Chapter 231:
Caden poured all his intense emotions into his actions, knowing that Alicia couldn’t handle too much at once. He paced himself, following a two-on, one-off rhythm. For every two rounds, they’d take an hour’s rest. The long winter night stretched over ten hours, and Caden made sure to use the time efficiently, meeting his needs without overexerting Alicia. Despite his attempts to be considerate, she still fell into a deep sleep by morning.
Caden, on the other hand, slept for only two hours before waking up. He accepted the breakfast delivered by the innkeeper, who couldn’t help but notice his energy. “You’ve got impressive stamina, young man!” she remarked, astonished that after such an intense night, he was already up and about.
Caden didn’t bother with false humility. “It’s the perk of being young,” he replied with a grin. At twenty-five, even an all-nighter wasn’t much of a challenge for him.
After breakfast, he sat by the window to work online. In the afternoon, a beam of sunlight filtered through, casting a soft glow on his keyboard. Looking up, he was pleasantly surprised by the rare sunny weather for this time of year—it felt like an unexpected blessing. His gaze then drifted to the woman sleeping on the bed, and a smile tugged at his lips.
Just then, his phone rang, breaking the moment.
He answered with a casual, “What’s up?”
Your favorite tales live at gⱯlnσν𝒆𝓁s．𝒄𝓸𝓂
Gerry’s voice came through, laced with concern. “Are you okay?”
They had spoken a few days earlier, and Caden had reassured him everything was fine, asking them not to visit. But after a few days, Gerry’s worry had prompted him to call again.
“Yes. We’ll be back in a couple of days,” Caden replied.
Gerry let out a sigh of relief but then picked up on something unusual in Caden’s tone. “It’s already afternoon. Why do you sound like you just woke up? Did you sleep in?”
“Yeah, I slept in a little today,” Caden replied, sounding upbeat.
Gerry teased, “Did Alicia put some kind of spell on you? Your time is usually more valuable than gold, yet here you are, lingering in bed.”
Caden chuckled. “That’s pretty accurate.”
Gerry was taken aback by Caden’s honesty. “But it’s Thanksgiving the day after tomorrow. Aren’t you coming back? You’re really going to spend it at the foot of that mountain?”
Caden wasn’t concerned with such traditions. “Yeah.”
“Come on, join us. Bring Alicia along,” Gerry insisted. He was eager to see Caden’s softer side, as he had never seen him act this way toward anyone. “Come back. Let’s hang out. I’ll even cover the whole night.”
Caden’s voice was cold. “No. I’m ending the call.”
Gerry pleaded, “Come on! I’m practically begging here.”
Caden paused for a moment before asking bluntly, “Do you have a thing for me?”
Gerry responded without hesitation, “Not in this lifetime. I only like women. Maybe in the next life.”
Caden’s question had caught him off guard, but he laughed. “Thanks, but no. Even if you liked men in the next life, I wouldn’t be into you.”
Then, Caden ended the call.
Taking advantage of the energy from Thanksgiving Day, Alicia came up with some ideas for a special event. She drafted a detailed proposal and sent it to her assistant.
Knowing about Alicia’s recent accident, her assistant expressed some concern before saying, “Ms. Bennett, I can handle this plan. You don’t need to work so hard.”
Alicia smiled and replied, “It’s fine. I have some free time now. Next year, I’ll be busier, and I’ll let you take the lead then.”
Caden walked into the room and found Alicia smiling brightly.
“Who are you talking to?” he asked, glancing at her phone.
Alicia quickly wrapped up her conversation with her assistant and ended the call.
“Just discussing some gallery matters with my assistant,” Alicia murmured, shifting slightly beneath the blanket.
Caden asked, without thinking, “Is your assistant a man or a woman?”
“A woman,” Alicia replied. “She just graduated, but she’s really smart and has a kind nature.”
Caden’s expression softened. “Alright.”
Alicia brought her laptop over to show him the plan she had drafted. With his broader business experience, Caden quickly spotted a few minor issues. Alicia, always quick on the uptake, made the adjustments without delay.
Caden’s thoughts drifted. “It’s Thanksgiving today. How about soaking in a hot spring?” he suggested.
Alicia looked surprised. “There’s a hot spring here?”
“Yes,” he replied. “Not only a hot spring, but also fireworks.”
Alicia reclined in the warm water, her eyes wide with amazement. “This place is so remote, practically abandoned. It’s just the two of us here. Why are there fireworks?”
Caden held her from behind, their bodies pressed close. “Fireworks on Thanksgiving Day aren’t that unusual.”
Alicia shyly splashed the water and asked, “Did you arrange them yourself?”
Caden smiled, knowing she didn’t realize how much he had orchestrated. “I did. In such an isolated place, fireworks wouldn’t normally happen. I made the arrangements yesterday.”
He let his thoughts drift. “There’s an even more spectacular display. Want to see it?”
Alicia’s curiosity piqued, her eyes lighting up with interest. “Where? When?”
“Now. Right this moment.”
He turned her around, lifting her gently to the edge of the hot spring. Grasping her smooth legs, he placed them over his shoulders, then knelt down.
Alicia realized what he was about to do. She gasped, quickly biting her hand to stifle the sound.
She wasn’t prepared for this. The intense sensations caused her to close her eyes, her mind ablaze with the metaphorical fireworks Caden had promised.
