Chapter 411

Blake smirked, taking Caden's silence as confirmation. "No wonder you're still single," he quipped. If Caden were more articulate with Alicia, perhaps he wouldn't be so easily dismissed.

As Blake turned to leave, Caden stopped him. "Hold on a second."

"What now?"

"The coat," Caden said, pointing to the garment in Blake's hands. "You had good intentions; it shouldn't go to waste. I'll give it to her for you."

Blake hesitated, surprised by Caden's unexpected kindness. Realizing the coat's purpose was to keep Alicia warm, he assumed Caden understood its significance. With a sigh, he reluctantly handed it over.

Caden entered Alicia's room using his key card. Alicia, startled by his sudden appearance, was far from pleased. "Who let you in? And how did you get my room key?"

Caden closed the door, silencing further questions. Blake, feeling out of place, quietly slipped away.

Once inside, Caden was determined to persevere. Faced with his boldness, Alicia, after a brief attempt at resistance, chose to ignore him. Fortunately, the suite had a separate, lockable room. She shut herself inside and took a shower.

Emerging, she was shocked to find Caden sitting on her bed. Speechless, she instinctively tightened her robe and stared at the door, confused. "Didn't I lock that door? How did you get in?"

Caden replied deadpan, "With my tech skills, picking a lock is trivial."

Alicia remained speechless. She tightened her robe again and silently approached the bed, trying to ignore him. Caden found her reaction amusing.

"I can unlock even a locked door, not to mention a tied knot," he said.

Alicia maintained a neutral expression. "Aren't you even going to try hiding your sneaky behavior?"

"Acting like that will only make you shut the door on me," Caden retorted, subtly criticizing Blake. "Those who only know how to deal with broken things will be at a loss when facing something intact."

Alicia's lips twitched. She recognized his indirect mockery of Blake. "He's being courteous, unlike you, barging in like a thief and justifying breaking a lock," she responded coolly.

"The bold claim their prizes; the courteous are met with closed doors. Which do you prefer?" Caden asked with a smirk.

"I prefer to call the police," Alicia emphasized. "His job, repairing and protecting cultural relics, is important. Stop mocking him."

Caden sneered. "What you said sounds quite similar to my own argument."

Alicia decided to end the conversation. Further arguing would only exhaust her. Feeling drained, she lay down, her eyelids heavy.

Caden noticed her exhaustion. "I'll take a shower. You should get some sleep."