The unwanted wife’s unexpected comeback

Chapter 17:

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Alicia was shocked. She looked at Caden, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Caden's expression remained inscrutable as he spoke briefly on the phone. His actions were always decisive and efficient, and this time was no different.

“Mr. “Ward?” Lilliana blinked, coming out of her daze in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

The commotion had already attracted the attention of passers-by, and a small crowd of curious onlookers was beginning to gather.

Lilliana tried to get out of the car, but Joshua grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.

“Stay in the car. There might be paparazzi lurking around here.” He rolled up the car window, keeping his gaze fixed on Alicia and Caden through the glass. “I’ll handle this.”

Lilliana was still irritated. She had planned to humiliate Alicia but she hadn't expected Caden to be there. How did the two of them know each other?

Lilliana put her sunglasses back on, muttering under her breath in frustration, “That bitch! It hasn’t even been that long since your divorce, and she’s already with your brother!”

Joshua's face darkened at his words. As much as I have hated to admit it, Lilliana's comment stung.

He clenched his jaw, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car.

The first thing Joshua noticed was how Alicia was holding Caden's jacket around her shoulders. She stood behind Caden, seemingly expecting him to protect her from everything.

The sight fueled Joshua's anger, and his expression grew grimmer with each step he took toward them.

"Caden," he acknowledged, then reached for Alicia's hand.

“Give him back his jacket,” Joshua snapped. “I’ll take you home.”

Alice didn't even give him a chance to touch her. She pulled her hand away, her face indifferent as she asked, "Who are you?"

Caden remained impassive, his face showing no emotion. The confrontation between Joshua and Alicia seemed insignificant to him, but he stood firmly between them, a silent barrier.

“Stop being so stubborn,” Joshua said through gritted teeth. “Your clothes are soaked. You need to come home with me, right now.”

"Not in your dreams," Alice replied defiantly. "We're already divorced!"

To emphasize her point, she grabbed Caden's sleeve and clung to it like a petulant child.

Caden looked down at her delicate fingers. When he looked up again, he found Alicia staring at him, looking lost and vulnerable.

“Can you take me home, Mr. Ward?” she asked quietly.

“Alice!” Joshua exploded before Caden could respond. “Why the hell are you acting all shy and flirty with Caden?”

Caden's expression changed slightly. To everyone's surprise, he reached out and wrapped his arm around Alicia's waist, pulling her into his embrace. He looked at his brother with a smile. “You should mind your own business, Joshua. “I’ll take care of mine.”

She glanced at the car behind them, reminding Joshua that there was a woman waiting inside.

Joshua's hands clenched into fists, his frustration clear.

At that moment, Hank drove up next to them. Without another word, Caden put Alicia in his car and they drove off, while the curious people continued to whisper among themselves.

As the backseat door slammed shut, Alicia let go of Caden's hand.

In response, he nonchalantly smoothed the wrinkles from his sleeves where she had grabbed him. “You're just throwing me aside after using me to your advantage?”

Alicia slid to the far side of the back seat, sitting up straight with her legs pressed together and her hands in her lap. “Not at all. I just know you have an aversion to women. “I didn’t want to upset you.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He pulled his jacket tighter around his waist. After a moment of reflection, he pulled out his phone and wired his fifty thousand dollars.

“What's this for?” Caden asked, his eyes narrowed at the notification from his bank.

“The jacket,” she explained. “It got coffee stains on it. “You probably don’t want it back, so I’ll pay for it.”

Caden's gaze hardened as he stared at the screen of his phone. “This isn't nearly enough. “That suit is way more expensive.”

Alice was almost stunned by his audacity. Why was he being so mean?

"How much exactly?" she asked, exasperated.

“Send me another thousand fifty,” Caden replied coldly.

Alice's eyes widened. "What kind of second-hand jacket costs a hundred thousand?"

Caden leaned back in his seat, his tone lazy. “If you don't have the money, then you don't need to pay.”

He had barely finished speaking when Alice replied, "Thank you, then."

It was Caden's turn to be speechless.

But Alice was not finished yet. She continued: "Why don't you be so kind and give me back the fifty thousand?"

Caden's upper lip twitched. Without a word, he unlocked his phone and accepted the money transfer.

Alice let out a little cry of indignation.

As the car sped along the highway, Alice leaned her head against the window, feeling sticky and uncomfortable. Every now and then, she tugged at the collar of her shirt to let in some air, trying to relieve the feeling of suffocation caused by her wet clothes.

Luckily for her, Caden always carried a change of clothes in the car.

He pulled out one of his extra shirts and tossed it to her. “Put this on.”

Alice hesitated, unsure of how to feel about his offer. “It's okay. “I’ll take a shower as soon as I get home.”

“The smell of coffee is about to knock me out,” Caden replied flatly, without even looking at her. “It's starting to stink in this cramped space.”

Alicia gaped. Was this bastard trying to insult her, or had she suddenly sworn off coffee forever? Still, she felt uncomfortable changing in the car.

Sensing her reluctance, Caden closed the partition, blocking Hank's view of the backseat. Alicia carefully removed her jacket. “Can you turn around, too?” she asked cautiously.

Caden raised an eyebrow and looked at his chest. “What’s all the fuss about A cups?”

Alice's face flushed with indignation. She stared at herself for a moment, then boldly pulled her shoulders back, pushing her chest out. “Is there something wrong with your eyes? What cup?”

Caden's lips curved into a grimace. He could almost feel the softness of her breasts as if they were nestled in his palms. “Looks can be deceiving. You have to feel the weight of them to know for sure.”

Alice's face, ears and neck turned an alarming shade of red. With a huff, she turned her back and quickly pulled on her shirt.

Caden stared at her shamelessly, taking special interest in her slender waist. “Calling her an A cup is already generous,” he continued to criticize. “If A minus is a thing, it would be a more appropriate measurement.”

Unable to bear any more of his sarcastic remarks, Alice turned around and threw the stained jacket in his face. “Go to hell, Caden!”

Caden casually dropped his jacket to the floor, completely unfazed. “What, you can't handle the truth?”

Alicia rolled her eyes. “Please! Stop projecting your own insecurities onto me.”

Caden shrugged indifferently, humming. He saw no reason to defend himself. After all, there was no truth to his claims.

Opening the partition again, Caden happened to glance in the rearview mirror and noticed Joshua's car following them. I chuckled.

Alicia noticed, too, but her reaction was in stark contrast to Caden's amusement. “Hank,” she said, leaning toward the driver’s seat, “can you pull over by that trash can up front?”

Hank had no idea what he was planning, but he agreed without hesitation.

As his car slowed, so did Joshua's.

From behind the wheel, Joshua watched as the back window of Caden's car rolled down. Then, a piece of clothing flew out of the car, landing squarely in the trash can.

Joshua furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

“Wasn’t that Alicia’s dress?” Lilliana exclaimed in a shrill voice. “Why is she throwing it away? Wait, what is she wearing then? Oh my God! Are she and Caden…doing it in the car?!”

Joshua's grip tightened around the steering wheel, his veins bulging against his skin.

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