry, she quickly ordered the kitchen staff to serve dinner.
She had brought a trusted maid from her hometown, a woman with divine cooking skills. Every dish was tailored to Caden’s tastes.
However, Caden found the meal mediocre. The soup lacked flavor, and the stir-fried dishes were slightly undercooked.
“Have you had a check-up recently?” Ciara suddenly asked. “How were your results?”
Caden realized he hadn’t thought about his routine check-ups for a while. Since he started living with Alicia, his illness hadn’t been on his mind much. On the other hand, Ciara was constantly concerned about him.
Seeing that Caden hadn’t brought a woman home like she had hoped, Ciara figured the least he could do was ease her mind.
“I’ll go for a check-up tomorrow,” he said.
“Make sure to forward your results to me,” Ciara replied, without missing a beat. “I’d like to take a look at them myself.”
“All right.”
They ate in silence for a while. When Ciara realized Caden wasn’t going to volunteer any information, she decided to prod him.
“Have you heard from Yolanda? She mentioned she’ll be coming to Warrington in a few days.”
“Warrington is so cold this time of year,” Caden replied noncommittally. “What’s her rush?”
Ciara’s eyes narrowed meaningfully. “Are you saying that because you’re concerned for her, or is it because you don’t want her to come at all?”
Caden placed a piece of fish on her plate without saying anything. Ciara waited for a response, but he didn’t even acknowledge her question.
And Caden wasn’t going to. In the first place, he had only turned to the Moss family for help because Dorian Moss, the patriarch of the family, had once been involved in a secret project.
Despite its initial success, the project was forcibly shut down and erased because it threatened to disrupt the social order as the world knew it.
However, Caden desperately needed the knowledge and expertise that had been invested in the venture. After years of searching, he finally located Dorian, the only surviving member of the original team. With no other options, Caden had no choice but to propose a deal to the Moss family.
They claimed they wanted nothing in return and volunteered their help without any hesitation.
Caden was, therefore, taken aback when Dorian refused to meet in person. Instead, Dorian sent Yolanda, a woman he had trained for over a decade.
“Yolanda is smarter than I am, and she wants to explore the world. I entrust my daughter to you, Caden. Take good care of her,” Dorian had said.
The Moss family, though not flamboyant, wielded considerable influence, a fact Caden was well aware of. The Ward family was at the forefront, with the Moss family not far behind. Additionally, the senior members of both families had shared a strong friendship for many years.
Since Caden had initially sought their assistance, the Moss family’s proposal could not be easily declined without causing offense. To reject it would be seen as a slight.
Breaking the silence, Ciara asked, “You’re aware that Yolanda has had feelings for you since she was young, aren’t you?”
Caden replied nonchalantly, “No.”
“Well, now you are,” Ciara added.
“That’s not particularly good news,” Caden replied dryly.
Ciara agreed. She had never liked Yolanda, finding her moody and high-maintenance. While Yolanda was certainly intelligent, she was also delicate and overly coddled by her father, Dorian, who indulged her every whim. If Yolanda were to join the Ward family, Ciara knew what the result would be-she would need to be treated like royalty.
Ciara sighed. “Regardless, I’d prefer a cheerful, optimistic granddaughter-in-law.”
Caden responded, “I view marriage as a business deal.”
This irritated Ciara slightly, but then she remembered the long-standing illness that had affected him for years. She held back her frustration. “Don’t you have feelings for the woman you’re currently seeing?”
Caden lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable. “If I had feelings for her, I would have introduced her to you by now.”
He hadn’t brought her along, which meant, in Caden’s eyes, he didn’t have feelings for her. Ciara’s heart sank.
“Do what you think is best,” she said softly. “Yolanda likes you, and you need her support. Maybe you’ll grow to have feelings for her after you’re married.”
Caden felt nothing. He regarded the plan with the same indifference he had toward his routine work.
“You’re right. If you’re eager for a great-grandchild, I could have her undergo IVF to have a child,” Caden suggested, trying to soothe Ciara.
Ciara shook her head. “Yolanda’s health isn’t great. We should discuss this later.”
Though she longed for a great-grandchild, she didn’t want to impose on Yolanda’s well-being.
After some time, Ciara asked, “Does this mean you’ve accepted the Moss family’s proposal?”
Caden didn’t give a direct answer. “I’ll be picking up Yolanda in a few days.”
Ciara felt a twinge in her heart.
She sighed. “You always set such high standards for yourself.”
Caden laughed lightly. “High standards? Or am I just exploiting the situation?”
Ciara noticed that his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. At his mid-twenties, Caden was used to making bold, decisive decisions for his ambitions. But in that moment, Ciara saw a flicker of hesitation.
Could it be that he had feelings for the woman he was seeing? Perhaps he did, but hadn’t acknowledged them yet.
Ciara resolved to act, considering she was already in Warrington and wanted to make the most of her visit. After they had dinner, Caden stayed briefly before leaving.
As the maid picked up the dishes, she sighed and remarked, “Mr. Ward hardly ate anything.”
This distressed Ciara, who scolded herself. “I won’t bring this up at the dinner table again.”
Caden then headed back to his company, spending hours reviewing the details of a project.
The leaders in any field often seemed naturally talented, and Dorian’s skills were remarkable-he was a real talent, irreplaceable.
Caden briefly closed his eyes in thought.
When he returned to the apartment, Alicia had already fallen asleep from exhaustion. However, her sleep wasn’t deep. As soon as he climbed into bed, she rolled over and nestled into his arms.
“Caden?” she mumbled sleepily.
Caden whispered back, “Yes.”
In the dim light, he noticed the slight shadows under her eyes. Lately, she had been pushing herself hard, treating her body like a machine and working relentlessly.
“What do you need?” Caden asked softly. “Are you short on something?”
Alicia’s eyes remained shut.
“I need a lot,” she murmured quietly, but left it vague.
A silence settled between them.
Caden, no longer feeling like talking, settled down to sleep. Alicia’s back was pressed against his chest, their skin touching. She heard his stomach growl softly.
She barely opened her eyes. After a moment, she asked, “Did you skip dinner?”
Caden hadn’t been hungry earlier, but her question made him aware of his hunger.