Chapter 23:
Alicia was unable to react for a few seconds. She quickly sat down to hide the bloodstain on her pants.
Afterwards, she placed her hands demurely on her knees and glanced at Caden, her gaze nervous. Right now, she resembled a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Caden eyed her from head to toe and asked, “What are you trying to take? I know everything about this car. Ask away!”
With a slight blush, Alicia flatly responded, “I wasn’t trying to take anything.”
Terrified that more blood would stain her pants, she kept her legs tightly closed. However, the tremor in her voice, now higher-pitched, betrayed her anxiety.
Caden noticed this shift, sensing something was off, but he couldn’t figure out what was bothering her.
When he noticed that her hands had grown pale from gripping them so tightly, he asked, “Are you okay?”
Alicia bit her lip. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit what had really happened. “I’m okay,” she muttered.
Had it been anyone else with her, she would’ve asked for help, regardless of their gender. But this was Caden. There was no way she would show her vulnerability to him.
Lɒtєѕτ chɑρτєrs ιn g𝓪l𝑛ovє𝓁𝓈.𝑐𝓞𝓂
Caden stared at her intently, as though he was scanning every part of her body. The way he looked at her made it feel as though he was trying to strip her down, expose her.
Seconds later, Caden broke his silence. “Alright. I’m leaving, then.”
Alicia blinked in confusion.
Caden had never been one to explain himself, and his statement carried an underlying meaning she couldn’t quite grasp.
She looked up at him. His eyes still carried that indifferent look.
As he moved to close the door, Alicia leaned closer to him and muttered, “Hold on.”
That subtle movement was enough to make the blood flow more freely.
Alicia immediately stood up from the seat, determined to stop the stain from spreading further.
Caden immediately noticed the large red stain on the back of Alicia’s pants.
“This is so embarrassing!” she thought to herself. With no way to hide, she awkwardly froze for a moment before giving him a quick glance.
Seeing her in this vulnerable state, Caden softened his expression.
With a gentle smile, he asked, “Do you need my help?”
At that moment, Alicia wasn’t sure if he had noticed what had happened. She looked down, bit her lip, and stayed silent.
Knowing that she was stubborn, Caden decided to relent. Otherwise, they might be stuck in an uncomfortable silence all night.
He took off his jacket with a playful tone, “We’ve only met a few times, and you’ve already borrowed three of my clothes. Are you trying to hoard them, Miss Bennett?”
His kind gesture caught Alicia off guard. She felt a surge of emotions. How had this even happened?
First, there was the rainstorm, and she had to borrow clothes from him. Then, coffee had been splashed on her clothes. And now, this.
Why did she always find herself in these embarrassing situations around him?
Alicia tied the jacket around her waist, using it to cover the stain. Mortified, she muttered her thanks and quickly got out of the car.
Caden raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
Blushing with embarrassment, Alicia responded in a barely audible voice, “Thank you.”
“Can you speak up? I can’t hear you.”
Alicia knew he had heard her, but she glared at him and retorted, “Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me the first time?”
Caden smirked. “You’re so arrogant with me, but when Lilliana doused you with coffee, you didn’t say a word.”
Alicia walked toward the restroom, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
She couldn’t just grab Lilliana by the hair and attack her in public. That wouldn’t do at all.
There were much more dignified ways to get back at her.
As soon as Alicia entered the restaurant, she spoke to a waitress and politely asked her to buy some sanitary napkins.
The waitress nodded and went to fulfill the request.
“And get her a new set of small-sized clothes,” Caden added.
Alicia was taken aback by how thoughtful Caden was being. She felt conflicted by his considerate gesture.
She handed the money to the waitress and said, “Please hand it over to me at the restroom on the first floor, okay? Thanks.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the waitress replied.
Once Alicia left, Caden made his way to the elevator.
Suddenly, Gerry popped out from around the corner, his curiosity piqued. “Hey, buddy. Where’s your jacket?”
Caden replied flatly, “Didn’t you see what happened?”
“So, you’re admitting it, huh?” Gerry teased. Just as the elevator arrived, Gerry followed Caden inside. “You two were in my car, got a little frisky, and now you’re buying Alicia a new set of clothes because of a mess, right?”
Caden maintained a neutral expression while Gerry pushed further. “Why did Alicia have to go to the restroom? Did you forget to use protection?”
Caden still didn’t respond.
Gerry, undeterred, speculated, “You’re something else, Caden. Not only did you skip protection, but you made her clean up herself.”
With a blank face, Caden countered, “You know, Gerry, it’s a shame you’re not directing adult films.”
Gerry grinned ear to ear. “Would you star as my lead actor?” he asked playfully.
“I’d probably be your dad,” Caden retorted.
“You want a father-son roleplay? Jesus Christ! That’s off-limits, man,” Gerry replied, shaking his head.
When they reached the top floor, Caden exited the elevator. “You always think the worst. I’ve only been gone for less than ten minutes. How could I have gotten up to that in such a short time?”
Gerry’s eyes widened. “I appreciate that you regard me as a brother. Glad you can share such personal details about your premature ejaculation so openly,” he joked.
Caden shot him a glare.
Still unfazed, Gerry added, “Before, you were impotent, and now, you’re having trouble finishing. Man, you’ve got it rough!”
Caden couldn’t take any more of his idiocy. He grabbed a glass of wine from the table and forced Gerry to drink it to shut him up.
About half an hour later, Alicia came up to apologize. “Hey, sorry about what happened. My period came early, and it took me a while to clean up.”
Gerry raised an eyebrow and remarked, “Your period? What a shame.”
Alicia blinked in confusion. “Huh? Am I supposed to be in menopause already?”
