Chapter 12: Chapter Twelve: For grandma’s sake
Alexander had always had a sensitive stomach.
Anything too spicy would leave him uncomfortable for hours.
Instinctively, I parted my lips.
I wanted to stop him.
To remind him.
To tell him not to eat it.
But before a single word could leave , Alexander calmly lifted the slice of beef and placed it in his mouth.
Without hesitation.
Without even frowning.
My breath caught.
The warning died in my throat.
I lowered my eyes and swallowed the words back down.
Of course.
When food cos from the woman you love, even bitterness can beco sweet.
So what was a little spice?
A strange, bitter relief washed over .
If I had spoken, I would only have humiliated myself again.
The lunch continued.
Wine glasses clinked.
Laughter rose.
The atmosphere gradually loosened as everyone drank more freely.
And just when I thought the worst was over—
Kendra turned toward Alexander with a playful smile.
"I heard Director Alicia is your younger sister and works directly under you. You two must be very close, right?"
The room quieted with interest.
Alexander lifted his gaze.
For one brief second, his eyes t mine.
Then he looked away and reached for his drink.
"For Grandma’s sake," he said casually, "I look after her a little."
The words were spoken lightly.
Almost carelessly.
Yet they struck
harder than any insult that day.
For Grandma’s sake.
Not because I was his wife.
Not because I mattered.
Not because he cared.
Just obligation.
Just duty.
No one else noticed anything wrong.
They laughed and moved on.
But inside , doubts spread like cracks through glass.
Was he deliberately drawing a line between us in front of Lilian?
Or had that line always existed, and I had simply pretended not to see it?
Two years of marriage.
Two years beside him.
And I had never once entered his heart.
Every kindness I had treasured...
had only been respect for Grandma.
Nothing more.
I curved my lips into a composed smile.
"I’m only CEO Blackwood’s subordinate," I said evenly. "There’s nothing especially close between us."
Then I turned to Kendra.
"Though you seem unusually interested in ."
Kendra laughed sweetly.
"Since we’ll be working together soon, curiosity is natural. I hope you won’t take offense, Director Alicia."
"I still fail to see what any of this has to do with work," I replied coolly.
For the first ti all lunch, I felt Alexander’s gaze linger on .
Only for a second.
Then it was gone.
Two hours later, the lunch finally ended.
I returned to my office and buried myself in paperwork until evening.
Numbers.
Contracts.
Emails.
Anything was easier than thinking.
By six o’clock, the entire floor had emptied.
Everyone had gone ho.
Everyone except him.
The light in the CEO’s office still glowed at the end of the corridor.
I stood there for several seconds.
My thoughts battled quietly inside .
Then I walked toward the familiar door and knocked.
"Co in."
Alexander’s voice was calm as always.
I entered.
He sat behind his desk, sleeves rolled slightly, eyes still on the laptop screen.
"Do you have plans tonight?" I asked.
He looked up.
"No."
Then he closed the computer and stood.
"Let’s go."
No questions.
No hesitation.
As though he had expected
to ask.
I nodded and followed him out in silence.
Dinner was already prepared when we arrived ho.
We went upstairs separately to freshen up, then t again in the dining room.
The al passed quietly.
Only the faint clink of cutlery disturbed the silence.
Afterward, Alexander went to the study with several docunts.
I stayed in the living room with the television on.
I couldn’t rember a single thing that played across the screen.
A while later, I checked the ti.
It was ti for my pregnancy vitamins.
My fingers tightened around the bottle before I opened it.
One pill.
A glass of warm water.
I had just placed the tablet on my tongue when a voice sounded behind .
"You’re taking dicine?"
My heart nearly stopped.
I turned sharply.
Alexander stood near the doorway of the study, eyes fixed on the bottle in my hand.
"Did you see a doctor?" he asked imdiately.
His brows drew together.
"Is it serious?"
For a mont, I simply stared.
Caught off guard by the concern in his voice.
Concern.
For ?
Before he could notice my hesitation, I forced myself to move.
I swallowed the pill quickly and set the bottle aside.
"I saw a doctor," I said calmly.
"It’s nothing serious."
His gaze remained on .
Sharp.
Searching.
As if he knew I was hiding sothing.
And for the first ti since discovering my pregnancy...
I felt afraid he might find out.
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