Chapter 25
Caden dropped Harper off at her apartment building.
As she got out of the car, he grinned and said, “I’ll remember this spot. Next time, I’ll pick you up right here.”
Harper’s face stayed cold. She ignored him and went straight upstairs.
She was exhausted, truly exhausted, and didn’t want to say another word.
Back in her apartment, she instinctively walked to the large floor–to–ceiling window to draw the curtains.
Suddenly, she glanced down and saw that Caden hadn’t left yet.
His red Porsche was still parked there, its headlights flashing with a dreamy glow.
Maybe because he saw her standing by the window, he blew her a kiss.
Harper rolled her eyes and decisively closed the curtains.
Caden Elikin, the eldest son of the Elikin family, was well–known in their social circle. It wasn’t just because he was the heir to the Elikin Group, which owned numerous businesses, but also because of his carefree attitude towards life. He rarely took anything seriously.
If it weren’t for the business dealings between their companies, Harper would have preferred to stay far away from such a playboy.
She took a quick shower and then, feeling lazy, collapsed onto her bed and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, she was jolted awake by the blaring alarm clock.
Lately, she had been feeling constantly tired and sleepy, and could never seem to get enough sleep.
Groggily, she turned off the alarm, saw that it was late, and hurriedly got up. After a quick wash, she rushed to the office.
Over the years, she was almost always the first to arrive at the office.
Today was no different. She had just sat down in her chair when she heard footsteps at the door.
“Ms. Orsini, you’re so dedicated. I wonder if Alex is giving you adrenaline shots?”
The teasing voice had a distinct male rasp to it.
Harper looked up to see Caden leaning against the doorframe, holding a bag, looking relaxed.
“Do you have to work so hard? It really makes me worry about you.”
Caden walked over and placed the bag on her desk, pushing it towards her.
It turned out he had brought breakfast–coffee, sandwiches, and more, at least six or seven items.
“Eat up. I want my girlfriend to gain a little weight.”
He still had that teasing tone.
Harper raised an eyebrow and replied calmly, “Mr. Elikin, this is a workplace. Please watch your words.”
She was not his girlfriend.
Caden smirked, looking confident. “Not yet, but you will be.”
Harper was about to refuse his breakfast when the office door opened again.
Alex strode in.
Surprisingly, he was also carrying a bag.
He glanced at the bag on the desk, pushed it aside, and placed his own bag in front of her.
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“Lina made this for you.”
His tone was cold, almost like he was giving an order.
“Mr. Elikin, don’t you have anything better to do? Our company isn’t a mall where anyone can just hang out.”
Alex’s sharp gaze was fixed on Caden.
Caden stretched lazily, tapping the desk lightly with his long fingers.
“My top priority right now is pursuing Ms. Orsini.”
He said it half–jokingly, half–seriously.
Alex felt a surge of anger at Caden’s recent bold confessions to Harper.
“Since you’re willing to give her up, I’ll treat her like a treasure. Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me.”
Caden made a casual goodbye gesture and left.
Alex’s face was dark with anger, his eyes fierce. He only looked away when Caden’s figure disappeared from the office.
Turning back to Harper, his tone was still light.
“Not eating? Lina said you love Salt Licorice Bread. She made it fresh this morning.“”
For some reason, he wanted to see what Harper would choose.
One breakfast was from Caden, the other from him. Just like him and Caden, who would she choose?
Was it a man’s possessiveness? He couldn’t say, but he wanted to see the answer.
Harper chuckled. She glanced at the bag in front of her and gently pushed it back.
Then, she picked up Caden’s bag, took out the coffee, and took a deep breath of it.
She never once looked at Alex.
That nameless anger almost consumed him.
Alex felt a deep sense of defeat.
She chose Caden’s breakfast
Was she showing that she had completely moved on from him?
He was unwilling to accept it, but his tone
“I don’t like it anymore.”
Her face was calm, her voice cold.
え
emained flat. “Lina said you always loved Salt Licorice Bread.*
She had never liked Salt Licorice Bread. The strange taste made her nauseous.
She only pretended to like it because he had once mentioned he liked it.
Now, she had no reason to like it anymore.
Alex sneered, saying nothing more. As he turned, he casually tossed the bag he brought into the trash.
The bag hit the trash can with a heavy thud, like it shattered a world.
All morning, they both buried themselves in work, not saying a word to each other.
The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.
Near the end of the day, there was a light knock on the door of the CEO’s office.
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Chapter 25
Alex didn’t look up; he just waved a hand to show his approval.
Harper softly called out, “Come in.”
The office door opened, and Travis walked in, carrying a large gift box.
He glanced at Harper, nodded slightly, and then walked straight to Alex.
“Mr. Lavien, the custom dress you ordered has arrived.”
Travis placed the gift box in front of Alex.
Alex finally looked up and commanded, “Tomorrow night’s charity gala, Harper and I will attend together. Make the arrangements.”
Harper’s hands paused on the keyboard.
“Understood. Travis nodded and left.
Alex stood up, picked up the gift box, and walked over to her desk.
“You heard that?”
He placed the gift box on her desk.
Harper nodded, her tone cold. “Mr. Lavien’s secretary is Emily now. I think it’s more appropriate for her to be your partner.”
She used to be Alex’s chief secretary, so she naturally accompanied him to such events. But things were different now. Her position had been given to Emily, so she didn’t need to attend.
“Emily isn’t ready yet. When the time comes, I’ll take her.”
He opened the gift box, revealing a red dress, designed by the same designer as the last one, both high–end custom pieces from the Lavien Group.
“This one is almost identical to the last one.” He said it casually.
Was he indirectly apologizing for the last incident by ordering a new dress?
“You’ll like it.”
الله
Harper’s face remained calm as she glanced at it, showing no emotion.
“It’s just work. There’s no question of liking or disliking.”
To her, the dress he gave was just for work, devoid of any perso
any personal feelings.
