Counterback of the Despised Luna by Diana West

Chapter 449 Last Attempt Caden's POV: In the end, Rosaline shovedout the door, just like always, saying it was too late. A fire burned inside me, but we had an agreement, so I had no choice but to leave.

I threw myself back into work for Azure Haven. The video from the press conference had already gone live. Regarding Rosaline and myself, there wasn't much to discuss. She was jealous, sure, but I had already made my decision about Heidi.

"Caden, you're home!" That night, when I walked through the door, Heidi greetedthe sway she always did, clinging to my side.

"Yeah." I mustered a small smile and brushed my fingers against her cheek, my thumb lingering there, grazing her skin deliberately. "I got ha little late today. Did the nurse take good care of you? You need to be careful with your health." "I took my meds on time, even when you weren't around. The nurse said, I'm recovering quickly." We chatted briefly before sitting down to dinner, but Heidi barely touched her food. Instead, she sat there, watching me.

Puzzled, I frowned slightly and wondered, "What's wrong?" "Caden, you've lost weight." Her voice was laced with concern. "Have you been overworking yourself? Should I make you ssoup to take to the office tomorrow?" She was finally getting to the point.

I paused, spoon hovering over my plate, before shaking my head and forcing a casual tone. "It's not that. My company just acquired Azure Bay, and we're planning to build an amusement park there. Currently, we're finalizing the proposal and working out the environmental details, so it's been keepingbusy.

"Once the project is settled, things will slow down, and I'll have more tfor you. But for the next few days, I need to focus on getting the proposal done, so I'll be in my study most of the time." I added a small, apologetic smile at the end.

Heidi stared at me, waiting forto finish, then nodded thoughtfully after a moment. “Alright. You should focus on work; don't worry about me." Dinner didn't last much longer. As I stood up to head to my study, I paused at the doorway and glanced back at her. "This project is about to kick off soon. I need to double-check every detail in the proposal, plus handle a lot of other little things. It'll probably be tedious. You should find something fun to do to keep yourself entertained, okay?" I spoke in a way I never had before-soft, almost affectionate. Her eyes lit up immediately. She nodded. "It's fine, Caden. Go ahead and work." 1/3 2:48 pm n Chapter 449 Last Attempt +8 Pearls Heidi's POV: I sat down on the couch, listening to the sound of the study door closing, before picking up my phone.

But my hand hovered over the screen, motionless for a long time.

Now that I knew the Azure Bay project was about to begin, it meant my mission from Everett was already halfway done. Caden trustedcompletely now.

The only remaining task was to relay this information to Everett and steal the proposal while Caden was away.

But if I did that, Everett would only tighten his grip on me, making it impossible forto escape.

No.

I had to make Caden mine-completely, undeniably mine. That was my only way out.

With that, I placed my phone down, flipping it face-down on the couch, and made my way to the kitchen.

Half an hour later, I carried a steaming bowl of pumpkin soup and knocked on the study door.

"Cin," Caden's voice cfrom inside. Pushing the door open, I saw him sitting at his desk, fingers moving swiftly across his laptop's keyboard.

"Caden." I called his nsweetly as I walked over, holding out the bowl. "I know you're busy, but you barely ate at dinner, so I made you ssoup. Just take a quick break and have some." "Thanks." He paused his work and gavea warm smile. "But I'm not hungry yet. Just leave it here-I'll drink it later." I bit my lip. He had treatedwith the smanners for days-gentle, polite, but always keepingat a distance. I couldn't let this opportunity slip by again.

After a brief pause, I flashed another smile and said, "But it's best when it's hat. If it cools down, it won't taste as good."

As I spoke, I moved the bowl closer. Caden was about to refuse when my hand "accidentally" trembled, spilling the soup onto his shirt. His brows furrowed as he instinctively stepped back, the warm liquid soaking into his clothes.

"I'm so sorry, Caden!" I gasped, setting the bowl aside and grabbing snapkins. I rushed to dab at the stain.

"I didn't mean to-I was just trying to ..." "It's fine." He let out a deep breath and shook his head. "It's not your fault. I needed to change anyway." Even after I wiped away the soup stain, a faint yellowish mark remained on the fabric.

"Oh no." I murmured, staring at the stain with an apologetic expression. "Letgrab you sclean 2/3 Chapter 449 Last Attempt +8 Pearls

Without waiting for his answer, I hurried to the closet and returned with a fresh set. Holding them out, I hesitated before reaching for his shirt, fingers brushing against the top button, ready to help him change. But the moment I touched the fabric, he took a step back. I froze, looking up at him with wide, hurt eyes. "Do you not wantnear you? I just want to help you change." mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLliIofifl0&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1