Chapter 7

Dusk Lounge.

In the plush VIP booth on the second floor, Alexander lounged lazily on the leather sofa. He twirled the glass in his hand a little, then tilted his head back and downed the drink in one go.

He didn't have to say a word—just sitting there, that cold, unapproachable aura of his was enough to keep every woman in the room at a distance.

Andrew Campbell had two curvy girls draped over him, but his eyes kept drifting to Alexander, who hadn't said a word since he arrived.

He'd been staring at Alexander for almost an hour now.

The guy had specifically called him out to drink, but from the moment he arrived, not a single sentence came out of his mouth. Andrew was going stir-crazy.

Andrew, second son of the Campbell family from Aurelia and Alex's longtime buddy, had trailed along to Halden when Alex decided to set up business here.

Seeing Alex still keeping quiet, Andrew finally lost patience. He pushed the two women off him and muttered, "Leave us."

The two girls hesitated for a second, then quickly got up and left.

Andrew settled beside Alexander with his drink. "Alex, bro, I've already heard what that drama queen pulled off. I don't get it—what about her got you so hooked? If marrying her was about that one incident, man, there are tons of women throwing themselves at you. Why her?"

Before he could finish, Alexander cut in, voice low and firm. "Because it's her."

Andrew looked at him, dumbfounded. "What do you mean, because it's her?"

Alex's expression didn't shift. "How does someone go from hating someone's guts, to suddenly turning clingy as hell after just a few days apart? Don't you think that's weird?"

Andrew raised his brows slightly. "Who're you even talking about?"

Alexander let out a soft sigh, rubbed his temples, then stood up. "Let's go."

Then, without waiting for a response, he headed for the exit, slightly unsteady on his feet.

Andrew's face was full of confusion.

Seriously? He called him out to get drunk, didn't say anything, asked one confusing question, and now he was just gonna leave?

"You're really doing all this just because of that difficult woman, huh?" Andrew called after him.

Alex's steps paused. His tone was calm, but with that cold edge: "She's my wife."

And with that, he walked out without a glance back.

Just a few steps past the booth, Alexander ran into Victoria.

"You've had way too much to drink, Alexander," she said sweetly, stepping forward to help him.

But the second she moved in, he sidestepped her without hesitation.

"Don't touch me. Disgusting."

"What? It's me, Victoria."

Alexander narrowed his eyes at her, studying her face like he had to double-check who she was before speaking again, voice icy. "I know."

"Then why..."

"Stay away from Elizabeth. Don't think I don't know what goes on in that little head of yours. I'm letting it slide this time for her sake."

With that, he brushed past her and walked on.

Victoria's face went pale. Her hands clenched at her sides, her nails digging crescent marks into her palms.

Still, she quickly caught up with him.

Before that, though, she pulled out her phone and made a call.

"You really shouldn't be driving drunk, Alexander. Let me take you home," she said, catching up with that forced softness in her voice.

Alexander stopped and shot her a blank look—he didn't reply, but didn't say no either.

"Alexander." Her voice was soft and honeyed, laced with a hint of temptation. Anyone else probably would've been swayed by now.

Thinking he agreed, she happily moved closer, trying to hold him again.

But—whether by accident or on purpose—her foot slipped, and she stumbled right toward him.

Alexander's face turned dark in an instant, a flash of disgust flickering in his eyes.

Then came a sharp cry of pain—"Ah!"

Heads turned immediately. The commotion drew the attention of everyone around.

Alexander gave Victoria a cold, hard stare. "Touch me again, and it won't just be a broken hand next time."

Victoria was sprawled on the ground, her face turning a mix of red and white. Embarrassed under everyone's gaze, she covered her face, staggered to her feet, and ran off.

Just then, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, and a smug grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

...

By the time Alexander drove back to Sunbath Garden, it was already 7 PM.

Staring at the brightly lit villa, he hesitated for a second.

Before he could decide whether to go in and face Elizabeth, the villa's front door swung open.

Elizabeth ran out, eyes lighting up. "Honey, you're back!"

He paused for a moment, eyes dropping to her face.

Then she frowned slightly, picking up on his scent. "Have you been drinking?"

Alexander gave a nonchalant "Yeah," and started walking toward the house.

Elizabeth watched the chill in his face, a little thrown by his distance. She didn't push it.

Just as she was about to follow him in, her phone buzzed.

She stared at the screen for a few seconds, grip slowly tightening around the phone.

Alexander, sensing she hadn't come in with him, stopped and turned. "Liz, what are you looking at?"

Startled, she instinctively hid the phone behind her and forced a smile. "Nothing, just some spam text."

Alexander's expression shifted subtly, eyes lingering on her face for a beat, but he said nothing and turned around, heading into the house.

The chill around him was unmistakable.

Elizabeth pressed her lips together and followed quietly behind.

Inside, Alexander was already on the couch, rubbing his temples—clearly still groggy from the alcohol.

"Headache? Want me to massage it a bit?"

Just as her hand reached out, he caught her wrist. "No need. I'm going to shower."

And with that, he got up and walked upstairs without another word.

Watching his back disappear, Elizabeth felt a sting of disappointment but quickly forced a smile, giving herself a silent pep talk.

When Alexander came back downstairs, he froze for a second when he saw her sitting at the dining table. She never used to sit that close to him before.

He took his seat, and the butler rushed over. "Sir, Madam specially prepared dinner for you."

Alexander looked surprised again, turning to glance at Elizabeth. "Alright, what do you want?"

A flicker of awkwardness crossed her face. Given how many times she'd tried to gain his trust and then messed it up, no wonder he thought she was up to something.

"I swear, it's not like before," she rushed to explain. "I really mean it this time. I cooked for you myself."

He didn't say he believed her, but he didn't refute it either. Instead, his eyes just stayed fixed on her face like he was trying to see right through her.

"You made this for me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. And if you like it, I'll do it every day for you. Okay?"

Just as the words left her lips, her phone rang loudly at the table.

She glanced sideways at it and quickly picked it up.

Lifting her eyes to meet Alexander's unreadable expression, she gave an awkward little laugh. "Babe, can I... talk to you about something?"