My Mirror Image by Maybe Not (Candice And Alex’s)

Chapter 0515

Candice watched as her colleagues busied themselves, then fell silent for a moment before handing Ellis over to Alex. "Thanks."

Right after she spoke, Alex grabbed her hand and lifted her out of the car.

He set her down, his voice resonating with each word. "It's safer this way."

Candice's expression soured. "Let go. Who said you could do that?"

Alex’s hand was still resting on her waist. Though Candice was holding Ellis in her arms, the gesture felt oddly intimate.

Alex's eyes darkened slightly as he released her hand. Ignoring his presence, Candice stepped away.

She felt agitated as Alex's sudden action had unsettled her.

Ellis, who had gained a few pounds, squirmed in her arms, full of energy. Candice struggled to hold her.

Lauren saw them approaching and glanced meaningfully at Alex. "If you two had been any later, I would've suspected you were up to something behind our backs."

Candice's face darkened. She handed Ellis over to another colleague and went to help set up the tents.

Lauren followed her. "Why are you so upset?"

"Nothing."

Lauren touched her nose and then looked at Alex, who stood alone. "Alex..."

Candice threw what she was carrying on the ground, and Lauren fell silent.

Candice washed things by the river, growing increasingly frustrated. She couldn't shake off the memory of Alex holding her, his cold, distant cedar scent lingering in her mind.

It brought back memories, none of them pleasant.

After finishing washing, she returned to find everyone chatting happily. Then, in the crowd, she spotted a familiar figure—Erica.

Erica sat next to Alex, waving at Candice cheerfully. "Are you done with your chores? What a coincidence. I came with some friends to hang out, and when I saw Alex, I just had to come over. I didn't expect to see you here too."

She sat close to Alex, and after chatting with Candice, she leaned toward him, as if sharing a secret.

Watching their intimacy, Candice pursed her lips and looked away.

Erica was lively and quickly made friends with everyone. Candice stayed back, playing with Ellis.

Only when a colleague came to invite her to join a game did she reluctantly join them.

Erica remained seated next to Alex. When Alex saw Candice approaching, he stood up without a word, pulled out a chair for her, and sat down beside her.

Candice glanced at him, her eyes flickering, and then she decisively chose another seat.

As soon as she sat down, Alex changed seats, moving to sit next to her. He held out a paper fan as he said, "There are a lot of mosquitoes here, and the baby's skin is delicate. Don't let her get bitten."

Candice said nothing, but Alex's actions spoke volumes. Erica was the first to comment.

"Wow, Mr. Elysian, I didn't know you were such a caring ex-employer. Or perhaps you have ulterior motives toward Ms. Renault?" she asked with raised eyebrows and a meaningful gaze.

Though Erica's tone was gossipy, to Candice, it sounded like she was jealous that she and Alex were too close.

Before she could respond, Lauren chimed in, curious. "Oh? Do you two know each other?"

"Yeah, we've known each other for a long time," Erica replied. "I shot a promotional video for his company."

Erica reminisced, "It was my first time shooting an ad, and Mr. Elysian helped me a lot. If it weren't for him, I might have quit modeling back then."

"Why?" Candice asked.

"I ran into some shady characters who spiked my drink. It was thanks to Mr. Elysian that I got out of there."

Suddenly, Erica looked at Candice, her eyes flashing with recognition. "Oh, and wasn't it you who helped me get a room back then? I told you, I remember you used to work at Aether Corporation."

Candice froze, her gaze fixed on Erica.

"You haven't forgotten, have you? I wanted to thank you at the time, but then my agent whisked me away, and I forgot. It's quite a coincidence that we met again. I owe you and Alex a drink."

With that, Erica poured herself a glass of wine and raised it toward them.

Candice drank absentmindedly, her mind elsewhere. Erica's words bothered her.

The picnic was losing its appeal. After a while, Lauren suggested a game of Truth or Dare.

Candice participated in the game without thinking much, but the bottle landed on Alex on the first spin.

Alex looked youthful and vibrant today, attracting the attention of several female colleagues who had been stealing glances at him all day.

He continued fanning Ellis and Candice, his actions relentless. "Truth."

A girl couldn't wait to ask, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

It was one of the model friends Erica had brought along, a foreign beauty who couldn't quite understand the language they had spoken earlier.

Her eyes were fixed on Alex. She found him quite intriguing.

All eyes were on Alex, especially those of the female colleagues who had been eyeing him since morning. They had noticed his apparent interest in Candice but were too shy to ask.

Alex paused. "No."

Before the foreign girl could rejoice, he added, "I've made her mad, and she doesn't want me anymore. So, I'm trying to figure out how to make amends."

"What a shame."

Alex glanced at Candice, who had turned her face away, her whole body tense.

The game continued for a while longer, but Candice lost interest. Ellis was sleepy, so she went back to the tent.

After spending some time inside, Candice came out again as she felt stifled.

To her dismay, she saw Alex and Erica walking toward her. Instinctively, she hurried in the opposite direction.

She walked briskly, as if intentionally avoiding something.

It wasn't until she accidentally tripped over a vine and fell that she snapped out of it, realizing she had wandered into a small forest by the lake.

As the pain in her ankle slowly registered, Candice felt annoyed with herself. She took out her phone to call Lauren, only to find there was no signal. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Candice's frustration grew. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had acted foolishly, running away at the sight of Alex.

She tried to stand up and use the nearby tree trunk for support, but she felt a twinge of pain in her ankle. She could only limp along.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Candice turned around and saw Alex walking toward her with a stern expression.