Chapter 14

Elizabeth blinked her bright eyes, looking all pitiful. "Honey, don't be mad, okay? I really just went home to settle things. If I'd planned to meet up with Michael, I wouldn't have told you I was going back to the Harper place, would I?"

Alexander turned his head slightly and gave her a once-over. "Let go of me first."

"Not unless you're not mad anymore," Elizabeth pouted, her tone soft and dragging.

The look on her face was clear: if you're still pissed, I'm not letting go.

Alexander's throat moved twice before his deep voice rang above her, low and husky. "Wanna do this here?"

As soon as he said that, Elizabeth quickly let go of him.

Even though this was a villa area, it still felt kind of embarrassing.

She backed off with both hands up. "So... not mad anymore?"

Alexander walked around the car and got into the driver's seat. "Still mad."

"What about now?" Elizabeth leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

The sudden kiss caught Alexander off guard for a second.

Elizabeth sat up straight, but just then, she caught someone standing a little ways off near the car.

The corners of her lips curled up into a faint smile, and she leaned in toward Alexander again.

Right at that moment, Alexander turned his head, and their lips accidentally met.

When it came to her, Alexander never had much self-control.

In the blink of an eye, he flipped the script, pulling her into his arms and taking full advantage of the kiss, completely immersing himself between her lips and teeth.

By the time they broke apart, Elizabeth's cheeks were burning red. Her eyes drifted to the side mirror—by now, the figure near the door was gone.

"You were putting on a show for her?" Alexander suddenly asked.

Elizabeth froze, then thought about it for a second. So, he noticed everything.

"Yeah. She keeps making eyes at you, and you're my man."

Her voice carried a hint of pride, like she was officially claiming what was hers.

Alexander looked at her, his eyes growing darker and more unreadable.

But deep down, something in his chest tightened and skipped a beat.

Did she really care about him? Or... was it all just an act?

He pressed his lips together, was about to say something, then stopped and started the car instead.

The air inside turned heavy and quiet.

Elizabeth leaned on her hand, staring blankly out the window.

Alexander tightened his grip on the steering wheel slightly, though the corner of his eye kept drifting back to her.

"What are you thinking about?"

Snapped out of her daze, Elizabeth turned her head and gave him a faint smile. "Just wondering when Victoria started liking you."

"Don't bring her up again," Alexander cut her off coldly.

"I can't help it. My husband's handsome and loaded—it's only natural someone would have a crush on you. But don't worry, I won't let anyone else have a shot."

At that, some of the coldness in Alexander's face melted away.

"Don't climb over walls next time. If you wanna go out, I'll go with you."

"You're running a whole company—how do you have time to tag along with me? Honey, do you still not believe I won't run away again?" Elizabeth looked at him and spoke plainly, word by word.

Alexander frowned slightly but didn't respond.

Elizabeth caught the shift in his mood and understood what he was thinking.

If she wanted him to truly trust her, it'd take time. But with a sweet little act here and there, she knew he couldn't stay mad for long.

As long as she stopped lying to him, she believed he'd come around eventually.

Back at the villa.The butler and the maids stood stiffly on both sides, heads lowered like they were kids waiting to be scolded.

"It's my fault, sir. I should've kept a closer eye on Mrs. Blake," Jordan confessed first.

Elizabeth quickly reacted, clinging to Alexander's arm. "Honey, it was all on me. They had nothing to do with it. Don't blame them."

In her past life, she'd learned some self-defense just to make running away easier. Climbing out from that floor window? Piece of cake.

What she'd forgotten was that the one thing Alexander feared most was her disappearing again.

As she spoke, Elizabeth swayed his arm playfully, like a teenager trying to act cute.

Alexander watched her for a long moment before finally letting out a soft reply with a faint smile, "Alright."

That word stunned everyone in the room. The butler and the maids looked absolutely shocked, like they'd just witnessed something impossible.

With his approval, Elizabeth turned to them and said, "You all can go rest. I'll handle dinner tonight."

Jordan's expression suddenly shifted as if he just remembered something bad. "Sir—"

Alexander glanced at Elizabeth's smiling face, lips pressing into a line. "Do as she says."

Once they were gone, Elizabeth turned to him, "Babe, just stay here, I'll be ready soon."

Without waiting for his response, she walked straight into the kitchen and started prepping dinner.

Alexander sat on the couch, working through documents—until a strong aroma wafted from the kitchen. His gaze drifted to the woman busy cooking.

Watching her make soup for him with her own hands made him frown quietly.

Yesterday she cooked too, but he didn't actually see her do it. Now that he did, it all felt weirdly unreal.

Roughly thirty minutes later, she served up three dishes and a soup.

"Honey, dinner's ready. Go wash up."

The sudden voice snapped Alexander out of his thoughts. He got up and headed to the dining area.

Staring at the food on the table, he barely furrowed his brow—but it was there.

Elizabeth noticed right away and couldn't help but ask, "You... don't like it?"

He shook his head. "It's fine."

They sat down quietly, and the atmosphere turned kind of awkward.

Elizabeth noticed he barely touched his food and leaned forward slightly, her brows knitting. "Is something wrong?"

Alexander's frown deepened, his dark eyes narrowing as he locked eyes with her.

In a slow, cold tone, he asked, "Yesterday you made dinner and then wanted to go out. Today you're cooking again—what are you planning to ask this time?"

Elizabeth froze for a few seconds, about to respond—but then he added, his voice sharp and icy, "What happened at the Harper house today, I can ignore. But I don't want you seeing Michael again."

So that's what this was. He thought she was leading up to another request.

"I really just wanted to cook for you," she replied quietly.

"You're not trying to sneak off again?"

A flash of disbelief crossed her eyes. "Seriously, no. I only went to my dad's place today because of those photos."

He narrowed his eyes. "What photos?"

She quickly handed over her phone.

As he scanned through the images, his expression changed in an instant. "So... you went back for my sake?"

"What else could it be? I told you—after I ran, I stumbled onto something. If your people hadn't brought me back, I might've never seen you again. And I would've never known what Victoria and Michael had planned for me."

Alexander's brows pulled tighter. He asked slowly, "What exactly did they do to you?"