Chapter 6

"What did you say?"

Stella waved her hand and fell straight onto him.

In just an instant, Alexander's breathing became noticeably heavier.

In the dim car interior, the two were extremely close. He could see Stella's hazy eyes, her slightly parted lips, and smell the faint scent of alcohol mixed with her sweet perfume.

Alexander suddenly let go, pushed Stella back into the seat, and fastened her seatbelt. Stella felt uncomfortable from the seatbelt restraint and mumbled, "Slow down."

Alexander ignored her.

Arrived at the entrance of the Hall Villa. He helped Stella out of the car and rang the doorbell.

When no one answered, he sent a message to the Hall Villa's servants, briefly instructing, "She's had too much to drink, take good care of her," then turned to leave, his retreating figure looking somewhat hurried.

Back at his own cold, empty villa, Alexander loosened his tie, poured himself a glass of ice water, and drank it all in one gulp.

But the heat inside him didn't subside—instead, it intensified.

The alcohol, combined with Stella's unconscious teasing, had ignited desires he'd suppressed for so long.

He went into the bathroom for a cold shower, but those images still wouldn't leave his mind.

—Her flushed skin, her watery eyes, and that soft, sweet "Uncle Alexander"...

Alexander cursed under his breath, dried himself off, wrapped a towel around his waist, and walked out of the bathroom.

He needed release, or he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Just as he was about to take care of his physical needs himself, the bedroom door was gently pushed open.

Elodie stood there in a black lace nightgown, slightly bent over, leaning against the doorframe, her voice soft and coquettish.

"Alexander, you're back."

Alexander hadn't expected her sudden appearance. His eyes instantly turned cold.

"Who told you to come?"

Elodie was startled by his icy gaze, but thinking of her purpose, she gathered her courage and moved closer.

The moment her hand touched his chest, Alexander shook it off.

"Alexander, let me keep you company tonight, okay?"

Elodie refused to give up and reached out again.

Alexander stepped back sharply, avoiding her hand completely, his tone ice-cold.

"Get out."

"But Alexander, I just wanted to..."

Seeing her still standing there, Alexander's tone grew even colder, like ice. "Leave."

Elodie's face turned pale, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

But Alexander just looked at her calmly, saying nothing.

She bit her lip and reluctantly turned to leave.

The bedroom returned to silence. Alexander walked to the window and lit a cigarette.

Through the swirling smoke, his expression was dark and unreadable.

The moment Elodie had approached him, he'd only felt disgust.

His earlier physical reaction had cooled rapidly, killing his interest completely.

But thinking of Stella—drunk, talking nonsense, even daring to touch him—he felt...

Alexander stubbed out the cigarette, but the irritation in his heart didn't fade with it.

Elodie's hollow attempt at seduction today had felt deliberate and fake, completely different from the woman that night.

Could it be that the person that night wasn't Elodie at all?

This thought made his heart sink.

But if it wasn't her, who could it have been?

Although he'd been very drunk that night, he vaguely remembered confirming her identity.

Alexander rubbed his temples, doubting his own judgment for the first time.

What bothered him even more was that in all these years, he'd never had such a strong physical response to any woman.

Was there something wrong with his body?

But why did that damn reaction come back just from remembering Stella's hazy look in the car last night?

He sighed and headed back to the bathroom.

Outside the door, Elodie returned to the guest room and threw a pillow hard onto the floor.

She bit her lip hard and paced back and forth in the room, her delicate makeup twisted with anger.

Alexander had actually kicked her out!

She'd dressed like this, and he still showed no interest.

"Why?"

She muttered to herself, jealousy flashing in her eyes.

"What's so great about Stella? A spoiled rich girl—besides her family background, what does she have that's better than me?"

She recalled the news she'd heard from the Brown family servants during the day—that Alexander had shown little interest in women all these years, and some people even whispered privately about whether he had some kind of problem.

But if that were true, why would he only react to Stella...

Elodie clenched her fists.

No, she absolutely couldn't lose her position as Alexander's wife!

Stella had to stay away from Alexander.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtain gaps into the room. Stella groggily turned over and habitually called out, "Elodie, what time is it? Why didn't you wake me..."

Halfway through, she suddenly became fully awake.

The room was empty. She was alone.

Elodie had already moved out.

A wave of loss washed over Stella as she slowly got up and washed.

When she went downstairs for breakfast, Mason was sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper.

"Dad, good morning."

Mason responded softly and looked up from his paper.

"Is Elodie settling in okay at the dorm? You didn't say much yesterday."

Stella picked up a slice of toast and spread jam on it to cover her reaction.

"She's okay. She said it's pretty good."

Mason shook his head. "Ten years—the family's gotten used to having her around. When you have time, go check on her. A girl living alone always has inconveniences."

"I know."

Stella answered glumly, the longing in her heart growing heavier.

After breakfast, she hesitated for a long time before finally calling Elodie.

The phone rang for a while before someone picked up.

"Hello."

Elodie's voice was somewhat cold.

"Elodie, it's me."

Stella tried to make her tone cheerful. "Did you sleep well yesterday? How are the dorm conditions? Do you need anything? I can bring it over after work today."

"No need."

Elodie cut her off, her tone distant.

"Everything's fine here. You should focus more on your own work instead of always worrying about my business."

"That's not what I meant..."

"I have class."

The call was abruptly ended. Stella listened to the busy signal for a long while.

What was wrong with Elodie? They never used to talk to each other like this.

She walked into the Brown Group feeling down. In the elevator, Stella's mind was full of Elodie's cold attitude, and she didn't notice who entered when the elevator doors opened.

She bumped straight into a solid chest, and an arm wrapped around her waist in time, steadying her.

The touch was gentle yet firm, and strangely familiar.

Stella looked up and met Alexander's deep eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Brown."

Stella hastily stepped back, her cheeks flushing.

Alexander withdrew his hand, his fingertips seemingly still retaining the sensation of that slender waist.