Chapter 6

(Alexander's POV)

The deal was done. Now I just needed to let my mother know.

Elena sat in the chair across from me, the weight of her decision hadn't fully settled in yet. I could see it in her eyes, she couldn't face me and her hands clasped together on her lips were shaking.

Her phone rang, cutting through the heavy silence. She picked it up immediately, It must have been an important person.

“Ryan, calm down” Her voice was shaking but firm.

I straightened.

“I don't know, but they took me and mum to a big hospital,” the voice on the other end said; Ryan.

“Do you know these people?”

I saw the shift in her expression. Relief.

“Ryan, go home. Wait for me there. I'II explain when I get back.”

“Elena, what is going on?”

“Just go home,” she snapped, ending the call and pushing back the chair.

She was already moving toward the door when I stood, blocking her path.

“Where are you going?”

She glared up at me, “I need to go.”

“No, You're coming with me.”

She tried to move past me, but I caught her wrist, holding her in place.

“Alexander, let me go.”

I didn't. Instead, I held her tightly. She gasped, trying to release my grip on her wrist but it was useless. She's going nowhere. “You're coming with me.”

“Let me go.” She hissed.

I ignored her words. I simply walked out of my office, my hands still holding her tightly leading her through the halls of Sterling Enterprises. My employees kept their heads down, knowing not to interfere.

“Alexander, Where are we going?” She shouted, struggling to remove my grip. She was wasting her time.

“I stepped into the elevator, the doors sliding shut behind us. “Taking you home.”

Her breath came fast, angry and uneven.

“You mean your home.”

I smirked. “Exactly.”

The sterling estate loomed in the day. As we pulled up in the driveway, Elena sat stiffly beside me in the car, her hands folded tightly.

She hadn't spoken again since we left the office. I could tell her mind was racing, wondering what I was up to. She still thought she had control.

She didn't.

The moment we stepped inside, the air shifted. The house was silent till I got inside. Then I saw them. My mother and Victoria. At this point, Victoria basically lived here but that needed to stop after I got married.

Eleanor stood at the top of the stairs, watching with cold assessing eyes. Good just like I wanted. Victoria was beside her, perfectly poised, her lips twitching into a smirk the moment she saw Elena. She studied her, like a predator sizing her prey. It made my jaw tighten. They had no idea.

Elena didn't say a word. She just stood beside me. She looked at me then diverted her eyes to Eleanor and Victoria, wondering who they were. I will get to that right now.

I held her hand and guided her forward till I got to where my mother and Victoria were standing.

“Mother,” I said evenly. “Victoria.”

Eleanor's gaze shifted to Elena before returning to me. “You're home early.”

“I had something important to take care of.”

Her brows lifted slightly. “I can see that.”

I ignored the judgement in her voice and what she was insinuating. I did exactly what I had planned to do immediately Elena signed that contract.

I looked my mother in the eye and said, “Meet Elena. My fiancee.”

Silence.

The air in the room got tense. Suffocating.

Eleanor's lips parted, then curved into something almost amused. “I beg your pardon?”

Victoria's smirk faltered, her fingers tightening around the railing.

I let the words sink in before i repeated, “Elena is my fiancee.”

Eleanor looked me in the eye, her sharp steel gray eyes searching my face for any sign this was a joke.

It wasn't.

A soft disbelieving chuckle escaped her lips. “Darling, you can't possibly mean that.”

I smiled. “I do.”

She exhaled. Turning her gaze to Elena eyeing her from head to toe while Elena stood there, probably wondering what the hell was happening. “You always had a flair for drama Alexander, but this..” She let out a small laugh shaking her head. “It's absurd. A girl like her—”

“Choose your words carefully mother,”I warned, my voice sharp and clear.

“You're serious?”

I took a step closer, lowering my voice. “ You wanted me to get a wife now I have a fiancee so you either accept it because this isn't up for discussion.”

Victoria finally spoke, her high pitched voice smooth. “She doesn't even belong here, Alexander.” Her gaze dragged over Elena, lingering like she was something disgusting.

I turned my head slightly. “Do I look like I care what you think?”

Victoria flinched, shocked at my words. But It was enough to shut her up.

Without another word, I turned to Elena, slipping my hand around her wrist. “Come on.”

Eleanor’s voice followed us, soft and amused. “Let's see how long she lasts.”

Elena said nothing.

But the moment we left the room, I felt her body heave in relief.

My mother had no idea how far I was willing to go. I knew she would dread the fact I was marrying Elena, my choice and not her choice. The wedding was going to happen whether she likes it or not.