Chapter: 389

There was only one staff manning the entire shop, a young girl, who now stood behind the counter. Alicia offered her an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry." She was the only customer left, so she assumed that the girl had been waiting for her to make her purchase before closing up.

The young girl knew what she meant. "No worries," she said with a smile. "We are open 24 hours. Even if you weren't here, I would still be working until the next shift arrives."

She rang Alicia's purchases up, and when it came the time to pay, Caden took out his card and handed it over.

Alicia stood back and made no protests. She usually preferred to pay for herself, but she also understood that men often liked to shoulder the bills to show off their generosity.

Just this once, she decided to let Caden have his way.

Then, as the young girl wrapped up the books, Alicia took out her phone and transferred the total costs to Caden's account.

Caden could only stare at the notification from his bank in a mix of helplessness and resignation.

Just then, they heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.

Before they even saw the newcomer, they caught sight of a large bouquet of red roses. The man holding it had an eager expression on his face as he approached the counter.

“What are you doing here?" the young girl asked in surprise.

Clearly, it was her boyfriend, come to bring her a pretty gift.

It seemed that he had just realized there were still customers at the shop. He cast an embarrassed glance toward Caden and Alicia, then leaned in to whisper to his girlfriend, "I just got off work. I'm so sorry I missed the special day, baby."

The young girl smiled, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink.

“It's okay." She proceeded to wrap the rest of Alicia's books with the utmost haste.

Alicia felt something warm spread across her chest as she watched their display of a young, innocent love.

She had already been married once, yet not once could she recall ever having experienced something like this. To bear witness to such a pure, honest love brought tears to her eyes.

Caden, on the other hand, was totally unaffected. He turned to Alicia with a frown. “What special day are they talking about?"

Was there some couple's holiday in November that he wasn't aware of?

Alicia thought about it for a moment. “Maybe he meant a special day for the two of them."

“Is flowers really necessary?" Cayden asked with one eyebrow raised.

Alicia smiled. There really wasn't a single romantic bone in this man's body. “It's a nice surprise, and a very sweet gesture."

"A bit of an overkill, if you ask me," Caden muttered.

Alicia almost scoffed at him.

She couldn't help but wonder how he used to treat his previous girlfriends.

From what she knew so far, she was willing to bet that he spent most of his time with them in bed. She doubted he had ever done anything romantic. At most, he might just ask his assistant to buy his partners gifts.

They gathered the books and made their way downstairs. "How old were you when you experienced your first love?" Alicia found herself asking.

"Never dated," Caden answered in a flat tone.

Alicia gaped at him. "Never? Seriously, you? Come on, I don't believe that."

Caden didn't elaborate any further.

"Oh, that's right!" Alicia exclaimed as a light bulb lit up in her head. “There's no way you would have the patience to maintain a relationship. The most you can probably do is a fling here and there."