The weather was stiflingly hot, with not a breath of wind, and the air seemed to hang heavy and thick. Zion stood next to Cayden, feeling like he had fallen into an ice cellar. Although Mr. Novak usually maintained a stern and authoritative demeanor during negotiations, today's atmosphere was especially frigid. Zion silently reviewed his recent work, hoping he hadn't made any mistakes.
"That's settled then, Mr. Novak. Looking forward to our cooperation."
"Looking forward to it," Cayden replied, shaking hands with his counterpart.
After leaving the venue, Cayden unbuttoned the top button of his collar and said to Zion, "Change the flight. We're going back a day early."
Zion immediately pulled out his phone to check flights. "Mr. Novak, there's only an 8 PM flight left. We'll reach City A by 11 PM."
"Wouldn't it be better to leave tomorrow?" he suggested tentatively.
"No, book the 8 PM flight."
"Ah... okay." "Got it." Zion braced himself for a rush back to the hotel to pack their bags.
Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, and their flight was delayed. By the time they arrived in City A, it was already past midnight. A light drizzle had begun to fall, cloaking the night in a veil of rain. The airport was filled with people waiting for the rain to stop.
"Take the day off tomorrow. Return to work the day after," Cayden instructed Zion, heading towards the exit with his luggage in tow, as if there was something urgent he needed to attend to.
Mikayla was sitting on the carpet, happily enjoying some fried chicken and sipping on an ice-cold cola. What could be better in the summer than a fizzy drink?
Just as she was engrossed in her suspense drama, she heard the lock turn. For a split second, images of a midnight break-in and possible demise flashed through her mind, or perhaps it was a serial killer at her door.
To her surprise, it was Cayden, drenched and exhausted, dragging his suitcase behind him.
"Why… why are you back tonight?" Mikayla asked, hurriedly putting down the fried chicken and wiping the tomato sauce from her mouth, feeling guilty as she walked over to him.
Cayden closed the door, his eyes scanning the "crime scene" on the table, his face darkening with anger. "You should eat less of this…"
"It's not takeout! I made it myself with the air fryer. I got hungry and wanted a snack," Mikayla explained with a nervous laugh, hoping her flimsy excuse would lighten his expression.
Whenever Cayden was home, Mikayla didn't dare to have midnight snacks, fearing the noise would disturb his rest and knowing he had told her to avoid takeout. Finally, she had a chance to indulge, only to be caught red-handed.
Mikayla dragged his heavy suitcase to the shoe rack and noticed his shirt was half-soaked from the rain. "Is it raining outside?"
Seizing the opportunity to redeem herself, she ran to the kitchen in her slippers. "I'll make you some ginger tea!"
Cayden's face softened a bit. After taking a shower, he came out to find Mikayla placing a bowl on the dining table.
He raised an eyebrow but first cleared the fried chicken and nearly empty cola from the coffee table, throwing them into the trash. Mikayla silently cursed him as a tyrant.
She sat across from him, watching him slowly sip the ginger tea. His freshly dried hair was fluffy and slightly messy, and he wore black short-sleeved pajamas casually, resembling a soft black cat.
"Weren't you supposed to come back tomorrow?"
Cayden looked up at her, his dark eyes making Mikayla feel inexplicably nervous.
"If I came back tomorrow, I wouldn't know you've been secretly snacking at night." His tone was flat.
Why was he still harping on that? Mikayla pouted, her eyes filled with resentment.
Cayden took out a fluffy toy from behind him. "This is for you."
Mikayla took it and played with it, her face breaking into a bright smile, dimples showing. "It looks just like Orange."
"Why did you think of buying this?" She had expected something like local delicacies or city souvenirs when he mentioned bringing a gift.
"Don't like it?" Cayden put down his spoon, having finished the ginger tea.
"No, it's cute."
"Just picked it up casually."
Mikayla, noting his indifferent expression, replied coldly, "Oh." This man was terrible at conversation!
In reality, Cayden had spent an evening wandering a bustling night market, thinking about what to buy for Mikayla. This way was filled with stops and starts, yet nothing suitable for a gift was found.
He texted Elliana and, after waiting for a few minutes without a reply, he directly called her.
"Oh my, what's the occasion? Mr. Novak is actually calling me!" Elliana had teased.
"I messaged you, but you didn't reply."
"Busy practicing piano. Let me see what you sent… Oh, you want to buy a gift for your wife!"
Standing in a boutique, Cayden squeezed a pink pig toy that squealed loudly, making him frown and put it back.
"Haha, don't you know what she likes?"
Mikayla didn't have many specific hobbies, he thought. "Does gaming count?"
"Then get her a Switch."
"She has one."
"Uh, are you in a gift shop? Show me around."
Cayden turned on his camera, slowly scanning the shelves. Elliana spotted a plush toy. "Hey! That one on the second shelf to the left looks like your cat."
Cayden picked it up, feeling the soft fur. "You sure she'll like it?"
"But it's so cute!" He suspected Elliana wanted it for herself. "It looks just like your cat."
Staring at the toy's silly expression, he found it indeed resembled their cat. His expression softened, a smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks."
"Hey, wait!" The call ended, leaving Elliana shaking her head. "Ugh, love-struck fools!"
Meanwhile, Zion, carrying snacks, entered the elevator with Cayden. He immediately switched to work mode. "Good evening, Mr. Novak."
Cayden nodded slightly. Zion stared at the plush toy in his hand, thinking: Does the boss like fluffy things?
"Isn't it cute?" Cayden asked, looking at the toy.
Zion nodded enthusiastically. "Very cute!"
"I think so too." Cayden's eyes softened briefly before returning to his usual cold demeanor. "Have the afternoon meeting materials organized and emailed to me."
Zion had never seen his boss switch moods so quickly. "Yes, sir." After Cayden left, Zion realized he had missed his floor, musing: "Is this the power of love?"
