Husband With Benefits

What kind of smear campaign is this?" Cai muttered, his eyes narrowing as he scrolled through the reports and links that had been forwarded countless times on social media. He’d always had a distaste for these platforms, even though his dad knew how to navigate them. People seemed to forward anything without a second thought, never caring if it was true. And now, an old photo of him leaving a club with three different women had resurfaced, shared alongside a supposed "list" of all the women he’d been involved with. This was absurd! It wasn’t like he was married or had ever claimed he was living some saintly life.

What really hit a nerve, though, was how his own words about Jasmine—words he’d spoken from the heart—had been twisted into some tasteless meme. The quotes made him sound like a hypocrite, pretending to be honorable while living like a player. All he’d ever said was that "Jasmine will always hold a part of my heart" and that "her death impacted me deeply." He’d spoken honestly about how losing her had left scars on him and had even shared that it was "one of the reasons I chose this career path." One of the reasons dam* it! He had also mentioned Erasmi Frost. But they were not talking about that, were they and had conveniently forgotten him.

"While your expression of anger is fascinating, I have to admit—I’m curious about something," Rafe remarked, his gaze steady as he observed Cai. The hint of amusement playing on his face was unmistakable, and Cai couldn’t help but bristle at it.

"What?" Cai shot back, his irritation clear. "Are you asking who’s targeting me? Who I supposedly offended this time?"

Rafe chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope. I’m sure we’ll figure that out soon enough. If you’d known exactly who was after you, you wouldn’t be here brooding—you’d already be on your way to settle things. What I’m actually curious about is this ’list’." Rafe leaned in, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Have you really slept with that many women, Cai?"

Cai snorted, rolling his eyes. Typical. No wonder Rafe and Dora got along so well—they both had a talent for fixating on all the wrong details. Maybe being next in line for a crown did something to a person’s head. "Not even close," he replied dryly. "A few names on that list, sure, but most of those women are just acquaintances or friends. Nothing like what they’re suggesting."

Rafe sighed in mock disappointment, shaking his head slowly. "How utterly underwhelming. If only it were true; then at least all this scandal might be worth the hype."

Cai couldn’t help but chuckle at that, but his expression turned serious. "If they wanted something truly sensational, they should have questioned the women themselves."

Rafe raised a skeptical eyebrow, sensing there was more behind that comment. "Oh? And what’s that supposed to mean?"