No Wife, No Life Chapter 112

The study door creaked open, and Alex stepped out.

He glanced around the empty living room and asked Quinn, "Has she left?"

Quinn nodded, looking puzzled. "You really let her back into the Lavien Group?"

Alex was always sharp and decisive, never letting emotions cloud his judgment.

In the company, there was absolutely no room for those who contributed nothing, and Emily, despite her undeniable beauty, was precisely that—dead weight.

"I just put her in a non-essential position with a paycheck. She won't be involved in any important decisions," Alex explained.

The company belonged to the Lavien family, and if he wanted to keep an extra person on the payroll, Quinn had no grounds to object.

"I'm heading to Serenity Health Center. Cover the meeting for me," Alex said, turning to leave.

"Are you going to see Caden?" Quinn asked.

Alex nodded without further explanation. He had his reasons for seeing Caden.

Soon, Alex arrived at Serenity Health Center.

He pushed open the door to the hospital room and saw Caden lying in bed, scrolling through videos on his phone.

The videos were all of beautiful women, each more alluring than the last.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Alex remarked coolly.

Caden lifted his eyes, glanced at him, and then turned off his phone. His face was pale from blood loss.

"What brings Mr. Lavien here at this hour?" he asked bluntly, skipping any pleasantries.

"Herbert is in my hand," Alex said with indifferent tone, pulling a chair to sit by the bed.

Caden was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Alex, you really are a bastard," he cursed.

Caden understood perfectly.

Alex knew everything; he knew that the car accident was orchestrated by Jeremy, which was why he had taken Herbert to protect Jeremy.

Alex remained unmoved, his expression still cold. "Herbert hit you."

Herbert had hit Caden, not Harper, so Alex could say it so nonchalantly. He took Herbert and then came here to tell Caden the result.

"Jeremy's target was Harper, don't you get that?" Caden's anger flared, and he couldn't help but question him.

Alex's voice was icy. "So what? You're the one who got hurt."

Caden laughed again, his tone full of sarcasm and disdain. "So you came here just to tell me that?"

Alex pondered. "Of course not. Let's make a bet."

"A bet on what?" Caden was intrigued by what Alex wanted to bet on.

Just then, Caden saw Harper through the window of the hospital room.

She was downstairs buying fruit.

Watching her, Caden thought, 'if Harper knew Herbert had been taken, she would be furious.'

"I'll bet that she'll become my chief secretary again. Deal?" Alex proposed.

Caden withdrew his gaze and looked at Alex with a faint smile. "So you're betting with me whether Harper will become your chief secretary again?"

Alex nodded slightly.

Caden laughed, relaxed and casual. "Why not? If she refuses to be your secretary, you have to return Herbert."

"And if Harper agrees to be my secretary, you have to give up the recent project the Elikin Group secured," Alex countered.

Alex knew well that the project Caden had secured was a government-supported initiative with significant benefits.

Caden had miscalculated. Initially, he thought Alex was here for Jeremy, but now it seemed Alex was after the Elikin Group's projects.

Alex always prioritized profit above all else.

"So, do we have a bet or not?" Alex's tone was heavy, a bit impatient.

He wasn't very confident.

Compared to the Elikin Group's major project, Herbert was nothing.

Coming here was a gamble for him, and Alex had no real assurance.

Caden's narrow eyes fixed on Alex, his tone still calm. "It seems like I'm at a disadvantage. How about Mr. Lavien agrees to let Harper lead the Restful Retreat Initiative?"

He understood Alex's intentions well and decided to raise the stakes.

Alex's face was stern. "You drive a hard bargain."

"Not as hard as Mr. Lavien."

Caden smiled, a bit roguishly. "Mr. Lavien is a good businessman, always profit-driven. However, I'm a man of emotions, not calculations."

Caden asked, "So, Mr. Lavien, do we have a bet?"

Alex sneered, "Why not?"

Harper wasn't the type to give up a position easily.

Chief secretary was a role she had always wanted. Alex was confident she would agree.

This gamble, Caden was bound to lose.

Just then, the door to the hospital room opened again.

Harper walked in with a bag of fruit.

Seeing Alex, she paused for a moment, then chose to ignore him.

She walked past Alex and sat by the bed.

"I'll peel an apple for you. I also ordered some chicken soup; it should be here soon," she said softly.

Caden smiled at her, his eyes glancing at Alex with a hint of smugness.

Alex's gaze darkened, fixed on Harper.

Harper took an apple from the bag and began peeling it skillfully.

She didn't look at Alex, her eyes focused on the apple. "Mr. Lavien, I'm planning to take some time off. I won't be coming to work for a while."

Before Alex could respond, Harper had already spoken.

Alex's voice was hoarse, "Why? I've already handled the online rumors. You don't need to worry about them."

"No, it's not because of the online harassment." Harper didn't lift her head, continuing, "I want to focus on taking care of Caden for now. He needs proper rest and recovery."

Her words were an excuse; she was actually preparing for next month's financial summit.

Caden couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

He knew Harper so well; he could easily guess her true intentions. But this time, she was using him as an excuse again.

But he didn't mind. If possible, he would gladly be her excuse for life.

Alex, however, didn't know this, and his heart sank.

Unbelievable! Harper was willing to give up her job for Caden.

In his mind, Harper would never do something so foolish.

Compared to emotions, work was obviously more important to Harper.

Harper wasn't the type to sacrifice her career for love.

To her, work was her lifeline.