Chapter 144:


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    When Caden grabbed Alicia''s foot again, she felt a wave of unease. She tried to pull her foot away, but Caden immediately tightened his grip.


    She couldn''t pull away.


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


    Caden clumsily applied some herbal oil to the bruise and began to massage it. His voice was stiff as he demanded, “Tell me exactly why you were at the Yates mansion.”


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


    Caden''s expression turned stern. Did she expect an apology from him?


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


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


    "Then we have nothing more to discuss," Alice said, trying to withdraw her foot.


    But Caden held her firmly, pressing against her delicate bones. “I may not excel at apologizing, but I am familiar with using a bit of force. “Shall we proceed?”


    Hearing his warning, she increased the pressure. Alice flinched, feeling sharp pain and numbness in her joint. “Caden, let me go!” she screamed.


    Caden loosened his grip slightly, but his tone remained insistent. “Exin yourself. “Now.”


    Alicia cursed him internally, her mind clouded with frustration. She took a deep breath and then exined briefly, “Joshua tricked me by saying that Rachel wanted to meet up. When I got to the Yates mansion, he dragged me into the bedroom and locked me in.”


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


    "Why else? She knew about us," Alice replied quietly.


    At first, Joshua had merely suspected something, but his suspicions turned to anger after Caden''s call.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    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?”


    Alice pressed her lips together, still tormented by the fear of that moment. “He didn''t make it.”


    Caden''s concern grew. "Did you manage to escape through the window while you were resisting?"


    Alicia rified: “Not exactly, but that sums it up in essence.”


    Caden fell silent, his mind processing what she had said. Once the oil was absorbed, he gently wiped away the residue with a tissue.


    Alice recognized it as an uncharacteristic gesture, almost like an apology, but she wasn''t ready to ept it yet.


    Once Caden left, she rummaged through her purse and pulled out some money.


    Caden looked at the money. “What''s this for?”


    "It''s your tip."


    With precision, she slipped the cash into her ne, as if tipping a male escort. “Your skills as a masseuse are rough and unrefined, but this is the going rate. “I won’t let you down.”


    Caden was speechless.


    She waspensating him as if it were a service, even for applying the oil, pushing its limits even further. Maybe he had been too lenient with her.


    He waved the gesture away and handed the money back. “We should put this morning''s incident behind us and look forward. Once your foot is better, we’ll n the next steps.”


    “Who said anything about moving on?” Alice took her money back, her voice sharp. “You seem to have forgotten your harsh words from this morning. It hasn''t even been a day. Do you think we can forget everything that’s happened?”


    Caden countered: “If you had exined yourself, I wouldn''t have misunderstood you.”


    "And who felt like exining themselves while you were throwing a tantrum?"


    "I did ask you. Why are you silent?"


    Alice looked at him sternly. “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. “You insist on a verbal apology?”


    Alice held her head high. "Forks. And don''t thank me. I’m just being generous.”


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


    Alicia was at a disadvantage when it came to negotiating. Now that she had broken ties with Joshua, the future seemed uncertain. In time, her rebelliousness would take its toll.


    But Caden misjudged her determination. Alicia had already epted her fate. Things had reached a point where, at worst, her life could fall apart. If that were the case, why should she care about living miserably?


    “Fine enough,” said Alice, climbing back onto the sofa in a determined voice. “I''ll pay for it. Take it or leave it. If not, report me to the police. “Let me rot in jail.”


    Caden was speechless.


    As he cleaned the bathroom, he added, “I''ll wash off the oil you just applied to me. Then we won’t owe each other anything.”


    Once again, Caden fell silent. His anger simmered beneath the surface, but he had nowhere to direct it.


    "What a stubborn, exasperating woman," he thought bitterly.


    Suddenly, Alice''s phone range.


    Caden realized 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, "Miss Bet, is your foot better?"


    Already in a bad mood, Caden''s patience was exhausted. He replied coldly, "She''s busy. She''s in the bathroom."


    The doctor seemed taken by surprise and stammered, "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to intrude."


    Unwilling to give up, the doctor asked cautiously, "Are you Mrs. Bet''s brother?"


    Caden''s expression darkened. He replied tly, "It''s his father."


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