Ch. 2101..2110

Chapter 2101

“Oh, me? For the first half of the night, outside; for the second half, inside,” Caiden answered.

“Ah, so that’s how it is…” Cogs began turning in their heads when the adults heard his statement.

“Oh, they slept together.”

“Right? How odd. I thought he said he’s not the father? Then why have they spent the night together?”

“Who knows. And who knows what Joan’s thinking. How could she sleep with another man?”

The women began to gossip on the side. Joan had gotten wind of their rumors long ago. They did not

bother her anymore. At the very least, she knew there was nothing going on between Caiden and

herself.

“Caiden, did you sleep well last night? I have to tell you, I tend to kick around and hit stuff in my

sleep…” Lucius elaborated on his question.

Yes, I know that much. A faint grin spread across Caiden’s face. Last night, the kid had indeed given

him a pounding, albeit a light one.

“It’s no big deal. I’m fine,” Caiden assured him.

“Alright, everybody. Let’s wash up and get some breakfast. There’s more time for chit-chat later. Our

time is running short and we must get home before the sun sets today,” the headmaster hollered to

everyone on the grounds, interrupting the group of women who were talking about Joan and Caiden

behind their backs.

Soon, everyone dispersed and got to work packing their belongings.

“Mom, what are those women talking about just now? I think they mentioned your name.” Lucius took

his mother’s arm.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Maybe they’re discussing the speech I gave last night. You know, Lucius, we don’t

have to bother what other people think, as long as we’re true to ourselves. Got it?” Joan squatted down

to talk to her son.

Caiden’s heart ached when he saw the two in conversation.

He had been listening to comments from those nosey women, but he had not intervened. He did not

want to admit it but, honestly, he knew he could be quite cruel. In order to set off a scandal, he had to

stand by and watch Joan bear the brunt of endless criticisms.

“Lucius, aren’t you tired? Do you want me to give you a piggyback ride?” Caiden gently patted the

child’s back.

“It’s okay, Caiden. I can walk,” Lucius replied.

He could not possibly let Caiden carry him. He had caused the man much trouble already. Caiden

should not have to spend his energy on him.

“Keep up, everyone. Our final activity for the day is rock climbing, family-style! It’s our last camping trip,

so I hope everybody cherishes the time we have together, alright? Come on, let’s get ready now,”

announced the headmaster.

There was a round of applause as the crowd cheered.

But Lucius did not feel good about it.

At the sight of the rock formation before him, he instantly got terrified for no reason.

“Lucius, come on, let’s get ready. It’s our turn soon,” Caiden said, facing the boy.

“Caiden, I… Um…” Lucius stammered.

He seemed uptight and agitated.

“What is it, Lucius? Are you feeling alright?” Joan quickly checked in on him.

“Mom,” Lucius called Joan, his voice quivering.

Joan freaked out.

“I’m scared, Mom. I don’t want to climb up there. What if I fall? I don’t want to die. I still want to see Dad

and Grandma…” Lucius wailed.

Joan had known the boy was afraid of heights, but she was not aware that his fear had taken a turn for

the worse.

“Lucius, this is our first and last camping trip. Once we finish this, the journey comes to an end. Hang in

there, just a little more, okay?” Joan looked forward to her son’s reply.

“No, Mom. I really can’t. I don’t want to do it…” Lucius whimpered as he wiped away his tears.

“What’s going on here?” The homeroom teacher walked over to them.

 

 

Chapter 2102

“Teacher, I don’t want to climb that. I’m scared!” Lucius cried, tugging at the teacher’s arm.

The two women reassured him over and over, but nothing worked. He refused to listen to any of it.

Caiden approached Lucius and placed his hands firmly on the boy’s shoulders.

“Lucius, calm down. Can you tell me what kind of person do you want to be when you grow up?”

Caiden’s question caught Joan off guard. Even Lucius stopped crying.

“I want to be a real man! I want to protect Mom and Grandma just like Dad always does. I want to

marry a woman who’s just like Mom…”

Everybody present at the scene burst into laughter.

They had to hand it to that kid. Not everyone could come up with such a hilarious response in a

stressful situation.

“Okay, Lucius. Then tell me. If you’re afraid of rock climbing, how will you be able to protect your

mother and grandmother? We have to toughen up before we can protect others, right?” Caiden gave

the boy a stern look.

Lucius was stumped. He’s right.

“Mom, I’ll give it a try.” Holding on to the rope, Lucius changed his mind.

Joan’s eyes began to water.

Finally, he’s taken a step forward! Finally, he wants to confront his fear!

“That’s a good boy, Lucius. I know you’ll make me proud,” Joan commented, overcome by emotions.

Indeed, Lucius was willing to face his fears for the sake of Joan and Delilah.

“Mom, I will succeed!”

In the end, the trio worked together and eventually made it to the top of the rock formation. The boy

could not be more thrilled.

“Mom, I did it!” Lucius announced excitedly as he embraced Joan in a tight hug.

Perhaps he got a bit too excited. After that, he went over and kissed Caiden on the cheek, a move that

certainly surprised the man.

“Thank you, Caiden. If it weren’t for you, I won’t have the courage to get up there. You’re the best!”

Lucius hugged him too.

The three of them came together in a group hug.

The other teachers were so moved when they witnessed the happy trio that they quickly took out their

cameras and began snapping pictures of the blissful moment, totally ignoring the fact that the three of

them were not a family.

“I say, Mr. Caiden is incredible! He actually managed to persuade Lucius to climb the rocks. Why, just a

minute ago, that boy wanted to run away!”

“You can say that again. They might as well be one happy family. They’re a perfect fit!”

Onlookers engaged in a heated discussion yet again. Joan failed to notice what they were talking

about, but it was easy for Caiden to take a guess when he saw the women’s expressions.

“You did great, Lucius. After this, you’re one step closer to becoming a better man.” Caiden squatted

down and smiled at him.

“Caiden, it’s great to have you here, otherwise I really don’t know what I’d do. You’re right. If I want to

protect Mom and Grandma, I must become stronger. Don’t worry, Caiden. I’ll keep improving,” Lucius

expressed his gratitude.

Perhaps Lucius had really been touched by Caiden’s words of encouragement, for the boy had a better

impression of him, possibly one that surpassed even Larry.

“Lucius, we’re going down now. Are you okay with that?” Joan asked.

She thought that Lucius was motivated to try a hand at rock climbing because Caiden had encouraged

him. For their descent, if he was also brave enough to do it, accompanied by two adults, it would prove

that he had really overcome his worst fear.

“Yes, Mom. Let’s go,” Lucius instantly replied.

Stunned for a second, Joan quickly recovered and composed herself.

“Alright, let’s get back down there. Safety first, so just shout if you need anything,” Joan added and

started prepping for their descent.

Within ten minutes, the three of them were back on the ground, cheered on by a round of applause.

 

 

Chapter 2103

“Lucius, you’re really good at this!”

“Lucius, you’re amazing! Your dad is awesome as well!”

“Not only is your dad handsome, but he’s very good at rock climbing, too. I’m so jealous of your family.”

As the children chattered away, Joan stood at the side awkwardly. Oh well. He’s obviously not Lucius’s

father, but now he has become the best father in the eyes of these kids.

“Hi!” One of their parents came over to Joan. “I’m sure the three of you are family even though you’re

not married to him yet. Am I right? Both of you look really great with each other.”

Joan did not know how to reply that parent.

How could the three of us be a family? We don’t even look alike. Caiden is a young handsome man,

and I’m just an ordinary housewife. How are we a good match for one another?

After a pause, she explained, “No, you’ve misunderstood. Mr. Caiden is actually a friend of mine.

Lucius’s father is quite busy lately, so he can’t come over to this event.”

“Ah, I see. What a pity. Both of you really look great together.”

Joan forced a smile and turned to look for Lucius, having no intention to continue the conversation with

her.

I wonder when Larry will be back. If Ms. Young knows that he didn’t make it to this event, I’m sure she’d

nag at him.

“Mom, what are you doing? Come!” Lucius called out to her all of a sudden.

“Well done, Lucius! Keep up the good work. Let me take a photo for the three of you,” one of the

teachers said, taking out her phone.

Caiden hurriedly pulled Joan to his side and held Lucius’s hand, grinning widely at the camera. Joan,

on the other hand, could only bring herself to flash an awkward smile.

Throughout the camp, the teachers had been enjoying themselves, taking countless photos of the kids

and their parents as mementos. If Larry comes across those photos, for sure he’d be infuriated. Joan

sighed at the thought.

While Joan was racking her brain to think of ways to prevent that from happening, Caiden walked up to

her and saw her troubled face. “What’s wrong, Joan? Did something happen?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Joan replied with a smile.

Caiden scrutinized her face. Is she thinking about Larry again? He then put his hands into his pockets

and inched closer to her. “Joan, how was my performance today? Did I do well?”

Of course, he had done well. In fact, it’s way too well.

Joan replied, “Oh, you were terrific. Thank you so much for participating in this event. Otherwise, I’d

have no idea how to explain it to Lucius.”

Caiden smiled at her praise, gloating.

Larry, no matter what, you’re definitely going to lose to me.

While over on the other side, the hospital was as busy as usual. The healthcare team was occupied

with the administration of medication, and the patients were basking under the sunlight, getting their

daily dose of vitamin D. Currently, Delilah was sitting in the garden with her eyes closed, facing the sky.

“Ms. Young, it’s time to take your medicines,” a nurse called gently.

However, she did not respond.

Thinking that she might have fallen asleep, the nurse called again, “Ms. Young?”

Dustin appeared and took away the pills in the nurse’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle this.”

Hearing his voice, Delilah opened her eyes and glanced at him. “Why are you here?”

“I’m here to visit you,” Dustin replied.

Huh, he’s definitely here for Joan. She gave him a side-eye. Even a blind man could see that.

“Ms. Young, where is Joan these days? I haven’t seen her lately.” Dustin looked around, finding the

woman he loved.

“Huh? I thought you’re here for me. Why are you now looking for Joan instead?” she questioned

deliberately.

Not knowing what to reply to her, Dustin glanced away and scratched his head awkwardly.

Delilah sighed and told him the truth, “She’s gone to the field trip organized by Lucius’s school. She’d

probably be back by this afternoon.”

What? Why did no one tell me about this? No wonder I haven’t seen Larry in a while, too. They must’ve

gone to that event together.

“Are you disappointed? You should just get yourself a girlfriend already. Stop wasting your time on

unrequited love,” Delilah advised.

 

 

Chapter 2104

No, I can’t let her go. As long as I lay hold of Norton Corporation, I’m sure that she will be willing to be

with me.

Seeing right through his mind, Delilah continued, “Joan is never into Larry’s money. What she loves in

him is his character.”

Even though what she said was true, Dustin thought he still stood a chance to win over Joan. If I really

get my hands on Norton Corporation, there is a possibility that Larry would file a divorce out of

inferiority.

Fate was truly a weird thing. Problems or difficulties might come in a series, one after another, and

sometimes, they could come all at once, overwhelming everyone. Even though I feel tired of pursuing

her at times, it’s not the time for me to give up yet. No one knows what’s going to happen next. With

such thought in mind, Dustin smiled at Delilah before bidding her goodbye.

After the camp ended, Caiden drove Joan and Lucius home. As he had some work to do at home, he

headed straight back to his place after dropping them off at their house.

When Jaden saw him back home, he munched on his chips and said, “Yo, Caiden. You’re finally back.

How was it? Did you have fun these two days?”

“Don’t talk to me. I’m dog-tired.” Caiden did not even bother to flick a glance at his friend and flopped

onto the couch.

Sensing something was off, Jaden stood up hastily and went over to Caiden. “Hey, are you okay? Are

you feeling unwell? Should I bring you to the hospital? Your parents have entrusted you to me and

asked me to take good care of you. If anything happens to you, I couldn’t bring myself to face them

anymore.”

Ever since he was young, Caiden had never liked anyone mentioning his parents, so now he became

even more frustrated after hearing Jaden’s words.

“Jaden, how many times have I told you already? Don’t mention them in front of me, okay? I’m really

tired now,” Caiden said, turning his face away from Jaden.

Upon hearing his words, Jaden shut his mouth immediately.

After a while, he fell asleep on the couch and started snoring lightly.

Seeing that his friend had fallen asleep, Jaden did not want to bother him and went back to his room

quietly

He then took his phone from the table and started scrolling through social media. As he was browsing

Twitter, he suddenly saw pictures of Caiden posted by the school teachers.

“What? Is this Caiden? No way. I’ve never thought that he’s someone who likes kids.” Jaden stared

incredulously at his phone and tapped on the first picture.

It was a picture of Caiden helping Lucius to change clothes, looking like a perfect dad, while Lucius

smiled happily at him.

“How did he manage to stay with kids for two freaking days?” Jaden muttered to himself.

Was he out of his mind? Why did he do that?

Just then, a female voice rang from the outside. “Jaden, open the door!”

Oh no! Why is she here now? Hearing Noelle’s voice, Jaden put down the phone right away and

scrambled out of his room. When he saw that Caiden was still fast asleep, he smacked Caiden’s back

frantically and called, “Wake up, Caiden! Go and hide in your room. My sister is here. Hurry up!”

However, he did not bulge at all.

Left with no other choice, Jaden kicked him in the rear. “Caiden Owens!”

Finally, he snapped his eyes open and yelled angrily, “What the hell are you doing?”

“Get back to your room now. Noelle is here!”

As soon as he heard her name, Caiden sprang up to his feet, wide awake. “What? She’s here? Tell her

I’m not here.” With that, he dashed up to his room.

“Caiden, let me in! I know you’re in there!” Noelle shouted, banging on the door.

When Jaden saw that Caiden was back in his room, he quickly put back the throw pillows in their

original place and sprinted to the door. “Hi, Noelle. Why are you visiting again? Did you miss me? Why

is my little sister so clingy?”

Noelle pushed him away from the door and stepped inside. “Go away. I’m not here for you.”

How could this girl abandon her own brother for another man?

Dejected, he knitted his eyebrows and grumbled, “What about me, Noelle? I’m the one who always

treated you well. Why are you here for Caiden instead? Did he buy you any handbags or lipsticks as I

did for you?”

 

 

Chapter 2105

My poor sister has fallen head over heels in love with Caiden. If she marries him in the future, I

wouldn’t be shocked to see her giving all of her to him. Jaden shook his head and crossed his arms,

looking at Noelle.

“Where’s Caiden? Where did he go?” she asked, tugging his arm.

Hmph! She only comes to me when she needs me to find Caiden. Jaden turned his face away from

her, acting petulant. “No idea. I didn’t see him.”

“Please, Jaden. Tell me where he is.” After a while, when she saw that he was still refusing to talk, she

glared at him and snapped, “Jaden Owens, are you going to tell me or not? If you…”

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, cutting her off.

What the heck? Only Jaden, Caiden, and I knew about this place. Who else knows about their

address? Noelle stared suspiciously at her brother.

Meanwhile, fear started to rise in Jaden’s heart. Could it be Caiden’s mother? Previously, he had

warned me not to reveal our address to his parents. Did I accidentally tell them? Hmm, no, I don’t think

I did that. Wait, I was drunk the last time I met them. Did I spill the beans? Oh no…

Jaden knocked his head in frustration.

Ugh, I shouldn’t have drunk that time. Drinking too much can really bring trouble.

The person outside was still knocking on the door. He hesitated for a moment before finally relenting

and opened the door.

“Welcome, Mrs. Owens,” Jaden said without lifting his eyes to look at the person standing in front of

him.

Joan stood at the door, feeling awkward.

Should I go in? He called me Mrs. Owens just now, but I’m not her.

“Um, I’m not Mrs. Owens,” she stated gently.

Jaden raised his gaze in an instant and looked at her in surprise. “Joan, what brings you here?”

She fished out a phone from her pocket. “Caiden accidentally left his phone in my bag this morning, so

I’m here to give it back to him.”

Oh my gosh! I thought it was his mother who came. Jaden heaved a sigh of relief.

She put the phone in his hand and smiled. “Please pass it to him later. I’ll be heading off then. Bye.”

However, before she could leave, Noelle came out of the living room and yelled, “Wait!”

She had overheard their conversation just now.

What a hypocrite! She previously said that she had no feelings for Caiden and even promised that she

wouldn’t have any ambiguous relationship with him because she was already married and had a kid. If

it weren’t for those pictures on Twitter, I would have believed her and go abroad without a care in the

world.

“Joan, why are you here? Wasn’t two days of camping date enough?” Noelle sneered.

Joan whipped around in response and locked eyes with Noelle. Standing off to the side, Jaden’s brows

were furrowed deeply as he pulled her to his side. “Noelle, what are you talking about?”

“I’m telling the truth! Joan, you don’t even dare to admit that you seduced him?”

What does she want me to admit? Was she talking about Caiden participating in the field trip? It was

just a coincidence. She’s misunderstood us!

Joan sighed and explained, “Ms. Ford, I think you’ve misunderstood the situation. There’s nothing

between Caiden and me. We did not do anything that crossed the line…”

“Have you heard yourself? You’re ridiculous, Joan. You’re married, and yet, you slept with another man.

Are you not embarrassed? You’re cheating on your husband!” Noelle cut her off.

Hearing the offensive words from her mouth, Jaden figured the only way to stop the quarrel was to

separate Noelle from Joan, so he hurriedly pulled his sister into the house and beckoned Joan to leave.

“Let me go, Jaden! Did you know what Caiden had been doing for the last two days? He had gone to

that damn field trip organized by her son’s school,” Noelle continued, struggling against Jaden’s grip.

Joan was rendered speechless. It was not my fault!

Most of the time, people only believed what they saw and what they wanted to hear. The truth, to them,

was irrelevant. Joan knew that Noelle liked Caiden, and now that Caiden had done so much for her,

Noelle’s jealousy was understandable. I wanted to try my best to explain the truth to her, but I don’t

think it would make a change.

 

 

Chapter 2106

“We’re just friends. Please don’t make any false assumptions about us. To me, he’s just a junior who

had saved my life before. I really don’t have any other feelings for him,” Joan continued to explain

herself.

“B*tch, did you really think that I have no idea what you’ve done to him? When you guys were in

college, all he could think of every day was you. Even after he graduated and went overseas, you were

still the one he loved. Because of you, I have to wait for him until now!” Noelle bellowed, boiling with

rage.

Joan could not help but scoff. What does she mean? When we were in college, I was not even close

with him—we were just acquaintances. Why did she speak of me as if I was a slut?

“Let me repeat myself again: there is nothing going on between Caiden and me. Not then, not now, not

ever. If you still don’t believe me, you can always go and ask Caiden yourself. I’ve got to go.” Joan then

turned on her heel and left.

“Stop where you are! Joan, you wicked woman!” Noelle roared, struggling to get away from Jaden.

“That’s enough!” Suddenly, someone bellowed from upstairs.

Noelle collected herself and turned around slowly to the voice.

“Caiden, why didn’t you come out just now? You’re clearly at home.” She pouted.

Why do I have to come out? To get myself annoyed? To get myself to be tortured by her clinginess?

After so many years, Caiden had never gotten the courage to tell Noelle that he really disliked her. Ever

since they were young, she had always been chasing after him and clinging to him. And he hated it.

“Noelle, why are you here? If you have a problem with me, we need to talk it out. But if you’re just here

to visit me, then you shall leave now,” Caiden spoke calmly and determinedly.

How can he do this to me? Noelle stared at the man she loved, eyes brimming with tears. Why is he

acting so distant now? He was not such a cold person before. When we were young, he would always

pamper me and let me do whatever I wanted. Why is he becoming like this?

Seeing Noelle shedding tears, Jaden grumbled in dissatisfaction, “Caiden, don’t be so harsh on her.

She’s just concerned about you.”

“I don’t need her to care about me. In fact, I don’t need anyone to be concerned about me. All of these

‘concerns’ bring me nothing but annoyance!” Caiden raised his voice all of a sudden.

Noelle was stunned.

It turns out that he has always disliked and even hated me.

“Caiden, what should I do to make you happy then?” Noelle questioned tentatively, sniffling.

Without a second of hesitation, he replied, “All you need to do is stay away from me. The further, the

better.”

Jaden’s eyes widened in shock. Even though Caiden and I have been friends since childhood, it

doesn’t mean that he can hurt my sister like that.

“Caiden, you’ve gone too far!” Jaden yelled back.

However, Caiden merely sneered in response. He had long been tired of such life. Now, he preferred to

live alone.

“That was all I wanted to say. Both of you can do whatever you want. I don’t want to waste any more

time.” He swept a glance over them before going back into his room.

Meanwhile, in a building overseas, a man was sitting in a meeting room, having a discussion with a big

company’s chairman. Their conversation was not very pleasant at first, but after ten minutes, the two of

them seemed to be engaged in jovial exchanges.

“Larry, I didn’t know that you’re such a committed man.” The chairman laughed.

“Actually, every man has his romantic side…” As Larry continued to share his story, the chairman paid

his full attention and was totally engrossed in it.

The chairman never had the intention to revoke the deal with Norton Corporation. He just needed Larry

to travel here and held him up on behalf of someone.

“Okay, if that’s the case, it seems like I was not very clear with your company’s background previously.

After listening to your explanation, I finally understand it now. The information given by my staff is not

so comprehensive yet. I’ll reconsider the contract between your company and mine,” the chairman said

and rose to his feet, extending his right hand to Larry.

 

 

Chapter 2107

Based on the situation now, the possibility of a successful deal has increased. Larry smiled in

satisfaction and walked out of the meeting room.

“Mr. Norton, is everything settled?” his assistant asked, trailing behind him.

“Yes. Book the tickets immediately and go back as soon as possible,” Larry ordered.

In response, the assistant gazed at him with admiration and took out her tablet to book their tickets.

It had been a few days since Larry had last seen Joan, Lucius, and Delilah. I wonder how they are

doing? And how did the field trip go? At that thought, he dialed Joan’s number.

Meanwhile, Joan was cooking in the kitchen, so she did not hear her phone ringing in the living room.

As for Delilah, she was sitting on her bed, reading a floriculture magazine attentively. Therefore, no one

heard Larry’s call.

Then, a nurse came into her room and smiled. “Hi, Ms. Young. How are you?”

“I’m feeling fine. I would like to know when the surgery would be conducted?” Delilah whispered,

looking at Joan, who was still busy in the kitchen.

“The doctor said it’d be on next Wednesday. It’s time for you to make preparation, Ms. Young. But rest

assured, this time, the surgery will be performed by a renowned surgeon invited by Dr. Silverman. He is

specially invited from abroad to handle your surgery.”

Unbeknown to Delilah, Joan overheard their conversation, but she pretended to be busy preparing their

meal.

“It smells so good, Joan. Your cooking is awesome. Ms. Young, I’m so happy for you. Besides the

delicious food, you also have a VIP room in our hospital, which basically looks like a presidential suite.”

“You always have a kind word to say. Thank you.” Ms. Young smiled.

The next day, Larry returned to the village. As soon as he entered the house, Lucius threw himself into

his arms and pouted. “Dad, you’re finally back! I miss you so much. Where have you been? Mom and I

really miss you.”

“Lucius, it’s all my fault. Something came up on that day, so I had to go abroad to settle the issue.

Besides, my phone was off at that time, so I didn’t receive any calls. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your

field trip,” Larry apologized, a trace of guilt gleaming in his eyes.

“It’s okay, as long as you’re back safely.” Lucius hugged him tightly.

“Where is mommy?”

“She’s still at the hospital, taking care of Grandma. Grandma will have surgery soon,” Lucius said

worriedly.

Larry held Lucius’s hand and kissed him on the forehead. “Lucius, stay at home, okay? I’ll go to the

hospital for a while.”

“Okay.”

Then, Larry went out of Delilah’s house and drove to the hospital.

The hospital was busy as usual. Most of the people here had an anxious expression on their face.

“Hi, Mr. Norton.”

“Mr. Norton, you’re back.”

As he walked into the ward, several nurses greeted him, mesmerized by his good looks once again.

Larry smiled politely in response and entered Delilah’s room, only to find that there was only Delilah in

the room.

Where is Joan? He looked around, but she was nowhere to be found.

Hearing him entering the room, Delilah opened her eyes and said sarcastically, “Oh, here you are. I

thought you’d never come back again.”

It has been a few days since he left. Needless to say, Delilah knew that he had missed the camp and

went abroad. Even if Joan wanted to hide it from her, she could easily guess from Lucius’s expression

that something was off.

Larry smiled awkwardly. “Hi, Ms. Young. How are you feeling?”

“You brat! Where have you been for the last few days? You missed the field trip and even went missing

after that, not even bothered to answer any of their calls. You’ve made Joan and Lucius worried sick!”

Delilah rebuked.

She was rather angry with him at the moment. I once thought that he was a good guy who was always

considerate and competent, so I had thought of leaving Lucius in his hands later on. But how can I

believe him again after seeing him being so imprudent?

“Ms. Young, that day, I had an urgent matter to attend to, and my phone was off because it had run out

of battery. Please believe me, Ms. Young. You know what kind of a person I am. The project is

extremely important to my company. If we lose the project, we would be losing hundreds of millions of

profit,” he explained frantically.

 

Chapter 2108

Although Delilah did not know much about business, she definitely understood that profit meant a lot to

a company. Other than charity organizations, no company could survive without making profits.

“Okay. Go to Joan and explain it to her. I can’t help you with this matter.” She looked away and gazed

outside the window, sighing.

Lucius had already told her all the things that happened during the field trip. Sometimes, I’m quite

worried that Joan might develop feelings for that guy, Caiden. Women are emotional; we tend to fall in

love easily with the person who accompanies us, especially during moments of vulnerability.

“How’s Joan lately?” Larry asked tentatively.

How ridiculous! Joan is his wife, and yet, he is asking me how she is doing.

“You can ask her yourself.” With that, Delilah covered herself with the blanket and closed her eyes.

Larry sighed inwardly and left the room, dejected. I purposely rushed to the hospital to see Joan and

tell her why I had missed the field trip. But now she is nowhere to be found, and I even got scolded by

Ms. Young.

In the mall, Caiden came out of the fitting room and stood in front of a mirror, asking, “Joan, how about

this one?”

“Looks good.” Joan smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

Besides Larry, she had never given other men any clothes suggestions, not to mention that she was

not even that close to Caiden yet.

Upon hearing her answer, he turned around and frowned at her in a joking manner. “Joan, how can you

be so irresponsible? Every time I try on a new suit, the only comments you give are ‘good’ and ‘nice.’

Are you trying to make me buy all the clothes in this store?”

“No. With your good looks, I honestly think that you look awesome in whatever clothes you wear,” she

hastily explained.

Caiden beamed the moment he heard her praise.

Did she just compliment me? Way to go, Caiden!

With a wide grin spread across his face, he took out the clothes he had tried on and showed them to

her. “Joan, which one should I choose? White, black, or the pink one?”

That had put her in a tight spot.

Larry was the only man she had chosen clothes for, and that was because she was all too familiar with

his style of dressing. However, for Caiden, she had absolutely no clue about his preference. Therefore,

she could only give him a general answer.

“Of course you should choose the color that you like,” she replied placidly.

In an instant, his eyes dimmed.

Why is she being so careful with her words? Is she uncomfortable being with me? Or is she still

thinking about Larry?

“What’s wrong, Joan? If you don’t feel like shopping with me, you can go back home and have a rest.”

Caiden pretended to look hurt, trying to make her feel guilty.

Rubbing her neck awkwardly, Joan sneaked a glance at her watch and smiled faintly. “No, I’m fine. I

just need to get back to the hospital to cook for Ms. Young later in the evening. It’s okay. We can

continue to shop. Have you found anything you like?”

“Yeah, I like these three, but I don’t know which one fits me the best,” he stated, pointing at the suits in

front of them.

She looked at the suits and pondered for a while. “Oh. I think I like the white one.”

Caiden touched the suit that she mentioned. Really? But I like the black one the most. Seems like we

don’t have similar taste. What a bummer.

After seeing the hesitation in his eyes, she realized that the black suit was the one he preferred.

Hence, she quickly added, “However, the black one suits you, too. You look quite charming with it.”

Her words made his eyes light up with pleasure. We still get each other, don’t we?

“Sure.” He nodded and turned to the store’s employee. “Excuse me. I’d like to have this.”

While Caiden and Joan were shopping, Larry had decided to go back to his company after visiting

Delilah in the hospital. Five minutes later, Caspian barged into his office with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Larry, you’re finally back!”

“Uh-huh. How’s the company recently?” Larry asked, flipping through the documents on his desk.

After Caspian finished reporting to him, he was about to leave when Larry called out to him.

 

 

 

Chapter 2109

“How has Joan been recently?” Caspian stiffened as he hesitated to answer. Of course, Larry noticed

his apprehension instantly.

“What happened? Tell me!”

After listening to Caspian spill his heart out, Larry had a bitter taste in his mouth.

It hasn’t been more than a few days, and she’s already starting to cling onto other men? She’s married,

for goodness’ sake!

What the hell does she think she’s doing?

Bang! Larry slammed the office door closed, making a beeline for his car.

“Where to, Mr. Norton?” The chauffeur asked.

“The hospital!”

The poor chauffeur nearly jumped out of his skin at the murderous aura that was emanating off of his

voice. Without a second thought, he floored the gas pedal.

Larry was going to wait in the hospital until Joan appeared and then ask her about what was going on.

Anxiously rubbing his hands together, he stared at the unchanging red traffic light and wondered if God

was playing some kind of mean trick on him. Noticing Larry’s stress, the chauffeur tried to start a

conversation in order to distract him.

“It’ll be alright, Mr. Norton. The light will turn green soon.”

“Mm.”

It was a simple sound of affirmation, but it betrayed the fact that his patience was already at its limits.

The cars behind them were starting to honk as if it would make the traffic light change faster. Larry

winded the car windows down for a breath of fresh air, but suddenly caught sight of something he

probably shouldn’t have.

In the corner of a Western restaurant sat two people, or more specifically, Caiden and Joan. They

looked very happy together, and she even giggled when he occasionally reached out to brush her hair

away from her face.

“You must be tired after today,” Caiden told Joan in a low voice.

After all, she hadn’t wanted to come outdoors in the first place, but he’d insisted on dragging her along

with him to go shopping for clothes.

“I’m fine,” Joan smiled kindly. “It’s the least I could do for the person whom I owe my life to.”

Caiden froze for a second before regaining his composure.

Does she think of me as nothing more than a lifesaver? Is she really unaware of my feelings towards

her?

“Joan, I…” Caiden gulped, stopping himself.

He wanted to confess to her. He’d thought about it for a long time coming and had merely been waiting

for the right chance. Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected her to still view him as an outsider.

Am I not doing enough? Caiden lamented internally, feeling disappointed.

“What’s wrong?” Joan glanced at him curiously.

“Um— I want to ask you something.”

“Sure.” She put down her knife and fork, fixing him with a sincere stare. “I have nothing to hide.”

“What if, and this is just ‘if’, you fall in love with another man?” Caiden asked carefully. “What would you

do?”

“That won’t happen,” Joan instantly replied.

Huh? Why not?

“If I wasn’t in love with Larry, I wouldn’t have chosen to get married to him. The very fact that I’ve

chosen to do exactly that should be proof enough that I’ve decided to spend the rest of my life with him.

Thus, that hypothetical situation that you brought up will never happen. If anything, I don’t have any

respect for women who would fall in love with men other than their own lover.” Joan sipped from her

cup of coffee.

He hadn’t predicted that answer. Usually, women were very emotional beings; even if they were

already married, it wasn’t rare for them to get divorced in order to chase after the man they thought was

their one true love. Cases like Joan’s, where she vowed to be loyal to her marriage no matter what,

were rare nowadays.

Unbeknownst to him, Caiden’s interest in her increased even further.

“I was just saying ‘if’…”

Joan cut in, “There is no ‘if’s about it.”

“Okay, then I’ll ask something else.” Caiden quickly changed the topic.

“If one day, you discovered that your husband was having an affair, what would you do?”

What a timely question. She’d just dealt with a similar situation recently.

“First of all, my husband would never do that. Second of all, even if he did, it would be a trap set up by

someone else,” she answered firmly.

 

 

 

Chapter 2110

Caiden couldn’t wrap his head around why she trusted Larry so much. Men having affairs outside of

their marriage was normal. Hell, even he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t do such a thing when he

got married in the future.

“Joan, you need to understand that sometimes men’s wants and needs are very strong…”

“Can we not talk about this anymore, Caiden? I love my family and my husband very much, as does

he. He treats me well, and we are happy. Nothing that you just said will ever happen.

“Is there anything else? If not, I’ll take my leave. I need to get back to the hospital to take care of Ms.

Young.” Joan got to her feet and picked her bag up.

“Wait! Don’t go! I was just joking around,” Caiden hurriedly rushed to make her stay. “Don’t take my

words so seriously, okay?”

So she truly is firm in her own beliefs. No wonder Larry didn’t give up even after so long. What a weird

woman.

“I know you were joking, but I really have to go…”

“Joan!” A familiar voice suddenly called out.

“Dustin?” She turned around at the sound of her name as he walked towards them. “What are you

doing here?”

Who is he? Is he close to Joan? Caiden squinted at the man in front of him with suspicious eyes.

“Hi, my name’s Dustin. I’m Joan’s friend and one of her admirers.”

“What are you talking about?” Joan rolled her eyes and hit his shoulder lightly. “I’m married.”

Dustin could tell that this Caiden guy was clearly in love with Joan, and was in the midst of struggling to

get her attention. He wasn’t a bad-looking fella. It was just too bad that he fell in love with a woman that

he shouldn’t have.

“You two can continue talking. I’m going to go upstairs to do some stuff,” Dustin gestured towards the

floor above them.

He wasn’t worried about Joan being stolen away by someone else; he knew that she would always

reject their advances.

“It’s getting late, Caiden. I should really get going,” Joan insisted, getting a little desperate.

“I’ll send you there.” He opened the door for her as he said so.

Larry watched all of this happen, not budging an inch from where he sat in the car.

“Are we still heading for the hospital, Mr. Norton?” the chauffeur inquired.

He, too, had witnessed Joan leaving the restaurant with another man.

“Go. Now,” came Larry’s cold answer.

The temperature in the car felt like it had dropped several degrees, and the chauffeur felt chills run up

his spine.

“There’s really no need,” Joan argued, trying to block Caiden’s way. “I can hail a taxi. Don’t you still

have work, anyway?”

“Relax! My work hours are super flexible,” grinned Caiden.

This won’t do. If the nurses at the hospital see us, they’re going to gossip again.

“Are you angry because of what I said?”

Unable to convince him otherwise, Joan had no choice but to let him send her to the hospital.

“What’s going on? Why did Mrs. Norton arrive with that guy?”

“Who knows? I just saw Mr. Norton go in, too…”

The nurses hid behind the counters and whispered to one another. They could easily see that Caiden’s

gaze was filled with admiration and envy whenever he looked at Joan.

“Bye, Joan! Call me if you need anything!” Caiden gave her a sunny smile, waving at her before he

walked away.

I hope we never call each other again. The happenings of the past few days were more than enough to

make her feel wrought with guilt. She didn’t need yet another thing to worry about. Joan took a deep

breath to steel herself and walked into the ward.

“You’re back,” Delilah noted out loud.

Joan greeted her in a soft tone, “How are you today, Ms. Young? Do you feel any better? Your surgery

is tomorrow.” She only noticed Larry’s presence when approaching Delilah’s bed.

“Larry? Why are you here?” She tilted her head in confusion.

She’d thought that the Norton Corporation was swamped with work and that he was too busy to come

to visit Delilah. The memory of how he’d broken his promise last time was still fresh in her mind. Of

course, it wasn’t as if she’d been completely sound of mind herself these past few days.