Caden's eyes lit up with amusement as he saw my surprised expression. He stepped forward, took my hand, and pulled me into his arms, wrapping them around my waist. "I missed you," he murmured. "I had some spare time, so I came to see you. It wasn't easy to get away." There was a slight hint of grievance in his voice, which made me chuckle. I slipped my hand from his grasp and said softly, "You couldn't have come during the day or after work? It's already midnight—shouldn't you be at home resting?" Caden frowned and let out a weary sigh. "I'm not just busy with work; there's also the Azure Haven project. And when I do go home, I have to deal with Heidi. Honestly, I'm exhausted." "Oh, work, I understand. But being with Tessa—how could that be tiring? She takes such wonderful care of you, doesn't she?" I teased, smiling. Caden leaned down, his voice low and slow, brushing against my ear like a whispering breeze. "Are you jealous?" His tone carried a playful edge, laced with something deeper, something teasing. "Forget about my apartment for now. I miss you every single day; I just want to be with you." He stepped behind me, his arms circling my waist again, his chin resting on my shoulder. His lips barely grazed the sensitive skin below my ear. I tilted my head slightly, turning in his embrace so that I was facing him. Cupping his handsome face with both hands, I smiled warmly. "Alright, alright. I know you missed me. I missed you too. I'm happy you came tonight. But—" I stretched out the word playfully, "—we have to focus on the bigger picture. So you'll just have to bear with it a little longer." I winked playfully before rising onto my tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his forehead. "Don't be upset—oh, by the way, Heidi has been living at your place for a while now. Has she done anything unusual?" Caden let out a long sigh and pulled me to the couch. As we sat down, he said, "She's been pestering me these past few days, constantly looking for excuses to come into my study—bringing me snacks, soup, that kind of thing. Tonight, she even asked if I'm working on a major project since I've been so busy. I think she's getting ready to make a move." I fell silent, my thoughts aligning with what I had already suspected. Heidi was trying to get something out of Caden. An idea sparked in my mind—one that might just work. But it would require some sacrifice from Caden. I hesitated before finally saying, "If someone sent her to get close to you, then why don't we use that against her? We could feed her a little information—maybe leak some information about the amusement park project—and see what she does with it."Caden nodded instinctively, but he quickly realized that something was off. His brows furrowed, he turned to me and asked skeptically, "Wait. Are you telling me to get closer to Heidi deliberately?" I met his gaze and nodded seriously. His lips pressed into a thin line before he gave me a half-joking, half-serious look. "So you're telling me to spend more time with her? Won't that make you jealous?" His question caught me off guard. I was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter, consciously avoiding his gaze and adjusting my posture. To be honest, a little jealousy was unavoidable. But I was mostly rational—if we didn't deal with Heidi now, we'd never have a peaceful future. A little patience wouldn't kill me. What else could I do? Caden's voice grew heavier with emotion. "Are you secretly hoping I'll end up with Heidi?" That question stunned me. I turned, staring at him in disbelief. Before I could even laugh it off, he reached out and gently pinched my cheek. His face suddenly loomed before my eyes, so close that I could see every detail, his deep eyes locked onto mine. "Have you been spending more time with Jasper while I'm not around? Do you two talk a lot?" Oh, boy. Seriously, men in love could be so childish and petty. Only now did I truly understand why those dramatic love spats in movies weren't so far-fetched. I gave Caden a helpless look but couldn't think of a response, so I simply scooted a little farther from him, picked up my cup, and gently blew on the rising steam. The air between us grew thick with an awkward, unspoken tension.