The CEO Gets What He Wants

Cayden had been keeping an eye on Avery throughout his conversation with William. Upon noticing the woman's

perturbed visage, Cayden hastily ended the conversation before striding over.

He was clad in a tailor-made suit, showcasing his incomparably tall and slender figure.

When Nicole saw Cayden approaching, she could not resist being charmed by that man. Never had she seen any

other men looking that dashing in a suit.

“What's wrong?” Cayden wrapped his arm around Avery's waist and pecked her forehead, gently expressing his

concern.

The man's presence offered Avery a glimmer of hope. Immediately, she felt at ease.

Then came her revelation. “I'm feeling a little unwell. Ms. Lambert offered me some medicine to help relieve my

discomfort, but I really don't want to take any medicine...”

She was tactful enough to hint at Nicole's coercion. After all, they were all at the Lambert residence, so it would be

unwise for her to kick up a fuss over something trivial.

From a business standpoint, Avery knew that maintaining amicable terms would take the utmost priority.

Avery's words made Cayden's casual demeanor do a one-eighty. The man shot Nicole a piercing, icy gaze right

after.

“You can do whatever you want, Ms. Nicole, but you shouldn't have simply offered her your medicine. Can you take

responsibility if something goes wrong?” he admonished coldly.

His gaze was so sharp that Nicole did not even have the courage to look the man in the eye.

“I... I-I'm just worried about Ms. Rumpley, so I... Sorry. I didn't think of that. I was too reckless,” she stammered.

Nicole looked rather apologetic, so much so that it would appear outrageous for Avery and Cayden to press the

matter further.

Knowing that Nicole had the tendency to put on an act, Avery decided to smooth things over. “Just let it go. I'm fine.

Ms. Lambert's only trying to help. Maybe she's really concerned about my health.”

Cayden didn't say a word on that note. He wore a frosty mien and walked toward the other side of the banquet hall

without even sparing Nicole another glance.

Embarrassed, Nicole froze on the spot and fell into a daze.

At that point, Cayden had lost all interest in engaging with other guests in the hall. With his arm around Avery, he

bade William and Claire goodbye. “Mr. William, my grandpa has especially reminded us to be home for dinner to

celebrate New Year's Eve, so we'll take our leaves first.”

“Right. You two should head back early. The elderly have always loved gatherings during a festive season,” said

William.

Deep down, he was quite disappointed. At first, he thought of making Cayden his son-in-law. Yet, seeing how

Cayden had brought himself a plus-one to attend Nicole's birthday party, William realized that Cayden was

genuinely not the least bit interested in Nicole, so much so that he didn't even bother putting on a pretense.

“Your architectural designing skills is really outstanding, Ery. My father-in-law has been going on and on about

wanting to meet you in person. Promise me to visit us when you have time!” Claire held Avery's hands and spoke

ever so gently.

The banquet had brought Claire and Avery closer together. In fact, Claire even felt somewhat reluctant to part with

Avery.

A gracious smile spread across Avery's face. “Will do, Mrs. Lambert. I've left you my contact number. If there's

anything you'd like to know more about or if you have any suggestions, you can always reach me on WhatsApp. I'll

do my best and make sure Old Mr. Lambert is satisfied with the results.”

Watching the eye-catching couple step out of the banquet hall, Claire could not bring herself to retract her gaze.

“If only our baby were here with us today, Honey, the child would've been of Avery's age by now...” muttered Claire.

Gazing at Nicole who had quite a few gentlemen surrounding her, William placed his arm across Claire's shoulders

and comforted her, “The past is in the past, so stop thinking about it. The child we once had will never come back

to us. Besides, we should be contented that we have Nickie, shouldn't we?”

Claire kept her lips buttoned at that.

Nicole was obedient, sensible, and thoughtful, and Claire had always been treating the former as her own daughter.

However, she could always feel a rift between her and Nicole no matter how sweet and thoughtful the latter was.

Was it my imagination?

In the meantime, Cayden helped Avery buckle her seatbelt on the passenger seat before revving up the engine.

With that, the lavish yet low-profile luxury car sped off into the darkness. Driving along the streets of Ackleton lined

with countless skyscrapers, the duo soon arrived at the Moore residence.

Having a joyous meal together as a family on New Year's Eve was one of the Moore family's customs.

Just like that, Avery joined Cayden to have a rather unappetizing dinner with the Moore family. Later, she took the

twins and returned with Cayden to the mansion where they lived privately.

Luckily, their home was only a forty-minute drive from the Moore residence.

Along the way, the streets were kind of deserted compared to their usual hustle and bustle. It was as if the dense

crowd in the past had vanished into thin air.

Most of the shops were closed, and there were only a handful of vehicles on the road.

To make matters worse, there were only occasional sparks of fireworks brightening up the otherwise dark sky.

Hardly any sound of firecrackers could be heard.

That was logical, for Ackleton was an international metropolis, and the government forbade the people from

putting on fireworks during New Year in the interests of a greener environment, the city's metropolitan image, and

the safety of the citizens. Year after year, that put a damper on the festive mood.

Cayden was behind the wheel, driving Avery and the kids who were laughing and playing in the back seat. There

was a drastic change in the man's state of mind at that time.

Despite being exhausted after a busy day, he could feel a sense of satisfaction and warmth.

In the past, Cayden used to hate New Year celebration. He would always be left out in the cold while looking at the

people around him chattering and having fun. Those who had never experienced being ostracized could never

understand the loneliness buried deep in his heart.

It was already eleven at night by the time the four of them reached their comforting home. The children, however,

clamored and insisted on having supper.

Left with no choice, Avery stepped into the kitchen and cooked up a storm.

The lights were all lit up in the spacious mansion, illuminating the darkness of the night.

Avery whipped up something light in the end. The tantalizing fragrance of oatmeal filled the air in the kitchen very

quickly.

That mansion was nothing but a cozy and lovely home for the family of four.

Just as Avery was stirring the oatmeal, Cayden embraced her from behind and whispered intimately in her ear,

“After so many years, today's the best New Year's Eve I've ever had. Thank you, Babe. It means a lot to me.”

Their figures cast long, dim shadows underneath the light, which occupied almost half the wall.

For a very long time, Cayden had had no one to keep him company at home. Sleepless nights had been the norm

for him. If anything, being alone in a brightly lit, empty house only served to evoke his heart's desire. Gone was his

solitude when he had Avery by his side. Cayden could not have asked for more.

Wheeling around, Avery lifted her heels off the ground and pecked the man tenderly on the lips. “I promise to make

you feel the same way for every New Year's Eve to come.”