Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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Hearing those deeply degrading words made Elen’s heart feel unbearably bitter. She lowered her face and pressed her lips together. Her beautiful blue eyes could only stare at the floor, unable to speak for several moments.

“What are you doing? Do I have to come to you? If that’s the case, I’ll make you hurt more than last night…”

Alexander extinguished his cigarette. Then he stood up, his sharp eyes observing his wife, who truly looked very beautiful.

‘This woman is really beautiful. She just woke up, yet she looks even prettier!’

Alexander muttered inwardly. His piercing gaze traced every feature of her face, then moved to her trembling body. Her hands were tightly clenched, and her expression clearly showed fear.

In this situation, Elen looked like a weak rabbit whose life depended on Alexander—the predator.

After waiting for an answer for a few moments, Alexander began stepping forward. He smirked cruelly. He would make this woman suffer every day until she agreed to divorce him.

“Fine, woman. If that’s what you want, I’ll make sure you won’t be able to walk for a while…”

Alexander said, and with every step he took, Elena stepped back on her trembling legs.

She lifted her face. Her round eyes seemed to beg him to stop and not do this, because it hurt so much.

“M-Mr. Kingston, please don’t do that, I…”

“I’m still in pain. I’ll do anything you want, but please don’t do that. I’m begging you…”

With terrified eyes and visibly shaking hands, she stepped back on her aching legs.

Her gaze was so weak, almost pleading. That made Alexander pause briefly, but his brows furrowed and his eyes turned even sharper.

Then he gave a disdainful smile. His sharp eyes mocked his wife as he continued stepping closer.

When he stood directly in front of Elena, he grabbed her wrist and seized her waist. His sharp eyes locked onto her as he lowered his head slightly to clearly see the suffering on her face.

“Now you look scared, but I know you enjoy this. This is what you wanted, so don’t look like you regret it.”

“Didn’t I tell you before… these tears…”

Alexander brushed away the tears at the corner of Elena’s eyes and looked at them with contempt.

“…will always flow down your cheeks if you don’t obey me. This is only the beginning, woman.”

He whispered again, pressing her further.

Elena was too frightened. Her eyes were glassy with tears, but that did not disturb Alexander at all.

His sharp blue eyes moved to Elena’s lips—reddish and slightly moist.

He lifted her chin with his fingers, and the longer he stared at those lips, the more he remembered someone else.

“DAMN IT! I HATE YOU!”

Alexander growled in hatred at the thought of that woman. In his sudden rage, he shoved Elena so she was pressed against the wall.

He then devoured her sweet, beautiful lips. Elena tightly sealed her lips, as if refusing to let her husband kiss her.

But Alexander narrowed his eyes sharply. He bit her lower lip hard until it turned even redder. When the sting forced her lips to part, the brutal kiss finally deepened.

“Mmmph!”

Elena squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Her body still ached, and now her breath was trapped by the kiss.

“M-Mr. Kingston, I…”

“Mmmph!”

Elena tried to push Alexander’s broad body, but her movements were barely felt by him.

Alexander, drowning in his furious kiss, loosened it slightly before gripping both of Elena’s cheeks.

He stared at her intently as she struggled to catch her breath.

“How amusing. You look like you’ve never been kissed.”

“You look like a baby bird on the verge of dying.”

“Don’t test my patience. Act like the cheap woman you are.”

Alexander growled. He could not accept that Elena looked like an innocent girl who had just experienced such a savage kiss.

A woman like Elena should have been shameless, willing to do anything to get what she wanted.

“Cough… cough…”

“It hurts, Sir. Please don’t continue.”

“I’m begging you.”

Elena cried sorrowfully. Her hands hurt, her lips stung, and her heart was deeply wounded.

She went limp from just that brutal kiss. She lowered her head and did not dare look at her husband. She only felt pain, and her sobbing sounded heartbreaking.

‘WHAT IS THIS?’

‘WHY IS THIS woman ACTING LIKE THIS? I HATE HER!’

Alexander growled inwardly, suddenly losing interest. He released his grip, and Elena, having lost her strength, collapsed to the floor.

Elena covered her mouth so her crying would not be heard.

“He’ll get angry if he hears me crying. I can’t stop crying because my heart hurts so much, my body hurts.”

“I have to hold back my voice.”

She whispered to herself. She sat collapsed on the floor, covering her mouth tightly with her small hands, even though her bitten lips stung painfully.

Her blue eyes, like a clear and beautiful coastline, now looked terrified. They were filled with tears, unbearably sorrowful.

Alexander clenched his teeth, restraining himself. He grabbed another cigarette and lit it, exhaling smoke as his gaze turned back toward the distant view outside the glass window.

“ANNOYING!”

“You’ve ruined my day. Go back to your place!”

He snapped, seeing through the glass reflection his wife covering her mouth while crying. She looked pitiful, but he did not care.

Hearing that, Elena forced herself to stand while still holding back her sobs. She lowered her head and left.

Without saying anything, Elena hurried away. Her sobs broke free as she walked. She sniffled and rubbed her chest harshly because her heart hurt so much.

Meanwhile, Alexander watched as Elena limped toward the back of the mansion—to the place he had prepared for her.

His sharp, deep gaze followed her. He could tell her legs must still be hurting. His thoughts drifted, and he closed his eyes briefly to clear them.

“This is the life she wanted. She did everything just to marry me.”

“She deserves to suffer and cry!”

Alexander muttered before heading to his private room. He would still go to the company.

Although newlyweds were not supposed to immediately return to work, Alexander did not care. Right now, he was competing with the person he hated most, so he had to make the company under his name gain greater profit and faster progress.

Only then would the Kingston empire fall into his hands.

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At that moment, in Elena’s room,

Elena had just finished bathing. She stood before the mirror wearing her usual home dress.

A pastel yellow long dress with abundant embroidery and long sleeves, comfortable and modest.

She looked at herself. Her eyes were still red from crying hard earlier. She wiped the mirror slightly as she noticed her lips were still very red from being bitten.

“It’s okay, Elena. This pain is only temporary. Your child in your womb deserves complete love.”

“So endure a little longer. Even if it hurts and stings, it’s okay.”

“Maybe good days will come soon.”

She whispered softly. Her vision blurred again as her eyes filled with tears.

She tried to hold them back, but she was only a young woman who had nearly been sold by her own mother, a young woman who had endured humiliation almost her entire life because of her mother’s choices.

Everything was painful for her, and sometimes her tears could not be restrained—like now.

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Later, Alexander arrived at Kingston Company.

At present, Alexander was managing his father’s aviation business, while his half-brother handled the hotel division.

Meanwhile, his father still controlled natural resources such as gold, nickel, and oil.

According to Robert Kingston, the Kingston empire would be handed to whichever son could develop his respective sector the most successfully.

“Based on the weekly analysis data I received, business-class sales are still not optimal!”

“Use basic strategies to push this. Make business-class prices appear to offer exclusive benefits—they’ll love it!”

“Also push the head flight attendants to encourage their teams to increase food and beverage sales onboard!”

“Next month’s sales report must increase by 100%!”

“If not, you’re all finished! Understood?”

Alexander was intensely focused on his work. He was holding a meeting with all his subordinates to evaluate profits.

“Y-Yes, Sir. We’ll do our best.”

His subordinates responded nervously. The meeting room atmosphere was extremely tense.

Alexander gave no leniency to anyone working under him. Everything had to meet his standards.

After the meeting ended, Alexander still had a mountain of work in his office. He did not think about his wife at all.

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At the same time,

Elena was actually an art student, but she was on leave for one year. Her mother had arranged that leave because she had initially planned to marry Elena off to Greg Fermon.

Although that plan failed, Elena was already on leave, so she spent her time painting on the terrace of the small house.

With the view of the small forest behind, the place felt very peaceful to her.

While painting, as the sun slowly turned golden, she suddenly craved strawberry ice cream.

“I want strawberry ice cream, but there’s nothing here except bread.”

“Haaah…”

Elena sighed and put down her painting tools. She looked at the sky that was about to turn into evening.

Her gaze was very sad. During pregnancy like this, no one paid attention to her—not her husband, not her mother.

She had to take care of herself and her baby alone.

With that in mind, Elena decided to go out. She would buy groceries so she could cook, and she would also buy the ice cream she wanted.

She brought her shopping bag. She would have to walk far because the mansion was very far from the main road.

When Elena stepped outside, she noticed many servants whispering about her. Their eyes mocked and belittled her.

Elena knew it, but for now, she did not care.

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At the same time,

Alexander, who had finished his work, was in a bad mood. He immediately invited three of his college friends—who were also businessmen—to come to his residence so they could drink wine together in the back garden of the mansion.

The servants had arranged everything beautifully. A long, luxurious table was filled with food and elegant decorations, with expensive wines neatly lined up.

It was already late afternoon. The golden sun bathed the garden as Alexander and his three close friends gathered there.

Two of them brought their girlfriends—who changed almost every month.

“I heard you got married? How mean of you not to invite us!”

“How’s your wife? Is she beautiful?”

Christopher Latham asked, the most flirtatious and loud among them, currently sitting beside his sexy girlfriend.

Christopher had been Alexander’s friend since college.

“Beautiful? In my eyes, she’s extremely annoying. She’s just a cheap woman who means nothing to me!”

“Stop talking about her. I invited you here because I’m so annoyed with her!”

Alexander said curtly, drinking his wine.

That made the others laugh, including the two women.

Regard Oliver also laughed while holding his girlfriend, just like Christopher. Only Alan Legion sat calmly, drinking his wine alone.

Alan Legion had been Alexander’s closest friend since childhood.

“Hahaha!”

“If she’s not beautiful, why don’t you just get a mistress, Alexander?”

“How ugly is your wife? Now I’m curious…”

Regard Oliver asked, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend.

Hearing that, Alexander’s patience truly ran out. He glared sharply and coldly at Regard and Christopher.

“I said stop talking about her. I hate that woman, and I refuse to accept her!”

“Stop discussing her, or I’ll finish you!”

Alexander growled seriously.

Regard and Christopher immediately fell silent.

Among the four of them, Alexander was the wealthiest and most powerful. If they were a mafia group, Alexander would be the boss.

Alan merely shook his head at Alexander’s anger.

To lighten the awkward atmosphere, Christopher stood and looked around.

“Wow, your backyard is huge—even as big as a golf course. I still remember when we hunted in that forest…”

“Hahaha!”

“HEY! WHO ARE YOU?!”

“Are you an intruder?!”

Christopher suddenly shouted in shock when he saw, near the wall, a girl holding melting ice cream and shopping bags.

At that moment, Alexander and everyone else were startled and looked toward the wall to see who had shocked Christopher.

“Who is that?”

Alexander demanded.

Hearing that, Elena’s heart hurt terribly—so painfully it felt suffocating.

Her eyes lowered to the green grass below. Her hands trembled, and her breathing grew tight from the pain.

Yes, Elena had been standing there the entire time, hearing every single word Alexander had said that shattered her heart.

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