Chapter: 380

He could feel the heat radiating off her, a clear indication of how much his earlier strike stung.

Sighing, he shifted tactics. "You're tough enough to take a Little spanking, right? If not, then fine. I'll just punish that little troublemaker instead."

As he anticipated, Alicia's reaction was immediate.

She whipped around, eyes shimmering with unshed tears, glaring at him fiercely. “Why didn't you say that sooner?! Cade can take a beating better than I can!"

For a moment, Caden was speechless.

Before he could react, Alicia slipped out of his grip, quickly pulling up her pants with a huff.

Then, she scooped up Cade and bolted out of the room, leaving him all alone in the room.

He didn't bother to chase her. Instead, he glanced at his watch, then powered down his laptop before making his way to the living room.

As he rubbed his hands together, he relished the scent of Alicia's floral body lotion on his palms. "What's for dinner?"

From across the room, Alicia poured milk into Cade's bowl with a smirk, her tone mischievous as she replied, "Celery with beef."

Caden fell silent, wondering if she was just teasing him.

Alas, she wasn't joking.

Sure enough, when he sat down at the table, three dishes greeted him.

One was a celery salad, the second a beef salad, and the third, the dreaded celery with beef—his least favorite dish.

He stared at his fork for what felt like an eternity, unable to bring himself to take the first bite.

Alicia's mocking voice cut through the silence. “Not a fan? No worries. I could always whip up some soup-made with celery and beef, of course."

Caden pressed his lips into a thin line, eyes narrowing slightly.

“I'll just have some bread," he said, voice flat, as though the entire meal had lost its appeal.

As he turned to leave, his gaze caught on the soft cushion placed on Alicia's chair.

"It hurts that much? I didn't even use much force."

Alicia's expression hardened, but she said nothing, her hands busy as she started gathering the dishes from the table. She didn't even bother looking his way.

“Let the maid do it," Caden added, sounding almost lazy. "Come here."

“What for?"

“My tie." He jutted his chin toward the sofa. “Bring it over and tie it for me."

Alicia shot him a glare, annoyance flickering in her eyes. "Get it yourself," she snapped, clearly fed up.

Unfazed, Caden shifted his attention to the small puppy lounging nearby.

“Lucky, go fetch my tie."

Alicia's brow furrowed in frustration. "I told you, his name's Cade!"

Obviously, the insufferable man was trying to rile her up on purpose.

Propping one hand against the cabinet, Caden watched her, amusement dancing in his expression. "Are you mad?" His voice was a teasing purr. “Why don't you bring the tie over? Maybe you can strangle me with it."