The Defense

Silence.

Heavy.

Sharp.

Daniel stared at me as if he no longer knew the woman standing in front of him.

And honestly?

Maybe he didn’t.

Because the girl who once begged for his attention no longer existed.

“You’ve changed,” he said finally, his voice colder now.

His jaw tightened.

Around us, whispers continued quietly, people pretending not to watch while clearly listening to every word.

Daniel stepped closer.

“Do you really think this marriage is real?” he asked quietly. “You’re just a replacement.”

The words hit harder than I expected.

Replacement.

Before I could respond-

“She’s my wife.”

Alexander’s calm voice cut through the tension instantly.

I looked up.

He had moved beside me without me even noticing.

One hand slipped into his pocket while the other rested lightly against my back.

Possessive.

Protective.

Dangerously convincing.

Daniel laughed bitterly. “You expect me to believe you actually care about her?”

Alexander’s expression didn’t change.

“What I feel,” he said coldly, “is none of your business.”

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

Even Daniel seemed caught off guard.

Because Alexander King was known for many things-

Power.

Control.

Ruthlessness.

But never Public affection.

Vanessa noticed it too.

And she looked furious.

“This is getting ridiculous,” she snapped, walking toward us. “Alexander, everyone here knows this marriage happened out of nowhere.”

“And?” be replied calmly.

“And she doesn’t belong here.”

Her eyes moved toward me with open dislike now.

I felt the insult instantly.

But before I could speak-

Alexander answered first.

“She belongs wherever I decide she belongs.”

The entire room fell silent again.

Even I stopped breathing for a second.

Vanessa stared at him in disbelief.

“You’re defending her?” She asked quietly.

His expression remained unreadable.

“I’m correcting you.”

Something in her face cracked slightly after hearing that.

Hurt.

Humiliation.

Anger.

And suddenly, I realized something important-

Vanessa had feelings for him.

Real feelings.

Which meant this situate was even messier than I thought.

Daniel scoffed. “Interesting. Since when do you start caring about other people problems?”

Alexander slowly turned toward him.

And for the first time that night-

I saw something dangerous in his eyes.

“Since someone forgot their place,” he replied.

The warning was clear.

Daniel heard it too.

For a moment, neither man spoke.

The pressure between them was almost unbearable.

Then Daniel let out a dry laugh.

“Fine,” he muttered. “Enjoy your little marriage while it lasts.”

He looked at me one last time.

But this time-

There was regret in his eyes.

Real regret.

Too late.

Without another word, he walked away.

Vanessa remained still for a second longer before leaning closer to me.

“You may have won tonight,” she whispered quietly, “but trust me… this won’t last.”

Then she walked away.

Leaving me alone with Alexander.

The noise of the party slowly returned around us, but my heart was still racing.

Alexander glanced down at me briefly.

“You handled yourself well,” he said.

I blinked in surprise.

Was that…. a compliment?

“Thank you,” I replied carefully.

A small silence passed between us.

Then his phone rang.

His expression changed.

Not dramatically.

Just enough for me to notice.

Without a word, he answered the call.

“Yes?”

Silence

Then suddenly-

His eyes darkened.

“When did these happen?” he asked sharply.

Something about his tone made my stomach tighten.

Whatever he was hearing-

It wasn’t good.

Alexander ended the call and looked at me immediately.

“We’re leaving.”

“What happened?” I asked.

He didn’t answer right away.

Which made my anxiety worse.

Then finally-

“My grandfather wants to meet you.”

My breath caught.

The most powerful ma in the King family…

Wanted to see me?

And judging by Alexander’s expression-

That was not a good thing.