Chapter 873

The morning of early autumn was chilly.
The sky was just turning white, casting a faint light into the room through the sheer curtains on the balcony.
A man lay shirtless on the large bed with a thin blanket covering his waist. He had well-defined muscles and flawless features.
A gust of cold wind brushed past, causing the sheer curtains to flutter gently.
Feeling the chill, he subconsciously reached out to the side.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the empty space beside him. His heart shrunk instantly.
In the next moment, he quickly sat up then grabbed his clothes at the end of the bed, and put them on.
His expression was tense as he rushed to the bathroom. He quickly pushed the door open and called out anxiously, “Candice!” There was no one in the bathroom.
Elio anxiously searched everywhere, including the balcony, living room, kitchen, and study. After that, he returned to the bedroom.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number. Breathing heavily, his hand pressed against his forehead as he stared at the deep red bloodstains on the bed. His heart ached.
“Hello, the number you dialed is switched off.”
He sat on the bed alone. His head was hung low, and a sense of loneliness washed over him. He dialed another number instead. “Good morning, Mr. Hoffis,” Sadie answered from the other end.
“Where’s Candice?”
Sadie replied, “She came to ask me this morning if the work here was done. I said yes, and she left.”
“Left to where?”
“She went back to Norvania.”
“Did I say she could go back?” he said angrily.
Sadie nervously said, “Mr. Hoffis, I told Candice that without your permission, she couldn’t leave on her own. But she didn’t listen to me, she-”
Elio didn’t want to listen to the explanation any longer, so he ended the call and threw the phone aside. He looked listless and depressed.
The sheer curtains fluttered gently as the room fell into silence.
He found it hard to breathe as his stiffened heart beat hard. Feeling upset, he lay sideways on the bed with his eyes closed. He weakly lifted his hand to cover his eyes, pressing on his eyes.
For Candice, it was just a one-night stand.
But for Elio, it was only the beginning.
The journey took six hours by plane and an hour by car.
After Candice returned to Phoenicia in Norvania, she felt exhausted. She got out of the car, dragging her suitcase, and entered the picturesque Morrison Residence, where she punched in the code at the gate.
In the garden, a kindly middle-aged man greeted her politely.
“Ms. Candice, good afternoon.”
The man was Camden, the butler of the Morrison Residence.
“Good afternoon, Camden.”
After helping her with the luggage, he asked curiously, “Ms. Candice, you’re back from your business trip. Why didn’t you call home so we could pick you up?”
“It’s okay, taking a taxi is convenient enough,” Candice replied. Though she was born into a wealthy family, she had never liked luxurious living style or inconveniencing others.
Camden followed Candice to the main villa.
“Mr. Morrison and Mrs. Morrison have returned,” Camden said.
Candice was stunned. She turned around and asked excitedly, “Uncle Nathan and Aunt Chubs are really back?”
Camden replied, “Yes, I heard that Mrs. Morrison’s younger brother is getting married next month, so they came back from the frontiers specifically for that. They’ll be back for quite a while this time.”
“Getting married?” Candice was stunned and her heart ached. She asked again, “You mean Elio?”
“Yes, Elio.”
At that moment, Candice felt as if the sky was falling. Her mind went blank and tears welled up in her eyes. She was speechless, frozen in place.