Chapter: 141

His face darkened with revulsion.

With a sudden jerk, he flung it aside, his entire body shuddering in disgust.

Alicia erupted into laughter.

Caden, notorious for his aversion to anything unclean, was repulsed beyond measure.

The mere thought of touching that toad would likely haunt him for days.

His face darkened, a storm brewing behind his eyes.

Sensing that she might have gone too far, Alicia stopped Laughing and tried to climb out of the pond.

In her haste, she lost her footing on the slick mud and tumbled back into the water, her knee striking a sharp stone.

A sharp pain shot through her leg, and her vision momentarily blurred as she gasped.

Caden glanced at her, his expression softening ever so slightly.

Alicia tried to regain her balance, but her injured knee refused to support her weight. Her hand shook as she reached out. "Help me up."

Caden, his tone casual but cold, replied, "Miss Bennett, don't you know? I can't stand women who pretend to be innocent." He paused, his eyes narrowing. “Whatever you've learned from your books, it won't work on me."

Alicia could only stare at him, speechless.

Without another word, he turned his back on her and began walking away.

As the thunder rumbled above her, Alicia, torn between fury and pain, felt as though the sky itself was about to strike her down.

Seeing that Caden was really leaving, panic set in, and she scrambled to her feet, forgetting her pain in her haste to follow him.

The storm intensified, as if mirroring her frantic state.

Caden had been ready to leave, but the downpour forced him to reconsider. Soaked to the bone, he had no choice but to change.

It had been ages since he had stayed at the Yates Mansion, and he had nothing of his own left there.

Shelia, ever the dutiful hostess, fetched a set of clothes belonging to her son Joshua. She smiled and said, "You and Joshua are about the same size. Why not just wear these?"

Caden, flicking droplets of water from his sleeves, responded with icy indifference, "I'm not one to settle. Don't bother yourself."

His words were colder than the rain that pelted down.

Shelia's smile faltered, her embarrassment clear.

Caden had never liked his stepmother, and Shelia despised him in return, though she tried not to show it.

But in the end, there was little choice. Caden was far more accomplished than her son, Joshua.

And now, with the inheritance at stake, Shelia knew she had to play the part of the perfect wife and mother, even if she could barely tolerate Caden's presence.

Shelia bit back her anger and made her way to the master bedroom.

Jerald leaned against the headboard, resting.

Recently, he'd been getting stronger, even managing to walk a bit, slowly regaining his old strength.

While Shelia changed her clothes, she kept her back to him, tears silently falling.