Chapter 258:
“I don’t recall much,” Gerry admitted. He hesitated, feeling that this time was painful for the Caden of today. He was reluctant to share those memories with Alicia.
Alicia spoke candidly. “You know about Lina, right? She needs some optimization. I’ve discovered that her main flaw is the lack of emotions. If I can understand how she used to love Caden, I believe I can address this issue.”
Cliff chimed in, “Is Caden aware of this?”
Alicia cleared her throat and took a sip of water. “No, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to him.”
Gerry teased her, “Are you planning a surprise?”
Alicia replied, “Not exactly. He has helped me so much, so it’s only fair that I return the favor.”
Gerry thought this might be some kind of public display of affection.
Ever the insensitive one, Cliff didn’t dwell on it for long. He simply offered his advice to Alicia. “Before Caden turned seven, most of his joyful moments occurred in Averibon, his mother’s hometown. All of Caden’s fondest memories are tied to that place. If you truly want to help him, you should visit there and discover the truth for yourself.”
Alicia found herself with some free time lately, so she decided to plan a trip to Averibon. She expected the trip would take at least a week. To keep her plans from Caden, she invented an excuse, telling him she needed to go on a business trip for a couple of weeks.
𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓾𝓹𝓭𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵𝓼.𝓬𝓸𝓶
Caden remained silent on the phone.
Alicia tapped her phone and asked, “Hello?”
As Caden heard her voice, he pictured her tilting her head in confusion. This thought made him smile. Alicia called out a couple more times, but when there was no response, she repeated “hello” over and over. She sounded like a child just starting to learn how to speak.
Caden chuckled aloud at her persistence.
Alicia huffed and said, “You can hear me? Then why aren’t you responding?”
Caden’s voice came out husky as he replied, “I heard everything you said.”
“Then at least make a sound,” she grunted.
Caden rubbed his temples as he sighed. “I’m just exhausted, Alicia. I really want to see you.”
Alicia felt a bitter taste in her mouth. She smiled despite herself, and a question lingered in her mind—whether he missed her at all. However, she had never voiced such feelings before, so the words caught in her throat.
Instead, she asked, “Have you had a chance to eat?”
“No. Your cooking is all I crave for,” he replied.
Alicia’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red. She had always thought sweet talk was cheesy and lacked sincerity. However, after hearing Caden say those words, his sultry voice warmed her heart and captivated her.
She sighed softly.
