Chapter: 783

Still puzzled, she made her way to the dining room when a sudden knock on the door startled her. She opened it to find the breakfast delivery.

Caden had ordered breakfast food for her. As she unpacked everything, Alicia called out for her little dog. "Little Cade, come here, boy!"

Oh, but wait - it was no longer the little pup she remembered; it had grown into a sturdy, full-sized dog.

She called out a few times, but it didn't respond.

Puzzled, she tried different names - "Cade! Lucky!" -— but still, there was no reaction.

Growing concerned, Alicia walked into the small room, only to find the dog lying motionless in its bed, its eyes rolling back and foam gathering at its mouth.

"No, no, no!" Alicia gasped, rushing to his side. Panic surged through her as she scooped up the dog and rushed to the vet.

She called Caden, her voice trembling. "Caden, Cade's sick! I'm taking him to the vet right now."

To her surprise, Caden's voice on the other end was calm. "Don't worry about it, Alicia. It's nothing serious. He'll be fine."

Standing anxiously outside the operating room, Alicia couldn't shake her worry. "I don't know what's wrong. He looked terrible, and he was so weak when I picked him up."

Caden's voice held a hint of irony as he replied, "It's a male dog, Alicia. How did he get so weak?"

Alicia's face tightened with frustration. "No jokes now, okay? He was perfectly healthy with me, Caden. What happened while he was with you? Did you do something to him?"

Silence stretched over the Line.

Alicia's suspicion grew. “Did you really mistreat him, Caden?"

Caden's voice remained calm, almost detached. "No, I didn't mistreat him."

"Then what did you do?" she demanded.

Caden sighed. "I'll come over as soon as I'm done here."

At that moment, Caden was in the middle of an important meeting, analyzing a new product with several high-profile clients.

Alicia knew he was busy, so she held back her anger, choosing not to press further.

Still, Caden wrapped up the meeting sooner than expected.

One of his clients, an elderly man, had overheard Alicia's tense voice over the phone.

With Caden's status, what young woman would dare speak to him that way?

Clearly, only someone close to his heart.

Amused, he looked at Caden and remarked, "Mr. Ward, it sounds like you've got some urgent matters to tend to. Business can wait, but you can't afford to ignore a woman's emotions."

Caden allowed a small smile. “You're right. She has quite a temper. If I let it simmer too long, I'll be the one in trouble."

The client chuckled heartily. "Mr. Ward, it seems you're quite under the thumb."

Caden didn't bother denying it. He simply shrugged with a slight smile. "Call it fate."

When Caden arrived at the vet, the dog's test results were ready.

"It's food poisoning,” the doctor explained. "The vomit contains food residue that isn't typical dog food. We're still running tests to determine what it is."

Just then, Caden stepped forward.