Alexander entered the room, murmuring to himself. In truth, he wanted his deeds to remain anonymous, but he never expected the glory to be snatched away by a mother so eager to pimp out her daughter. The craziest part was, despite all the horrible things Ethan Bishop had put Seraphina through, Caroline was still eager to serve her daughter's hand to him on a platter of gold. Alexander couldn't help but wonder which one of them was truly the deluded fool.
But despite it all, one thing gave him satisfaction: Ethan Bishop would never be able to ask for Seraphina's hand in marriage again—not with his fractured jaw. Hell, he'd be lucky if he could even eat solid food again in this lifetime.
Seraphina entered the room.
"Alex, ignore what my mother said. You know how she is," Seraphina began, her tone calm.
"It's fine… you should get some rest. Today might turn out to be an extremely busy one for you," he said indifferently as he laid the bed out for her.
"You know… I thought you'd be happier."
"What?" Alexander replied, caught off guard.
"I thought you'd be happy for me, that all this got resolved. Is it because it was my mother who fixed it?" she asked, eyeing him closely.
Furious, Alexander started to speak, "Your mother did no—" He stopped himself, forcing a breath. His emotions were all over the place, and he knew he needed to get control fast. "Of course, I'm happy for you, Sera," he said, his tone more collected.
"Well, you sure don't seem like it."
"Sera, I am happy for you. I'm just… tired, that's all."
"Tired from what, exactly? A long stroll?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Sera..." Alexander trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to tell another lie.
"Yeah, right. Let me guess—it was a really long stroll," she quipped.
Alexander chuckled, trying to deflect the tension. "Seraphina, I don't know what you're getting at. Of course I'm happy for you. I mean, what kind of husband wouldn't be glad his wife was vindicated from a slanderous accusation of infidelity?"
Seraphina scoffed. "Is that all you care about? Your pride as my husband?"
"What?! Come on, Seraphina, you know that's not true—not even close!"
A heavy silence fell between them. Seraphina seemed to be weighing her next words, while Alexander anxiously wondered what they would be.
"Sera—" Alexander began, but Seraphina cut him off before he could finish.
"Hearing Ethan Bishop on the news, going on and on about how I deserved the contract… it made me realize something. He kept talking about how I believed in myself, but the truth is… I didn't." She paused, her voice growing softer. "It was you, Alex. You believed in me. You always did. You believed in me so much that it started to feel like more than belief… it was like you knew—like you knew I was going to get the contract before I even did."
The room felt suddenly hot to Alexander. She was onto him. Despite his best efforts to keep things discreet, Seraphina was far too smart not to start piecing things together.
"Sera, I—" He tried to regain control of the conversation, but the words caught in his throat.
"I'm not done," Seraphina interrupted. "Because it wasn't just the contract. There are other things too, things I can't fully explain, things that don't add up. But what I do know is this: something is going on behind the scenes with Ethan Bishop, Lockwood, Maverick… Something important, something I feel like I should know about, but you're keeping me in the dark."
She stepped closer to Alexander, and the air around him felt thin, suffocating.
"So tell me, Alexander—what is it? Is there something I should know?" Her voice was low, but fierce, like a predator closing in on its prey. And Alexander was the prey.
He swallowed, his mind racing. Should he tell her the truth? How much of it could he tell? How would he even begin? Would she believe him? Was this the right time? Would she hate him if she found out what had happened to her father? How much of the truth could she handle?
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with an incoming text message.
Seraphina ignored it, her eyes locked on Alexander like she was waiting for him to reveal the secrets of the universe.
"You should check that," Alexander said, hoping to shift the conversation.
"It can wait," she replied firmly.
"I seriously think you should," he insisted.
"Not until you answer me," she shot back.
Alexander sighed and shook his head slightly, feeling the weight of the conversation pressing in on him. His back was against the wall, and the only way out was through her. But still, he made one last attempt to delay the inevitable.
"At least check who it's from."
Seraphina hesitated for a moment, considering his suggestion. It wasn't unreasonable. Finally, she agreed. She picked up her phone and checked the message. Her expression changed instantly, her face a mixture of awe and disbelief.
"Who is it?" Alexander asked, more curious than before.
"It's… it's Lady Charlotte. She wants to see me." Seraphina's voice trembled slightly. "Lady Charlotte wants to see me."