Chapter 153

Ella POV

Alexander and Derrick Lake stared at each other as our waiter returned to the table, bringing our desserts. That’s when Lily Lake spoke, breaking the tension.

"Excuse me," she said, addressing the waiter. "If you don't mind, could you bring a bottle of nice dessert champagne?"

"Ma’am?" the waiter asked curiously.

"A gift to the table," she said. "You can put it on our tab, and please open it when you get here. I want to make sure it's fresh."

She wanted to ensure we knew it wasn’t poisoned, I realized, but I said nothing, only smiling at her.

"Yes, ma’am," the waiter said. He set the dessert trays in front of Alexander and me, then hurried away to get the champagne.

"Take it as a token of our sincere apologies," Lily said, turning to Alexander but avoiding his eyes.

I suddenly remembered the last time I’d seen Lily in this very restaurant. Alexander had said something to her, and she’d quickly left, almost frightened. I had no idea what had transpired between them that night, but it seemed Lily hadn’t forgotten.

She linked her arm with Alpha Derrick’s and tugged lightly at him. "Come on, darling," she said. "We’ve interrupted their night long enough."

"Right," Derrick agreed, turning to incline his head toward Alexander. "Thank you for hearing us out."

"Thank you for acknowledging the disrespect your son has shown," Alexander replied evenly. "I imagine it’s not easy when a family member behaves shamefully."

Alpha Derrick’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t say another word as Lily quickly pulled him away, leading him back toward their table.

Alexander watched them go, his gaze unwavering until they were out of sight. Then he turned to me and smiled. "That was something."

"Certainly was," I said, shaking my head slightly. "I’m not quite sure what to make of that."

"Best to put it from your mind," he said. "It’s not worth dwelling on, and I don’t want to let it ruin our perfect evening."

"Perfect?" I asked curiously.

"Nearly," he said. "Good food, good wine, an enjoyable afternoon at the track, and perfect company."

I felt my face heat slightly at his comment.

When the waiter brought out the champagne and popped the cork, we thanked him. After he walked away, I glanced at the champagne flutes warily.

"Are we really going to drink this?" I asked.

"Should we let it go to waste?" Alexander responded. "They wouldn’t have tampered with it. They wouldn’t risk it after so many people saw them speaking to us. I think it truly is a peace offering."

"We’ve already finished one bottle of wine," I pointed out. "I’m already feeling a bit tipsy."

"Are you afraid of getting drunk with me?" Alexander asked, raising both eyebrows.

I scoffed. "As if I have anything to be afraid of."

Alexander picked up his glass and held it out to me. "Well then," he said.

I clicked my glass against his and took a sip. It was a deliciously sweet champagne that paired perfectly with our strawberry desserts.

I hated to admit it, but it was a nice way to finish off our evening. Even the tension with the Lakes wasn’t enough to sour my mood. Hearing Derrick acknowledge the insults his family had thrown at me was gratifying, even if he was only doing it to protect himself.

I was already feeling drunk, but the champagne was so delightful that I didn’t mind indulging a bit more than I probably should have. It wasn’t as if I had to drive, and Alexander was drinking just as much. Of course, it didn’t seem to affect him nearly as much as it did me.

We finished our dessert and drinks, and though it wasn’t too late, the winter sun had already set by the time we left the restaurant. As we stepped onto the sidewalk, my footing slipped, and I tumbled lightly against Alexander’s side.

He laughed, wrapping his arm around me. "You don’t have to pretend to be clumsy," he said. "You can just ask for a hug."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes but didn’t move away from his side.

The night was chilly, and the warmth of having him so close was welcome. Maybe it was the fog of the liquor dulling my thoughts, but I didn’t even feel particularly embarrassed. In fact, I found myself struggling to contain a giggle at how ridiculous the whole situation seemed.

Why should I be embarrassed? Alexander was my husband. This was exactly the kind of behavior expected of newlyweds, wasn’t it? Drunk, giggling, and falling all over each other—even in public. I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried.

But this wasn’t a stunt. This was genuine. We’d had a wonderful day together, and this felt like the natural culmination. Everything with Alexander had felt so natural lately—so normal and right.

I’d never known this kind of contentment with anyone in the original timeline. This felt like a dream compared to the nightmare I’d lived through before. It was absurd, and I wanted to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Alexander asked as the two of us stumbled toward the car.

“Nothing’s funny,” I replied, my voice sounding a little too loud to my own ears. “I’m just having a great time.”

“Oh yeah?” he said, sounding surprised. “Am I a great time?”

“I can’t think of how the night could’ve gone better,” I said. “Who knew racing was so exciting? And dinner was great, plus I’ve got a lot of very good alcohol in my system. I’d say that qualifies as a great time.”

“I can think of one way we could make it better,” Alexander said, smirking at me.

I rolled my eyes but didn’t shy away from his suggestive comment. Instead, I replied, “You sound confident that you’d be great.”

“Wasn’t I before?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged nonchalantly—no easy feat with his arms still around me. “Who can say?”

“You can,” Alexander replied. “You were there. Did you think it was great?”

“I don’t think I can judge based on that,” I teased. “I wasn’t in my right mind. Maybe I don’t even remember clearly. Maybe we’ll need to recreate it so I can decide.”

Alexander paused as we approached the car, his eyes widening in surprise. I giggled, thrilled to have wiped the smug smirk off his face. Stepping forward, I opened the car door for him.

“What are you waiting for, Mr. Black?” I said, motioning toward the car. “I think it’s about time you took your bride home for the evening.”

“Be careful,” Alexander said in a low tone, his voice laced with warning. “Don’t take your joking too far.”

He got into the car and allowed me to climb in after him. I closed the door and glanced at him as he settled in. Maybe I was taking things too far. Maybe I shouldn’t tease him like this. But at the moment, I was giddy and amused with myself.

I was getting under his skin—something not many people could say about Alexander Black. From the way his eyes were fixed on me, I could tell my comment had gotten a rise out of him.

The feeling was intoxicating, even more so than the champagne. I wanted to tease him more, to see how far I could push it.

Sober, I would have thought better of it. But now? I couldn’t see the downside.

“What makes you think I’m joking?” I asked, my voice light but deliberately provoking.

“Are you serious?”

“I could be,” I replied, tilting my head slightly. “You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”

“You think I can’t read you?”

“I think you don’t know as much about me as you believe you do,” I said, meeting his gaze steadily.

“That sounds like a challenge,” Alexander said, his tone low as he gave me another warning look.

“Would you shrink away from a challenge?” I asked, my lips curving into a slight smile.

Alexander stared at me, a calculating look in his eyes. I held his gaze, my heart pounding as I waited for his response. Would he play along? Or would he back down?

I couldn’t imagine Alexander Black backing down from anything. A thrill of anticipation surged through me as I imagined what his reaction might be.