Chapter 78

[Evelyn’s POV]

I felt like I was sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for Wendy to continue. This. This was the main reason why I had come to speak with her.

Out of everyone in the house, she was the one who was supposed to know Alexander the best. Well, there was also Oliver...However, I highly doubted that he would ever disclose anything regarding Alexander’s inner thoughts and feelings.

I sort of already accepted the notion that he and I would never be close. It wasn’t something I would ever lose sleep over. The guy was more than willing to aim a gun at me more than once.

So, no. Oliver was definitely not a possible option for me to consider.

“Well, what?” I pressed.

I hated how eager I sounded. I just couldn’t stand the desperate feeling that was coursing through me any longer.

“Him wanting to keep you away from Michael could be for a number of reasons,” Wendy said. “He wants to keep you safe because he believes Michael to be rather unpredictable.”

I felt myself deflate in my seat.

Alexander’s words came rushing to the forefront of my mind.

“Because I have reason to believe that he’s the one responsible for that fucking car accident all those months ago!”

It was still a huge claim to make. But having heard the important details regarding Alexander and Michael’s backgrounds, it pained me greatly to feel as though Alexander could be onto something. Now that I knew somewhat about the bad blood that had been between them, Michael would certainly have the motive.

It sent a cold, unsettling shiver down my spine. If that car accident had been planned, that would mean that Alexander wasn’t meant to survive it in the first place.

It meant that someone was trying to kill him. And that someone could very likely be Michael.

If Alexander was no longer in the picture, that would give Michael the opportunity to step in as Alpha. But my God. It was a horrifying revelation.

How could Michael want to kill his own Stepbrother?

Okay, I was always willing to admit that Samantha and I have our issues. We would fight and argue like normal sisters would. But I could never imagine her wanting to end my life over something like a title. It was all utterly insane.

I recalled that crazed look in Alexander’s eyes. Another wave of bitterness came rushing in. Why couldn’t he have just explained himself? Why couldn’t he tell me his side of things and give me a better understanding?

“Wait. You mentioned that there were a number of reasons why Alexander would want to keep me away from Micahel. Apart from wanting to keep me safe, what were the other ones?” I asked.

Wendy leaned forward to refill her teacup.

“Well, the only other option that truly sticks out in my mind is the possibility of Alexander simply being jealous.”

Thankfully, I hadn’t taken another sip of my tea for fear that I would have spit it halfway across the room.

Jealous?!

No. The mere thought was enough to make me cackle. It was utterly ridiculous. It was already too much for me to hold back the snort that threatened to escape my throat. There was simply no way that Alexander was jealous of Micahel when it involved me.

I was never the type of girl that men got jealous over. Isabella and Samantha had never failed to remind me of that. But even Alexander in his current state was still a great catch to any woman who would look past the physicality.

And, maybe, if got rid of that pointless mask, then everyone could see that he was still the handsome man he’d always been.

“I...There’s no way,” I stammered horribly. “Why on earth would Alexander be jealous of Michael?”

“Alexander has become severely self-conscious since the accident,” she told me. “Living in that wheelchair feels like a major flaw that he cannot recover from or overcome. Maybe he fears that you’ve settled for him and that you’re starting to find that you could do better.”

Okay, this was getting out of hand. I held up my hand to stop her from going on any further.

“Wendy, please. I’m sorry, but what you’re saying cannot be true. I have never looked at Alexander as anything less than a man. Wheelchair or not. For you to say that he thinks that I settled for him is actually laughable, considering that I’m fairly certain he’s the one who settled for me.”

Wendy’s features pinched with confusion.

“I know that he was once in a serious relationship with Rena. The woman has always been gorgeous and accomplished.” I tried to fight back the tears in my eyes. “For Christ’s sake, Alexander had to teach me goddamn etiquette skills because my own education lacked so much.”

Wendy’s look of concern was enough to make my nerves fold in on themselves.

“Evelyn—”

“I need to go,” I told her. “I need to clear my head and think about everything we talked about.”

“Of course, dear. You go and do what you must. I’m glad you came and spoke with me.”

I carefully placed the teacup down on the table and braced myself to stand up. Once I felt steady enough, I began making my way toward the door.

“Thank you for the tea. If anyone asks, I’ll be heading to the market.”

“Alright, no worries. Now that I think of it, I believe I have my own errand I need to run,” Wendy said pointedly.

[Third-Person’s POV]

Everyone knew that Wendy Kingston was a force to be reckoned with.

It wasn’t often that she ventured toward the main section of the house. Aside from occasionally taking her meals with everyone, she made it a point to stick to her part of the house, not wanting to unintentionally get in the way of Alexander’s business and planning.

When Alexander had first been given the title of Alpha in the family, Wendy made it a point to take her grandson under her wing and instruct him through the most important lessons. Her tutelage helped him grow into a fierce and powerful Alpha.

However, there was one thing that Wendy did not teach Alexander...And that was how to make a woman feel less of herself, knowingly or otherwise.

She had a faint idea as to the troubles the young couple was going through. The marriage, never being orthodox, to begin with, made building a stable foundation for their relationship overly difficult.

But what Wendy had noticed was that Alexander and Evelyn were making progress in their own time. She believed that they’d work through any problems regardless of the obstacles.

Unfortunately, the hardest obstacle one can face could, very well, be themselves.

With a harsh, determined look on her face, Wendy weaved her way down the halls and made it to Alexander’s office. She didn’t bother knocking, having very little interest in whether or not she could be interrupting some kind of meeting.

Certain things held a bit more importance at the moment.

She threw open the door and walked in. Her eyes immediately fell toward a puzzled-looking Alexander.

“Grandmother? Is there something—”

“Yes, there is.” She turned toward the Beta who wore a similar look as her grandson. “Oliver, you’re presently needed elsewhere. Get out.”

Without a word, Oliver left the room. Wendy looked down at Alexander and kept her tone as even as possible.

“You and I are in for an overdue chat,” she told him firmly.