Chapter 55

Ella POV

“Oh,” I said softly. An uneasy feeling passed over me. Whatever she wanted to talk to me about, I knew that it probably wasn’t good.

I knew that Alexander had a reputation as a womanizer. He had dated a lot of women over the past few years, but only ever for a few months at a time. I had heard rumors that the breakups were messy, but I didn’t know much about it.

In the original timeline, some of the women had come forward to speak out against him, which had hurt him in the election. I had even heard rumors that Alexander had a child.

It was possible that the changes I had caused in the timeline were going to result in the women coming forward sooner.

That could be a good thing. We might be able to handle the rumors and show that Alexander was a changed man. We had time on our side now.

“It’s nice to meet you, Nadia,” I said, standing up and offering her my hand.

“I wish that we never had to meet,” she replied, shaking my hand weakly. “I only came to speak to you because I felt that I had to.”

“I don’t understand,” I said. “Why would you have to come speak to me?”

“I have to warn you about Alexander,” she said seriously.

I smiled gently at her. “I’m sorry if things between you ended badly, but I assure you I don’t need to be warned about him.”

“Yes, you do,” she said insistently. “You don’t know him. You don’t know what he’s really like. He’ll use you and throw you away. He can’t be trusted.”

I felt my smile fade away at her words. Part of me was concerned, but mostly I was just annoyed at her for speaking about Alexander in such a way. It shocked me how strong my negative reaction to her was.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine,” I said tensely. “I don’t need to be warned.”

“He hasn’t changed,” she said. “No matter what he’s told you. Please, just take care of yourself. Be careful.”

Before I could respond to her words, Nadia turned and hurried away from me. It was a busy day, and in seconds she was lost in the crowd of shoppers.

I was oddly offended by my interaction with Nadia, and the only explanation for that was that I had grown too attached to Alexander. I knew that was a mistake, yet I had allowed it to happen anyway.

Everything between us was fake. What was real was the fact that I had to protect my family and my kingdom from David. Alexander was merely a means to an end—nothing more.

I couldn’t allow myself to become offended on his behalf because that would mean I was letting my guard down. Trusting him—or anyone else—could lead me down a dangerous path. If I did, I risked everything once again.

I took a moment to breathe, reminding myself of my purpose and the stakes involved. I had to keep my heart safe and my mind sharp, even as the allure of Alexander's charm tugged at my resolve.

The sound of footsteps approaching alerted me to Alexander’s return. I stared at him as he approached. He looked at me questioningly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he stopped in front of me.

"Who's Nadia?" I asked as I handed Alexander his coffee, watching his expression closely.

His eyes went wide for a split second before he quickly shook his head. “No one important,” he answered, a little too quickly.

I raised an eyebrow. “Did you date her?”

He hesitated, concern creeping into his gaze. “Why are you asking this?” he replied, his tone guarded.

I sighed, setting my own cup down. “While you were gone, she came to talk to me. She said she felt the need to warn me about you.”

Alexander scoffed, the sound low and bitter. “Warn you?”

“Yes,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “So, who is she?”

He looked away, taking a sip of his coffee, the tension in his body obvious. “An ex-girlfriend,” he finally admitted.

“Someone with dirt on you, by the sounds of it. This is a liability. Why wouldn’t you warn me about this?” I asked, doing my best to keep the irritation out of my tone.

“It’s nothing like that,” Alexander said. “We had a casual relationship. I was clear from the start that I didn’t want anything more, but she did, so in the end we parted ways.”

I could feel a knot forming in my stomach. “So, you just ditched her?” I asked softly, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

There was a long pause. He said nothing at first, and that surprised me. I had expected some witty remark or light-hearted deflection, but instead, he seemed genuinely to be considering my question.

I thought about all the old rumors, the whispers from the past when Alexander had been called all sorts of cruel names. In the original timeline, I’d heard them all. But relationships end poorly all the time, and bitterness often follows. How much of it should I really take seriously?

Still, I knew Nadia wouldn’t be the only one. There were more women out there, more stories waiting to be told. This was only the beginning.

“Well?” I asked, my tone softening as I searched his face. “Is that what you do when women are no longer useful to you? Is that what you’ll do to me?”

“You’re different,” his gaze finally met mine, and something raw flickered in his eyes.

“Why?” I asked, my heart picking up speed.

His eyes searched mine, as if he were looking for the right words. I waited with bated breath for him to answer, but instead, he looked away.

“You know I’m not going to hurt you,” he said quietly. “This is just business. My reputation in that regard is stellar, so you have nothing to worry about.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. I was so stupid. I had been taken in by my own acting. Alexander was absolutely right; we were just business partners, and when it came to that, his reputation was untarnished. I could obviously trust him.

I forced a smile onto my face. “You're right,” I said softly. “I'm sorry I doubted you.”

He lifted his eyes to mine, and for a moment, I saw relief wash over his face. “I’m glad to hear it. I knew you would understand after David. The business relationship between us is far more stable than any romantic relationship could be.”

A bitter taste filled my mouth. After my experience with David, I realized that a romantic relationship was far too messy and made one too vulnerable. So who was it that led Alexander to that realization?

Every time I thought I was getting to know him a little better, he said something that made the space between us feel impossibly large. It always seemed to be growing further away rather than closer to me.

He was right, though. I couldn't allow myself to make the same mistake twice—not when the stakes were so high. The only thing that mattered now was handling this scandal before it damaged his reputation.

With that thought in mind, I steeled myself. I had to focus on the task at hand, to navigate this treacherous situation with precision and care. As much as I wanted to lean into the connection we were building, I couldn't afford to forget why I was here. The weight of our circumstances pressed down on me, reminding me that the game we were playing was one of survival.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that this is only the beginning,” I added. “More people will come forward. You have to be prepared for that.”

“You sound confident about that,” Alexander said.

“I am,” I replied. “It’s only natural. The public is so focused on you right now—it’s going to cause people with grudges to come forward. They won’t be able to stand hearing others speak positively about you.”

Alexander smirked slightly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you could see into the future.”

My heart skipped a beat at his words, and a jolt of panic coursed through me. I couldn't lose sight of the fact that I had my own secrets to keep. Alexander wasn’t the only one hiding things. It was all the more reason to keep my distance from him, no matter how hard that was to do.