?Chapter 409:


    The following day, Ellie rose with a weary body to pack her luggage. Kaiden, leaning against the doorway of the walk-in closet, inquired, “How long will you be gone?”


    “A week,” Ellie answered.


    Kaiden suspected she wasn’t telling him everything.


    “The show willst at most a day.” He frowned.


    Ellie rified, “The round trip takes two days, the Light show will probably take three days, then there’s a celebration dinner with the brand, and Freddy has also invited me to dinner.”


    Her week was fully booked. If it weren’t for the bitter cold in Estoqua, she would have considered staying for more shows, extending her trip by another week.


    “Is Freddy that idle? Just asking you out for meals?” Kaiden asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He knew Freddy didn’t have romantic feelings for Ellie, but he couldn’t shake the twinge of irritation.


    Ellie zipped up her suitcase, a smile creeping at the corners of her mouth. Sometimes, Kaiden could be so adorably childish!


    Pulling her luggage, she noticed Kaiden walking with her. “Are you driving me to the airport?” she asked.


    “It’s on my way,” Kaiden replied, taking a seat in the back of the car and instructing the driver to start.


    Ellie thought about the route. The airport was near the suburbs. Where could he be going that was on the way?


    She turned to him. “Don’t you have work today?” Her tone was curious, sensing that Kaiden seemed unusually idle that morning.


    Kaiden leaned back, rxed. “Day off.”


    Ellie shot him a doubtful look. Was the GT Group really performing so poorly that its CEO could afford to take so many days off? she wondered to herself.


    Catching her skeptical nce, Kaiden gently tapped her forehead. “What’s that look for?” he asked, knowing he probably seemed crazy for skipping work just because she was leaving.


    Ellie rubbed her forehead and shot him a slightly aggrieved re, but she didn’tment on his apparent mood. When they reached the airport, she suppressed augh, feeling an unexpected warmth in her chest.


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    At the airport, farewells were amon sight. Kaiden noticed a couple near the entrance, the woman clinging to the man, her face buried in his neck as they shared an emotional goodbye. He quickly turned away from the scene and called out to Ellie, who stepped out of the car without hesitation.


    “Ellie!” he called.


    “Hmm?” Ellie turned, puzzled.


    Kaiden frowned, gesturing toward her. She seemedpletely unemotional about leaving.


    “What are you— Mm!”


    Ellie’s words were cut short as she approached the car. Kaiden, seated in the back, reached out, grasped the back of her neck, and pulled her close. His lips met hers in a fervent kiss, starting with an intensity that felt like a reprimand. It slowly softened, transforming into a gentle goodbye. Ellie’s eyes remained wide open in shock, locked onto Kaiden’s dark ones. She felt emotions from him that were new and profound, like invisible tendrils entangling her heart.


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