Chapter 415
Seeing his unhappy expression, Alicia felt a surge of satisfaction. “How does it feel, Mr. Ward, to have your own tactics used against you?” she said with a smirk.
She attempted to leave, but Caden gripped her waist firmly, his voice low and steady. “Then you should realize that playing games with me never ends well.”
Alicia responded coldly, “I’ve just uploaded a ten-minute segment of the video to my cloud storage.”
Caden’s eyes narrowed as he understood her reason for recording. Alicia grinned at his reaction. “Mr. Ward, you wouldn’t want everyone to see you in this state, would you?”
Caden clenched his teeth. “I thought we agreed to keep this private.”
Alicia scoffed. “Didn’t you always tell me that, as a weak woman, I wouldn’t make it in the business world?” She draped her arms around his neck, her breath warm against him. “I have no intention of sharing this video unless absolutely necessary. But should I ever need money, I might consider selling it. You have quite the fan base. Those wealthy admirers of yours would probably pay handsomely for it, wouldn’t they?”
Caden’s expression darkened, his mind racing at the thought of the video circulating. The idea of those women fantasizing about him was unbearable. He wanted to argue, to fight back, but Alicia had already distanced herself.
Alicia was fully aware of his controlling nature. Once she settled into bed, she warned him, “If you try anything rash, I’ll instruct my assistant to release the video immediately.”
Caden lifted the bedcovers and climbed in beside her, making no further moves. He exhaled deeply. “I’m utterly exhausted. Even if I wanted to touch you, I’d need to muster some energy first.”
Alicia’s ears turned pink, and she covered her face with the blanket. Suddenly, she found herself enveloped in a warm hug. Caden cradled her like a ragdoll, pulling her tightly against his chest. Soon, his breathing evened out, indicating he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Alicia paused, surprised. She turned to observe him and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. A wave of tenderness washed over her, and she slowly reached out to turn off the light. But as she moved, Caden frowned. “Alicia, don’t move.”
Alicia exhaled, slightly frustrated. “I want to turn off the light.”
“No need,” he murmured, pulling her closer.
“But I can’t sleep with the light on,” she insisted.
Without a word, Caden turned her so her back faced his chest. Alicia fell silent, unsure of how to respond. Why didn’t he just turn off the light himself?
Caden hadn’t enjoyed such a deep sleep in a while. His internal clock was off, and not even an alarm could rouse him. When he finally woke, it was already eleven in the morning. Alicia was no longer in his embrace; only a pillow wrapped in her coat remained. Realizing what had happened, Caden smiled to himself. A fresh suit was laid out next to the bed. After dressing, he felt refreshed and proceeded to wash up.