Chapter 107:

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Later, Rachel put on her makeup and went to get a finer wine to make up with Caden. Her eyes were swollen and red. “Mr. Ward, I would like to propose a toast in your honor. Otherwise, Randolph will have my head.”

Caden kept a stoic attitude and took a sip of wine. This one was considerably stronger than the last. As it went down his throat, he won slightly.

Rachel filled a glass for Alicia. “Miss Bennett…”

Rachel's voice was as weak and pitiful as before. Fighting back her tears, she said, "I'm most to blame for today. I'm truly sorry; please forgive me." To Alice, such a plea sounded like moral blackmail.

After being slapped, Rachel now approached her humbly. If Alicia chose to remain resentful, it would only paint her as unreasonable.

After a few seconds of silence, Alicia finally raised her glass. Caden looked in her direction and gently pushed it under the table.

Alice recognized the warning. He was silently warning her not to drink. But she replied bluntly: “Why did you kick me?”

Caden was momentarily speechless. Alicia picked up her glass and turned to Rachel. “I can't have wine, so I'll have water instead.” She then replaced the wine with water.

Rachel's expression tightened momentarily, although it was hard to tell because of her swollen cheek. “I really appreciate that, Mrs. Bennett.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Rachel closed her eyes and drank the wine. Her face immediately flushed.

Alicia responded with a small sip of water, feeling a little uncomfortable under the gaze of the room. Rachel quickly turned away, embarrassed to be the center of attention. She walked over to Randolph, who was standing a short distance away, and leaned gently against him.

I have patted her on the back to offer some comfort.

Alice sat down. “Looks like Randolph managed to calm her down. Did she decide to overlook the slap so easily?”

Caden replied nonchalantly, “Neither of you are obliged to do anything against your will. It's your business. Don’t make it yours.”

Alicia rested her chin on her hand, suddenly intrigued. “Caden, given your unique temperament, if you were to get married, would you end up hitting your wife when you felt stressed?”

Caden kept a straight face. “I would hit him even when I wasn't feeling stressed.”

Alice was shocked. “You're an idiot.”

“I never specified where I would hit,” Caden replied, giving him a meaningful look.

Alice instinctively replied, "What kind of twisted reasoning is that? Domestic violence is illegal, no matter where it occurs."

Caden commented: “You might want to check with the police to see if playful spanking in bed is illegal.”

Alicia was speechless. Noticing her shocked expression, Caden smiled and began, “And also…”

Before he could continue, Alice covered her mouth and said seriously, "That's enough."

Caden playfully brushed his hand away, joking, “Do you have any idea what I was about to say?”

Alice's expression was blank, but her ears reddened. She struggled to maintain her composure. "I know it wasn't going to be appropriate."

“Just standard sex ed,” Caden replied, keeping his tone serious.

Alice was not convinced. She lowered her voice and said, “My biology teacher never mentioned anything about spanking in the context of sex.”

Caden let out a soft laugh. “I teach advanced classes,” he said.

Alice looked at her hand. She could easily imagine how he used to playfully spank women.

"No, thank you," she replied, clearly annoyed.

As everyone finished eating, Alicia lost her appetite and headed to the bathroom. Caden went in another direction to rinse his mouth and wash his hands.

A feeling of being watched bothered him from behind. I have decided not to look back immediately. Once he dried his fingers, he turned around. A crowd had gathered outside.

However, his target quickly caught his attention.

She was a servant of the Gray household.

The maid hesitated momentarily under her scrutiny before stepping forward. “Mr. Ward, would you like to rest for a bit?”

Caden barely acknowledged his presence.

In a casual tone, he asked, “Where could I go?”

The maid replied, “Mr. Gray mentioned that he had been drinking, so he thought he might benefit from some rest. “I have prepared a room for him.”

Wary of a possible disappointment, Caden replied, “That won't be necessary. Have Randolph meet me in the parlor. “I need to talk to him.”

The maid hesitated, biting her lip for a few moments.

It was clear that he was trying hard to complete his task due to Caden's response, but his shy nature prevented him from pressing any further. He hurried off to find Randolph.

Randolph's expression darkened when he learned that Caden had not gone to rest in the designated room. However, he showed no signs of anger. He simply waved the maid away. After a while, Caden made his way to the living room. Randolph motioned for someone to bring a bowl of soup to help Caden sober up.

Caden declined the offer. “Mr. Gray, if you are concerned about my intoxication, why did you have Mrs. Gray serve such a potent wine?”

Noticing Caden's cold demeanor, Randolph pressed further. "Mr. Ward, are you still upset by Rachel's treatment of Miss Bennett?"

He had previously asked Rachel about the previous incident.

Even though it was only a few women, Caden had intervened.

He had defended Alicia so transparently.

Concerned that Caden might have some interest in Alicia, Randolph felt compelled to approach him.

Caden, understanding Randolph's motives, replied enigmatically, "She was my brother's ex-wife. Now that she's facing difficulties, what reason would I have not to help her?"

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