Chapter 0542
Chapter 0542
Candice glanced at the shadowy figure, her steps faltering.
She had spotted the person lurking nearby when she left the office. She had a good memory, so she remembered the colors of their clothing quite vividly.
Perhaps due to the recent uproar about the stalker, Candice's vigilance toward such matters had heightened.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked in a hushed tone, catching up with her.
Candice's gaze returned to the storefront, but the figure had already disappeared around the corner of the intersecting road. She hesitated, thinking she might be overthinking things.
"Nothing," she said as she shook her head.
However, Alex's eyes followed hers to the storefront, only to see a dessert shop, with delicately crafted desserts on display. They looked very appetizing.
"Do you want to get something?" Alex asked.
Candice declined. She was strict with her sugar intake and rarely indulged in desserts.
Alex didn't insist. He had been ingrained with a dietary habit that was even stricter than Candice’s due to his upbringing. Despite the strained relationship between Helen and Daniel, Alex had learned their rules.
Having grown up in luxury, where only the finest ingredients made it to the table, Alex had developed a discerning palate. Over time, he lost interest in snacks and treats.
As they walked home in silence, they encountered an unexpected visitor at their doorstep.
Sieg stood at the door, a cigarette dangling from his lips, looking somewhat impatient. Candice's nanny stood guard, wary of the stranger.
Upon seeing Candice and Alex return, the nanny visibly relaxed. "Ma'am, he claims to be your friend, but I didn't receive confirmation from you, so I didn't dare to open the door."
Candice had instructed the nanny not to let anyone in without prior notice, even if they claimed to be her friends.
Candice regarded Sieg with no particular warmth. Before she could greet him, Sieg spoke up first. "It’s been a while, Candice. I've come to see Lex. You wouldn't mind, would you?"
Sieg had been idle lately, and during his free time, he recalled the incident where Alex had asked him to apologize to Candice. Irritated by the memory, he impulsively bought a ticket and flew over.
He looked at Candice with a smirk, but she responded coldly, "Why would I mind when you're here to see him?"
She then instructed the nanny to open the door for her and retreated into the yard.
Alex, naturally, found himself locked out along with Sieg, with toys and flowers in hand.
Observing Candice's unwavering demeanor, Sieg raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were in a hurry for me to apologize last time because you succeeded, and you wanted me to be the cherry on top or something."
Alex glanced at him expressionlessly. "Why are you here?"
"Well, it seems that love is more important than friendship to you. You'd rather cross your brother than your girl, huh?" Sieg scoffed. "I came here to visit you, and this is how you treat me?"
Though Sieg was usually unruly, his information network was top-notch. Alex racked his brain to figure out why he had come.
He replied calmly, "Couldn't you find my place? Why were you waiting here?"
Sieg replied with an innocent look, “I saw that nobody was home, and I thought you might’ve moved in with her.”
In the living room, Candice watched as Alex and Sieg left, her expression still grim. Some people simply didn't click, and that was the case with Candice and Sieg.
From the first time she saw him, she had a bad feeling about him, and Sieg probably felt the same, or he wouldn't have targeted her repeatedly.
Ultimately, Candice decided not to focus her energy on Sieg. His being here was irrelevant to her.
She looked down at Ellis, who was holding onto the toy dog Alex had bought for her while standing on the sofa and eagerly looking outside. When she noticed Alex didn't come in but left instead, she muttered something incomprehensible and grabbed Candice's clothes, as if asking why Alex hadn’t brought her toys today.
Meanwhile, back at Alex's place, Sieg lounged on the couch after they returned. "My dad sent me here to oversee a project, so I'll be staying for a while. Can I crash at your place?"
Alex didn't hesitate as he replied, "It's inconvenient." Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.
"Inconvenient? How so? You don't live with them," Sieg retorted.
Alex walked to the fridge, skillfully grabbed some ingredients, and washed them before placing them on the cutting board. "I don't like living with others. It's uncomfortable."
Sieg taunted lightly, "But you'd be comfortable living with Candice?"
Alex paused his chopping. As their eyes met, Sieg realized he had spoken out of turn.
Of course, Alex wanted to live with Candice; otherwise, he wouldn't have left Dorrington behind and bought a house nearby.
Sieg said, "Don't worry. I won't disturb you while you practice your cooking skills."
As Sieg spoke, he felt a pang of discomfort. He and Alex had known each other forever, and he knew that Alex had never done any chores growing up.
Seeing Alex cook for Candice and Ellis during their video calls was unbelievable enough, and witnessing it in person only heightened the surreal feeling.
Sieg struggled to hold back his vulgarities for a moment before changing the subject. "Any news on Oscar lately?"
"I have people keeping an eye out, but he probably won't be reckless enough to show up now," Alex replied.
Since learning that Oscar had come to their area, Alex had arranged for surveillance. On the surface, he appeared to be the only one here, but there was more going on behind the scenes.
Oscar always reminded Alex of many unpleasant memories. If he dared to step out of line again, Alex wouldn't let him off lightly.
Sieg didn't stay long; despite claiming he had nowhere to stay, he was soon bombarded with calls asking him out for drinks.
A playboy like him never lacked company.
During Sieg's stay, Alex continued to bring food to Candice every morning and pick her up promptly in the evenings.
Candice didn't inquire about Sieg's affairs; she had become busy again with wrapping up projects, while Darius was considering shifting the focus of their work back to the domestic market.
The incident with the suspected stalker didn't recur, so Candice's guard gradually relaxed.
She had planned to meet a client with Lauren that afternoon, but Lauren received a call from the bank and had to go handle some paperwork.
Candice went alone, and things took a turn for the worse.