Chapter 8

The motorcade cruised smoothly along the road before pulling into a castle straight out of a medieval European fairytale.

Evelyn noticed it immediately—it was the Presidential Palace, the very one she'd only ever seen on TV. Aside from being the president's private residence, it sometimes hosted meetings with foreign dignitaries. The décor was outrageously luxurious, jaw-droppingly gorgeous. But right now, none of that mattered to her.

Alexander hopped out of the car and carried her straight up to a room on the second floor.

The little guy had wanted to follow them in, but the maids managed to persuade him back to his own room with the excuse that he hadn't washed up yet.

Now that the kid was finally out of the way, Evelyn plopped down on the sofa. After a moment's hesitation, she called her best friend Grace Collins.

"Finally! You're alive!" Grace practically yelled the second she picked up. "One more missed call and I was calling the cops!"

They were supposed to have dinner together that evening. But she'd tried Evelyn's phone a dozen times—nothing but voicemail. She even went by her place, only to find the door shut tight, no one home.

"Sorry about that. I got into a bit of a traffic accident on the way back. Just got out of the hospital," Evelyn said, heart warming a little at her friend's concern.

"Wait—what? Are you hurt? Where are you? I'm coming to get you right now!" Grace freaked out, already stepping out of her house and heading toward the elevator.

"It wasn't serious, really. You don't need to come. I just need a quiet night to myself. Let's catch up another day," Evelyn said. Her mind was a total mess, and she definitely couldn't tell Grace where she was staying.

"You sure you don't need me there?"

"Yeah, really. I just need space to think. I'm okay, promise," Evelyn said with a slight smile, though it barely reached her eyes.

"All right then. But the second you need me, just call—I'll fly over like I'm riding a rocket, got it?" Grace joked.

That finally got a laugh out of her. Good to know she still had someone who actually cared about her.

They chatted a bit more before hanging up.

Just as Evelyn was putting her phone away, Alexander walked out of the bathroom in pajamas, damp hair slicked back.

"You're still here?" she asked, eyeing his fresh clothes.

"You do realize this is my room, right?" Alexander said, raising an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be here?"

"Your room?" Evelyn glanced around, quickly taking in the space. It was simply decorated but oozed that quiet kind of luxury—not flashy, but still totally his style.

Still... why did he carry her into his bedroom of all places?

"You'll have to sleep here for now. If my son finds out we're sleeping in separate rooms, he'll start asking questions," Alexander explained, probably noticing her confusion. "Don't be fooled by the fact that he's only four—he picks up on everything. Don't worry, you take the bed, I'll crash on the couch."

Was this really okay? Two adults, alone in one room...

Evelyn gave him a wary look, weighing her options in her head.

"You can relax. Even if you stripped down right now, I wouldn't be the least bit interested," Alexander said with a calm tone that somehow made it worse.

Seriously?

Evelyn's expression instantly darkened. If he was trying to ease her mind, this was definitely not the way to do it.

"Mama!" Right then, the door swung open and the little guy ran in hugging a stuffed bear. Without hesitation, he clambered onto her bed. "Mama, I wanna sleep with you and Daddy tonight!"

"..."

What now?

Evelyn hadn't even figured out whether she should take the risk of sharing a room with Alexander, and now this little guy just showed up—looking like he wasn't taking no for an answer.

Was this some kind of sneaky way to make her agree?

"Sure," Alexander replied before she could say anything, jumping right in.

Wait a second—who said she was okay with this?

Evelyn turned to glare at him, clearly annoyed.

But Alexander didn't even glance at her, keeping his eyes on the kid. "You took your bath and brushed your teeth?"

"Yep! Super clean and shiny!" The boy nodded, then looked at Evelyn. "Mama, did you take your bath yet?"

"Nope!" Evelyn replied, planning to tell him to go to sleep while she went to clean up—and possibly made a run for it.

"Daddy, Mama's leg hurts. You help her wash!" the kid turned and looked innocently at the man behind them.

Excuse me? Did he just say what I think he said?

Evelyn went stiff. Whenever this kid opened his mouth, she swore her blood pressure shot up.

"Sure. You wait right here and be good, don't go wandering around." To her absolute disbelief, Alexander agreed without a flinch. Then he casually walked over and scooped her up. While she was still reeling, he carried her straight into the bathroom.

"You seriously want me to bathe in front of you?" Evelyn looked at him in shock once he set her down in the tub.

"You gonna undress yourself, or should I give you a hand?" Alexander asked, rolling up his sleeves like he meant business.