Husband With Benefits-Chapter 792: The Girlfriend Replica

"Dad... how did you feel when you found out Aunt Nora wasn’t my biological mother? You know, when Uncle Demetri was trying to get a reaction out of you and all that."

Erasmi glanced up from the file in his hands, locking eyes with his son through the camera. He narrowed his gaze, studying Cai closely. It wasn’t like his son to initiate video calls to him—those were usually reserved for the women in the family. Erasmi was more accustomed to receiving brief texts or the occasional phone call. A video call paired with this particular question from Cai...

"Why are you asking?"

"I asked first," Cai pointed out, a hint of stubbornness in his tone. Erasmi merely shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Too bad, kid. I don’t have to answer you until you answer me first."

Cai sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. "This is so unfair... it’s just curiosity, okay? I mean, you never really reacted much over the years, so I thought maybe you didn’t care. But then, when he started showing you Aunt Nora’s pictures and everything, your reaction was almost... violent. So, at least at the beginning, you really believed she was my biological mother, right? And whatever chemical reaction detonated that response is also what finally pushed your brain into giving responses, right?"

He raised an eyebrow at that, his voice trailing off, waiting for a response.

Erasmi frowned and nodded,"Yes. It is quite probable that was the cause for it. According to the doctors that I have met over the years, it was possibly a surge of adrenaline that might have pushed my brain into getting super active, ultimately making me return from the ’dead.’

"So, after waking up, did you ever mistake Aunt Nora for her? I mean... were you interested in her...physically?"

Erasmi coughed, nearly choking on air as he shot his son a horrified look. "What? No!" he exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief. "Nora was already married to Demetri by then. And even if she wasn’t, I knew she wasn’t the one, Cai." He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around his son’s bold question. Thankfully, Demetri was not here or he would definitely have hung poor Cai upside down like a bat from the ceiling.

He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as if to make sure Cai was still listening. "There was never anything like that between us. I didn’t confuse her for anyone, especially not... physically. I knew she wasn’t your mother even though they looked too similar..."

Erasmi sighed and cocked his head at him," Cai? Your questions sound more than curiosity... Care to tell?"

"Nah.. At this point they really are just curiosity, okay? Chill old man."

"Hey! You are the old man, Cai Frost."

"If I am old then you would be ancient, Dad. Ciao. Thanks for answering!"

Erasmi sighed and shook his head at his son’s antics. Thankfully, Cai was not all serious all the time these days and had gotten more playful again.

***

"How do you know my name?"

Lily looked up from her phone, startled by the unexpected voice that broke the silence. She hadn’t even noticed anyone near the back door when she slipped out. Her heart raced as her eyes met his, and she instinctively placed a hand over her chest, glaring at him. Without a word, she turned on her heel and began walking away, but he was quick, easily matching her pace and falling into step beside her.

"You said you were wondering if I remembered you," he pressed, his voice firmer now. "What did you mean by that?"

Lily stopped for a moment, glancing at him from the corner of her eye before flashing a playful grin. She gave a casual shrug, "I don’t want to tell you."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with that response. "Why not?"

Her smile faded just a little, a shadow of disappointment crossing her face. "Because, Caius Frost, I’m a little hurt that you don’t remember me." She sighed, her voice softer now. "You, of all people. Aren’t you supposed to be famous for that legendary memory of yours? So, how could you forget me? I get it—I was probably just a blip on your radar, barely worth noticing. But really... I mean... you used to give me chocolates everytime we met. I thought you might remember me."

Caius frowned, confusion clouding his expression. "I’ve never claimed to have a great memory. That’s just what people say about me. Hearsay, mostly. As for chocolates, I always kept some in my pockets. I have a lot of little annoying cousins so I needed to bribe them at times. But you are not my cousin... then why would I give you chocolates?" He shook his head, taking a step closer to her, his curiosity piqued. "So, go on. Tell me who you are."

But instead she glared at him," So, you’re indirectly telling me that I was nothing but an annoying kid to you?"

Cai grinned. Her nose was all scrunched up at the insult," I did not do that.."

"Yes you did! You indirectly meant that you gave me chocolates as bribe..."

"Nope! I did not say that indirectly. I just said that directly. You were probably an annoying kid I wanted to get out of my way..."

Lily’s mouth fell open at the direct insult and with a huff, she started walking faster. He’d ruined her childhood with that sentence! Jerk! Well, he could now figure out for himself or die wondering!

But, the long legged Cai Frost easily matched her steps and she glared at him as he grinned," Okay okay! I was just teasing okay? I am sure you were not annoying. So, tell me, please?"

Lily opened her mouth to respond, her glare still fixed on Caius when suddenly, out of nowhere, a small blur shot past them—a wild, frantic ball of fur darting right across her path. Startled, she let out a soft yelp and jumped forward, instinctively reaching out to hold the person nearest to her. Before she could process what was happening, she felt Caius’ arms wrap around her, steadying her before she fell.

Instinctively, Cai’s arms wrapped around hers to help her calm down, while she buried her face in his chest, her hands gripping his shirt tightly.fɾēewebnσveℓ.com