When Caden grasped Alicia’s foot again, she felt a wave of unease. She attempted to withdraw her foot, but Caden immediately tightened his grip.

She couldn’t pull away.

In a subdued voice, she asked, “Caden, what are you doing?”

Clumsily, Caden applied some herbal oil to her bruise and began massaging it. His voice was rigid as he demanded, “Tell me exactly why you were at the Yates Mansion.”

Alicia tensed, her body instinctively recoiling. In a soft tone, she insisted, “First, apologize to me.”

Caden’s expression turned stern. She expected an apology from him?

Regardless of right or wrong, did he really need to apologize for something so trivial?

He responded coldly, “I’ve never been good at apologizing.”

“Then we have nothing more to discuss,” Alicia declared, trying to pull her foot back.

But Caden held on firmly, his grip pressing on her delicate bones. “I might not excel at apologizing, but I’m familiar with using a bit of force. Shall we proceed?”

At his warning, he increased the pressure. Alicia winced, feeling a sharp pain and numbness in her joint. “Caden, release me!” she cried out.

Caden relaxed his grip slightly, but his tone remained insistent. “Explain. Now.”

Alicia cursed him internally, her mind clouded with frustration. She took a deep breath and then explained tersely, “Joshua deceived me by claiming Rachel wanted to meet. When I arrived at the Yates Mansion, he dragged me into the bedroom and locked me up.”

Caden, unsatisfied with the explanation, pressed further. “Why did he lock you up?”

Mₒᵣₑ ᵤₚdₐₜₑₛ ᵢₙ gₐₗₙₒᵥₑₗₛ.𝒸ₒₘ

“Why else? He knew about us,” Alicia replied quietly.

At first, Joshua had merely suspected something, but his suspicions turned to fury after a call from Caden.

Caden’s eyes then shifted to her neck, where faint marks were visible. His gaze grew more intense as he asked, “Did he hurt you?”

Alicia pressed her lips together, still haunted by the fear of that moment. “He didn’t succeed.”

Caden’s concern deepened. “Did you manage to escape through the window while resisting?”

Alicia clarified, “Not exactly, but that essentially sums it up.”

Caden fell silent, his mind processing what she had said. After the oil had been absorbed, he gently wiped off the residue with a tissue.

Alicia recognized this as an uncharacteristic gesture, almost like an apology, but she wasn’t ready to accept it yet.

Once Caden pulled back, she rummaged through her purse and pulled out some cash.

Caden eyed the money. “What’s this for?”

“It’s your tip.”

With precision, she slipped the cash into his collar, as if tipping a male escort. “Your massage skills are rough and unrefined, but this is the going rate. You won’t be shortchanged.”

Caden was left speechless.

She was compensating him as if for a service, even for applying the oil, pushing his boundaries further. Perhaps he had been overly lenient with her.

He rejected the gesture, throwing the cash back at her. “We should put this morning’s incident behind us and look ahead. Once your foot is better, we’ll plan the next steps.”

“Who mentioned moving on?” Alicia retrieved her money, her voice sharp. “You seem to forget your harsh words from this morning. It hasn’t even been a day. Do you think we can just forget everything that happened?”

Caden countered, “Had you explained yourself, I wouldn’t have misunderstood.”

“And who felt like explaining while you were throwing a fit?”

“I did ask you. Why remain silent?”

Alicia fixed him with a stern gaze. “Then why didn’t you apologize when I asked you to? Has the cat got your tongue?”

Caden fell silent again, feeling the sting of her sharp retort.

His patience snapped. “Do you insist on a verbal apology?”

Alicia held her head high. “Yes. And don’t thank me. I’m simply being generous.”

Caden scoffed. “If that’s the case, this isn’t over by a long shot.”

Alicia found herself at a disadvantage when it came to bargaining. Now that she had severed ties with Joshua, the future seemed uncertain. In time, her defiance would catch up with her.

But Caden misjudged her resolve. Alicia had already accepted her fate. Things had reached a point where, at worst, her life might spiral downward. If that were the case, why should she care about living miserably?

“Fine with me,” Alicia said, bringing up the sofa again with a voice that was resolute. “I’ll pay for it. Take it or leave it. If you won’t, then report me to the police. Let me rot in prison.”

Caden was left speechless.

As she limped toward the bathroom, she added, “I’ll wash off the oil you just applied. Then we’ll owe each other nothing.”

Once again, Caden was struck silent. His anger boiled beneath the surface, but he had nowhere to direct it.

“What a stubborn, infuriating woman,” he thought bitterly.

Suddenly, Alicia’s phone rang.

Caden noticed that it was a WhatsApp call from someone listed as a doctor. The profile picture showed a man.

Without hesitation, Caden answered.

A calm voice asked, “Ms. Bennett, is your foot feeling better?”

Already in a foul mood, Caden’s patience wore thin. He replied in a cold tone, “She’s busy. She’s in the bathroom.”

The doctor seemed caught off guard, stammering, “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Not ready to give up, the doctor cautiously inquired, “Are you Ms. Bennett’s brother?”

Caden’s expression darkened. He responded flatly, “This is her father.”