Chapter 157

[Third-Person’s POV]

Alexander sat behind his desk utterly steamed.

He’d been on edge all morning and for various reasons. Not only was today the day that Samantha was expected to show up, but it was also the day in which Evelyn was due to get her stitches removed.

It wasn’t as though he was nervous about Samantha and Liam making an appearance—this wasn’t exactly his first time crafting a plan of deception.

If anything, he was more concerned about the idea of losing his resolve the second he laid eyes on Samantha. Just knowing that she had a part in his wife’s torture was enough to set him off and want to strangle her. When the acceptance of his invitation to speak to her came in, Alexander felt a wave of disgust.

Evelyn had been right. Samantha wasn’t smart enough to figure out what she was about to walk into.

She may not be the most intelligent, but she certainly had a great deal of gall.

Alexander figured Samantha must have inherited some of her mother’s sociopathic tendencies. What kind of a person openly accepts an invitation from the man who’s married to their sister—the very same sister who had been brutally tortured?

The answer was simple. Either someone who was seriously stupid or someone who held no real regard for life or others around them. Perhaps both.

It seemed pointless to compare Samantha to Michael since they had their various differences. However, there was one main quality that the two of them possessed indefinitely. Self-entitlement.

Both Michael and Samantha were people who generally believed that they deserved the best that life had to offer without ever giving something in return. It was a quality that had proven to be Michael’s greatest downfall. And soon, Samantha was going to follow right in his footsteps.

Alexander was not worried when it came to that...On the contrary, what’s kept him on edge those past several days was Evelyn.

Ian was right, as usual. Evelyn’s physical condition was well underway of healing; but, what was to be said about her mentality? Both her wrist and fingers had completely healed; even the swelling around her rib cage had gone down increasingly well.

Yet she was persistent in keeping her distance from him and everyone else. The two of them hadn’t been spending nearly the same amount of time together as they had since before the terrible attack. Evelyn wouldn't take any of her meals in the dining room and would only come out of her room to check on the greenhouse.

It left Alexander feeling horribly alone. It felt like a part of himself had been stolen and was desperate to get it back. But the last thing he would do is force Evelyn’s hand. If she needed her space, he would give it to her.

But that wasn’t to say that the Alpha was utterly depressed by the feeling of her absence. The day had finally come when it was time for her sutures to be removed. Alexander had a lot of hope that once Ian was able to finish up her health evaluations things would gradually go back to how they were before.

Of course, all of that so-called hope flew right out the window the second he heard Evelyn give out the murderous, shrilling yell. He’d never run so fast in his life. And to find out that Evelyn flat-out refused to see him.

He didn’t know what to think. But the real kick to the gut came when she had insisted on him fetching Oliver. What could she possibly want from him that he wasn’t able to provide for her?

Jealousy and anger coursed through him indefinitely. When he found the Beta perched over one of the files they’d been working on, Alexander snapped at him with a snarl.

“Evelyn wants to see you.”

Oliver gave a questionable look before heading off. Much like the last time she had sent him away, the Alpha proceeded to pace the walls of his office. Alexander had never been one for a day drinking, but given that his nerves were getting the better of him, he made off toward the kitchens.

He’d downed the small glass of bourbon and was shortly notified of Samantha’s arrival.

He groaned. “Fine. Have them wait in the drawing room, I’ll be right there.”

Alexander made his way back to his office where he was met with a startled-looking Oliver. A large part of him was still irritated about what happened with Evelyn and he was feeling a tad bit spiteful toward the man.

“Care to tell me what the fuck that was about?” he asked.

Oliver struggled to find the right words, which was something that was nearly unheard of.

“Sir...”

Every time he’d open his mouth as if to speak, he would end up closing it a second later. Alexander’s patience was wearing thin as it was.

“Well?” he pressed.

Fortunately for Oliver, a sudden knock on the door broke the rising tension in the room. One of the staff had called from the other side, telling them that Samantha was getting rather antsy having to wait.

“I’ll go and tell them that you’ll be with them momentarily,” Oliver offered.

And just like that, the Beta had left the room.

Alexander fought back a sneer as he tried to collect his thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to let his emotions get in the way.

He turned on his heel toward his desk in search of his mask. Right as he pulled open the main drawer, he was surprised to find it gone. What the hell?

Surely, this was where he’d last placed it...

He narrowed his eyes in confusion, knowing that no one would willingly move it around on him. No matter, Alexander knew he had a spare mask in his bedroom. However, just as he was about to reach for the door handle, he stopped.

What if he didn’t go out to the drawing room in his expected facade? What if he didn’t go out in the wheelchair and in the mask that he’d been hiding in for months? Would it matter?

If anything, it may very well sell the story he was trying to pitch to Samantha even more.

Let her see exactly who the fuck she’s messing with.

He’d forgone the look that the world was used to seeing of him. Instead, Alexander was ready and willing to show his true side, especially if it meant getting the information that they needed.

The Alpha approached the drawing room with a firm, unbreakable confidence.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” he said stiffly.

Alexander hardly needed to turn his head to know that the couple was gaping at his miraculous appearance. Samantha, more than anyone, was stunned beyond words. Her eyes were wide and her mouth had hung open.

“W-Wait...What is going on?” she stammered. Her eyes lit up with wonder

Liam was far less impressed by this revelation that he sat back in his chair and gave Alexander a scrutinizing stare.

“You mean to tell me that you being bound to that wheelchair and mask was nothing more than an act?”

Alexander dragged his eyes over the other man and smirked.

“As you can see, my injuries from that car accident were vastly overstated,” he slithered. “However, it’s important to note that my wife’s injuries from her recent attack are not.”

Liam furrowed his brows. “What attack? Wait, what happened to Evelyn?”

Alexander raised a singular brow at the man’s confusion. Interesting. Was it possible that he had no idea what kind of business Samantha had been a part of? Speaking of, he turned to glare at the woman who had turned stiff as stone.

“Why don’t you tell him about what happened, Samantha?” he prompted. “Better yet, why don’t you tell me where Isabella and Fiona are right now?”