Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 2

It was a hundred-dollar bill.

What did she take him for to pay afterward?

The man's face turned cold as he strode towards the balcony. The window was indeed open.

Was he that terrifying? That she would risk her life to escape?

The wind blew in from outside, calm as water but unable to extinguish the evil fire burning in the man's heart. Not only had this woman humiliated him with a hundred-dollar bill, but she had also jumped out of the window after paying... He must not let her get caught!

...

Alison sneezed in the taxi, and the driver looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Are you OK, young lady?"

Alison smiled warmly. "I'm fine."

"You're still a student, right? So you must be careful when you're alone away from home."

"OK, thank you."

Alison replied and took out her phone quickly, typing: "Destroy all surveillance footage of me appearing at the Ritz Hotel around seven and nine o'clock immediately!"

"OK!" The person on the other end didn't ask questions and just followed orders.

The man's harsh words rang in Alison's ears again. At this point, Alison no longer thought about whether or not she should meet Alexander Today; it was useless. She just wanted Alexander never to know that she had been there before.

Back at the villa, Maria saw Alison's wet clothes and was startled. "Madam, what happened?"

"I ran into some trouble; I'll go upstairs first." Alison lifted her foot and walked upstairs.

"I'll prepare your bathwater," Maria said without asking too many questions before hurrying upstairs herself.

A few minutes later, Alison soaked in warm water, feeling gradually relaxed.

Her mind was chaotic, so she forced herself not to think about what happened tonight, burying her head underwater instead.

Maria blew her hair after showering and changing into clean pajamas when Matthew's call came in.

Alison's eyes turned cold. She let Maria leave first and walked to the balcony to answer the phone.

The call connected, and Matthew asked anxiously, "Alison, have you seen Mr Rosier?"

Alison's tone didn't reveal any emotions. "Did Dad give him an aphrodisiac because he worried we couldn't get along?"

Matthew was taken aback. "What do you mean? Who did I give drugs to? I didn't!"

"I see." Alison raised her lips slightly. "Dad made an appointment with Alexander's assistant at nine o'clock but told me it was seven."

The silence was on the other end of the phone as Alison felt her heart sink, preparing to hang up.

"Alison!" Suddenly there was another voice on the phone; Matthew sounded guilty. "I'm sorry about this; it's my fault. I wanted you to meet Mr. Rosier earlier so that you two could spend more time alone together, and he wouldn't be so resistant towards our marriage." He immediately asked, 'What happened? Are you OK?' Alison could hear a hint of genuine concern in Matthew's tone and asked, 'Are you sure it wasn't you?' Matthew quickly replied, 'Of course not. No matter how difficult things get, I would never use such despicable means to scheme against my daughter!' Alison remained silent. Matthew cautiously asked, 'Alison, are you alright?' Alison replied calmly, 'I'm fine. I didn't see Alexander.' Without delving into the details of what had happened in between, Matthew sighed and said, "Regardless of what happened Today, it was my fault as your father. I won't let you see him again in the future. If you don't want to stay at the villa on the mountain anymore, I'll come to pick you up now." Alison's voice softened slightly as she responded, "I've been living here for over two years; staying a few more months doesn't bother me. Don't worry about me, Dad; I like it here." This villa was Alexander's private property, and she moved there after they got married and has lived there for almost three years.

Matthew comforted her with a smile, saying, "Alright then, stay a few more months, but when three years have passed, I will personally come to pick up my daughter from this place ."He paused before continuing, "Oh yeah...this Saturday is your mother's birthday, so why don't you go home? Last time we spoke, she didn't mean those words intentionally, so don't take them to heart. She regrets it already but can't bring herself to apologize."

Alison agreed, "OK. I have class on Saturday morning, so I'll return once that's done."

"Sounds good. You should call me if anything comes up."

After hanging up the phone, Alison thought for a moment before dialing another number." Emma, prepare one set of the latest spring necklace and earrings. I'll come pick them up in a few days."

Emma replied, "Sure thing."

Thinking back to what had happened Today, Alison couldn't help but recall the dark images that flashed through her mind. The man's heavy breathing seemed to be right next to her ear... She leaned on the stone railing with both arms, burying her head. She didn't know if she was angry or resentful.

At eleven o'clock that night, Alexander left Ritz Hotel with his assistant following him. In a low voice, he said, "Mr.Rosier, I found out who it was. It was Max, the CEO of M Company. He intended to drug his female companion tonight but accidentally got it wrong. Max is scared and has already fled New York overnight."

Alexander's eyes were as black as ink and filled with fury." Since he ran away, he should never come back again!"

The assistant lowered his head and replied, "Understood!"

When Alexander returned home, it was already past midnight. He went straight up to the third floor. After showering, he wrapped himself in a bathrobe and sat on the wicker chair on the balcony. He picked up a cigarette from the coffee table beside him. The sparks from his cigarette flickered under the moonlight. Alexander's damp hair hung over his forehead. His handsome face looked even more profound under dim light.

He suddenly thought of that girl tonight. In the bathroom, sensing her unease, Alexander kissed her for a while because he feared hurting her too much. When she responded positively, only then did he proceed further. She grabbed onto his arm, calling out anxiously for him by name. At that moment, his nerves were so burnt out that whether or not she called out his name became hazy in retrospect.

Alexander took out one hundred dollars; the new bills had been soaked through by water. So why did she appear in my room? Who is she? Alexander suddenly became curious.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number, "Find her!"

"Got it!" John, his assistant, only took orders and always used words wisely.

The next day after finishing class, Alison received a call from her professor asking her to prepare the materials for the scholarship application and bring them to his office. Alison spent preparing everything, but before leaving, she received another message on WhatsApp from her professor saying, "Alison, I have an urgent matter to attend to in the conference room on the ninth floor. Just bring it over."

Alison replied on Whatsapp that she was heading towards the office building. She saw a black Bentley parked there as she walked along the green lawn outside the building. She was about to walk past when she caught sight of a tall figure getting out of it. Her heart skipped a beat as soon as she recognized him. She turned around instinctively.

Last night, Alison didn't turn on the lights. She thought Alexander might not recognize her, but she didn't know how to face him.

After the bus left and the man turned into an office building area, Alison continued walking forward.

Unexpectedly, when she turned a corner, she saw the man making a phone call. Alison stopped and pretended to look at her phone while raising her head occasionally. When she looked up again, Alexander had already walked far away. Alison needed clarification about why he was there.

When they entered the office building, the man entered the elevator, and Alison slowed her pace until it closed before walking over. However, as soon as she put her hand on the elevator button, it opened again unexpectedly. Alison raised her head and met with Alexander's cold, questioning gaze.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter