~AlexaGia’s eyes burned with fury. For a moment, I thought she might actually pounce on me. Her expression said it all—she never saw that slap coming.She raised her head slowly, biting her cheek in disbelief. “Did you just slap me?”I folded my arms and smirked. “Yes, Gia. And I’ll do it again if you keep acting foolish.”She charged at me, but Justin quickly stepped between us, holding her back.“That’s not necessary, Gia,” he said, trying to sound calm. “Let me speak to her.”Then he turned to me, wearing that fake look he always wore when he wanted to pretend like we were still okay. His eyes narrowed on me, like I had betrayed him instead of the other way around.“You don’t have to lie about all this, Alexa,” he said. “You don’t have to play that fake video and insist I killed your child. You know it’s not true. That child was mine too. Do you really think a father would kill his own baby?”His words made my skin crawl. I stepped forward and shoved him backward.“Who do you thin
There was a sudden silence in the hall. It felt like Gia had forgotten how to speak. The way she looked at me, as if I were someone she’d never seen before, only made me smile.I turned to Justin. His lips were parted, but no words came out. He just stared at Gia, and they exchanged a long, stunned glance.I snapped my fingers in front of them, yanking their attention back to me.“Why do you both look so surprised to see me? Have you suddenly lost your voices?”Gia quickly pulled herself together, replacing her shocked expression with a proud, cold glare.“And why should we be surprised to see you, Alexa? You’re nothing but a nobody,” she hissed. “What are you even doing here? Who allowed you to step on this red carpet?”I said nothing, my hand still holding tightly onto Lucas's.Gia turned sharply to Justin, voice rising. “What is she doing here, Justin? Who let her in? She’s not on our guest list. Get her out of here now!”I gently brushed my hair back, flashing them both a calm, mo
{Lucas's Point of View}The past three days haven’t been easy for Alexa. She’s been indoors, barely stepping out. Whatever she needs is brought to her. The Duke is out of town, meeting up with some Chinese clients, and once again, he has entrusted Alexa to me.It’s still hard to remember what happiness feels like. For the past fifteen years, I’ve barely smiled. I only talk business. Relationships? I’ve never had one. When I feel low, I sleep with a woman and pay her enough to vanish completely from Sarto. I don’t like thinking about that part of my life—it slows down my productivity and stirs up things I’d rather leave buried.I pushed those thoughts aside and reached for the stack of files on my desk when something caught my eye—Alexa’s childhood photo in a frame beside my laptop. I picked it up slowly, staring at it.I placed this photo here the day I became CEO of Fernando Group of Companies. That same day, I promised myself I wouldn’t stop searching until I found her. Because I lo
“Influential business mogul and CEO of Milton Empire, Justin Milton, announced the launch of his new company. This was shortly after a brief meeting at the—”I didn’t even wait to finish the headline before my fingers curled into tight fists. My whole body tensed. Appetite? Gone.Lucas had barely shown me the screen, but that one glimpse was enough.Mom threw me a strange look from across the table, her brow creased with suspicion. She could probably sense my sudden shift.“Are you okay, Alexa?” she asked.I forced a dry, fake smile. “Yes, Ma. I’m fine. Thanks.”She returned the smile and went back to eating, but I just sat there, stiff and boiling. Rage surged inside me, trembling beneath my skin like an untamed storm.Dad finished his meal in a rush, wiping his hands before grabbing his phone.“I’ll be heading to the office. I have a conference with some foreign investors.”Mom stood up to hug him, and he reached out to rub my head gently.“I’m leaving now, Alexa. Please don’t hesit
Lucas flashed me a cold glare, as though I’d just asked him a life-or-death question. The way he stared—so still, so unreadable—I could only guess the fourth obligation wasn’t something small or ordinary. Sitting up a little straighter, I locked eyes with him, searching for something—anything. “Why are you quiet, Lucas?” I asked. “You said you had four obligations to me. Why haven’t you told me the last one? Are you scared or something?” His hands remained tucked inside his pockets as he stepped closer. His voice dropped—low and menacing. “The fourth obligation… is something you’re not meant to hear yet. When the time is right, I’ll tell you what it is.” I parted my lips to push further, but he cut me off. “It’s barely morning, Alexa. You should get more sleep. The Duke won’t be happy if he finds out you didn’t rest well.” Without waiting for my response, he adjusted the duvet and gently helped me lie back down. “Good night, Alexa,” he said softly, his eyes locked ont
~AlexaImmediately after Dad said this, Mom got up on her feet, her face contorted with fright. She marched over to Father, her voice rising.“You can't accept this, My Lord! You can't allow our daughter to live the life of a poor woman after so many years she's been separated from us! She deserves a rich and influential life. A life she has never experienced before. That is what she deserves, not this!”Dad turned to her, giving her an understanding look.“I get where you're coming from, Cecile. But this is what Alexa wants. This is our daughter's choice, and we have no right to stop her.”I nodded, supporting his words.“You don’t have to worry about where I’ll be, Mom. I’ll be living right here with you. It’s just that no one will know I’m your daughter. No one will know I’m related to either of you.”It took Mom a few moments to process my words. But eventually, she understood. She stepped forward and gently brushed my hair away from my face.“You have to be careful, Alexa,” she s