Chapter 5

Louise bent down to pick up the phone.

"How did you get hold of these pictures of me when I was young?"

Alexander snatched the phone back. With a tense voice, he replied, "Those pictures aren't of you."

Louise narrowed her eyes. "Impossible. That's my high school uniform—even the brooch is exactly the same."

The face in the picture was blurry, but the features looked exactly like a younger version of Louise. However, Louise had not yet met Alexander at that point!

A ridiculous thought crossed her mind.

Louise loosened her grip on his wrist and gave him a strange look. "Do you like me so much that you had to edit yourself into one of my old photos?"

Alexander found himself at a loss for words. After all, he couldn't exactly tell her that the girl in the photograph wasn't her at all, but Isabelle, who had been dead for a long time.

As Louise was faced with his silence, her gaze turned icy. "I've told you before. It doesn't matter what you do. I will never like you.

"I only have Charles in my heart. Stop playing these useless mind games with me."

With that, she turned to leave. Yet, for some reason, a strange feeling crept into her chest, making her heart race.

…

Three days later, it was time for Charles' birthday banquent.

Alexander outdid himself with the preparations for it. Everything was tailored exactly to Charles' liking.

At the party, Louise went out of her way to cater to Charles' every need. She even cut his cake and poured his wine for him. The affection in her eyes was unmistakable.

The guests muttered among themselves.

"Alexander really went all out for Ms. Lawrence, but in the end, she only has Charles in her eyes."

"If I liked someone for so long and got no response, I would have given up ages ago. I wonder what he's holding out for."

In a nearby corner, Alexander stood and listened silently. His expression remained unreadable.

At that moment, Louise came over. "Good job with the planning. Is there anything you might want in return?"

Before he could respond, a piercing scream suddenly rang out through the hall.

"Ugh! It's so itchy!" Charles clawed at his neck frantically. His face turned deathly pale as he struggled to speak. "Louise… I… I… can't breathe…"

He staggered backward into the champagne tower.

Champagne splattered everywhere as glass shattered around him. The shards of glass grazed his arms and legs, leaving several cuts that bled profusely.

Louise's expression fell instantly. She rushed over to Charles' side, desperate to get him to the hospital as soon as possible.

Alexander followed close behind.

At the hospital, the doctor examining Charles had a grave expression. "Mr. Seaton has a blood clotting disorder. His wounds just won't stop bleeding. He's going to need a blood transfusion immediately."

Before Louise could say a word, Alexander had already rolled up his sleeve. "Take my blood."

Louise looked at him in shock. A whirlwind of emotions flashed across her eyes.

As his blood was being drawn, the color drained from Alexander's face. Suddenly, his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself tied up next to the swimming pool, with a heavy rock secured to his legs.

Louise stood in front of him with a cold stare. "Alexander, was my earlier punishment not harsh enough? It seems you have forgotten what I told you."

She continued, "I found out that Charles had an allergic reaction from eating a cake containing almonds, which, of course, led to his unfortunate fall. I'm sure I told you that he is allergic to almonds. And yet, you deliberately put them into his cake?"

Alexander's eyes widened in fear. "It wasn't me…"

She cut him off sharply, "You're still denying it? Sink him!"

The bodyguards pushed Alexander into the pool.

Alexander felt his entire body plunge into the water. He thrashed desperately, trying to keep his head above the water, but the heavy rock tied to his legs kept pulling him under.

Oxygen drained from his lungs, and it felt like they were about to explode.

"I didn't… I would never…"

His desperate cries were soon muffled by the water. Before long, all that remained on the surface was a faint trail of bubbles rising into the air.

Louise stood and watched as he slowly sank further and further into the pool. Eventually, she motioned to the bodyguards to bring him back up.

As the bodyguards hauled him out of the water, Alexander was coughing violently. His face was ashen as he tried to catch his breath. "Louise, I would never hurt him, I swear…"

"More lies!" She gestured to the bodyguard again. This time, he seized Alexander by the chin, gripping it with such force that it felt as though his bones might shatter. "The maid told me she saw you do it!"

Alexander's pupils narrowed. The maid had seen him?

Suddenly, it all clicked. With the little strength he had left, he turned his head toward the direction of the hospital room.

Charles was standing by the window. Their eyes met, and a barely noticeable sneer spread slowly across Charles' face.

"It was Charles… He did this on purpose…" said Alexander hoarsely.

"Shut up!" Once again, Louise shoved him back into the water. "Charles almost lost his life. How dare you try to pin this on him!"

This time, she deliberately left him in the water for much longer.

Alexander's struggles weakened until he could barely move. His life started flashing before his eyes.

He saw Isabelle at 15 years old, gently wiping ink off his face in the library.

At 18 years old, she was secretly slipping her hand into his at the graduation ceremony.

Then, at 20 years old, she was kneeling in the snow, cupping his hands and blowing warm air into them to keep him from getting cold.

"Pull him up!"

Louise's voice dragged him back into reality.

His body hung limp as the bodyguards pulled him out of the water. He was too weak to even cough.

"Learned your lesson yet?" Louise looked down at him. "Go apologize to Charles immediately."

Two bodyguards held him upright and forcefully dragged him toward the hospital room.

A trail of blood appeared as Alexander's legs scraped against the tiled floor. However, he was too weak to resist.

Inside the hospital room, Charles lay feebly against the head of the bed. When he saw them come in, his eyes started to redden. "Alexander… I know you have strong feelings for Louise, but that does not give you the right to hurt someone else…"

Alexander raised his head and stared at Charles' smug expression. A sudden wave of fatigue washed over him. He no longer had the strength or will to explain himself.

"I'm sorry…"

Those two words took every ounce of strength he had left.

Charles flashed a triumphant smile, though he quickly masked it with an exaggerated shake of his head. "Louise, it's okay. It was just a careless mistake…"

"No. He hurt you, so it's only right that he takes care of you until you've fully recovered," Louise insisted.