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 a cartoon. “I

that moment, the door creaked and Alice came

light from the recording booth spilled into the

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

this, Gerry looked

booked a spot at an exclusive rooftop restaurant downtown. Would you like to join

declining the invitation would not sit well with her business relationship with Gerry, so she agreed, albeit

Alicia and Caden shared the backseat. Without saying anything to each other, they gravitated toward their respective windows, the space between

flipping through the listings for the best properties. He was looking for photos of expensive and hard-to-find properties. Smiling brightly, he even showed a

“Why don't you

I'll take it,” Gerry joked without missing a beat. More photos

Gerry

a slight smirk. “Careful. You don’t want to

gaze sharp. She quickly stiffened, pretending to be absorbed in the scenery outside. Her long, wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, partially obscuring her face.

didn't say anything, but his gaze lingered

arrived at the restaurant, Caden and Gerry quickly left. Alicia, however, remained in her seat. “Mr. Hopkins,” she called with an apologetic smile, “come in. “I need to touch up

how much women cared about their appearance, simply agreed. “There's no hurry. When you're ready, tell the concierge to bring you up.

"Thank you."

a quick glance before heading to the entrance. Beside him, Gerry strolled

nowhere, Caden stopped dead

left my phone in the car.

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