Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
“Why didn’t you do anything when Caden threatened my secretary?”
“He’s just a secretary,” Corey countered, his voice laced with indifference.
“Why should I risk offending Caden for his sake? If you were in my shoes, would you have taken such an awful risk?”
Alicia slammed her fist onto the table, her frustration bubbling over.
“Are you sure you’re just trying to avoid trouble, or are you purposely setting me up?” Her voice was loud, and it was enough to make Gemma peek into the room with a puzzled look on her face.
“Brother, what’s going on?”
Alicia turned away, taking a sip of water in an attempt to swallow her anger.
“The table’s broken,” Corey reassured Gemma.
“Alicia was just fixing it. Why don’t you put on your headphones and listen to some music? I’ll come and play games with you in a bit.”
Gemma didn’t look convinced by his words.
“Don’t bully Alicia, Corey.”
“I’d have to have the upper hand to bully her,” Corey muttered under his breath.
His sister, his company, his lifeline-Alicia held it all in her hands. How could he possibly bully her?
Meanwhile, Alicia, just putting on a show of drinking water, had completely forgotten about the wound on her lip. She instinctively winced when the warm water made contact with it.
Still feeling on edge, she retreated to her room and tried to find comfort in solitude. But unfortunately, that single passionate kiss lingered in her mind for days.
Even her dreams were filled with Caden’s bloodshot eyes, full of longing, resentment, and a terrifying depth of possessiveness. She had thought that he would drag her back home, forcing her to endure his endless torment. But the days that followed were surprisingly uneventful. Bit by bit, Alicia let her worries slip away.
Caden had probably just acted on a whim.
No sooner had she settled into this thought than the universe dropped a bombshell on her. She received a call from the hospital’s project manager, urgently requesting her presence to resolve a complicated situation.
A year ago, Alicia launched a groundbreaking maternal and neonatal healthcare project, aiming to revolutionize traditional methods and give a new chance at life to infants born outside the womb. It had been a daunting journey, demanding an immense investment of time, money, and dedication. Alicia spent countless days and nights meticulously researching, pouring her heart into the process. At last, she was beginning to see promising signs of success.
With a sense of urgency, she rushed to the hospital, throwing open the door.
“Has the experiment gone wrong again? How many have failed this time?” Without waiting for a response, she moved directly to check the data.
To her surprise, everything seemed normal. The experimental animals showed promising signs of life. She exhaled, feeling the weight lift off her shoulders.
A doctor gestured toward a chair.
“Ms. Bennett, please sit down.”
But Alicia was too anxious to sit. The voice on the phone had been thick with worry, hinting that something serious had happened.
“Please, just give it to me straight – what’s the issue?” she pressed.
The researchers exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, the lead researcher stepped forward and said, “Ms. Bennett, we can’t continue the experiments for you anymore.”
Alicia’s heart skipped a beat. This was the hardest setback to swallow out of all the possibilities she had imagined.
“Why not?” she asked.
The lead researcher looked down, visibly torn.
“Mr. Ward from Warrington sent his people to make us an offer. He wants us to join his hospital.”
Alicia couldn’t help but narrow her eyes at the mention of Caden’s name.
Caden? It was Caden again!
So, that was why things had been quiet recently; he had been biding his time, waiting to strike with something big. She could now see that he was targeting her directly, using these researchers as pawns in his game.
But instead of flaring up, she kept her cool, her voice calm and steady.
“And just what promises did he make to win you over?”
Watching Alicia’s understanding sink in, the lead researcher felt a wave of guilt and helplessness tighten around his chest.
“At first, he dangled an offer of a tenfold salary increase, which we all rejected immediately. Afterward, he revealed that this hospital is set to be taken over by Blizzard Group within three months. That means even our project would come under his thumb. Caden’s business tactics are as unyielding as ever. To protect your research from his meddling, we have debated this endlessly and ultimately decided to buy some time by cooperating with him for now. But we can’t afford to wait any longer, which is why we have called you. We need to come up with a plan. Ms. Bennett, we have poured everything into this project.”
“We have spent countless hours, drained our resources, and exhausted every expert we could find. To see him swoop in and take it all without so much as a second thought-it’s nothing short of outrageous.”
The group erupted, buzzing with indignation. No one knew Caden’s character better than Alicia did. So what if he pushed the boundaries? This wasn’t the first time he had pulled a stunt like this. Who could actually stand up to him?
Cutting through the noise, she raised her voice.
“Give me three days. Whether you stay or go, I’ll have an answer by then.”
Over those three days, Alicia threw herself into investigating Caden’s activities at Warrington Hospital. She uncovered that six months earlier, he had launched a similar project there-using superior materials and achieving progress at lightning speed. He was miles ahead of her.
It turned out that Caden had been plotting this for half a year. Now Alicia faced two options: she could abandon her project or go to Warrington and continue her research. But time wasn’t on her side.
Three days slipped by, and before she could act, an acquisition contract had already landed on the hospital’s desk. Caden had made the choice for her.
As if Caden hadn’t already pushed Alicia to her limits, he soon followed up with a phone call.
“Ms. Bennett, I have reviewed your research data. I’m impressed by your abilities, and I would love to have you on board to complete this project with me. The lab and funding are all set up here, so you would have nothing to worry about.”
Alicia had had enough of Caden’s shameless persistence.
“Is this really interesting to you, Caden?” she shot back, not bothering to hide her irritation.
Caden chuckled, undeterred.
“What? The project? It’s worth every penny I’m pouring into it. Why wouldn’t I find it interesting?”
“Don’t play dumb.” Alicia’s patience wore thin.
“You know exactly what I mean.”
Caden laughed openly, a hint of amusement in his tone..
“Well, that just makes it more interesting.”
Alicia took a calming breath before responding, “Caden, whatever we had ended ages ago. Why are you still chasing this? Love can’t be coerced, you know.”
“Who’s coercing anything?” he replied in a relaxed tone.
“Every year, I pick up a handful of projects on a whim. It just so happens that this year, yours was one of them. Ms. Bennett, with your wealth, you could easily fund another. But your resistance makes me wonder – could it be that you still have lingering feelings for me?”
Alicia was momentarily speechless. Caden continued, “I’m free these days, Ms. Bennett. Just say the word, and I can swing by to pick you up anytime.”
Alicia finally snapped.
“Go take a hike, Caden!”
That evening, Corey had arranged for the chef to prepare a lavish seafood feast. Alicia sat at the table, her face a mask of indifference, her appetite nowhere to be found. Each bite felt like a chore, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of Caden’s words.
It took longer than it should to swallow. Corey gently handed her a shrimp, his voice steady but firm.
“I know what’s been going on. No matter how much you’re hurting, you still need to eat.”
Alicia fixed Corey with a piercing gaze.
“Do I look like I’m happy?”
“Why wouldn’t you be?” Corey chuckled, shaking his head.
“Caden must have lost his mind, spending billions on a heap of junk. That’s your magic; sleep with him and suddenly, he’s ready to squander his fortune.”
Alicia’s eye twitched slightly.
“What did he buy?”
“Every raw material for your ludicrous project,” Corey revealed, leaning back in his chair.
“I heard he’s redirected all domestic resources to Warrington, keeping them solely for himself.”
Alicia sat in silence for several minutes, processing the news. Observing her somber face, Corey attempted reassurance.
“Don’t feel too bad. Artificial reproduction is just a fantasy, after all. Caden’s probably doing this to provoke you. If there’s any future for this project, it might be when technology catches up-maybe twenty years from now.”
Without a word, Alicia set down her utensils and walked out. Corey made no attempt to stop her.
Few understood Alicia’s commitment to her research, but Corey was aware of her deeper motivations. She yearned for another child. The miscarriage two years prior had left a deep, unhealed scar. Yet, she found herself unable to conceive again. She was slowly coming to terms with this reality.
When Gemma woke up and entered the dining room, she immediately noticed Alicia’s absence.
“Where’s Alicia?” she asked, looking around the room.
Corey waved dismissively.
“Menopause, apparently. Just let her be.”
Gemma frowned.
“Stop talking nonsense. She’s still young and energetic.”