The following week was mostly Alex trying to apologize for his actions, this was his typical behavior, he'd taken her shopping three times this week.
Cherry finally forgave him and he convinced her to come with him to the office .
Alexander had just come out of a meeting but when she saw him , the night air suddenly felt thick with tension, the kind that clung to Cherry's skin like a warning. She was sitting in Alexander's office, watching him from across the room as he spoke into his phone, his voice low and urgent.
Definitely,something was wrong.
She had learned to read his moods like a book, and right now, there was something simmering beneath his carefully controlled words.
He ran a hand through his hair.Alexander only did that when he was losing control.
Cherry leaned back, feigning disinterest as she slowly flipped through a finance magazine. She wasn't supposed to know too much. Not yet.
But she was watching and waiting.
When Alexander finally hung up, he exhaled sharply and turned to her. "We need to leave. Now."
Cherry raised a brow. "Why?"
He grabbed his suit jacket, his movements too rushed, too stiff. "I don't have time to explain. Just trust me."
Trust him?
She almost laughed.
Still, she stood, smoothing her dress. "Where are we going?"
Alexander's jaw tightened. "My father's house."
And just like that, the air grew heavier.
Cherry had heard whispers about his father. A ruthless businessman. A man who had built an empire on control and intimidation. A man Alexander had never wanted to talk about.
Something was happening.
Something that could change everything. And she wasnt about to miss it
The drive was silent.Cherry could feel the tension rolling off Alexander in waves. His grip on the steering wheel was too tight, his knuckles white.
She glanced at him, voice soft.
"Alex…what's going on?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then, finally, he muttered, "It's my father. He's in trouble."
Cherry frowned. "What kind of trouble?"
Alexander scoffed. "The kind he deserves."
That piqued her interest.
When they pulled up to the Rich family estate, Cherry felt a shiver crawl down her spine.
The mansion was massive—but cold and unwelcoming. It wasn't a home. It was a fortress.
Alexander didn't even knock. He pushed the heavy doors open and strode inside. Cherry followed, her heels clicking against the marble floors.
And then, she saw him.
Jonathan Rich.
Alexander's father sat in a grand leather chair, his silver hair neatly combed back, his sharp eyes cutting through the room like a blade.
He looked like a king who knew his reign was ending.
"Ah, Alexander," Jonathan drawled, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand. "You came."
Alexander's jaw clenched. "You think I'd let you burn everything to the ground?"
Jonathan chuckled. "Oh, son. You still have so much to learn."
Cherry stood still, watching the exchange carefully.This wasn't just a father and son, it was a battle of power.
Jonathan Rich was exactly everything Cherry had imagined—cold, calculating, and completely unbothered by the chaos around him.
She could see it now.
This was where Alexander had learned it.The manipulation. The control. The need to dominate.
Jonathan leaned back, eyeing Cherry for the first time. His lips curled into a smirk. "And you must be the new obsession."
Cherry didn't flinch.
She met his gaze head-on. "Good evening Mr Rich , I'm Cherry. And I wouldn't call myself an obsession."
Jonathan chuckled. "Ah, I like her, Alexander. She's got some fire."
Cherry walked away to let the two men continue their discussion as she decided to have a little tour around the big mansion.
Alexander wasn't amused. "Enough with the games Dad. What do you want?"
Jonathan sighed, as if he were bored. "I need your help."
Jonathan Rich—one of the most powerful men in the business world—was asking for help?
Alexander crossed his arms. "Why, what happened?"
Jonathan Rich had always been a ruthless businessman, but this time around, he had miscalculated badly. In his quest to expand Rich Enterprises, he had made a series of high-risk investments that year through private and offshore lenders. The idea was to corner the market in some luxury developments, pushing out competitors with aggressive acquisitions.
But the problem was that the money he used wasn't clean.
Some of the investments were backed by shady financiers—people who didn't care about contracts or legalities, just results.
So when the market shifted unexpectedly, Jonathan's entire strategy collapsed.
Suddenly, he owed millions to dangerous men—powerful investors with connections to organized crime. These weren't just business rivals who would sue him in court. These were the kind of people who would destroy his company —or worse.
Jonathan's smirk faded. " Son ,if you don't help me , everything Ive tried to build—including the company you plan to inherit—will crumble."
For a moment, there was silence as both men walked deeper into the house , their voices fading.
Cherry my at the other side of the house sat down slowly, tapping her fingers against the polished table.
She knew something serious was happening and if she played this rigt , she could use it against Alexander.
"Careful, sweetheart," a voice drawled from the staircase.
Cherry turned, her eyes locking onto a woman descending the stairs— Tall. Elegant. Dangerous looking.
Vanessa Rich.
Alexander's older sister.
Vanessa smirked as she approached. "I hope you know what you're doing."
Cherry gave a polite smile. "I always do."
Vanessa laughed softly. "Good. Because my brother? He can be… overbearing."
Cherry didn't react.
Vanessa studied her, arms crossed. "I never liked you."
Cherry tilted her head slightly. "Because I'm with Alexander?"
Vanessa shook her head. "No. Because I can't shake the feeling that you're too smart for him."
That caught Cherry off guard.
Vanessa smirked again. "I don't know why you're really with him, Cherry. But I have a feeling you're not as blind as you used to be."
Cherry kept her face neutral. "Why do you care?"
Vanessa leaned in slightly. "Because I've seen what he can become. And I've seen what happens to the women who let him control them."
Cherry's heart tightened.
Vanessa straightened, brushing imaginary dust off her silk blouse. "Just don't let him turn you into our mother."
And with that, she walked away, leaving Cherry alone with the weight of those words.
In her former life, Vanessa never warned her on this day,they barely ever spoke when they met as Vanessa was always standoffish and Cherry was mostly reserved or too carried away with Alex business to care.
When Alexander returned, he looked tired.
Cherry stood, smoothing her dress. "Are we leaving?"
He nodded. "Yes."
As they stepped outside, Cherry finally asked, "Are you going to help him?"
Alexander exhaled. "I don't have a choice,I must come up with a form of solution soon enough."
The debt his father had incurred itself wasn't the biggest issue. Alexander had access to enough money to cover it.
The real problem was how to make sure paying them wouldn't put Rich Enterprises under their control.
If they simply handed over the money, these people would never let go. They would see it as a sign of weakness and keep demanding more.
But if they didn't pay?Jonathan would be ruined. His business, his reputation—everything would burn.
Alexander had spent his entire life proving that he was not his father.
Now, he had to clean up his father's mess after all, it would soon affect him as well if he couldn't do anything to salvage the situation
Cherry turned her head, watching his profile.
This was the first time she had ever seen him like this. Vulnerable. Trapped.
And it was the first time she realized something crucial—Alexander Rich wasn't as untouchable as he wanted the world to believe.
And that?
That was something Cherry could use later.