Chapter 88

[Evelyn’s POV]

Needless to say, I was not prepared for the look on Alexander’s face when I finally turned my head to glance at him. The guy was utterly elated. He looked like every young child on Christmas morning. Wonder-struck and completely captivated.

“Are you saying that you’re willing to give our relationship another chance?” he asked with a bit of caution.

I took in a deep breath and leaned my head back to alleviate some of the tension in my shoulders.

“Here’s the thing, Alexander...I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Hell, all I’ve been doing is thinking for what feels like the last several days with not a single break!” I huffed.

I pressed both my hands into the side of my head to ease the ache that wouldn’t go away. My eyes scrunched close for the moment when I ended up hearing Alexander request two pain reliever tablets and a cup of tea for me from one of the staff.

Leaning forward, I slowly opened up my eyes but kept my gaze down.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” I started. “Our relationship wasn’t that great to begin with. We were barely involved in each other’s lives. Yes, we’d occasionally see each other during meals. But that was it.”

I hated to see most of the light leave Alexander’s eyes after that. It wasn't as though I was trying to intentionally hurt him. I needed him to seriously be aware that our ‘relationship’ wasn’t anything to be proud of.

In truth, it was exhausting. It felt like our struggles were never-ending while the victories we’d share were just far too few in between.

“At the beginning of it all, it made sense that neither of us felt comfortable around the other. We didn’t know each other well enough to be any different. But it’s been several months now and I’d like to think that perhaps we got to know a decent amount about one another to some degree. Maybe?”

Alexander casually nodded his head in agreement while a sullen feeling sank into my chest.

“Actually, now that I’m saying it all out loud, I’ve just realized that I don’t necessarily know much about you.”

Alexander shot me a skeptical look that dared to defy my statement.

“That’s not true,” he said.

“It is. How is it that you know my personal interests and hobbies when I know literally nothing about yours? You know the foods I like and my personal opinions when it comes to social gatherings. You know the baggage I carry with most of my family, whereas I know very little when it comes to yours. Why is that?”

He slumped his shoulders back. “I’ve always been a private person. Even when I was younger, I never had an easy time opening up to strangers.”

“That’s just it,” I remarked. “I’m not a stranger, I’m your wife!”

“Yes, you are,” he said as though he was confessing it.

“Then why is it that I’ve never been treated to feel like it?”

A dreadful bout of silence fell between us. I hadn’t expected Alexander to answer that question considering it was asked in a rhetorical manner.

I lifted my hand to punch the bridge of my nose.

“I’ve always managed to find a solution when a problem comes about but...I honestly have no idea how to handle this. For me to tell you what I want—the last thing I want is for you to force some kind of change that isn’t natural.”

The last thing I wanted was something fake and forced. If that was what he was proposing, then I had no interest in continuing this conversation.

Alexander must have picked up on my hesitation. He let himself lean forward over the table and reached out to rest his hand on my forearm.

“I’ve been holding back a lot when it comes to you,” he said quietly.

“Why?”

“My reputation of being this ruthless, stone-cold Warlord came with a price that earned me strength, success, and wealth, sure. But it also came at a fatal price. It’s true, I keep everyone I care about at a distance for fear that one day I could end up losing them. I have countless enemies, Evelyn. The kind that has no conscience when it comes to hurting others if it means getting to me,” he explained.

“Enemies like Michael?”

He nodded his head. “There are many people in my family that I refuse to trust. You see, unlike your relationship with your family, I was always given an abundance of attention. More than I ever wanted or needed which left Michael feeling sorely undervalued and unappreciated.”

He weaved his fingers in between my own. Surprisingly, I was glad to feel the warmth of his touch and chose to embrace it. I wasn’t about to tell him that Wendy had already filled me in on most of the background between him and Michael. It was nice hearing about it from his perspective.

“I tried for years to mend the bridge between him and I, but it never seemed to work out.”

“You truly believe that he’s the one responsible for the car accident.” Once more he nodded. “I’m sorry, Alexander. I found it hard to believe because while Samantha and I may never have gotten along, we would never resort to something so extreme as an attempt at murder.”

“I’m already in the process of gathering evidence as we speak,” he told me with a small smile. “Evelyn, I’ve come to care for you very deeply. What I’m about to ask you...I need you to seriously consider all of it before giving me an answer.”

I raised my brows. “Alright?”

“Would you be interested in helping me uncover the truth behind what happened?”

My eyes widened. Was he being serious? He really wanted me to help him on something as personal and important as this??

“Yes.”

The corners of Alexander's eyes and lips creased with amusement. “I told you to give it some serious thought,” he chuckled.

I didn’t bother trying to hold back my own small smile. “And I’m telling you, yes. This is what I’ve been talking about—not ever feeling like I’m included in your life. This is insanely important, Alexander! Yes, I want to be involved in this.”

My heart lurched into my throat when he curled his hand around my own and brought it to his lips. All the air seized in my lungs as his eyes grew hooded with a look I’d only seen once or twice. Deep, heated satisfaction.

“Then I will do my utmost best to keep you within the circle of what is going on at all times,” he said as a promise.

“No more keeping me in the dark,” I pressed.

“I promise that I will not keep you at a distance any longer.” The corner of his mouth pulled into a smirk. “Since we are building the new terms and conditions of our relationship, may I make my own request?”

I bit the corner of my lip nervously and prompted him to speak. Oh God. What exactly did Alexander want to add to this apparent foundation of our so-called ‘new relationship’?

“I want you to move back into the main bedroom with me.”

My head tilted, feeling suddenly sheepish. “Are we really going to go back to sleeping in separate beds in the same room?”

His grin turned devious, sending shocks of goosebumps down my back.

“Not a chance, sweetheart,” he hummed. “I’ll be having a larger bed delivered within the next day.”

My jaw dropped. “Wait, what?”