Husband With Benefits-Chapter 870: Conclusion

"Why are you still here? Don’t you want to be with Lily? Or are you two already out of the honeymoon phase?" Honestly, he was worried about Cai coming here. Any other time and he would have welcomed his friend but tonight was an exception. Cai was dangerous.

Cai leaned casually against the doorframe, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Hmm. As long as Lily and me are together, every day’s going to be our honeymoon phase," he replied confidently. He straightened up and stepped inside, his tone softening slightly. "I’ll be heading back to her soon. I just thought we should have a drink together first. After all, the last time we were supposed to dine together, you were almost drugged and killed." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "And considering it was me who accepted that bottle, I can’t help but feel a little guilty about it."

The excuse was flimsy at best, and they both knew it. Cai hadn’t even bothered to craft anything convincing; he was here for one reason alone. To question him. Sliding into his usual chair with practiced ease, he cast a glance around the office, as if making sure everything was just as he’d left it.

It was strange, really. His friend always seemed to have this place in his office, a spot he’d claimed for themselves without ever formally asking. It was almost as if he’d marked his territory in that unspoken, Frost-like way—an enduring habit that was both amusing and vaguely territorial.

And Rafe knew he was thinking all sort of nonsense because he was nervous.

Cai draped an arm over the back of the chair, his demeanor relaxed but his eyes carrying an edge of something deeper—concern,or maybe curiosity. Rafe steeled himself. Nope. He needed to maintain that he had been talking about a hypothetical situation. "So, what do you say?" he asked, his voice light but expectant. "One drink?I am not on duty tonight."

Rafe poured the drink, and handed it to Cai before taking his own usual seat on the opposite side. "You don’t have to feel bad. You could not have expected that. Heck, even I’d not expected that."

"Hmm." Cai sipped his drink and then questioned Rafe. "So, who caught your attention?"

Rafe frowned. Dam* it. Why was this man so direct. "Attention? What do you mean?" Rafe sipped his drink. Nope. He was going to stick to his guns and not reveal a thing. He was good at that.

"What do you mean?" He asked, acting his best to portray his ignorance. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Cai smiled knowingly as he swirled the liquid in his glass. "So, who’s the lucky woman you’re planning on forcing into marriage?"

"That was a hypothetical situation, Cai." Rafe’s reply came too quickly, betraying the calm he tried so hard to maintain. His jaw tensed as he fought to keep his composure, but the damage was already done. Damn it. This was not going well.

Cai’s smile widened, the kind of grin that said he’d already pieced together more than he was letting on. He took another leisurely sip of his drink, clearly enjoying himself. "Rafe," he drawled, dragging out the name like a teasing older brother, "you mentioned something about her being trustworthy. Now, I don’t think your trustworthy woman is hypothetical at all. Which means," he leaned back in his chair, studying Rafe with amused scrutiny, "you’re either planning to force her into something, offer her some kind of contract, or... something else entirely. But one thing’s clear—you’re interested in marrying her."

Rafe didn’t respond, keeping his face carefully neutral even as he felt the weight of Cai’s words settle uncomfortably in the air between them. There was no point in denying anything now—Cai was relentless when it came to sniffing out the truth, and Rafe knew better than to give him any more ammunition. Still, silence was his best defense.

Cai, however, didn’t seem the least bit fazed by the lack of response. He simply stared into his drink, swirling the amber liquid thoughtfully before speaking again, as if he were musing aloud to himself.

"You know, it’s interesting," Cai began, his voice calm but laced with sharp observation. "For someone like you, forcing her hand would be the easiest thing in the world. Yet, you’re hesitating. That tells me a lot more than you probably intended." He glanced up briefly, his gaze sharp and calculating, before turning back to his drink. "That hesitation narrows things down to a few possibilities. Indulge me, will you? Let’s see if I’ve hit the mark."

Rafe stayed quiet, his grip tightening slightly on his glass. Cai, undeterred, continued as though his audience wasn’t one heartbeat away from throttling him.

"The first possibility," Cai began, ticking the point off with a deliberate flick of his finger, "is that you like her, but she’s either seeing someone else or in love with another man. You’re jealous, naturally, and the only way you think you can have her is by forcing her hand. Messy, but plausible."

He paused, giving Rafe a moment to interject, but when no response came, Cai moved on. "The second scenario is a bit more... sentimental. You want her—badly—but you also care about her enough that you don’t want to hurt her. Maybe you’ve made your advances, and she’s turned you down, but instead of using your considerable power to get your way, you’re hesitating because deep down, you know it’s wrong. And you want her to be happy with you."

And the third option," he said, leaning forward slightly, "is that you want her, she doesn’t want you, and the only reason you’re holding back is because she has a strong enough background to make things... inconvenient for you."

He sat back with a satisfied smirk, letting the weight of his words linger while Rafe could feel his heart sink. Dam* this man. "So, Rafe," Cai said, his tone casual but his eyes gleaming with curiosity, "am I getting warmer? Or do you have a fourth possibility that you’d like to enlighten me with?"