Chapter 501

Bodyguards surged into the room, quickly surrounding Corey. He regained his composure and glanced at Alicia, who observed from the sidelines with an impassive expression. This was her calculated façade; every move today had been part of her intricate plan. Corey had long suspected this, but Alicia's tactics were ruthlessly effective. She had wounded him, manipulated Yolanda, and expertly goaded a man to the brink. Now, restrained by the bodyguards and under Dorian's watchful eye after his aggressive outburst, Corey faced imminent consequences. Yet, Corey smirked menacingly at Alicia, undeterred.

The office fell into disarray as Alicia and her team departed. Blake caught up with her outside. Alicia had compromised Corey's system, allowing Blake to extract the sales data for all the mannequins. She shut her eyes, the image of men lusting after a depiction of Caden's mother causing her deep distress. However, the damage was already done; retrieving everything now wouldn't undo the harm.

Blake voiced his concern. "I'm unsure when Caden will be back. I hope we can resolve this before his return."

Gerry responded coldly, "Even if we recover everything, if they choose to, they'll eventually inform him."

Blake turned to Alicia, worry etched on his face. "You've really shaken things up today. It's not going to be easy from here on."

Alicia remained composed. "I anticipated this. If things become difficult, so be it. If Caden were in Corey's place, he wouldn't have just lost his arm by now."

Earlier, when Corey had taken the chip, Caden had chosen inaction, opting to ignore the situation. But what was the use of such patience? It only emboldened the adversary. Her words seemed to resonate with the others.

As they reached the first floor, Alicia noticed Dorian helping Yolanda into his car. He caught sight of her, shut the car door, gave the driver brief instructions, and the car sped away.

"Alicia," Dorian called after her. "We need to discuss this."

Alicia stopped. The others remained behind, watching Dorian warily. He approached Alicia, his eyes fixed on hers, anger simmering beneath the surface. "You orchestrated this, didn't you?" Yolanda was hurt, and Corey would bear the consequences. Without Caden's intervention, Dorian would handle the fallout for him. Alicia had indirectly achieved her goal.

She chuckled lightly. "Mr. Moss, if you knew what Yolanda had been up to, you'd be just as disappointed."

To her surprise, Dorian's expression darkened further. "I'm fully aware of what she did. I'm not disappointed. I think it's exactly what Caden deserves."

Alicia felt an uncomfortable pang in her chest, a feeling she couldn't quite name—perhaps disappointment. Caden had always respected Dorian, admiring his talent from a young age. Yet, beneath his remarkable abilities, Dorian harbored a darker side.