Chapter: 48

Alicia clutched the music sheet close to her chest as she stepped into the recording studio, her heart racing.

Gerry was already there, lounging by the door. His usual charming grin stretched across his handsome face. "I thought you'd bailed on me."

Alicia greeted him politely, offering a small smile. “Mr. Hopkins."

Gerry waved her off, laughing. “Come on, just call me Gerry Like the old days."

They were classmates back in the day. Gerry had always been Caden's best friend, and he had a front-row seat to every spat and stolen glance between her and Caden.

After graduation, they had taken different paths, but Alicia had once been the star of the school- known not just for her talent, but for how she always kept Caden at arm's length. On a spiritual level, she was a notch above Gerry.

Gerry led her into the recording studio, gleaming with state-of-the- art equipment and an arrangement team that could rival the best in the business.

"Go ahead and get settled," Gerry said, gesturing toward the mic.

"I'll give it a listen from outside."

As soon as he stepped out of the studio, his phone buzzed. It was Caden calling.

“Hey, right in the nick of time; Alicia just got here to record,”

Gerry informed him casually.

Caden's voice came through the phone, cool and uninterested. "And?"

He was about to lead an international meeting, but the mention of Alicia, as always, distracted him.

Gerry clicked his tongue, his voice dripping with amusement. “Aren't you coming? This is your arch-enemy's first time recording a song. Don't you want front-row seats?"

Caden's lips curled into a smirk. "Why would I waste my time listening to a monkey screech?"

Well...

He hung up, the sharp click cutting the conversation short.

Beside Caden, Hank was hunched over his computer, fingers moving cautiously across the keyboard as he double-checked the system for any sign of viruses.

It seemed the last incident had really did a number on him.

The video call with the foreign executives soon began, filling the room with a rapid-fire exchange of data in crisp, clear tones.

Caden's mind filtered through the technical jargon with ease, interrupting only to ask pointed questions before he ended the meeting earlier than expected.

“Mr. Ward," Hank said, checking the clock, “there's still some time. Any plans tonight?"

Caden stood, grabbing his coat with a swift motion.

“Let's go hear the monkey sing," he said with a sly smile.

When they arrived at the studio, Alicia had just wrapped up her first take.

Through the glass window of the recording booth, Caden's eyes settled on her. She stood with her head slightly bowed, her fingers trailing across the sheet music as she reviewed her lyrics.

Under the warm spotlight, her already delicate features seemed to glow, adding a graceful softness to her flawless skin.

There was also an undeniable confidence in the way she carried herself-serious, focused, yet undeniably captivating.

This woman might've been a hopeless romantic, but even Caden had to admit her figure was beyond reproach.