Husband With Benefits-Chapter 808: Gift

Did you receive my gift?" Dora’s voice chirped through the phone, pulling Cai’s attention from his ’gift’—who had darted inside as if she still thought he was a bear ready to pounce.

He stifled a laugh, glancing at Lily’s retreating form. "Oh, it’s... interesting. Is this why you had me shipped out here?"

"Uh huh! You’ve been sulking for weeks now. I thought you’d snap out of it, but after you tried to name the baby ’Lily’, I knew it was serious. So, I figured you’d need something bigger—like this gift. You’re welcome!"

"I don’t think she is quite happy with the stunt you’ve pulled."

He snorted. "I don’t think she’s too thrilled with your little stunt, by the way."

Dora laughed, the kind of laugh that said she wasn’t remotely sorry. "Of course she isn’t. I’ll have a word with her in a minute. But let me make one thing crystal clear—if you mess this up and hurt her, I swear, you’ll be stuck in the wilderness with no Wi-Fi forever. And you know what that means."

"Okay, okay, no need to threaten my very soul! And, uh... thanks, I guess."

Lily didn’t have to strain her ears to catch every word. Cai wasn’t exactly being subtle as he chatted away, his eyes locked on her like a cat watching a mouse. The second he mentioned her not being happy about "the stunt," her suspicions were confirmed. She had been tricked into coming here! She glared at him, then at her poor, abandoned suitcase still outside the door.

There was no way she was staying. Not after this. Not under any circumstances. She was about to make a break for it when he casually passed her the phone, a teasing grin tugging at his lips.

"You might want to take this. It’s the only way to talk around here. No signal in these parts for regular phones." He looked way too pleased with himself with that little piece of information.

She swallowed hard. How did he know she’d been planning to call Princess Dora and demand answers? Was he reading her mind now too?

With no other choice, she snatched the phone from his hand, glaring at it as if it personally offended her, then brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Miss Lily!" came Dora’s far too cheerful voice. "I trust your journey was... good?"

Lily clenched her jaw. "Oh, it was unforgettable. The end destination however is like a bad dream, really."

Lily clenched her jaw, her frustration barely contained. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," she said through gritted teeth. "I’d like to resign from this... situation. Effective immediately. If you could arrange for my return, I’d be incredibly grateful."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Dora, usually quick to respond, was uncharacteristically quiet for a few long seconds. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer, almost concerned. "Do you feel... threatened? By Cai? Is he making you uncomfortable in any way?"

Lily blinked in surprise, momentarily thrown off by the unexpected question. She glanced over at Cai, who was now leaning casually against the doorframe, watching her with an amused expression. Did he make her scared? Yes. But was he threatening? Not exactly.

"No," she replied slowly. "He’s not a problem. At least, not in that way."

Dora’s tone shifted back to its usual breezy demeanor, though a touch of seriousness remained. "Good. I didn’t think so. But in that case, I’m afraid there’s another issue. You see, the weather isn’t cooperating right now. There’s no way we can arrange for your return until things clear up which should be a couple of months, like I told you."

Lily’s grip tightened on the phone. "Of course," she muttered. "Convenient."

"Oh, and one more tiny little detail," Dora added, her tone turning far too chipper for Lily’s liking. "You might want to take a look at your contract. The one you signed so enthusiastically before taking this job. You’ll notice there’s a clause about early resignation. Something about a hefty penalty..."

Lily’s heart sank. "What penalty?" But even as she asked, she could remember Dora warning her about the breaking of the contract.

Dora’s laughter tinkled through the line, and Lily could practically hear her shrug. "Let’s just say it would be a very expensive trip back if you break the contract now. It might even be correct to say that if you come back now, you might as well end up buried under a mountain of debt. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll adjust to the wilderness life soon enough and not feel like resigning. Cai’s not so bad, once you get used to him. Good luck, Miss Lily!"

Before Lily could get another word in, the line went dead. She stared at the phone, dumbfounded, then slowly lowered it, her mind spinning. Trapped. She was trapped here, and Dora had just hung up on her.

What a fool she had been to think that this was an opportunity! She’d even thought this could be a ’free’ staycation. She should have known that there were no freebies in the world! Now, she had fooled into coming here and staying here...

"You look angry! Let me remind you that...I was not involved in this charade... Why then are you staring at me?"

"I am thinking that it would have been better if you had been a bear..." Lily bit out before turning around and looking at the place... She glanced at the two closed doors on each side of the house, she quickly turned left and said," Since we are locked in here, it would be better if we stay out of each other’s way and away from each other."

As she reached the door and was about to go inside, Cai’s voice stopped her," I don’t think that would be quite possible."

Lily paused and turned around to glare at him," Why? Why is that not possible! Are you saying that you cannot stay out of my way...."

"I think it won’t be possible if you are going to stay in my bedroom... That is where you are going after all..."