Chapter 111:


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    Alicia had been hit several times and had hit her head, but her injuries were not serious. She leaned against the wall and slowly walked down the stairs, looking everywhere for Caden.


    Finally, she saw him at the party on thewn.


    As he approached, he felt something strange. Caden was standing in the middle of the crowd, exuding an intimidating presence. No one dared toe closer, as if his aura was ordering them to keep their distance.


    The entire crowd remained silent, watching him. Mrs. Reyes stood at the front, her eyes filled with concern as she watched Caden.


    Alicia noticed an empty chair and sat down, aligning herself with the crowd''s gaze.


    In front of Caden, a group of children from the previous incident were standing in a straight line, waiting for their orders. They were hanging on his every word.


    “Channel all your strength into defeating the others. Whoever loses will be punished. Thest one standing will earn a reward from me,” Caden announced.


    His voice was a mixture of lightness and authority.


    He looked like a general leading his troops into battle.


    Alice watched the children who had once strutted around like a gang of bullies. Now, they stood as timid asmbs,pletely subjugated by Caden''s imposing presence. They didn''t obey out of respect, they followed out of fear.


    Everyone, even children, knew what it felt like to fear authority.


    Caden stepped back slightly, his gaze shifting to Alicia in his peripheral vision. He frowned briefly, but the expression quickly disappeared.


    The children erupted into chaos, fighting among themselves.


    Alice wasn''t interested in his antics. A dizziness washed over her as she made her way to Caden. "Uh..."


    Without looking up, Caden pulled up a chair and sat down. “Yeah?”


    Alicia struggled to move her chair closer to him. Every movement sent a wave of dizziness through his head, but it was manageable.


    After taking a brief moment topose herself, Alicia studied Caden''s face. “What''s wrong with them? Why do they listen to you so easily?”


    Caden responded clearly: “The incident caused quite a scene. Randolph wanted to avoid police involvement, so he asked me to handle things discreetly.”


    “Why should it have been you?” Alice asked instinctively. Shouldn''t it be her turn to decide what happened? After all, she was the one who had been hurt. She told herself that her question had been born of genuine curiosity, not malice.


    However, Caden''s expression remained stern. “You were unconscious. As your ex-husband’s brother, I was given temporary authority to make decisions for you.”


    Alice slowly agreed. “Thank you,” she said, the sincerity evident in her voice.


    Caden scoffed. “Luckily for you, I had some time today, but next time, you take care of it.”


    Alice stared at him for a moment, speechless. After a while, she murmured, "I wasn''t ming you."


    Caden remained silent and looked back at the children as they continued to fight. Ted stood out as the strongest among them. Despite his strength, he was also the most terrified, fighting with all his might as he took down the other children one by one.


    The mothers rushed to break up the chaos, pushing Ted aside while Mrs. Reyes protected him.


    It wasn''t long before some adults joined the fray. At this point, the situation quickly escted.


    Alice felt a small satisfaction. “Your methods are still as ruthless as ever.”


    Caden looked indifferent, watching the scene unfold. To him, it was nothing more than a circus show.


    Alicia didn''t approach him to strike up a casual conversation. She had intended to exin why she had called Joshua while he was unconscious. But for some reason, as she looked at his face, words failed her.


    In her dream, she had felt a deeppassion for the boy. His mother had died in the hospital and his father had shown no interest in him. His younger brother, born the same year, not only failed tofort him in his darkest moments, but hadpounded his pain. She had also lost her parents. This suffocating pain was something she understood all too well.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Alice opened her mouth to speak. “Caden…”


    Caden''s face remained unreadable. “Go ahead.”


    Alice scratched her palm, searching for the right words.


    "Were you the one who saved me?"


    "It was nothing," he replied distantly.


    Alice persisted, “Then why did you act so coldly after saving me? “It seems like if you held a grudge against me.”


    Was it because she had called Joshua in her dreams? She didn''t dare ask. The thought of being wrong was too embarrassing. Instead, she decided to wait for his answer.


    Caden replied in an icy tone, "Don''t you realize we might hold a deep grudge against each other?"


    Alice was speechless.


    Caden added, “I saved your life. That means you owe me.”


    Once again, she had no answer. She knew she was overanalyzing the situation. Maybe she shouldn''t have looked for him out at all.


    At that moment, Ted raised his hands in victory, standing triumphantly in the middle of the pile of children. “I won! I beat them!”


    Alicia nced at him, feeling frustrated. “He was the one who pushed me down, thinking he could get away with it just because he''s underage. YO-"


    Cadenmented: “You couldn''t even handle a child? Are you proud of that?”


    Alice''s head was throbbing painfully. "I was ambushed."


    Ted ran to Caden, excitement shining in his innocent eyes. “Sir, I''ve won! Where’s my reward?”


    Mrs. Reyes felt a sense of unease and quickly pulled Ted back. “Ted, we don''t need a reward. “I was just joking.”


    Ted shook his head stubbornly. "No! He promised me. “I want my reward!”


    Caden fixed his gaze on Ted, his eyes carrying a menacing intensity that was difficult to interpret.


    “You fought well. You deserve a reward,” Caden said, turning to Alice. “Arrange the reward for her.”


    Alice won, trying to ease the pain in her head. His words stunned her. “What?”


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