Chapter 169


    “Would you go for an abortion if you get pregnant?” Cayden looked thoughtfully at her as he removed


    his watch.


    “Why would I get myself into that situation? If I sleep with someone, I will make sure he takes the


    necessary precaution. In short, I will not have to worry about what to do after I get pregnant,” Avery


    said, disinterested and having no wish to dwell on the subject. She thought Cayden should be going to


    bed, so she turned around and went into her room after replying to him.


    Cayden, with his quiet air of authority, seemed out of ce in that cramped hall as he stood watching


    her disappear into the bedroom. After removing his watch, he went on to unbutton his shirt and let out a


    sigh of relief.


    A few days ago, Toby and Talia announced that Dn was married. Avery was rushed into the


    marriage by Dn, who made use of her concern for her grandfather''s safety.


    As soon as Dn brought Avery into the hotel suite, ke was miraculously “found”. Dn had


    resorted to making use of ke to manipte her, as he knew her grandfather was her greatest soft


    spot.


    Dn had a paranoid personality and had always been guarded. After he was released from jail, he


    became even more cautious and meticulous.


    His abduction of ke was done wlessly and Dn left behind no incriminating evidence. In order to


    get him punished by thew, Avery would need solid evidence to prove his involvement and guilt, which


    he did not leave behind. She was no match for Dn.


    However, if she were to confide in him, Cayden was ready to back her up and seek justice on her


    behalf.


    After a quick shower, Cayden wrapped an ill-fitting towel around himself, turned off the lights, and went


    into the kitchen to smoke. With the lights off, the ce was in pitch darkness, so he did not have to


    worry anyone could see him even if there were no curtains on the windows.


    “Water, I want water...” Rory was muttering in her sleep, seemingly thirsty.


    Lily had brought some pickles to the hospital. After giving it a try, Rory fell in love with it and ate a lot of


    the pickles during dinner. She could be suffering from dehydration as a result.


    Avery was still awake and was lying next to Rory, watching over her. When she heard Rory asking for


    water, she gentlyforted the little girl and got up to get a drink for her.


    When she opened the bedroom door, she saw the hall was in pitch darkness, so she assumed Cayden


    had gone to bed.


    The kids sleep by themselves when they are at the Moore residence. What happens when they get


    thirsty at night? Do they just suffer till morning?


    Avery''s mind was preupied with concern for the kids as she made her way into the kitchen with the


    aid of the shlight on her mobile phone.


    When she reached the kitchen, she turned on the light and had a big shock when she caught sight of a


    naked Cayden.


    His toned and sculpted body was right before her eyes. Her gaze moved from his broad shoulders to


    his sexy waist, and then further down...


    Avery suddenly felt hot on her cheeks, and she quickly turned around. Her hands were trembling from


    embarrassment as her thoughts lingered on the memory of the sight of his private area.


    Although a naked man was nothing new to her, Avery was still stunned by the unexpected encounter.


    She ran back to the bedroom and did not even stay on in the kitchen to get the ss of water for Rory.


    When she got back into the room, Rory was already sleeping soundly again and no longer muttering


    about being thirsty.


    Cayden did not have any pajamas with him, so he only had a towel to wrap around himself after his


    shower. As the towel was too small for him, it fell off, and he could not be bothered to put it on again.


    After finishing his stick of cigarette, he snubbed it into the clean ashtray he took from the hall and


    walked back into the hall.


    Although his pants were still damp, he went ahead to put them on as he did not want to embarrass


    Avery again.


    As it was in the middle of the night, he reckoned she had gone to the kitchen to get a drink, so he went


    back into the kitchen, wanting to get her a ss of water.


    That was his fourth trip to the tiny kitchen that night, but for the first time, he noticed a button on the


    floor.


    He bent down and picked it up from the corner of the kitchen. It looked like a button from a man''s shirt.


    Cayden''s mind wandered back to the night five years ago when Talia was howling and threatening


    suicide.


    The terrible news of one''s son being sentenced to five years of imprisonment would tear any mother''s


    heart apart. It was no different for Talia. For many days, she cried her eyes out and refused to leave


    Dn''s room.


    “Everything was going well for him! He spoke about starting his own business and having gotten


    himself a girlfriend. Justst month, he came back with a few shirts and told me his girlfriend had


    specially designed those shirts for him. I was looking forward to him getting married and settling down


    to a stable life, hopeful that he has finally found someone who can rein him in. How can he so—so


    suddenly get into such a big mess...” Talia was clutching those shirts in her hands as she cried. Cayden


    had taken a second look at the shirts as the buttons on them attracted his attention. The buttons were


    unique and designed by an up-andingdy designer, who was known to be besotted with Dn.


    Without a doubt, he knew that button found in Avery''s kitchen was from that samedy designer.


    He was instantly overwhelmed by jealousy, making him irrational and sensitive.


    Other than the button found in the kitchen, he recalled the missing matching shoes and what Dn had


    said at the theater. All those added up to make him insecure and jealous.


    Avery was tossing and turning in the room, unable to fall asleep. Suddenly, her phone beeped. She


    reached for it and saw that it was a Whatsapp message from Cayden.


    He texted: Do you want toe out or should I go in?


    Avery was puzzled, wondering what he was up to in the middle of the night.


    She got out of bed and went out of the room. As she was closing the bedroom door, out of the corner of


    her eyes, she could see Cayden was standing in the hallway, next to the shoe rack.


    Avery had no idea why he was looking grim and stony.


    “Where is the pair of matching shoes I bought for you?” he questioned, brows pinched as he walked


    toward Avery.


    Avery recalled the scene of the matching shoes being burnt and a look of guilt shed on her face. She


    knew if she were to tell him the truth, he would blow up.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    She took a couple of steps backward to put some distance between herself and the intimidating


    Cayden, then said, “I sent them for dry cleaning. I can''t flout ourpany''s dress code and have to


    wear heels to work tomorrow...”


    “I want to see the shoes when they are back from the dry cleaning. Zach and Rory will make a big fuss


    if they realize the shoes are gone. And another thing —how do you exin this button? I found it in


    your kitchen.” Cayden had the button in one hand and grabbed Avery''s slender wrist in his other hand,


    giving her no chance to move away from him.


    Avery made no attempt to fight against him. She took a look at the button and thought hard about it.


    s, she could not remember it at all.


    All her life, she had lived with only Leonardo and ke, and both of them rarely wore dress shirts.


    Even when they did, they wore the basic designs, and the buttons were usually white or grey.


    Buttons were small, and she reckoned no one would take notice of the special designs on them unless


    one''s face was right on the man''s chest.


    No properdy would throw themselves onto a man in that manner to look at their buttons and


    remember the design.


    She really had no idea whose button that was.


    “So when the kids stay over for the weekend, they have to live with other men around you? I really


    regret giving you the chance to be close to the kids!” With that, Cayden flung off her hand and threw


    the button into the trashcan in the hall.


    He was flustered and agitated, a far cry from the usual calm andposed man he had always been in


    the past twenty-nine years.


    When he was at the main door, getting ready to leave, he suddenly felt a tug on his shirt.


    Avery had caught hold of a corner of his shirt from behind, like a little kitty grabbing onto its owner.