The whole day was spent with the two of them wrapped in a comfortable and cozy atmosphere. By 4 p.m., Tara was lying on Cain's lap while his fingers moved gently through her hair, brushing the soft strands absentmindedly. He noticed the drowsiness in her eyes.
"Hy," he called softly.
"Mmm," Tara answered weakly.
"If you're sleepy, then just sleep. I'm here," Cain said quietly.
"Mmm… thank you," Tara murmured as she leaned even closer to him before finally closing her eyes.
Cain waited until Tara had fallen into a deep sleep before reaching for his phone to make a call. The line connected almost immediately.
"Yes, bro," Jade answered from the other side.
"Tara is asleep now, so you can come over with the files. We'll do the work while she's sleeping," Cain said before ending the call.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Cain quickly texted Jade.
Use the password lock and put in CT2032.
Not long after sending the message, Jade entered through the front door.
"Well, well… seems like things are going great," Jade said, amused by the scene before him.
"What have you got?" Cain asked, ignoring the comment completely.
"Nothing much other than an update about her," Jade replied.
"And that is?" Cain asked curiously.
"Her family has been looking for her, but they suddenly stopped, almost like they were afraid of something."
"Know why?" Cain asked, slightly amused by the information.
"Didn't get to ask," Jade replied nonchalantly as he sat opposite Cain, who still had Tara resting on his lap.
"What's with her?" Jade asked.
"She's sleeping."
"Oh."
Jade pulled out his tablet and began briefing Cain on his work schedule. Cain instructed him on what to handle while Jade followed through efficiently.
"By the way," Jade suddenly said, "why didn't you call your secretary for this?"
"What? So she could come here and wake up to find a woman in the house?" Cain replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh right, I get the memo, Mr. Cheater," Jade laughed.
The two brothers continued working quietly. Cain gave instructions while Jade handled everything on the tablet.
After about forty minutes of Tara napping, she stirred slightly, catching both men's attention.
"Bro, she's about to wake up," Jade whispered.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Cain asked, perplexed.
Tara's eyes fluttered a few times as she adjusted to the brightness of the room. When she finally opened them fully, she found herself staring directly into Cain's cold eyes.
She froze.
For a brief second, those eyes felt distant and icy, sending an unfamiliar uneasiness through her chest. Tara quickly closed her eyes and opened them again, only to find Cain's gaze warm and gentle once more.
Still, the strange feeling lingered.
It was only then that she noticed Jade sitting in the room.
"Oh… hi, Jade," Tara greeted kindly.
Both Cain and Jade looked confused.
Cain gently turned Tara toward him.
"Tara, how do you know his name?" he asked suspiciously.
Tara blinked in confusion. "I saw him at the hospital, and when you weren't around, I asked Tiana about everyone's names."
Cain studied her carefully.
"Cain, are you alright? You seem to be acting strange," Tara said cautiously.
"I'm absolutely fine, Tara. I was just surprised since I never introduced him to you," Cain replied smoothly while briefly glancing at Jade, silently passing a message.
"Tara, can you get me some juice? I'm thirsty," Cain asked with a warm smile.
Tara looked at him suspiciously for a moment but eventually nodded.
As she walked into the beautifully designed kitchen, her thoughts became clouded once again. Tara had always trusted the emotions she sensed from people at first glance, and the image of Cain's cold eyes refused to leave her mind no matter how hard she tried to dismiss it.
She searched for the glasses and found them neatly arranged on the upper shelf above the sink. After placing one on the counter, she walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of orange juice.
Still lost in thought, she returned to the counter. While debating whether what she saw earlier had been real, she accidentally bumped one of the glasses.
Crash!
The glass shattered against the floor, instantly pulling her back to reality.
Tara immediately crouched down to gather the broken pieces.
—
The moment Tara left the room, Cain's demeanor completely changed. The warmth in his eyes disappeared, replaced by the coldness Jade was familiar with.
"Cain," Jade began seriously, "I know you don't like this arrangement of pretending to be her lover, but you have no choice if you want to work your way into the world of the Logans. This is one of the best ways to do that. Besides, I just got a report saying they're investigating where you are. Staying here with her is also good cover since none of them know your real face."
Cain stood up and walked toward the long glass doors behind the couch. Quietly, he stared out at the simple garden outside before finally speaking.
"I know all that," he replied coldly. "But how long do I have to keep pretending to be her lover before she remembers? And God knows when that'll happen."
"The doctor said she might remember within a few weeks if it's not serious. If she doesn't… we'll figure something out," Jade answered while watching his brother's back carefully.
Before Cain could respond, the sound of shattering glass echoed from the kitchen.
Cain immediately turned and strode toward the kitchen.
"Tara!"
Hearing her name, Tara looked up absentmindedly. In her carelessness, she reached for a sharp piece of broken glass.
"Aah!" she cried softly as it sliced her finger.
Cain noticed her quickly trying to hide her injured hand. Without hesitation, he crossed the distance between them, grabbed her hand, and placed her bleeding finger into his mouth to stop the bleeding.
Tara froze in shock.
Even Jade, who had followed behind, stared in surprise.
After a moment, Cain pulled her hand away and asked, "How did you get hurt?"
Tara looked at him with a gentle smile.
"Did you just kiss my hand?" she asked teasingly.
"Huh?"
Cain looked confused until he noticed her gaze shifting between him and the hand he was still holding.
He sighed before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Whatever you say it is," Cain replied calmly. "Come here."
He gently held Tara by the shoulders and guided her out of the kitchen toward the sitting room.
"You need treatment," Cain said firmly as he made her sit on the couch.
"Jade, get me the first aid kit."
Jade walked toward the small hallway beside the kitchen and returned moments later with the kit in hand.
Cain took it and immediately began treating Tara's injured finger carefully.
"Cain, I'm really fine. All this fuss over a small cut?" Tara said, amused by his reaction.
"Even so, it still needs to be treated," Cain replied in a deadpan tone.
Tara found herself speechless.
Just then, Jade started walking toward the kitchen again.
Tara noticed immediately.
"Jade, where are you going?"
"To the kitchen. Any problem?" he asked casually.
"Can you wait until Cain is done treating me so I can clean up the shattered glass? I don't want you getting hurt," Tara said politely.
Cain looked up at her immediately.
"There's no need. I'll get a maid to clean it up. And from today onward, you're not allowed in the kitchen."
"But it was just a simple mistake. Besides, I'm fine and I can clean it," Tara argued gently.
"No means no. End of discussion," Cain said firmly.
Then he looked at Jade.
"Call Harriet immediately."
After saying that, Cain gently helped Tara to her feet and led her upstairs, leaving Jade standing there alone in silence.