Chapter 0515


    Candice watched as her colleagues busied themselves, then fell silent for a moment before handing


    Ellis over to Alex. "Thanks."


    Right after she spoke, Alex grabbed her hand and lifted her out of the car.


    He set her down, his voice resonating with each word. "It''s safer this way."


    Candice''s expression soured. "Let go. Who said you could do that?"


    Alex’s hand was still resting on her waist. Though Candice was holding Ellis in her arms, the


    gesture felt oddly intimate.


    Alex''s eyes darkened slightly as he released her hand. Ignoring his presence, Candice stepped


    away.


    She felt agitated as Alex''s sudden action had unsettled her.


    Ellis, who had gained a few pounds, squirmed in her arms, full of energy. Candice struggled to hold


    her.


    Lauren saw them approaching and nced meaningfully at Alex. "If you two had been anyter, I


    would''ve suspected you were up to something behind our backs."


    Candice''s face darkened. She handed Ellis over to another colleague and went to help set up the


    tents.


    Lauren followed her. "Why are you so upset?"


    "Nothing."


    Lauren touched her nose and then looked at Alex, who stood alone. "Alex..."


    Candice threw what she was carrying on the ground, and Lauren fell silent.


    Candice washed things by the river, growing increasingly frustrated. She couldn''t shake off the


    memory of Alex holding her, his cold, distant cedar scent lingering in her mind.


    It brought back memories, none of them pleasant.


    After finishing washing, she returned to find everyone chatting happily. Then, in the crowd, she


    spotted a familiar figure—Erica.


    Erica sat next to Alex, waving at Candice cheerfully. "Are you done with your chores? What a


    coincidence. I came with some friends to hang out, and when I saw Alex, I just had toe over. I


    didn''t expect to see you here too."


    She sat close to Alex, and after chatting with Candice, she leaned toward him, as if sharing a


    secret.


    Watching their intimacy, Candice pursed her lips and looked away.


    Erica was lively and quickly made friends with everyone. Candice stayed back, ying with Ellis.


    Only when a colleague came to invite her to join a game did she reluctantly join them.


    Erica remained seated next to Alex. When Alex saw Candice approaching, he stood up without a


    word, pulled out a chair for her, and sat down beside her.


    Candice nced at him, her eyes flickering, and then she decisively chose another seat.


    As soon as she sat down, Alex changed seats, moving to sit next to her. He held out a paper fan as


    he said, "There are a lot of mosquitoes here, and the baby''s skin is delicate. Don''t let her get bitten."


    Candice said nothing, but Alex''s actions spoke volumes. Erica was the first toment.


    "Wow, Mr. Elysian, I didn''t know you were such a caring ex-employer. Or perhaps you have ulterior


    motives toward Ms. Renault?" she asked with raised eyebrows and a meaningful gaze.


    Though Erica''s tone was gossipy, to Candice, it sounded like she was jealous that she and Alex


    were too close.


    Before she could respond, Lauren chimed in, curious. "Oh? Do you two know each other?"


    "Yeah, we''ve known each other for a long time," Erica replied. "I shot a promotional video for his


    company."


    Erica reminisced, "It was my first time shooting an ad, and Mr. Elysian helped me a lot. If it weren''t


    for him, I might have quit modeling back then."


    "Why?" Candice asked.


    "I ran into some shady characters who spiked my drink. It was thanks to Mr. Elysian that I got out of


    there."


    Suddenly, Erica looked at Candice, her eyes shing with recognition. "Oh, and wasn''t it you who


    helped me get a room back then? I told you, I remember you used to work at Aether Corporation."


    Candice froze, her gaze fixed on Erica.


    "You haven''t forgotten, have you? I wanted to thank you at the time, but then my agent whisked me


    away, and I forgot. It''s quite a coincidence that we met again. I owe you and Alex a drink."


    With that, Erica poured herself a ss of wine and raised it toward them.


    Candice drank absentmindedly, her mind elsewhere. Erica''s words bothered her.


    The pic was losing its appeal. After a while, Lauren suggested a game of Truth or Dare.


    Candice participated in the game without thinking much, but the bottlended on Alex on the first


    spin.


    Alex looked youthful and vibrant today, attracting the attention of several female colleagues who


    had been stealing nces at him all day.


    He continued fanning Ellis and Candice, his actions relentless. "Truth."


    A girl couldn''t wait to ask, "Do you have a girlfriend?"


    It was one of the model friends Erica had brought along, a foreign beauty who couldn''t quite


    understand thenguage they had spoken earlier.


    Her eyes were fixed on Alex. She found him quite intriguing.


    All eyes were on Alex, especially those of the female colleagues who had been eyeing him since


    morning. They had noticed his apparent interest in Candice but were too shy to ask.


    Alex paused. "No."


    Before the foreign girl could rejoice, he added, "I''ve made her mad, and she doesn''t want me


    anymore. So, I''m trying to figure out how to make amends."


    "What a shame."


    Alex nced at Candice, who had turned her face away, her whole body tense.


    The game continued for a while longer, but Candice lost interest. Ellis was sleepy, so she went back


    to the tent.


    After spending some time inside, Candice came out again as she felt stifled.


    To her dismay, she saw Alex and Erica walking toward her. Instinctively, she hurried in the opposite


    direction.


    She walked briskly, as if intentionally avoiding something.


    It wasn''t until she identally tripped over a vine and fell that she snapped out of it, realizing she


    had wandered into a small forest by theke.


    As the pain in her ankle slowly registered, Candice felt annoyed with herself. She took out her


    phone to call Lauren, only to find there was no signal.


    Candice''s frustration grew. She couldn''t shake the feeling that she had acted foolishly, running away


    at the sight of Alex.


    She tried to stand up and use the nearby tree trunk for support, but she felt a twinge of pain in her


    ankle. She could only limp along.


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    Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Candice turned around and saw Alex walking toward her


    with a stern expression.