Chapter 14

"Looks like your leg's healing pretty well," Alexander said, pulling his gaze back.

"So... you asked me to sit down because you were worried I'd be standing too long and hurt my leg again?" Evelyn asked, trying to confirm.

"What else? What'd you think I was up to?" He glanced sideways at her.

Ugh, awkward. For a second there, she actually thought...

Evelyn felt a wave of embarrassment hit her. What the heck was she even thinking? He's the president of Solandia, for crying out loud! If he ever wanted a fling, she was probably the last person on that list.

"So, how's my son doing these days?" Alexander switched the topic.

Thank goodness he didn't follow up on her earlier words. She silently appreciated that. Evelyn nodded and said, "Ethan's been great, honestly. Super well-behaved, barely needs looking after."

Yeah, only because she hadn't seen what he's like when he digs his heels in, Alexander thought to himself.

It still threw him sometimes—his son acting so differently around this woman. In the past, every time Alexander went abroad, he was constantly worried. If Ethan threw a tantrum and Alexander wasn't there, no one could calm him. The place would turn into absolute chaos.

Maybe she really was some kind of miracle worker for his kid.

"But how long do you plan on calling me that?" he asked again, a trace of impatience creeping in.

"Huh?" Evelyn blinked, a beat behind.

His mind jumped around too fast—she could barely keep up.

"'Mr. President' sounds a bit too stiff, doesn't it? Not really what a wife would call her husband," he explained.

Well, yeah, they were just pretending to be married. In her mind, their relationship didn't go beyond a polite acquaintance. If not "Mr. President," then what should she even call him?

"My son might be young, but he's sharp. If you're that formal, he'll start getting suspicious. So you gotta sound a little more... intimate," he continued, laying it out.

"So... what should I go with? Babe? Honey? Or Darling?" Evelyn asked, half-joking.

Alexander didn't say a word—he just stared at her coldly.

Okay, maybe that joke went a little too far...

Under his stare, Evelyn's scalp tingled. She quickly backpedaled, waving her hands. "I was just trying to lighten the mood, seriously, nothing else!"

"Alex." Just when she thought he was mad at her, he spoke again, calm as ever.

"Huh?"

"That's how you can call me from now on."

"Isn't that a bit too... much?" Evelyn looked uneasy. Calling the President something so familiar? She couldn't even imagine it.

"Too much?" Alexander repeated her words, then leaned in slightly closer, a playful glint in his eyes. "Or would you rather go with something like ‘darling' or ‘honey'?"

"I-I was totally joking about that! Mr. President, you knew I was joking, right?!" Evelyn was practically on the edge of tears.

"And you're still calling me 'Mr. President'?" He raised an eyebrow and leaned even closer, like he was deliberately messing with her.

They were already sitting near each other, and with that move, she felt like his presence just completely blocked out her personal space. He was so close now she could almost hear the rhythm of both their heartbeats.

She opened her mouth, tried a couple of times, but in the end, she just gave up. "Mr. President, I really can't say it."

Watching her all flustered and miserable, Alexander actually found it surprisingly amusing. Her sweet scent drifted over with every breath, and under the soft lights, her delicate figure drew his eyes without him even meaning to.

He suddenly felt that familiar heat rising in his chest again.

Damn it. Not again.

His brows furrowed slightly in frustration.

"It's late. You should get some rest." He straightened back up, voice flat, eyes avoiding hers.

"So... I can go now?" Evelyn looked at him, a little skeptical.

"Mm-hmm."

Like getting a free pass, she stood up with zero hesitation, tossed him a quick "goodnight," and practically bolted out of the room. Didn't even bother with water.

Clearly, in her eyes, he was something to run from.

Alexander sat there, watching how fast she disappeared, a strange mix of emotions flickering in his chest. He couldn't figure out why he got so reactive just being near her—and it wasn't the first time tonight.

He'd never acted like this around women before. Always polite, always distant—professional even when joking. But with her, he just couldn't help teasing.

Was it some kind of... twisted habit?

And they'd barely known each other for a couple weeks—and two of those weeks, they hadn't even seen each other.

With a deep sigh, Alexander ran a hand over his brow, trying to figure out what the hell was going on with himself. No answers came.