Chapter 138: Chapter 139: secret admirer
Alicia’s POV
When I ca downstairs, breakfast was already being laid out.
But Alexander’s seat at the table was still empty.
The food in front of his seat looked untouched as well.
Without thinking much of it, I sat down and began serving myself.
Strangely, I had woken up feeling as though my eyes had cried during the night.
Yet I clearly didn’t rember crying about anything.
I brushed the thought aside and focused on the al in front of .
For so reason, I was starving.
I began eating quickly—almost stuffing food into my mouth as though I hadn’t eaten in days.
My appetite seed to have improved dramatically this morning.
I was so busy cramming a piece of pancake into my mouth that I failed to hear Alexander approaching.
"If you keep eating like that, you’re going to choke."
His teasing voice startled .
Caught off guard, the food lodged in my throat and I imdiately began coughing.
Alexander moved to my side at once.
He poured a glass of water, lifted it toward , and helped
drink.
"See?" he said helplessly as he set the glass down.
"It’s better to eat slowly."
He lightly patted my back as though soothing a child.
"Feeling better?"
I nodded, smiling sheepishly.
Only then did he return to his seat.
I continued eating, though more slowly this ti.
I didn’t want him noticing the sudden change in my appetite.
Sohow, I suspected it had sothing to do with the baby.
"You’re still here?" I asked, frowning slightly.
"Mm."
His eyes remained on .
"Where else would I go this early?"
I simply shrugged.
For a brief second, I noticed his jaw tighten.
Then I lowered my head and returned to my breakfast.
Even so, I could still feel his gaze drifting toward
from ti to ti.
"Here."
He reached over and added more food to my plate.
"You should eat more."
"Thanks."
I looked up instinctively locking gazes with him—
And froze.
His eyes were softer than usual.
There was sothing in them I dreaded most.
Guilt.
Regret.
And sothing deeper I couldn’t quite na.
Alexander gave a faint smile.
"Eat."
His voice was low, as though he were holding many things back.
We finished breakfast mostly in silence.
Throughout the al, he occasionally placed more food onto my plate without a word.
But what frightened
was this:
What if Alexander mistook guilt... or his sense of responsibility toward ... for sothing more?
I didn’t want to beco a burden tied to him through obligation.
Yet when I looked into his eyes now—
That was all I could see.
After breakfast, we left for work together, with Jim driving.
As we sat quietly in the back seat, Alexander took my hand in his and absentmindedly played with my fingers.
Neither of us spoke.
When we arrived at the office, we parted ways as usual.
I returned to my office and buried myself in work.
I was so absorbed in work that I didn’t notice how quickly ti had passed.
When I finally checked my phone, it was nearly lunch hour.
I was about to set it aside when it chid with a new ssage.
It was from Alexander.
I won’t be in the office at noon.
I’ve arranged lunch for you. You can eat in my office.
Afterward, rest in my lounge.
Alexander had a private lounge attached to his office, ant for breaks.
I stared at the ssage for a mont before replying simply.
Okay.
At noon, Jane personally brought the takeaway al.
After eating, I went into Alexander’s lounge and rested for a while.
When I woke, it was nearly ti to return to work.
I slipped on my shoes, straightened my clothes, and was about to leave when voices drifted in from outside.
"...Is there anything else?"
It was Alexander.
He must have just returned.
"Yes, sir," Sophia replied.
"Sothing ca up at the regional office. Director Simon, who was supposed to accompany you to New York, had to go handle it."
She paused, as though carefully gauging Alexander’s reaction before continuing.
"He said the issue may take so ti, and the trip is only a few weeks away."
Alexander’s expression remained unreadable.
"Then assign soone else from the departnt."
"There isn’t anyone else available who can properly assist with the matters there."
Alexander seed to consider it briefly.
"Then you’ll co with us."
I couldn’t see Sophia’s face clearly from inside the lounge, but I was certain I caught a flash of satisfaction before she quickly hid it.
"But what about things here...?"
"Have your assistant handle them," Alexander said flatly.
"Do what’s necessary."
"Yes, sir."
Her heels clicked sharply across the floor as she walked away.
Alexander might not have noticed.
But I had.
She had arranged everything perfectly just to secure a place beside him.
Even if I said it aloud, Alexander would never believe .
After all, he hadn’t believed
when I once told him Sophia liked him.
Once the hallway fell quiet, I pushed open the lounge door.
Alexander was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.
When he heard , he turned and walked over.
"You’re awake?"
"Mm."
"It seems Sophia will have to join us on the business trip."
"I see."
I lowered my eyes slightly.
"Then perhaps it would be better if I didn’t go."
Alexander frowned imdiately.
"Why?"
"You know Sophia and I don’t get along."
"Why should that matter?"
His tone was firm.
"She’s going for work."
Then he looked directly at .
"You’d be going with ."
I stayed silent for a mont before speaking again.
"If I go with you, won’t it look suspicious?"
I t his gaze calmly.
"It has nothing to do with my departnt."
"You don’t need to worry about that."
His voice softened.
"As long as you don’t mind coming with ."
I hesitated.
"Then what exactly would I be going as?"
Alexander’s eyes held mine.
"What do you think?"
A faint pause followed.
"A colleague?"
His lips curved slightly.
"Or... my wife?"
My heart skipped once.
There were already rumors in the company about our closeness.
If matters beca complicated, it would be impossible to explain.
Of course—
There was never going to be any explanation.
Especially now.
I had no intention of making our marriage public.
"Didn’t you once say Sophia likes ?"
Alexander’s gaze deepened.
"Aren’t you worried?"
His expression almost seed to ask whether I felt jealous.
I raised a brow.
"You still don’t believe she likes you, do you?"
He looked at
for a mont, then said quietly,
"If you don’t want to co, it’s fine."
But sothing in his expression said the opposite.
I thought for a while before finally speaking.
"I’ll co with you."
Alexander’s face brightened almost instantly.
"I’m going back to work now," I said.
"Mm."
I turned and walked out of the office.
Then abruptly stopped.
Sophia was standing not far away, glaring at
coldly.
I gave her a faint, polite smile.
"Director Sophia. Good afternoon."
She shot
a sharp look and snorted.
I simply walked past her.
Third-Person POV
Sophia rembered clearly that when she had entered the CEO’s office earlier, no one else had been there.
And yet Alicia had erged from the office monts later.
Which ant Alicia had been inside the CEO’S private lounge all along.
Sophia closed her eyes, replaying another scene she had witnessed not long ago.
Just outside Alicia’s office.
Alexander and Alicia had not behaved intimately on the surface.
There had been no excessive touching.
No obvious affection.
But Alexander’s eyes had revealed everything.
The way he looked at Alicia was enough.
Sophia swallowed hard, the bitterness rising in her throat matching the tight ache in her chest.
Her thoughts drifted back to the first ti she had ever seen Alexander.
At that ti, she had only just joined the company.
He had been standing on stage during a corporate address.
A grey shirt clung neatly to his fra, two buttons undone at the collar, paired with tailored suit trousers and hand-crafted leather shoes. His belt was understated, yet elegant.
His posture had been straight and steady, like a tall pine standing against the wind.
Long, well-defined fingers held a docunt as he spoke.
His voice was calm, asured, and assured.
When his gaze swept across the room, it remained composed and restrained—
Yet carried an authority that made people instinctively pay attention.
That single mont had been enough to leave a lasting mark on Sophia....
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