Chapter 403: Meet Up

REBECCA’S POV

Two days had passed since that evening in the library, and I was beginning to think Kaden was deliberately trying to drive me crazy. Not that he had done anything wrong. In fact, that was precisely the problem. He had been behaving like the perfect gentleman, treating me with respect, joking with me during meals, and acting as though nothing unusual had happened between us.

Meanwhile, I was the foolish woman who couldn’t stop remembering how close his face had been to mine that night. It was ridiculous! We had agreed to be friends, and that was exactly what we were doing. So why was I suddenly paying attention to things I had never cared about before? Things like the way he smiled whenever I said something funny or how his voice softened whenever he asked about my day. I needed to get a grip on myself before I did something stupid.

Thankfully, I had the day off from work, which meant I could spend the entire day relaxing without worrying about business meetings or contracts. My mother had practically ordered me to take a break after noticing how exhausted I’d been lately, and for once, I had decided to listen.

That morning, Kaden and I had breakfast together as usual. He had been unusually quiet, occasionally glancing at his phone while eating, but I hadn’t paid much attention to it until he suddenly announced that he was going out.

"I’m going out today," he informed me halfway through breakfast.

I looked up from my plate. "And?"

He raised an eyebrow. "And what?"

"Why are you telling me? Do you need my permission?"

Kaden chuckled. "I’m simply letting you know that I won’t be around for lunch or dinner. I’ll probably return late tonight."

"Oh." I shrugged. "Alright. Have fun."

He gave me an amused look. "You don’t even know where I’m going."

"Do I need to?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Never mind, Rebecca."

We finished breakfast, and shortly afterward, he left the palace. I didn’t bother asking where he was going because, frankly, I didn’t think it was any of my business. At least, that was what I believed until later that afternoon.

I was sitting comfortably on my bed, watching a movie and enjoying a bowl of popcorn, when my phone suddenly rang. I glanced at the screen and smiled when I saw Melvin’s name.

"Hello, handsome!" I greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, beautiful," he replied. "How’s my favorite woman doing today?"

"I’m doing wonderfully. For the first time in what feels like forever, I’m not buried under a mountain of paperwork."

He chuckled. "So you finally decided to take a break?"

"More like my mother forced me to. Apparently, I’ve been working too hard."

"Well, she’s right. You need to take care of yourself, Rebecca."

"I know, I know. You sound just like her."

We laughed, and for the next few minutes, we talked about my work and how things were going at the Stone Pack. Melvin asked whether I was still getting along with Kaden, and I assured him that everything was fine. In fact, things had been surprisingly peaceful between us, and I couldn’t even remember the last time we’d had a serious argument.

"Actually, things have been surprisingly peaceful," I told him. "We hardly argue anymore."

"That’s good," he replied.

"Yes. I suppose being friends with him isn’t as terrible as I thought it would be."

Melvin chuckled softly, but there was something different about his voice. He sounded distracted, almost as though his mind was somewhere else. I frowned slightly, wondering whether something had happened that he wasn’t telling me.

"Melvin, are you alright?" I asked.

"Of course. Why?"

"You sound a little strange."

"I’m fine, Rebecca. Just tired."

I frowned but decided not to press him. Perhaps he really was exhausted. After all, ruling an entire kingdom came with enormous responsibilities, and I knew how seriously Melvin took his duties. However, just as I was about to change the subject, he said something that immediately caught my attention.

"By the way, Rola left this morning to meet Kaden."

I blinked, momentarily confused. "Rola?"

"Yes. She said she was going to see him."

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t expected him to mention Rola, much less tell me that she had gone to meet Kaden. I shifted slightly on the bed, trying to understand why the information had caught me so completely off guard.

"Oh," I finally replied.

There was a brief silence before Melvin spoke again.

"Didn’t Kaden tell you?"

I frowned. "Tell me what?"

"That Rola was coming to see him."

"No. Why would he tell me?"

"I don’t know. I just thought he might have mentioned it."

"Well, he didn’t," I replied, trying to sound casual. "And it’s not as though he needs my permission to see his woman."

"Of course not," Melvin said quickly.

I waited for him to say something else, but he remained quiet. Something about his silence bothered me. He had sounded perfectly normal when we first started talking, but ever since he mentioned Rola, his mood seemed to have changed. I couldn’t understand why, especially since he was usually quite open with me about whatever was bothering him.

"Melvin?" I called.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you’re alright?"

"I’m fine, Rebecca."

"Then why do you sound so unhappy?"

He let out a quiet sigh. "It’s nothing serious. I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately."

"Like what?"

"Kingdom matters. There are several issues I need to resolve, and the responsibilities have been piling up. You know how exhausting ruling a kingdom can be."

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. "Of course. I understand."

"Yeah. It’s just been a stressful few days."

"Then you should try to get some rest," I advised. "You can’t keep working yourself to exhaustion."

"I’ll try."

I smiled faintly. "Good. Because I don’t want you falling sick like a certain arrogant Alpha King I know."

Melvin laughed, and I felt relieved to hear it. Perhaps I had been worrying unnecessarily. He was probably just overwhelmed with his responsibilities, and I knew better than most people how exhausting work could become when everything seemed to demand your attention at once.

"Speaking of which," he said after a moment, "when am I going to see you again?"

I sat up straighter. "What do you mean?"

"Rebecca, we haven’t seen each other in almost two weeks. Phone calls are nice, but I miss having you around."

My heart softened. "I miss you too, Melvin."

"Then come and see me."

I hesitated for a moment before smiling. "Alright. How about tomorrow? I can teleport to your kingdom in the morning."

"Really?"

"Yes. I’m not working tomorrow either, so we can spend some time together."

"That would be wonderful," he replied, sounding genuinely pleased. "I’ll be expecting you."

"Good. And don’t you dare spend the entire day working when I get there."

He chuckled. "I’ll make sure my schedule is clear."

We talked for a few more minutes before ending the call. I placed my phone on the bed and leaned back against the pillows, feeling considerably happier. It had been too long since I’d seen Melvin, and I was looking forward to spending time with him tomorrow. We had so much to catch up on, and I couldn’t wait to see him again.

But then something occurred to me. Rola had gone to see Kaden. Wait a minute. Kaden had told me during breakfast that he wouldn’t be around for lunch or dinner because he had somewhere to go. He had also mentioned that he would return late. So was that where he had gone? To meet Rola?

I stared at the wall for a moment before letting out a small laugh. Well, of course. Why was I even surprised? Rola was his girlfriend. They were in love, and once our ninety days were over, they intended to continue their relationship without this ridiculous marriage standing in their way. There was absolutely nothing wrong with them spending time together, so why did the thought suddenly make me uncomfortable?

I shook my head and reached for the remote control, determined to return to my movie. Unfortunately, my concentration had completely disappeared. What exactly were Kaden and Rola doing together? Were they having lunch somewhere? Perhaps he’d taken her to one of those expensive restaurants he loved visiting whenever he traveled. Or maybe they were spending the entire day in his private residence. I frowned, suddenly irritated with myself. Why was I even thinking about this?

"Rebecca," my wolf suddenly called through our mental connection.

"What?" I replied irritably.

"Are you jealous?"