Chapter 189
Alex watched his mom curiously, his eyes narrowing just slightly.
“Yeah, that’s all,” she said at last, though her eyes were still fixed on him, like she was studying his face for a reaction she wasn’t sure she wanted to see.
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Alex folded his hands over his chest, leaning his lower back against the edge of his desk. His gaze never left her. There was something in the way she said it–something too casual to actually be casual.
“Mom,” he said slowly, tilting his head just a little, “what are you not telling me?”
His mom didn’t answer right away. She stared at him for a long, steady moment, like she was weighing her next words carefully. Then, instead of giving him the answer he wanted, she asked something else entirely.
“Are you meeting the new employees tomorrow?” she asked.
Alex blinked, holding her gaze for a beat longer. His lips pressed into a faint line.
“Not necessary, Mom,” he said finally, pushing himself upright and turning back to grab his bag. “I’m sure you guys will handle it. I have to leave for that meeting with Duncan tomorrow.”
“Oh, it’s tomorrow?” his mom asked, sounding like she already knew the answer but wanted to keep the conversation going.
“Yup,” he said, slinging the strap of his bag over his shoulder.
Someone knocked on the door just then, sharp and polite. Alex didn’t even have to guess who it was.
“Come in,” he called out.
The door opened, and his head bodyguard stepped inside, bowing his head respectfully. “Sir, the cars are ready.”
Alex nodded. “Alright, you can head down. I’ll be right there.”
The bodyguard gave another short bow and stepped out silently.
Alex turned back to his mom. “I would say let’s go home together, but I have to get some stuff at Divine,” he said.
His mom shook her head. “It’s okay. My driver’s already waiting downstairs. It’s so late, baby, can’t you go tomorrow?”
“Traveling tomorrow, remember?” he reminded her, glancing around his office to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind. His desk was clear, but he still opened a drawer, checked once, and shut it again.
They walked out together. The building was almost completely silent now.
Everyone was long gone, sounds seemed louder without voices and footsteps filling the space.
Alex glanced sideways at his mom. “Told you to stop leaving the office so late,” he said.
“I had to finish the report for the new product,” she replied without looking at him.
Alex hummed softly, not bothering to argue.
There was no point, she will always love working, and he knew she had missed it for years. Charles Blackwell had deprived her of this for
years.
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Chapter 189
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Alex still remembered those years and the way it had frustrated her, how restless she’d been. Now that she was free to work again, there was no chance she will give it up.
“Where’s Jullian?” Alex asked as they stepped into the elevator.
“Probably waiting in the car downstairs,” she answered, glancing at the floor indicator as the numbers lit up one by one.
The ride down was quiet. His mom kept her eyes forward, and Alex leaned lightly against the wall, his mind still circling back to the way his mom had acted earlier.
What was she hiding from him.
When the elevator doors opened to the private parking area,Alex stepped out first, then turned to his mom. He leaned down slightly to kiss her cheek.
“See you later, Mom.”
She smiled faintly. “Don’t stay out too late.”
Later that night, Esther told Jullian everything, and his reaction is exactly what she expected.
“Mom, this is insane!”
That was the first thing Jullian said the moment she finished telling him about the new person she had just employed.
His hands flew up in disbelief, his voice coming out sharper.
He stared at her like she had just told him she wants to set the world on fire.
Esther just sat there calmly on the edge of the sofa, legs crossed, her hands resting lightly on her knee like she was immune to the storm thrown at her.
Of all the people in the world. Of all the names that could have landed on her desk. Of all the women who could have been hired.
“Alex will flip out,” Jullian said, running a hand through his hair in pure frustration. His mind was already playing out the scene in his head- Alex’s face darkening, his temper flaring, the icy silence that would follow. It would be like watching a grenade roll across the floor, the pin already pulled.
Esther let out a deep sigh, the kind of sigh that said she had already thought about all of this.
“What the hell is she even doing in this part of the world?” Jullian demanded, pacing in front of his mother. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it felt. “No… wait…” His eyes widened suddenly, his voice dropping. “Holy shit–she’s the girl I saw in the elevator with Felix.”
He stopped pacing and turned to face his mom fully, his expression somewhere between disbelief and dawning horror. “I knew she looked familiar. I knew it. That face–it’s been stuck in my head since that day, but I couldn’t place it. And now you’re telling me she’s employed now?”
Esther’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t look guilty, but she didn’t look smug either. It was the neutral, careful look she wore when she knew her son was about to blow up.
“She doesn’t even know Alex owns the company,” Esther says,
Jullian’s brows drew together, his jaw tightening. “And you believe her?”
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Chapter 189
Esther’s shoulders lifted in a small shrug. That infuriated him even more. It was like she wasn’t grasping the full picture here–or worse, she was and she just didn’t care.
“Mom, look,” Jullian said, stepping closer, lowering his voice as if he could make her see reason if he just spoke more calmly. “I know you want to see Alex happy. I know you want him healed, and with someone who makes him smile again. But employing this girl is going to do the exact opposite.”
His words hung in the air for a moment, heavy and pointed.
Esther leaned back slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. “You don’t k wasn’t angry at him–she was protecting her decision.
“Do you?” Jullian shot back instantly.
Silence.
know that,” she said, her tone defensive but not aggressive. She
