Husband With Benefits-Chapter 821: Turtles

"Were you a turtle or something in your past life? Or do you think you’re a turtle now? Because at this rate, the only way you’ll ever win her over is if you live to be a hundred!" Dora’s tone was dripping with exasperation. "You had an entire month—thirty whole days—alone with her, and what did you do? Build Bird Armies and play tic-tac-toe?"

"Hey!" Cai raised his hands defensively. "We also played air hockey, Monopoly, and plenty of other board games, alright?"

Dora narrowed her eyes at him, clearly unimpressed by the ’helpful’ answer. "Cai Frost! Are you in middle school or something? Do you not have any desires? Any lust? What are you? A monk?" freewebnσvel.cøm

Cai raised an eyebrow, keeping his expression calm. "I think you might want to check with your fiancé before you go throwing around words like lust and desire."

"Let him be jealous!" Dora waved it off with a smirk. "If I didn’t know you better, I’d swear there was something wrong with your ’downstairs.’"

Cai sighed dramatically and stared into the camera as if he could escape the conversation. Then, throwing a glance behind her, he called out, "Can you not control her, even a little bit? Look at your fiancé!"

Kael grinned, stepping closer. He leaned down until his face was level with Dora’s, clearly enjoying himself. "Oh, since when has anyone been able to control Dora? You overestimate my superpowers, Frost. But seriously, I’m curious too. You’ve been snowed in together for a month... and yet, no kiss? Nothing?"

Cai rolled his eyes, but his voice stayed level. "Just because I’m not a monk doesn’t mean I’m some animal in heat, okay?"

"Yeah, but that spark..." Dora leaned forward, her grin mischievous. "Shouldn’t you be feeling uncontrollably attracted to her by now? Where’s the fire?"

"I am uncontrollably attracted to her!" Cai groaned. "It’s just—I’m thinking long-term here, alright? She’s too... scarred."

Kael’s teasing grin faded slightly, and he exchanged a quick look with Droa. "Scarred? What do you mean? Something in her past?"

"Not like that." Cai’s voice softened. "It’s more emotional. She thought I only saw her as a replacement for her sister. She spent so much time convinced I was still pining over her."

"Well..." Dora tilted her head. "Naming that ward after Jasmine must have added to that then."

Cai shook his head. "No, it wasn’t that. She didn’t even know about the ward. It’s her parents... they really did a number on her. Made her believe she was always second best."

Kael crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at Cai’s last comment. "I see. So, what have you been doing this past month, then? Telling her she’s the best thing that ever happened to you?" His voice dripped with mock sympathy.

"I’ve been talking to her, okay?" Cai shot back, defensively. "Not everyone’s like you, Kael—jump into bed first and then spend the next years trying to get people to manage your lousy personality."

Kael’s expression shifted to one of mock offense as he turned to Dora. "Hey! You think I have a lousy personality?"

Dora raised an eyebrow, giving him a playful smirk. "Oh, absolutely. But I’ve gotten used to it. Think of it as a little side project."

Kael threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Wow. The betrayal. This is what love looks like, Cai. Watch and learn." He glanced back at Cai, feigning disappointment in Dora. "Honestly, I’m shocked. Here I thought I was the full package."

Dora snorted. "You’re the package all right. Just not the one people expect." and nudged Kael with her elbow. "Yeah, and it’s my job to make sure no one tries to take this package from me. So, I’m quite pleased."

Kael gave her a pleased glance before turning to Cai on the screen and saying, "At this rate, you’ll be married when you’re ninety. You need to step it up, Frost! Don’t make Dora fly out there and knock some sense into both of you."

Dora chuckled and added, "Yeah, before we have to send a rescue mission to dig you out of your ’deep conversations. I mean I always knew that you had the gift of the gab but this is too much! Next month, the air transport will be vaible. What will you do then?"

"Fine fine! I don’t know why you have to nag about this. I’ll handle things at my pace."

"Okay then Mr Turtle Frost! Handle them at your pace."

"Hey! Turtle is not bad, okay? He won the race, didn’t he?" Cai murmured before disconnecting the video call and falling back on the bed and sighing.

Cai lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling as Dora’s teasing words echoed in his mind. He wasn’t moving at a turtle’s pace—he was being careful. Every time he looked at her, he felt that surge of attraction, the undeniable pull. But rushing it would only scare her away. She’d almost slipped through his fingers once, and he couldn’t afford to let that happen again. No, this time, he had to be smart and not hurry up. He had to wait.

She’d been through too much—years of feeling second-best, of believing she was just a shadow of her sister. Her scars ran deep, and he didn’t want to add to them by moving too quickly or pushing her into something she wasn’t ready for. If he rushed now, if he gave in to his own desires without thinking about hers, it would undo everything.

And so, even if he was going to be as slow as a turtle, so be it. In a way, he was glad that nothing had happened between them until now. Anything that could make her doubt later on was a big negative for him.

He turned onto his stomach and frowned. Never would he have believed that to woo the woman he liked, he would need to be so patient and so careful. And yet, that patience was what was going to serve him in the end.