Chapter 162: ????? Alice fell silent, knowing she couldn't win the argument.
He went ahead to get a copy of each book he wanted, then clapped his hands when he was done. "Okay, that's enough." The books were quite heavy, so I picked up a few to lighten his load.
There was only one member of staff serving the entire store, a young girl, who was now standing behind the counter. Alice gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry." As she was the only customer left, Alice assumed the girl had been waiting for her to make her purchase before closing.
The young woman understood. "Don't worry," she said with a smile. "We're open 24 hours a day. Even if you weren't here, I would still be working until the next shift came." He tallied up Alicia's purchases, and when it was tto pay, Caden pulled out his card and handed it to her. Alicia stepped back, not protesting. Normally she preferred to pay herself, but she also understood that men often liked to pick up the tab to show off their generosity.
This time, she decided to let Caden have his way.
While the young woman wrapped the books, Alicia took out her phone and transferred the total expenses to Caden's account.
Caden could only look at the notification from his bank with a mixture of helplessness and resignation.
Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
Before they saw the newcomer, they spotted a large bouquet of red roses. The man holding them had an anxious expression as he approached the counter.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"What are you doing here?" the young woman asked in surprise.
It was clear that it was her boyfriend, who had cto bring her a nice gift.
It seemed like he had just realized that there were still customers in the store. He cast an embarrassed glance at Caden and Alicia, then read over to whisper to his girlfriend, "I just got off work. "I'm so sorry I missed your special day, sweetheart." The young girl smiled, her cheeks tinged with pink. "It's okay." She proceeded to wrap up the rest of Alice's books with the greatest haste.
Alice felt something warm spread through her chest as she looked at that display of young, innocent love. She had been married once before, but she couldn't remember experiencing anything like it. Witnessing such pure and sincere love brought tears to her eyes.
Caden, on the other hand, didn't flinch. He turned to Alicia with a frown. "What special day are you talking about?" Was there a couple's party in November that he didn't know about? Alice thought for a moment. “Maybe he meant a special day for the two of them." "Are flowers really necessary?" Caden asked, raising an eyebrow.
Alice smiled. There really wasn't a romantic bone in this man's body. "It's a nice surprise, and a very sweet gesture." "A bit of an exaggeration, if you ask me," Caden muttered.
Alice almost mocked him.
She couldn't help but wonder how he used to treat his previous girlfriends.
From what he knew so far, he was betting he spent most of his twith them in bed. I doubted he ever did anything romantic. At most, he probably had his assistant buy gifts for his partners.
They gathered up their books and went downstairs. "How old were you when you experienced your first love?" Alice wondered.
"I've never dated anyone," Caden replied flatly.
Alice gaped. "Never? Really? Con, I don't believe it." Caden did not give further details.
"Oh, that's true!" Alice exclaimed, as if a light bulb had gone off in her head. "You can't possibly have the patience to keep up an affair. The most you can probably manage is an adventure here and there." Caden turned to her with a frown. Why was she so talkative today? He paused at the door, his eyes fixed on the rain that had begun to fall. "Do I look like a playboy to you?" Alice looked at him up and down shamelessly. "Man, you look like the spokesperson for the entire playboy population." Caden pressed his lips into a thin line, regretting the words that he had just escaped.
"When was your first time?" Alice whispered, her voice persistent. “Was it in high school, or were you already in college?" Instead of answering, Caden countered her question with one of his own. "When was yours?" Alice leaned back, her expression neutral. She didn't answer.
But something about his behavior surprised her, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Was that your first tthat night at the cinema?" Caden ignored her, uninterested in continuing this endless line of questioning. He opened his umbrella and stepped out into the rain.
Alice ran after him, protecting her head with both hands. "No way! Was this really your first time?" Caden narrowed his eyes. Unable to contain himself any longer, he turned to her and snapped, "Is that even possible? Who do you takefor? "I'm not like you, who remained a virgin for your two years of marriage." Alice's eyes dulled slightly. "You're getting personal, Mr. Ward. Don't you think that's a little inappropriate?" They only had one umbrella between them, and Alice wasn't about to get soaked. Despite her irritation, she moved closer to Caden.
Without missing a beat, Caden reached out with his hand holding the umbrella and pulled her into a hug. Alicia let out a small cry of surprise.
"What, are you being shy now? This isn't the first tI've held you in my arms." He gently pushed her hand so that they were both under the umbrella. "You shouldn't get wet." Caden pulled her closer. "A little rain won't hurt me." "But my books will get wet!" Caden snorted in response.
The bookstore was not far from the apartment, so their trip did not take long.
The two of them walked down the street, one tall, the other short, their figures soon disappearing from sight.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe night wind was cool and cutting.
Not far away, a car was parked under a sycamore tree. Joshua held a cigarette between his fingers, letting it smolder without taking a drag. His E gaze was fixed in the direction Caden and Alicia had gone, and his eyes lingered long after they were out of sight.
Until then, Joshua had always thought that Caden's interest in Alicia was superficial, something fleeting and insignificant. He was sure that it would fade away in a few days. But after seeing them leave the bookstore, laughing and joking with each other...
It was clear they were serious.
Joshua's lips curved into a grimace.
He still remembered the day Alice had confessed her love for him. She had been so shy, so innocent. He had always believed that his feelings for him were deep and true.
Now, it was painfully clear that he had been wrong.
It hadn't even been that long since her divorce and she was already looking at another man, letting herself fall into his arms.
A muscle in Joshua's jaw twitched. Frustrated, he brought the cigarette to his lips, only to realize it had already burned out.
He gritted his teeth and threw it out the window. Rage took hold of him, tof m coming out of nowhere and spiraling out of his control. He pounded the steering wheel with his fists and could barely suppress a scream of rage.