Husband With Benefits-Chapter 848: Unbothered

Caius Frost was back. The words echoed in Lily’s mind, relentless and insistent, as he strolled into the room with a large fruit basket in hand. His confident gait made it seem as though he hadn’t disappeared from her life for days on end but only been away for a couple of hours.

Without a word, he set the basket aside, closed the distance between them, tilted her chin with a familiar ease, and leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. The gesture was casual, yet it left her breathless, her thoughts spinning. Before she could fully process his return, he turned to her father, his tone light and conversational.

"Caius! I was just asking Lily about you. It had been so many days, I was..."

"You were worried, Mr. Kingston?" Cai interrupted smoothly, a teasing smile playing at his lips. "The one thing Lily and I don’t want you to do is worry. So, what’s the verdict? Still managing to out-stubborn that heart of yours, or should I start prepping for a dramatic reading of your will?"

Lily’s head snapped toward him at the audacity of his words, her jaw dropping slightly, but her father merely chuckled, the sound warm despite its frailty.

"Out-stubborn the heart? Please," her father replied, waving a hand as if brushing off the very notion. "Death doesn’t stand a chance against me. I’ve already sent it packing twice this week. It’ll have to get in line behind my aching bones and failing liver."

"Ahh, the unbeatable team." Cai quipped as he sat on the stool next to her before continuing,"I’m just glad to see you alright. This really gave everyone a scare. Now, you had better buckle up and start staying in shape. We need you to be hail and hearty for the wedding."

Lily’s head snapped around so quickly this time that it was a miracle she didn’t give herself whiplash. The wedding? What wedding?

Her father’s reaction wasn’t far behind, his eyes widening as he glanced between Cai and his daughter. Before either of them could voice the obvious questions, Caius pressed on, his grin widening mischievously.

"Of course," he added, leaning back with an air of complete confidence, "I haven’t yet officially asked for her hand, so you’ve got plenty of time to recover. No pressure, Mr. Kingston."

While Cai kept talking, Lily was a swirl of emotions, but anger stood out the most—sharp and unrelenting. While her heart was almost jumping in excitement at the sight of him, her brain was not really happy with him. Ask for her hand? From her father? He hadn’t even asked her! And now he waltzed back in like nothing had happened, leaving her to stew in worry for days.

She huffed quietly, masking her frustration while watching him charm her father with that easy smile and smooth words. He was good at this—too good. Her father was eating it up, laughing at every joke as if Cai hadn’t just turned her world upside down with his return and his announcement.

Her patience snapped. She stood abruptly, ready to leave the room and escape his infuriating presence. But before she could take a step, Cai’s hand caught hers, pulling her gently but firmly back onto the stool.

Then, he turned his full attention to her. Blocking her father’s view, he smiled at her, calm and collected, as though he hadn’t just thrown her life into chaos. She glared at him, her anger finally slipping past her carefully held composure.

He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly amused by her reaction.

"Wait," he said lightly, his tone infuriatingly casual. "I brought some apples from Petrovia." With that, he walked to the basket, took out two apples and a knife and plate... what the? and walked back to sit next to them," I plucked them from the royal orchard just before flying out here so they’re especially good. And they are good for your health as well, so you’re going to be eating them.

Cai took his time slicing the apples with precision and Lily found herself momentarily distracted by the sight. His movements were deliberate, almost annoyingly so, as if he knew the tension he was causing and was in no hurry to address it. And as expected, he was quite experienced with the knife.

He carefully arranged the apple slices on a plate, "Here you go, Mr. Kingston. Fresh from Petrovia’s royal orchard, specially plucked for you. Good for the heart, good for the soul."

When the man took it without much complaint, Lily almost rollled her eyes. Was this really her father? Hadn’t he just been whining about how he was not hungry when she’d asked him to sit up to eat something?

Cai returned to his seat, picking up another apple. This time, his knife moved with a purpose, and Lily noticed him glancing her way as he worked. Her curiosity sparked, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of asking.

Moments later, he slid a plate in front of her. She blinked, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the neat arrangement of apple slices—shaped into a heart. When she continued to stare at him, he stood up, pushed the plate into her hand and whispered,"Come on baby. I am handing my heart to you on a platter. You can’t refuse this."

Without a word, she picked up a slice and took a bite, her expression carefully neutral. The crisp sweetness of the apple filled her mouth, but she refused to let it distract her from her irritation. Cai’s smirk widened as if he could sense her internal battle.

"Good, isn’t it?" he asked, his voice low and smooth.

Lily chewed slowly, making him wait for her response. Finally, she swallowed and nodded, her tone clipped. "It’s fine."

"Just fine?" he teased, leaning closer. "You’re trying to break my heart?" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

She gave a pointed glance at the plate where a part of the heart was already missing and said," It’s already broken."

Cai followed her gaze and shook his head,"Nope. You have a piece of it. And you’re going to take the rest of it as well."