Alec stood frozen in the middle of the room, his heart pounding in his chest. The woman's cold words hung in the air like a weight he couldn't shake. He had expected a confrontation, but nothing like this. She was right—his entire life, everything he had built with Maddy, was teetering on the edge of collapse.
Maddy's voice broke the heavy silence. "You... you lied to me," she whispered, her face pale, her eyes wide with shock and hurt.
"I never meant to hurt you, Maddy," Alec said, his voice strained. "I just... I didn't want you to love me for the wrong reasons. I wanted you to love me for who I am, not for my wealth or my family name."
She shook her head slowly, disbelief written across her face. "But that's the thing, Alec. I don't even know who you are anymore."
Alec's chest tightened as he fought to keep his composure. Maddy's words were like a dagger to his heart. He had wanted to protect her, to shield her from the truth, but now he was the one who had hurt her. The guilt gnawed at him, but he couldn't take back what had already been done.
"Please, Maddy," he said, his voice hoarse. "I never wanted to deceive you. I thought... I thought if I kept this up, I could prove to you that I was worth something. That I wasn't just a rich kid trying to play at being normal."
Maddy didn't respond immediately. She just stood there, her arms wrapped around herself, clearly struggling with the truth Alec had just revealed. It was hard for her to reconcile the man she had fallen in love with with the one standing before her now.
The woman standing by the door—Alec's uninvited guest—cleared her throat. Alec turned to her, frustration bubbling up inside him. "What do you want from me? I've told you everything. I've come clean to her. Now, leave us alone."
But the woman only smiled, unfazed by Alec's anger. "Oh, Alec, you still don't get it, do you? You think this is about your relationship with Maddy? This is bigger than that. Much bigger."
Maddy turned toward the woman, her voice shaking with a mixture of fear and confusion. "What do you mean? What is this about? Who are you? What do you want from us?"
The woman's gaze flickered with amusement, but her expression remained cold. "Who I am is irrelevant. What matters is that Alec's choices are about to have consequences, whether he likes it or not."
Alec stepped forward, a flash of panic racing through him. "What consequences?" he demanded. "What are you talking about?"
The woman's smile didn't waver. "Alec, my offer is simple. You can continue pretending to be someone you're not, or you can step into the life you were born to lead. But there's something else you need to know. Your father... he's already made his decision."
Alec's blood ran cold at the mention of his father. "What do you mean? What decision?"
The woman exchanged a quick glance with the man standing beside her. He said nothing, but his eyes were dark, calculating.
"Your father is forcing your hand, Alec," she said softly. "He knows everything about Maddy now—her background, her family, her business. He doesn't think she's a suitable match for you, and he's already made arrangements to ensure she doesn't become a part of your future."
Alec's stomach dropped. "What are you talking about? How could he—"
Before he could finish, the man beside the woman spoke. "Your father has already made his moves. There are people in place to handle this situation... and it's not just about Maddy. It's about everything you stand to lose if you don't make the right choice."
Alec's mind was spinning. He had been so focused on his own secret, his own lies, that he hadn't considered the full scope of his father's influence. He had kept his distance from the family business, but it seemed his father had never let go of the reins. He had always been watching, always controlling.
Maddy looked between Alec and the strangers, her voice filled with urgency. "Alec, what's going on? What is she talking about?"
Alec turned to Maddy, his heart sinking. "Maddy, I—I don't know what to say anymore. My father... he's been pulling the strings all along. This whole thing... our relationship... it's part of his plan. He wanted me to marry someone like you. Someone trustworthy, someone who could help him with the business. But he didn't want me to find real love. And now, he's made sure that doesn't happen."
The words hung in the air like a bomb waiting to explode. Alec had never felt so exposed in his life. He had thought the hardest part was lying to Maddy, but now he realized that the real battle was against his father and everything he had been taught to believe.
Maddy's face softened, a flicker of understanding crossing her features. But then her expression hardened again. "So, this is all just a game to you?" she asked, her voice icy. "You lied to me because your father told you to?"
Alec flinched, the sting of her words cutting deeper than he expected. "No, it wasn't like that. I never wanted to hurt you. I just... I didn't want to follow in my father's footsteps. I didn't want to be another part of his plans."
The woman smirked from the sidelines, her eyes gleaming with something Alec couldn't quite read. "Your father's plans are already in motion. If you want to save this relationship, Alec, you have to make a choice. You can either stay loyal to your family and give up on Maddy, or you can defy them... and risk losing everything."
Alec's chest tightened as he thought about the weight of the decision before him. He could feel the pressure mounting. If he chose Maddy, he would be severing ties with his father, the man who controlled his life. But if he chose his father... would he be able to live with the guilt of what he had done to Maddy?
Maddy, sensing the growing tension, stepped back toward the door. "I can't do this anymore, Alec," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "I need to figure things out. I can't be part of whatever this is. Not anymore."
Alec reached out, desperate to stop her. "Maddy, please. Don't leave. I'm—"
But before he could finish, the woman intervened, her tone suddenly sharp. "It's too late, Alec. You've already made your choice. You just don't know it yet."
Alec's mind was spinning as he watched Maddy walk out of the door.