Chapter 4

Victoria suddenly shot to her feet, voice trembling, "Alexander forced himself on you before the wedding. Shouldn't you hate him? Now you want to live a happy life with him? What about Michael? What's he supposed to do?"

And what about her?

That man was hers first. She saw him, liked him before anyone else. But just one sentence from the Harper family, and bam — the engagement went to Elizabeth.

All because she wasn't a real Harper by blood.

Elizabeth stared at Victoria's suddenly twisted expression, and everything clicked — Victoria had her eyes on Alexander a long time ago.

That innocent, kind persona? All fake.

All those random visits to the estate? Probably just excuses to catch glimpses of Alexander.

"What's with the big reaction?" Elizabeth's tone stayed calm. "Why should I care what happens to Michael? We're just friends. Sure, I used to like him, but that was before I got married. Besides, Michael never said he liked me. Now, I'm Mrs. Blake. Why would I go around liking someone else?"

Victoria's face dropped dramatically but quickly smoothed over. In a soft voice, she asked, "Is Alexander nearby? Is that why you're saying this? You used to swear Michael was your one true love, that you'd never marry anyone else. How could you change in just a month?

"Plus, Alexander took your virginity and pressured your grandpa into agreeing to the marriage. Shouldn't you resent him?"

Elizabeth's brow twitched slightly — so she's panicked just from hearing I'm actually trying in this marriage?

Last time, Victoria had gone straight to the hospital and ‘accidentally' let the fake abortion report fall in front of Alexander's mom. But this time around, thanks to that incident earlier at dawn, things shifted.

No idea if Alexander was still at the estate.

But that fake report in Victoria's bag? Elizabeth had to get her hands on it. If that thing got out, it'd be hell.

Dragging herself back from wandering thoughts, Elizabeth looked Victoria dead in the eye, lips parting silently before she finally said, "Alexander's my husband now. Hate him or not, doesn't change the fact that we're married. And honestly, he's got that ridiculously perfect face and a killer body. Waking up to that every day? Not the worst thing, really.

"Michael versus Alexander? Not even a competition. I was just young and dumb before — no clue what I was doing.

"Oh, and Alexander's skills in bed? I'm kinda into it."

Victoria froze. "You two... slept together?"

"We're married. Of course we did. We're both adults here, you act like it's a big shock."

Victoria's smile cracked, her whole face darkening by the second.

What a bitch. She actually slept with him.

Elizabeth caught the shift and said with a smirk, "Vic, are you okay? You look pale. Want me to call a doctor?"

"No, I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy, that's all."

"Oh? By the way, remember how I asked you to make a fake abortion report for me? Hand it over, would you?"

Victoria's eyes lit up immediately. "Sis, are you planning to—"

Before she could finish, Elizabeth cut her off, "Don't even try to say you didn't bring it. You called me this morning about it, said you'd give it to me today. I even saw it in your bag just now."

She was sure her performance was flawless.

Victoria kept her gaze down, but the slight smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth revealed her satisfaction—hidden just enough to not be caught.

But nothing escaped Elizabeth's eyes.

When Victoria pulled out the fake abortion report from her bag and put on her best worried-sister act, she hesitated, "Sis, are you really—"

"Did you think I'd frame it and hang it on the wall?" Elizabeth cut her off coldly.

Victoria's fake concern faded instantly, replaced by that smug expression. "Alright then, I'll just head out."

"I'm still recovering, so you can show yourself out," Elizabeth replied, tone flat.

As Victoria stepped out the door, Elizabeth's facade dropped, her gaze turning sharp and icy.

"Jordan," she called out.

Jordan, the butler, hurried over. "Yes, ma'am, what would you like me to do?"

"From now on, she's banned from Sunbath Garden. Anyone who lets her in can pack up and leave."

Jordan hesitated. "Ma'am, didn't you use to beg sir to let your sister live here with you?"

He'd had his suspicions about Victoria for a while—too fake, always finding excuses to hang around Alexander. It was a relief the lady of the house was finally seeing it.

And more than that—she seemed to actually care about Mr. Blake now. That was new.

Elizabeth didn't pick up on his deeper meaning. She just said, "I was tricked. I must've been blind."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll pass the order immediately."

Looking toward the gate, Elizabeth's eyes narrowed.

Victoria, this is just the beginning. Everything you care about—I'll take it all back. As long as I'm here, you'll never get close to my family, or my man.

Her mind drifted, too focused to notice someone approaching.

Right until the report was suddenly yanked from her hand.

"Give it back!" she cried, snapping out of it.

Alexander had it, holding it just out of her reach. She panicked, and without thinking, threw herself at him, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He froze, stunned by the move—hands instinctively catching her.

With a swift grab, she snatched the paper back, one thought pounding in her head: He can't see this. He can't assume she'd really gotten rid of their baby. No way. Not when she was still trying to keep hold of this marriage.

What she didn't know—was that he had already seen everything with Victoria earlier, and he knew it was fake.

But Elizabeth wasn't aware of that. She jumped down, scurrying to destroy the evidence for good—but in her haste, couldn't get her balance right.

Panicked, she ripped the report into small pieces and shoved them into her mouth.

Alexander paled. "Spit it out!" he shouted, quickly lowering her to the ground.

She shook her head, furiously chewing.

He grabbed her chin, tried to dig the scraps out. But Elizabeth clamped her jaw tight and, in desperation, bit him.

He let her bite, didn't flinch. When her chewing slowed, he just sighed and said, "Was it tasty, that fake abortion report?"

Elizabeth looked at him, stunned, saying nothing.

"Easy... don't eat that. Spit it out, alright?" His voice was gentle, low, and laced with warmth—a kind of calm that somehow made her feel safe.

She obediently spit the chewed paper out.

Then she saw the mark on his finger—and panic took over.

"Did that hurt? Why are you being so dumb?" She grabbed his hand, fretting.

Alexander just stared at her, frozen, not blinking—even his eyes were soft.

There was no mistaking it. She was worried about him.

And damn, he liked that feeling way more than he thought he would.