Chapter 22:

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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.

animation! It's not a cartoon.

door creaked and Alice

into the room, casting a

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

looked at his

rooftop restaurant downtown. Would you like to join us for dinner,

discomfort crossing her features. But declining the invitation would not sit

the backseat. Without saying anything to each other, they gravitated toward

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

tone cold. “Why don't you

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

these,” Gerry said, completely

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

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 face.

say anything, but his gaze lingered for a moment before returning to the

Caden and Gerry quickly left. Alicia, however, remained in her seat. “Mr. Hopkins,” she called with an apologetic

appearance, simply agreed. “There's no hurry. When you're ready, tell

"Thank you."

entrance. Beside him, Gerry strolled casually, recounting the latest showbiz gossip as if nothing

of nowhere, Caden stopped dead in

in the car. Go ahead. I'll catch

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

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