Alexander pov
“I’m sorry for what he did to you, you shouldn’t have lost Emily that day. I tried saving her, but it was too late; he had gotten to her before I could stop the accident…”
Her words replayed in my mind as I tapped my fingers continuously on the seat, my eyes narrowing. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t understand what she meant by that.
Emily… Had she known her before she lost her memories? The way she had spoken left so many questions unanswered.
I groaned in frustration and stopped the rhythmic drumming of my fingers. Almost immediately, the car came to a sudden halt, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I narrowed my eyes, looking straight ahead to see that the car in front had stopped abruptly, blocking the road.
“What’s going on?” I asked, straightening in my seat with a frown.
“Apologies, boss. Looks like the car ahead of us had an accident. I’ll take another route,” Adrian replied, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror, waiting for my approval.
I sighed, giving him a lazy nod. Frankly, I didn’t care. All I wanted was to get this tedious party over with and leave as soon as possible. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t even attend. But this event was the perfect opportunity to introduce her as Emily to the world and finally put an end to the relentless questions and suspicions.
“Where is your wife? Has she not returned? Felix must really miss his mother, Emily should come back and take care of him”
Those bastards.
I knew none of them actually cared. They were only asking because they were looking for something-anything-to make me slip up and implicate myself. They’d probably guessed that Emily was dead and that I was the one responsible for her death, which was why I was hiding her from the world.
But it wasn’t… I could never hurt Emily. Hiding her death was the only way to prevent Felix from falling apart completely. If he knew the woman he had longed to see every day was gone, I couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen to him.
As these thoughts raced through my mind, my eyes flickered forward, and I gave a sharp command.
“Stop the car.”
I narrowed my gaze, focusing on the figure ahead. A slow, amused smile curved on my lips as I raised an eyebrow, taking in the sight.
Well, well, look what we have here.
It was him-the bastard. The one who had betrayed her and never even grieved her death: Damien, her husband.
“Boss, what’s wrong-” Adrian started to ask, but I didn’t wait for him to finish. I got out of the car, my hands tucked inside my pockets, and walked toward Damien.
“You seem to be having some trouble. Do you need help?” I asked, my tone casual as I pulled a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, letting it rest between my fingers.
“Oh yes please, thank you so much-” He turned to respond, but his smile froze the moment he locked eyes with me. His expression shifted, and for a brief second, I noticed a flicker of something in his gaze. Was it fear?
“Mr. Alexander, a pleasure to meet you here. Are you on your way to the party?” He asked, and I raised a brow in slight amusement.
“You know me?” I asked, taking a drag from my cigarette with a smirk, my eyes glancing over him briefly.
Blond hair slicked back, blue eyes darting nervously, a fake smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, his posture rigid, every muscle in his body tensed with anxiety.
He was scared of me.
“Of course, how could I not? You’re Alexander Knight, everyone knows you,” he replied, and the corner of my lips curled into a sly smile.
“Oh, I see,” I nodded, walking closer. As I passed him, I noticed his body stiffen, but I was already moving toward his car. With a swift motion, I popped the hood open.
“I know you too, Damien Laurent?” I said, my voice calm, but my gaze sharp as I reached out to tighten the loose battery terminal. I tilted my eyes back to him, my words deliberate. “Nico’s son-in-law, am I right? You married his daughter.”
His eyes widened slightly, and I could see the flicker of unease cross his features. I understood why. Nico and I weren’t just rivals in business-we were enemies in every sense of the word, locked in a bitter competition over territories, clients, and control. Everyone knew the animosity between us, and Damien being tied to him didn’t help his case right now.
“No, we are no longer married. His daughter- I mean, my ex-wife- passed away a couple of months ago due to an accident,” he said, with a nervous chuckle as I leaned back, closing the hood of the car.
There wasn’t a hint of sadness in his expression, it was as though he was speaking about a trivia matter, as though it had nothing to do with him.
“I see… sorry for your loss,” I replied smoothly. “You must be heartbroken. How are you coping? Do you miss your late wife?”
At my words, his eyes brightened, and he seemed to relax, his body unwinding with a hint of relief.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine. After her death, I’ve already cut ties with Nico. I’ve always wanted to speak with you about some potential business deals, but I was worried my connection with him would hinder me…” He paused, his gaze flickering nervously “If you don’t mind, can we meet up on Monday and discuss properly”
My eyes narrowed, a dry chuckle escaping my lips. This-whatever it was-was becoming more interesting, far more enjoyable than I had expected. It felt like a game. Would he even recognize his wife if I let him get close? What would happen when he discovered the woman he believed was dead was still very much alive?
“Of course,” I said, my tone smooth and calculated, “Meet me at my place on Monday,”.