Alexander pov
I have never been… sexually assaulted in my thirty years of living.
Who would dare to do such a thing? No one in their right mind would risk being skinned alive. Yet this girl before me had done it without a moment’s hesitation, as if she were completely unaware of the consequences.
This girl-this reckless, stupid girl-not only hugged me but had the audacity to kiss me without my consent. For a moment, my brain short-circuited, my eyes widening in shock as I struggled to process what was happening. No matter how hard I tried to think or react, I couldn’t. My body refused to move.
Damn it.
Her soft, plump lips pressed against mine as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me closer. She was stiff, unmoving, yet determined. One would think it was her first time kissing someone, with how flushed her face was, and how she seemed to hold her breath. But there was something unsettling in her expression, something that made her appear almost like a creep.
My heart pounded so loudly, I could have sworn I heard it in my ears. A rush of emotions hit me all at once-shock, anger, and something else… restraint. Restraint from wrapping my arms around her waist and deepening the kiss, restraint from leaving her breathless and trembling against me.
“Oh my God! Quick, cover the young master’s eyes!”
I watched as Sebastian quickly tried to cover Felix’s eyes, but the kid simply pulled his hand down, his face lighting up with the brightest smile as he continued to watch, completely unfazed and Sebastian, the idiot didn’t seem to notice, why would he, when he was too busy staring with wide eyes, the corners of his lips curling into a smile, mirroring Felix.
“But madam is quite bold. Kissing the boss in front of everyone… hehe,” Sebastian, muttered under his breath, followed by the laughter of those nearby.
“Seems like madam really missed the boss,” Aiden chimed in, his voice cold. I could practically picture him nodding at the thought.
My eyes narrowed into a deadly glare as a surge of anger coursed through me. The thought that everyone found this amusing and funny irratated me.
This-whatever this was-needed to end, and it needed to end now.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, but instead of pulling her closer, I forcefully pushed her away, watching as she staggered back in shock.
“What. Do. You. Think. You. Are. Doing?” I hissed under my breath. My voice was low, but each word was sharpened with a deadly edge of killing intent.
The laughter and whispers died down instantly, and in the blink of an eye, every expression around me turned serious. They all knew me well enough to read my emotions and avoid crossing the line. They knew when I was angry-and this time, I was furious.
“Me?” she asked, blinking in confusion as she pointed to herself.
“No, I’m talking to the ghost behind you,” I snapped, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I took a step closer, my gaze fixed on her. “Of course, I’m talking to you. How dare you ki…” I trailed off, the words caught in my throat. Fuck, I couldn’t even force them out.
“Kiss… It’s kiss, boss,” Sebastian foolishly completed my words, as though I needed his help to articulate what was obvious.
I turned my glare toward Sebastian, and he flinched under my gaze, quickly pushing his glasses higher while trying to hide behind Felix.
“Yes,” I hissed through clenched teeth, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “How dare you lay your hands on me and… kiss me?”
“But-” she started, her head tilting slightly to the side in confusion, as if the situation didn’t quite register in her mind. “But I am your wife, right? Why can’t I touch or kiss you?”
Her words echoed in the air, and everyone around exchanged glances, nodding in agreement, unsure how to react to the tension.
“Why is the boss getting angry at madam? I thought he’d be happy she’s back.”
“Shh, don’t say anything if you value your life. Let the boss hear you, and you might not leave here in one piece.”
My wife? I almost scoffed at the word that left her mouth. She wasn’t my wife, and she certainly wasn’t my Emily. My Emily had died a year ago in an accident orchestrated by her father. This woman before me was just a replacement, and a replacement didn’t have the right to touch me-especially not when I despised being touched.
Emily had known that, and that was why she’d always respected my boundaries, only touching me when I allowed it. But this girl? She had done the one thing I hated most-touched me without my consent.
“You don’t get to touch me! Do you understand? Don’t ever touch me again!” I spat out, my glare intensifying as I shot daggers at her.
Why was I so angry? Normally, I was cool and collected. I didn’t raise my voice, and I wasn’t the type of man to use words-actions were my preferred method of making a point.
Yet, there was something that nagged at me, something telling me that perhaps the anger stemmed from the fact that her touch didn’t make my skin crawl. The fact that I didn’t dread it… I hated that.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I expected her to cower, to retreat from my gaze like everyone else usually did. But what happened next left me stunned.
She pouted her lips, rolling her eyes as if I were a child throwing a tantrum. “Pfft, why are you so angry? I just gave you a slight peck. It’s not like I slapped you or anything. Why are you making it such a big deal?”
“Oh my god! Dr. Daniel, are you hearing this? You’re on your way, right?” Sebastian whispered, and I knew he was on a call with Daniel. But I was too furious at the girl before me to snap at him.
“Yes! Turn the camera well to Alexander’s face, let me see the expression he’s making.”
“What did you say to me?” I asked, taking another step toward her. My hand itched to reach for the gun tucked at the back of my trousers, the temptation to put a bullet in her head growing with every passing second.
But she didn’t flinch. She didn’t move. “I said you’re making a big deal out of a peck from your wife. We must have done way worse in the bedroom, so why is this a big deal? Wait…” She clapped her hands, suddenly realizing something as she looked around at the imposing figures around her, all armed.
“Oh, I know now. You’re embarrassed about the audience. Haha, you shouldn’t be. It was only a kiss. Everyone does it around here.”
Alright, that did it.
As soon as I reached for the gun, all eyes were on me, widening in alarm. Their hands shot out in an attempt to stop me, but before I could grasp the cold metal, someone stood in front of Valentina. A small body, standing firm, trying to shield her from me.
Felix’s eyes narrowed into a glare, and with his arms crossed, he mouthed the words that made me stop dead in my tracks.
“Bad daddy.”