Chapter 169

Ella POV

Our drinks came and went, and then came again, the four of us consuming more than I think we had initially planned. The conversation flowed easily, and once Carlos got over his nerves about Alexander, he proved to be both charming and unexpectedly funny.

Alexander participated in the discussion, but I could tell he was distracted. It crossed my mind that hearing Fiona and me discuss Diana earlier might have upset him, but if that were the case, he’d chosen to keep it to himself.

I decided not to push the topic further. I didn’t want to risk starting a fight—not after such a wonderful evening. I wanted the night to end on a positive note.

“So, what’s the next big social outing for the Blacks?” Fiona asked, her smile bright and mischievous.

“I don’t know,” I said thoughtfully. “Everything’s been so chaotic lately—I guess I’ve lost track.”

“I don’t believe we have anything scheduled for a while,” Alexander said, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his calendar. “No, not for a couple of weeks,” he added, “which gives me time to get caught up at the office.”

“Of course, that’s what you would think,” Fiona said, rolling her eyes. “You finally get a break—possibly more time to spend with your beautiful new wife—and all you can think about is how you’re going to get caught up at work. You’re so predictable and boring, Alexander. When did you become like this?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alexander asked, glaring at her.

“Are you saying he wasn’t always a workaholic?” I teased, pretending to be shocked.

“Believe it or not,” Fiona said, grinning, “Alexander actually used to be fun.”

“He’s still fun—sometimes,” I said with mock seriousness.

“He used to be fun all the time.”

“That’s hard to believe.”

“You two are hilarious,” Alexander said in a deadpan voice, his gaze shifting between us. “Do you have nothing better to talk about?”

“No,” Fiona said with a shrug, her expression unapologetic.

The irritated look on Alexander’s face made me laugh, which only seemed to add to his exasperation.

“Excuse me,” a nervous young waitress said, drawing our attention. “It’s last call. We’ll be closing soon,” she added softly.

“Is it that late already?” Fiona asked, turning to look at the clock high on the wall. “Oh my gosh,” she exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, miss.”

“No, please,” the waitress replied nervously. “There’s no reason to apologize. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Thank you, miss,” Alexander said kindly. “We’ll take our tab.”

“Of course, sir,” she said, hurrying off.

“We’ve really pulled an all-nighter,” I said, stretching slightly.

“And not working for once,” Alexander agreed, a rare smile tugging at his lips.

I smiled back, delighted that he was joining in on the joking. “We’ll have to try this again sometime.”

“I could be persuaded,” he said softly, his tone warm and inviting.

I felt my face heat slightly and hid it by taking one last swallow of my drink. Moments later, the waitress returned with our tab. Alexander paid for everyone’s drinks and left a generous tip.

Then, the four of us gathered our coats and headed outside.

“We’ll have to do this again sometime,” Fiona said as we reached the curb.

“Absolutely,” I agreed.

“Get home safely,” Alexander added, pulling Fiona in for a quick hug goodbye.

Fiona hugged me next while Alexander and Carlos shook hands. As Fiona and Carlos walked away, our car pulled up to the curb. Alexander opened the door for me, and I slipped inside, grateful for the warmth as the chill of the night crept in.

I leaned back in the seat, letting my head rest against the cushion and closing my eyes. I wasn’t asleep, just enjoying the quiet, when my phone buzzed. The sound cut through the stillness, and I immediately reached for it, curious who might be contacting me at such an hour.

I expected a system notification or a breaking news alert. Instead, it was a text message.

The blood drained from my face as I recognized the number. It was the same one that had sent me the strange warning weeks ago.

I looked at the body of the message, but it didn’t make sense. There were no words, just two rows of numbers separated by dots and dashes.

“What is it?” Alexander’s voice was low, but there was an edge of concern.

I glanced up at him, my unease evidently written across my face. There was no point in pretending I wasn’t startled. Without a word, I handed him my phone.

“It’s the same number,” Alexander said under his breath, his tone laced with quiet intensity.

I nodded, confirming it for him.

“Is this the first time they’ve contacted you since then?” he asked, his serious gaze locking onto mine.

“It is,” I confirmed. “I didn’t block the number, just in case we could track it somehow.”

“I had it looked into, remember?” Alexander said, his expression hardening. “We believe the number belongs to Dr. McIntyre.”

“Why would she keep reaching out to me?” I asked, confusion and frustration bubbling to the surface. “After everything she’s done…”

“That’s a good question,” Alexander replied, his jaw tightening as he glanced down at the message. “But it appears she wants to speak to you—face-to-face.”

“What do you mean?” A jolt of fear coursed through me at the thought of confronting the woman who had poisoned me for so long.

“The body of the message,” he said, turning the phone around so I could see. “These numbers are coordinates and the second line appears to be a date. I’ll have to double-check to be certain, but I believe it’s a location near the northern border.”

“Why on Earth would she send me that?” I shook my head. “She’s in hiding, isn’t she? Hasn’t she just given away her location? Wouldn’t it be easy for us to send someone to capture her?”

“Yes,” Alexander agreed, his expression dark and thoughtful. “Which means there must be a very good reason she’s taking the risk.”

“But it makes no sense,” I said in frustration, my voice trembling slightly. “What could she possibly have to gain that outweighs the risks? What could she have to say to me?”

“There’s no way to know that at this point,” Alexander pointed out, handing my phone back. He pulled out his own and began tapping quickly at the screen.

I knew he must be texting August or someone else in his network. His jaw was tense, and the brightness in his eyes had hardened into something cold and sharp.

My own heart was pounding too loudly for me to focus entirely on Alexander’s reaction. If it was Dr. McIntyre reaching out, why? It seemed too obvious to be a trap—or was she counting on me thinking that?

Was David behind this again? Could this all be part of his plan to lower my defenses, to lure me to the border where anything could happen, far from my father’s influence or even Alexander’s protection?

The first time Amanda and David had made a move against us—when Amanda, my mother, and I were kidnapped after trying on wedding dresses—they had taken us north. Was this some clumsy attempt to finish what they’d started then?

The memory of a sharp blade against my skin surfaced, and a wave of panic gripped me. My breathing grew shallow and uneven, and my chest tightened as the fear clawed its way through me.

Alexander’s hand landed firmly on my knee, grounding me. My head snapped up, and I met his eyes.

“It’s okay,” he said, his voice soft but steady. “I’m here.”

I nodded, his reassurance breaking through the haze of fear. Despite everything, his presence calmed me. I knew I could trust him—I didn’t have to face this alone.