?<strong>Chapter 896:</strong>


    “I promise I’ll just take some allergy medicer. What’s the harm?” Alicia locked eyes with him. “Oh, I forgot, your stomach’s in bad shape, and you shouldn’t drink.”


    Caden’s brow twitched.


    She was testing him for the truth.


    He lowered his hand, relenting slightly. “It’s not that severe. I’ll join you, but you’re limited to one ss.”


    Noticing that he was still evading the full truth, Alicia felt a little disappointed. A shadow passed over her eyes as she pushed her ss towards him. “Drink mine then.”


    Without hesitation, Caden downed it in one gulp.


    Soon after, he began to feel off. Dizziness overtook him, and the effects of the alcohol felt unusually strong.


    Yet, Caden didn’t suspect Alicia. Instead, he nced at the bottle, wondering what type of wine could affect him so profoundly with just a single ss.


    As his vision started to blur, he looked up at Alicia, confused. “Did you put something in the wine?”


    Alicia crossed her arms and asked, “Can’t you figure out what’s in the wine? Aren’t you supposed to be an expert?”


    Caden forced himself to stay calm, his mind racing. He had a vague idea of the answer but couldn’t fully grasp what Alicia was trying to do. Was she nning to knock him out and run? Or was she plotting something darker — like tying him up or even killing him?


    His eyes instinctively began scanning the room. Within moments, he had mentally mapped out every possible exit and considered how he could block her path if she tried to escape.


    As these thoughts swirled in his head, Alicia rose from her seat and headed toward the door. Caden’s body tensed, his grip tightening on the table for support. His voice broke through the tension. “Alicia!”


    She nced back, her pace unbroken. “Rx. I’m not going anywhere.”


    Caden struggled to rise but copsed back into his chair, his strength failing him. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his phone and dialed his bodyguard’s number.


    Before he could press the call button, Alicia returned and, without warning, shoved a tablet into his mouth.


    He instinctively tried to spit it out, but Alicia mped her hand over his mouth, her voice sharp. “Are you afraid I’ll poison you?”


    Caden’s gaze locked onto hers, uncertainty shing in his eyes. “Is it poison?”


    “Yep. Are you afraid?”


    Caden hesitated for a heartbeat, then swallowed the tablet.


    As the familiar taste hit his tongue, he realized it was just stomach medicine.


    Energy surged back into him, and in one swift motion, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.


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