Chapter 109

Ella POV

“What happened? Why did I hear a scream?” Diana asked as she knocked on the door.

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. My heart pounded harder, and for a moment, I was completely frozen.

Alexander, however, didn’t seem fazed. Straightening up, he turned toward the door, his voice calm but firm. “It’s fine, Diana. Ella had a small accident. I’m handling it.”

“An accident?” Diana’s tone was sharp and suspicious. “Do you need me to come in?”

“No!” I blurted out, finally finding my voice. “It’s fine, really! Just... a shaving razor fell on my foot. Alexander’s helping me patch it up.”

There was a pause on the other side of the door, and I could practically hear her weighing the situation.

“Alright,” Diana said at last, though her voice held a note of skepticism. “But if you need anything, I’m right here.”

“We’re fine,” Alexander said curtly, his tone allowing for no further argument.

We listened as her footsteps retreated from the room.

When he turned back to me, Alexander’s expression was somewhere between amused and exasperated. “Well,” he said dryly, “that could have gone worse.”

I let out a nervous laugh, shaking my head. “She probably thinks we’re hiding some kind of scandalous secret.”

“Let her think what she wants,” he said with a shrug, his smirk making my heart skip a beat. “The important thing is you’re not bleeding all over the place anymore.”

His light tone eased some of my tension, but I still had an odd feeling about the interaction.

Alexander pulled the gauze away from my wound and inspected it closely. "It’s not that bad," he said, relief evident in his voice. "I’ll bandage it up, and it should be fine."

"Thank you," I replied, relieved I hadn’t managed to seriously injure myself. "Once it’s bandaged, I’ll clean the blood up and—"

"Don’t worry about that," Alexander interrupted as he rummaged through the first aid kit, selecting a bandage.

"I’m not going to ask someone else to clean up the mess I made," I argued, but before I could say more, Alexander handed me the bandage and turned toward the cupboard.

Pulling down a towel, he knelt back down and began wiping up the blood. I stared at him in surprise, struck by the sight of him doing something so... mundane. Once he’d soaked up most of the mess, he stood, rinsed the towel in the sink, and glanced at me.

"Hurry up and get that bandage on," he said with a pointed look.

"Of course," I muttered, pulling my gaze away from him and focusing on my foot.

As I carefully wrapped the bandage, my thoughts drifted. Alexander continuously surprised me. Nothing about his behavior today—his interactions with his family, his willingness to help—was what I’d expected.

I would’ve thought he’d call for a staff member to clean the floor, yet here he was, doing it himself without hesitation. It might have only taken a few minutes, but still, it said something about him.

And then there was the way he handled Diana. His firm insistence that she not enter had been a relief considering my embarrassing state, but it also caught me off guard. She was his mother, and yet he had been so unwavering, just as he’d been during dinner when she started asking intrusive questions.

"You’re deep in thought," Alexander said, drawing me out of my reverie. His tone was curious, not accusing. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," I replied quickly, brushing the thoughts away.

"That’s not true," he countered, his gaze sharp and searching. "Something’s been off with you all day. I just haven’t been able to figure out what it is."

“It’s just... it’s been interesting seeing the family dynamic here, that’s all,” I said hesitantly, carefully choosing my words.

Alexander sighed and leaned back against the sink, crossing his arms. “I see,” he said softly. “Of course, you noticed. You’re very observant.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied, but the knowing look he gave me made it clear he saw through my denial.

“Go ahead and ask your questions,” he said, his tone calm. “There’s no reason to be hesitant with me. You want to know about my relationship with my mother.”

I hesitated, unsure if I should press further. But he’d opened the door, and my curiosity had already taken hold. “I just… it seems like there’s a lot of tension between you two. And then, when Michael got back, she was like a completely different person.”

A bitter smile curved Alexander’s lips. “Yeah, that’s how she is,” he said with a shrug. “For as long as I can remember, she’s preferred Michael. She’s always been a little hypercritical of me, but it got worse after my father died.”

His gaze shifted to the side, his eyes darkening as that stormy expression overtook his face again. Whatever he was thinking about, it clearly wasn’t pleasant.

I didn’t want to pry—it wasn’t my place to dig into his painful memories, especially not now. “We don’t have to talk about this,” I said, standing and testing the weight on my injured foot. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

“I know we don’t have to,” Alexander replied, his voice steady. “But you’re curious, and it doesn’t make any sense to pretend that everything is normal.”

“I don’t think it’s abnormal to have tension with your parents,” I offered. “A lot of people have complicated relationships with their families.”

Alexander’s gaze softened slightly. “Look, it’s just awkward with her sometimes. I’ve come to terms with the fact that she favors Michael. It doesn’t bother me anymore—not really. And most of the time, things between us are fine.” He straightened, the tension easing from his posture. “It’s certainly nothing you need to tiptoe around.”

“It’s late,” I said softly, breaking the tension. “We can talk more another time. I’ll get dressed in the bedroom so you can take your shower.”

Alexander nodded, his expression unreadable. “Sure. We do need our rest—we’ve got some very busy days ahead of us.”

I offered a small smile in agreement before quickly leaving the bathroom.

The clothes Alexander had picked out for me were neatly folded on the side table. I dressed swiftly, the soft fabric feeling far more comfortable than the formal dress I’d worn earlier. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I let my thoughts wander again.

There was definitely more going on with Alexander and his family than I’d expected. He seemed willing to open up about it, but I still hesitated. My own relationship with my family was strong, filled with warmth and love. Arguments happened, of course—that was normal—but the tension I sensed between Alexander and his mother felt entirely different.

The way Diana looked at him didn’t sit right with me. Her demeanor shifted entirely when Michael was around, and while Michael seemed sweet and easygoing, the dynamic made me uneasy.

Perhaps it was my protectiveness over Alexander clouding my judgment. After all, I’d only just met Diana, and it wasn’t as if I could read her expressions perfectly.

Lost in thought, I didn’t notice how much time had passed until the bathroom door opened, releasing a wave of warm, humid air.

Alexander stepped out, a towel slung low around his waist, water beading on his chest as he moved across the room to the dresser. He pulled out a fresh set of clothes, his movements unhurried and confident.

I realized I was staring and turned away abruptly, my cheeks burning. My heart pounded, and I cursed myself for agreeing to share a bed with him. How was I supposed to manage this? Being so close to him, especially like this, felt like an insurmountable challenge.

I drew in a steadying breath, determined to compose myself, though my pulse refused to calm. This was going to be a long night.