Alexander Mikkelsen

Chapter 2: Alexander Mikkelsen

Eva Hart cried until she had nothing left. Her eyes were swollen, and her voice was hoarse.

The rain had stopped hours ago, but she still sat inside her car, parked in the corner of a twenty-four-hour supermarket lot.

She stared outside the supermarket and sighed at a little girl feeding her mom cotton candy.

The sight was unbearable. Her eyes burned. Her head ached. Although in front of Daniel and Evelyn she acted like she didn't care, she actually did. She was a very emotional person but used her sharp tongue to cover it. If that bastard knew her well, he should have known he had touched her sore spot.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Daniel and Evelyn standing together in her living room. Their smiles, lies, and betrayal.

Most of all, she heard Daniel's voice.

"Maybe because you are a fucking barren bitch."

The words replayed like a broken record. Eva tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

A sob escaped her throat.

For two years, she had loved that man. She supported him. When he lost jobs, she paid the bills. When he needed money, she gave it. When he promised things would get better, she believed him.

And in the end?

He replaced her with her best friend and called her a barren bitch. Turns out that's all she was to him.

A vibration from her phone interrupted her thoughts.

She glanced at the screen. Three missed calls, one voicemail, unknown number.

Normally she would ignore it, but tonight she had nothing else to do. With trembling fingers, she pressed play.

"Hello, Miss Hart. This is Dr. Collins from Westbridge Fertility Clinic."

Eva frowned. Why would a fertility clinic be calling her?

The doctor's voice continued. "We were reviewing older patient files and discovered some information that may be important to you. Please contact our office as soon as possible. We would like to discuss previous fertility assessments."

The message ended. Eva stared at the screen. Her heart skipped.

Previous fertility assessments? What information? She really hoped there was nothing wrong with her. She really wanted her own children.

She wanted to call back immediately, but exhausted, she tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. Not tonight. She couldn't handle any more bad news.

THE NEXT DAY

Across the city.

The top floor of Flash Technology was brightly lit. Alexander Mikkelsen sat behind his desk, staring at the digital clock mounted on the wall.

10:17 AM. His jaw tightened. Where was she?

Eva Hart had worked as his executive secretary for three years. Three years. In that time, she had never missed a deadline, never forgotten an appointment, never arrived late.

Yet today she hadn't appeared at work, and it was already past 10.

Without explanation. Alexander hated unexpected changes. That was what he told himself. The real reason bothered him far more.

He was worried.

The office door opened. His assistant stepped inside. "Sir, the investors have confirmed tomorrow's meeting." Alexander nodded absentmindedly.

"Any word from Miss Hart?"

The assistant blinked. "No, sir."

Alexander looked back at his laptop. "Keep trying."

"Yes, sir."

The assistant hesitated. "Sir?"

"What?"

"You seem... concerned."

Alexander slowly raised his eyes. The assistant immediately regretted speaking. The CEO's stare could freeze lava. "Get back to work."

"Right away, sir."

The assistant practically fled. The moment the door closed, Alexander exhaled.

Concerned?

Of course he was concerned. Eva wasn't just another employee. She was the woman who somehow managed to make his chaotic life organized. The woman who remembered every detail. The woman whose smile made even the worst days tolerable.

Unfortunately, she had no idea.

And Alexander intended to keep it that way. At least for now.

His phone buzzed.

Alexander immediately picked it up. His expression softened slightly.

Eva with a heart emoji — that's how her number was saved in his phone. Who knew the devil of the boardroom was so hopelessly in love with his employee in private?

Finally.

He answered on the first ring. "Miss Hart."

Silence.

Then a quiet voice. "Sorry, Mr. Mikkelsen."

Alexander frowned. Something was wrong. Her voice sounded weak, broken. Nothing like the confident woman who usually argued with him over scheduling conflicts.

"Are you sick?"

"No."

A lie. Alexander recognized it instantly.

"Then why are you not at work?"

A pause followed. Several seconds.

"Personal reasons."

Alexander leaned back. "What happened?"

"I can handle it."

Another lie.

His jaw tightened. For reasons he couldn't explain, hearing the sadness in her voice irritated him. Not because of her. Because someone had caused it.

"Take today off."

"What?"

"That's not a suggestion."

"Mr. Mikkelsen—"

"Take today off."

Silence. Then a reluctant sigh. "Thank you."

The call ended.

Alexander stared at the phone. His instincts told him that something serious had happened. And Alexander trusted his instincts.

Always.

He pressed another number. The call connected instantly.

"Find out what happened to Eva Hart."

The person on the other end laughed nervously. "Sir, that's not exactly legal—"

"I don't care."

The laughter stopped. "Understood."

Alexander ended the call. For the first time that morning, he felt slightly better. By afternoon, he would have answers.

---

Eva sat inside the fertility clinic waiting room.

She hadn't slept. Not even for a second. She had a lot on her mind. The doctor's words continued to echo in her mind.

Important information.

Important information.

Important information. Her mind felt really hazy, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep, but she just couldn't.

The receptionist called her name. Eva followed her into an office. Dr. Collins greeted her warmly.

"Thank you for coming."

Eva sat down. "What was so important?" This was Eva. She could appear weak in private but never show she had something on her mind in public.

The doctor opened a file. "Miss Hart, during your previous consultations, all your reproductive health results came back normal."

Eva nodded. "I know about that."

The doctor hesitated. "However, we noticed something unusual."

Eva's heart throbbed. "What?"

"According to your records, your partner at the time declined several requests for fertility testing. When he eventually came back for a test in private, he had a low sperm count and directly warned us not to let you know. Miss Eva, considering you have begun taking a lot of fertility drugs and hormone boosters which could affect your reproductive tract system, we decided this couldn't be held as confidential anymore."

Eva froze. Daniel. That fucking scumbag.

The doctor continued carefully. "Based on the information available, there was never evidence suggesting fertility difficulties on your side."

The room spun.

Eva stared at the woman. "You mean..." Eva couldn't really understand this. Did Daniel take her for a fool who he could ride on? For two fucking years, she trusted that bastard.

The doctor nodded. "If conception difficulties had actually existed, further testing should have been conducted on your partner."

Tears filled Eva's eyes.

Not because she was sad, but because she was angry. For years, Daniel had blamed her. For years, he and his stupid mom made comments. For years, he let her believe she wasn't enough.

And all along—

There was nothing wrong with her.

Then she suddenly thought of Evelyn. If Daniel couldn't get a woman pregnant, whose child was she carrying? Eva laughed. This was getting really interesting.

"Thanks, doc."

"Okay, Miss Eva. Make sure you take care of yourself and stay away from scumbags."

---

That evening.

Alexander received an encrypted message. His investigator had finally responded. Alexander opened the file. His expression darkened. Photo after photo appeared.

Eva standing outside the house in the pouring rain, a suitcase beside her.

Tears on her face.

His hands clenched.

The next photo showed a man. Daniel Brooks — the supposed fiancé, he guessed. Then another woman standing beside him. Evelyn Chico.

Alexander felt his blood boil. The investigator sent another message. "Subject was removed from residence following relationship dispute."

Alexander's eyes hardened. Then another notification appeared. A final message. The investigator rarely emphasized information. This time he did.

Sir, there is something else.

Alexander opened the attachment. His eyes narrowed. The investigator had uncovered confidential medical information linked to Daniel.

Alexander read the report once. Then twice. Then a third time. Silence filled the office. Slowly, Alexander rose from his chair. The report slipped from his fingers onto the desk. Because the final sentence changed everything.

Medical assessment indicates Daniel Brooks has a documented history of significantly low sperm count.

Alexander's expression turned dangerous.

For years, that man had blamed Eva. Humiliated her. Destroyed her confidence. Knowing the truth, he let Eva suffer for nothing.

Alexander looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. The city lights beneath him, he wouldn't lie — he felt disgusted seeing the hickey marks left by that fool on Eva's neck. He just wanted to rub them off.

For the first time in a very long time, he wasn't thinking about business. He wasn't thinking about profits, or investors, or contracts.

He was thinking about revenge for the woman he loves.