The unwanted wife’s unexpected comeback

Chapter 22:

? ? ? ? ?

As soon as Caden finished speaking, Gerry's eyes snapped open. It took him a few seconds to process that Caden was standing next to him.

Eyes wide, Gerry removed his headphones and asked, confused, “When did you get here?”

"Right now, actually."

Caden had arrived late, so Alicia had already finished recording the song. There was no way she was going to perform it again just because he had walked in. Not that it mattered, Caden wasn't particularly interested in music. He was there to have fun, nothing more.

But Gerry's reaction was something else entirely. "It's exactly what I imagined; in fact, more than I expected. No wonder he can compete with you for the top spot. He's very talented, Caden."

Caden studied him, intrigued. Gerry, a man rarely impressed, especially when he came to other artists, seemed unusually enthusiastic.

“Oh, yeah?” Caden replied, his tone deliberately nonchalant. “I guess I’m going to lose our bet.”

“You better get that groundwork ready for the handover,” Gerry joked with a smirk as he handed the lyric sheet to Caden. “Don't feel too bad about missing the recording session. Here, check out his lyrics instead. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from his lyrics.”

Caden picked up the piece of paper and scanned the page silently. He let out a sigh, raising an eyebrow. “I thought your movie was about Transformers fighting zombies. Why are the lyrics so… heartfelt?”

“What?” Gerry's mood changed instantly. His bright eyes narrowed, irritation creeping into his tone. “Zombies”? Really? It's a heartwarming sci-fi movie. Didn't I send you a copy? Haven’t you seen it?”

“Oh, I don't watch cartoons,” Caden replied nonchalantly.

“It's 3D animation! It's not

the door creaked and Alice

stared. The warm light from the recording booth spilled into the room,

tired. “Mr. Hopkins, let's wrap things up for today. If anything comes

looked at

fact, I've booked a spot at an exclusive rooftop restaurant downtown. Would you like to join us for dinner,

hesitated, a flicker of discomfort crossing her features. But declining the invitation would not

a thirty-minute drive away. Gerry settled into the passenger seat, while Alicia and Caden shared the backseat. Without saying anything to each other, they gravitated

of expensive and hard-to-find

the photos with disdain, his tone cold. “Why don't you go get the White House while you're at

take it,” Gerry joked without missing a

these,” Gerry said,

twisted into a slight smirk. “Careful. You don’t want to count your

subtle movement caught Caden's attention. He turned his head, his gaze sharp. She quickly stiffened, pretending to be absorbed in the scenery outside. Her long, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, partially obscuring her

but his gaze lingered for a moment

they arrived at the restaurant, Caden and Gerry quickly left. Alicia, however, remained in her seat. “Mr. Hopkins,” she called

no hurry. When you're ready,

"Thank you."

to the entrance. Beside him, Gerry

stopped

the car.

eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, and cast a suspicious glance at the sleek vehicle parked