Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 76: Chapter 76
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When I walked into the café, I immediately spotted Kayden sitting by the window.
Though he was nearly fifty, Kayden looked remarkably well-preserved. His physique, appearance, and manner of speaking exuded a cultured, refined charm. He looked no older than a man in his early forties.
I remembered the first time I saw him at the Herrera family gathering—I almost mistook him for Austin's older brother. Amanda was younger than Kayden, but standing next to him, they didn't look much like a married couple.
To be precise, Amanda was quite attractive—tall and slender—but she was so thin, and her entire demeanor radiated a sharp, bitter energy.
Yet, I had to admit, my gut instinct had been spot-on. Amanda wasn't just bitter; she was two-faced.
In contrast, Kayden remained calm and graceful throughout.
When they stood together, without Amanda speaking, they seemed like a well-matched couple. But once she opened her mouth, with her haughty, abrasive tone, the entire room seemed to shrink under the weight of her presence.
Though Kayden wasn't particularly accomplished in his career, he had a humble and gentle nature. Even the household staff thought Amanda had truly earned her fortune by marrying him.
After all, within the Herrera family, Kayden was the only one with a truly kind temperament.
If it weren't for Kayden stepping in at the dinner last night, I might've assumed he was just another mild, naive man, out of his depth in family matters.
Kayden stood when he saw me enter and politely pulled out a chair for me.
"Thank you," I said, sitting down.
He looked at me, his eyes softening with a small smile. "Laurel, you don't need to be so formal with me. I've always liked you."
Hearing those words from a handsome, poised man—someone who exuded maturity and self-assuredness—made them feel strangely ambiguous. It was hard not to wonder if he had other motives.
Kayden seemed to notice my discomfort and quickly added a bittersweet smile. "If you hadn't broken up with Austin, I imagine you two would've already been married."
I gave him a small smile, deliberately meeting his gaze. "Life is full of surprises, both good and bad."
Kayden was here to talk, and it was clear his intentions weren't entirely benign. I hadn't expected him to use his status to pressure me so quickly.
He gave a short laugh. "I don't know much about you and Alex, but I've heard plenty of rumors."
"Rumors?" I chuckled lightly, completely unfazed. "I've long since stopped paying attention to them."
"Even if you and Austin never had an intimate relationship, you two were together for six years, and that's a fact that can't be changed."
"And what of it?" I feigned confusion.
Kayden spoke earnestly, his tone turning serious. "I'm just warning you out of kindness—Alex isn't right for you."
"Is that so..." I murmured, maintaining my nonchalance.
Kayden didn't seem upset by my indifference. Instead, he looked as though he had something more to say but held back.
I couldn't help but find this amusing. It was clear now—like father, like son. The entire Herrera family seemed to excel at playing roles.
"If you leave Alex, I'll make sure Austin marries you," Kayden said, his voice firm and decisive.
I furrowed my brow slightly. His tone implied that I had no other option but to marry into the Herrera family.
"Are you telling me to leave Alex?" I asked.
Kayden remained silent, his eyes locked on mine with a deep, searching look.
The silence in the room felt suffocating, a tension hanging between us.
"I don't go for leftovers. What I like is money," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Miss Harvey offered me 6 million dollars, but honestly, I think Alex should have more than that."
At the mention of the 6 million dollars, Kayden froze for a moment, then instinctively asked, "Did Samantha approach you?"
"Yep, but she was a step ahead of you."
Kayden hesitated, his gaze shifting briefly. He then looked back at me, his voice lowering as he said, "Laurel, I won't beat around the bush. How much do you want? I can go ask Samantha for it, as long as you leave Alex."
He sighed heavily, his eyes showing a flicker of concern. "You should know when to stop. Alex is my father's most cherished son. With your background, do you really think they'll accept you into the Herrera family?"
I wiped the smile from my face, noticing the flicker of impatience in Kayden's expression. It was clear he was losing patience with our conversation.
Despite his outward composure, there was no mistaking his desire to wrap things up. His cool, detached demeanor told me everything I needed to know. Kayden wasn't interested in negotiating any longer.
I had only just gotten interested in the conversation, and now it seemed he was ready to pull the plug.
At first, I thought he was trying to use Austin as leverage, as if I was trying to get closer to Alex just to marry that scumbag.
But then came Samantha, throwing in 6 million dollars, thinking I'd just take the money and leave. And here I was, still trying to haggle over it.
Seeing my continued indifference, Kayden reached for Raphael—an ace up his sleeve, hoping to intimidate me into submission.
He was trying to make me see the folly of my position, warning me not to get my hopes up.
Every "friendly" suggestion felt like a veiled threat.
How had I never realized how insufferable Kayden could be?
Looking back, it wasn't Amanda, with her fiery temper, who was the most dangerous in the Herrera family. It was Kayden—the man who never got involved in family disputes, but always managed to call the shots behind the scenes.
I laughed softly, taking a sip of the lemonade in front of me.
I didn't touch the Americano Kayden had ordered for me.
"In the six years I was with Austin, he always thought I liked iced Americanos. The truth is, I never did."
I smirked, adding, "I actually prefer caramel macchiatos. But Austin said they were too sweet, and they'd make me gain weight. So, from then on, I just ordered iced Americanos, like he liked."
Kayden looked confused, his expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity. He probably didn't understand why I was telling him this.
"Maybe in your eyes, you think I'm not worthy of Austin. Hell, sometimes I even thought I wasn't good enough for him. Over time, I adapted to his preferences, trying to please him. I took step after step, retreating, but what did I get in return?"
I paused, looking him in the eye. "I only wanted one thing—a home. But now I see that stepping back doesn't show humility. It just makes people think you're cheap."
Kayden frowned slightly. "Laurel, I always thought Austin treated you well."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, a hint of sarcasm in my tone. "As for the past, I don't want to dwell on it. The truth is, I'm freer now. I can drink what I want, wear what I want, and even choose who I want."
Though he was nearly fifty, Kayden looked remarkably well-preserved. His physique, appearance, and manner of speaking exuded a cultured, refined charm. He looked no older than a man in his early forties.
I remembered the first time I saw him at the Herrera family gathering—I almost mistook him for Austin's older brother. Amanda was younger than Kayden, but standing next to him, they didn't look much like a married couple.
To be precise, Amanda was quite attractive—tall and slender—but she was so thin, and her entire demeanor radiated a sharp, bitter energy.
Yet, I had to admit, my gut instinct had been spot-on. Amanda wasn't just bitter; she was two-faced.
In contrast, Kayden remained calm and graceful throughout.
When they stood together, without Amanda speaking, they seemed like a well-matched couple. But once she opened her mouth, with her haughty, abrasive tone, the entire room seemed to shrink under the weight of her presence.
Though Kayden wasn't particularly accomplished in his career, he had a humble and gentle nature. Even the household staff thought Amanda had truly earned her fortune by marrying him.
After all, within the Herrera family, Kayden was the only one with a truly kind temperament.
If it weren't for Kayden stepping in at the dinner last night, I might've assumed he was just another mild, naive man, out of his depth in family matters.
Kayden stood when he saw me enter and politely pulled out a chair for me.
"Thank you," I said, sitting down.
He looked at me, his eyes softening with a small smile. "Laurel, you don't need to be so formal with me. I've always liked you."
Hearing those words from a handsome, poised man—someone who exuded maturity and self-assuredness—made them feel strangely ambiguous. It was hard not to wonder if he had other motives.
Kayden seemed to notice my discomfort and quickly added a bittersweet smile. "If you hadn't broken up with Austin, I imagine you two would've already been married."
I gave him a small smile, deliberately meeting his gaze. "Life is full of surprises, both good and bad."
Kayden was here to talk, and it was clear his intentions weren't entirely benign. I hadn't expected him to use his status to pressure me so quickly.
He gave a short laugh. "I don't know much about you and Alex, but I've heard plenty of rumors."
"Rumors?" I chuckled lightly, completely unfazed. "I've long since stopped paying attention to them."
"Even if you and Austin never had an intimate relationship, you two were together for six years, and that's a fact that can't be changed."
"And what of it?" I feigned confusion.
Kayden spoke earnestly, his tone turning serious. "I'm just warning you out of kindness—Alex isn't right for you."
"Is that so..." I murmured, maintaining my nonchalance.
Kayden didn't seem upset by my indifference. Instead, he looked as though he had something more to say but held back.
I couldn't help but find this amusing. It was clear now—like father, like son. The entire Herrera family seemed to excel at playing roles.
"If you leave Alex, I'll make sure Austin marries you," Kayden said, his voice firm and decisive.
I furrowed my brow slightly. His tone implied that I had no other option but to marry into the Herrera family.
"Are you telling me to leave Alex?" I asked.
Kayden remained silent, his eyes locked on mine with a deep, searching look.
The silence in the room felt suffocating, a tension hanging between us.
"I don't go for leftovers. What I like is money," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Miss Harvey offered me 6 million dollars, but honestly, I think Alex should have more than that."
At the mention of the 6 million dollars, Kayden froze for a moment, then instinctively asked, "Did Samantha approach you?"
"Yep, but she was a step ahead of you."
Kayden hesitated, his gaze shifting briefly. He then looked back at me, his voice lowering as he said, "Laurel, I won't beat around the bush. How much do you want? I can go ask Samantha for it, as long as you leave Alex."
He sighed heavily, his eyes showing a flicker of concern. "You should know when to stop. Alex is my father's most cherished son. With your background, do you really think they'll accept you into the Herrera family?"
I wiped the smile from my face, noticing the flicker of impatience in Kayden's expression. It was clear he was losing patience with our conversation.
Despite his outward composure, there was no mistaking his desire to wrap things up. His cool, detached demeanor told me everything I needed to know. Kayden wasn't interested in negotiating any longer.
I had only just gotten interested in the conversation, and now it seemed he was ready to pull the plug.
At first, I thought he was trying to use Austin as leverage, as if I was trying to get closer to Alex just to marry that scumbag.
But then came Samantha, throwing in 6 million dollars, thinking I'd just take the money and leave. And here I was, still trying to haggle over it.
Seeing my continued indifference, Kayden reached for Raphael—an ace up his sleeve, hoping to intimidate me into submission.
He was trying to make me see the folly of my position, warning me not to get my hopes up.
Every "friendly" suggestion felt like a veiled threat.
How had I never realized how insufferable Kayden could be?
Looking back, it wasn't Amanda, with her fiery temper, who was the most dangerous in the Herrera family. It was Kayden—the man who never got involved in family disputes, but always managed to call the shots behind the scenes.
I laughed softly, taking a sip of the lemonade in front of me.
I didn't touch the Americano Kayden had ordered for me.
"In the six years I was with Austin, he always thought I liked iced Americanos. The truth is, I never did."
I smirked, adding, "I actually prefer caramel macchiatos. But Austin said they were too sweet, and they'd make me gain weight. So, from then on, I just ordered iced Americanos, like he liked."
Kayden looked confused, his expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity. He probably didn't understand why I was telling him this.
"Maybe in your eyes, you think I'm not worthy of Austin. Hell, sometimes I even thought I wasn't good enough for him. Over time, I adapted to his preferences, trying to please him. I took step after step, retreating, but what did I get in return?"
I paused, looking him in the eye. "I only wanted one thing—a home. But now I see that stepping back doesn't show humility. It just makes people think you're cheap."
Kayden frowned slightly. "Laurel, I always thought Austin treated you well."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, a hint of sarcasm in my tone. "As for the past, I don't want to dwell on it. The truth is, I'm freer now. I can drink what I want, wear what I want, and even choose who I want."
End of Falling For My Ex's Uncle Chapter 76. Continue reading Chapter 77 or return to Falling For My Ex's Uncle book page.