Chapter 71: Chapter Seventy one: Alexander is cooking for
There was no reason for them to lie.
??So Alexander had taken my phone... and placed it sowhere I couldn’t find.
??After thanking Jim, I dismissed him and began searching the house again.
??The living room—nothing.
??His study—nothing.
??The master bedroom... even the bathrooms—still nothing.
??This was getting strange.
??Borrowing Maria’s phone, I dialed my number while walking through the house.
??No ringtone.
??Not even a vibration.
??My unease deepened.
??I hesitated for a mont, then dialed Alexander’s number instead.
??The phone rang several tis.
??Just as it was about to go to voicemail, the call was answered.
??"Hello?"
??The voice on the other end—
??It was unmistakably Lilian’s.
??A chill ran down my spine.
??I steadied myself, forcing my voice to remain calm.
??"It’s . Where’s Alexander?"
??"Oh, Alicia," Lilian replied, her tone almost too light, too cheerful. "Alexander’s in the kitchen... cooking for ."
When I heard the word "cooking," I froze.
??I couldn’t even picture Alexander in a kitchen.
??"Alicia, you probably don’t know this," Lilian continued, her voice soft but deliberately provocative, "but Alexander is actually quite good at cooking. Back in college, he lived alone and picked it up. He used to cook for
quite often."
??I knew exactly what she was trying to do.
??And yet—it still hurt.
??If a man is willing to cook for soone, it says everything about how much he cares.
??But in the two years of our marriage, Alexander had never cooked for . I hadn’t even known he could.
??I had heard that cooking together could bring couples closer. Even though we had a cook at ho, I had tried a few tis myself... but Alexander had never once joined .
??And now, on a Monday morning—he was cooking for the woman he loved.
??A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
??That was the difference between love... and indifference.
??Suppressing the ache in my chest, I steadied my voice.
??"Give the phone to Alexander. I need to speak with him."
??"What is it about? I can pass the ssage along," Lilian replied lightly, her tone laced with mockery.
??I let out a quiet breath.
??We were still legally married, yet I had to go through her just to speak to my own husband.
??It was almost laughable.
??Even if I was already considering divorce, I couldn’t tolerate her blatant provocation.
??"Give the phone to Alexander," I repeated, my voice turning firm. "I need to speak to him directly."
??Then, before she could refuse, I added coldly,
??"This phone has auto-recording. If you don’t want
to play it back for him later, hand it over."
??Third-person POV
??Lilian knew Alexander likely wouldn’t care about sothing like this, but she still wanted to maintain a good image in front of him.
??After a brief hesitation, she picked up the phone and walked into the kitchen.
??The call remained connected. A few seconds later, her voice sounded again.
??"Alexander, Alicia is on the phone."
??"You can hold it," he replied from a distance, his voice slightly muffled. "I’m busy. What does she want?"
??"I asked, but she wouldn’t say."
??There was a pause before his footsteps drew closer.
??"Alicia, what is it?"
??Her voice ca through, calm but tense.
??"Where’s my phone?"
??"With ."
??"Why do you have my phone?"
??"I left mine at the club. I used yours to contact them so they could return it. I was in a hurry and accidentally took yours with ."
??At the side, Lilian lowered her gaze, her expression darkening slightly.
??So that was why Alicia couldn’t see the trending news...
??Was it really an accident?
??Or had he done it on purpose?
??"Can you have soone send my phone back now?" Alicia asked.
??Alexander paused briefly. "Not right now."
??"Where are you? I’ll send soone to pick it up."
??"I’m at Lilian’s place. We’ll be heading out soon."
??"Then leave it at the door."
??"It could get stolen."
??"Then hand it to the security at the villa."
??"The security staff is off today."
??A brief silence followed.
??"Is that true?" Alicia asked, doubt slipping into her voice.
??"Of course. Why would I lie to you?"
??Another pause.
??"Then when will you be back?" she asked quietly. "Aren’t we supposed to pick up the divorce decree today?"
??At those words, Lilian’s heart skipped.
??The pieces began falling into place.
??Alexander’s tone remained casual.
??"I’m not sure. We’ll see."
??Then he added, almost lightly,
??"Why don’t you just take the day off and wait for
at ho? When I’m done here, I’ll co pick you up and we’ll go together. Sounds good?"
??On the other end, Alicia fell silent.
??"...You..."
??She took a sharp breath, unable to suppress the frustration any longer
??—and hung up.
"Forget it... no phone, then no phone," Alicia muttered, irritation evident in her voice.
??Maria, ever cautious, stepped forward. "Mrs. Blackwood, would you like to use my phone instead?"
??Alicia shook her head, handing it back. "No need."
??She had already decided to stay ho for the day. She wasn’t feeling well, and she didn’t have the energy to deal with anything else.
??anwhile
??Lilian returned the phone to the ho screen, powered it off, and slipped it back into Alexander’s pocket.
??Her tone was soft, almost curious. "Alexander... why did you lie?"
??There was a password-protected mailbox at the villa, and the security staff certainly weren’t on leave. It was obvious—Alexander didn’t want Alicia getting her phone back.
??He replied calmly, "I just don’t want her seeing the news and getting upset. I’m keeping things under control so it doesn’t affect you. If we can delay it, we will. Once the attention dies down, it won’t matter."
??A faint glint of satisfaction flashed through Lilian’s eyes, though her voice turned gentle.
??"But that’s not fair to Alicia. Alexander... why don’t we help her clear things up? I don’t want this to continue like this. I want to be with you openly—even if people criticize . I don’t care."
??Alexander frowned slightly, clearly troubled.
??"Now isn’t the right ti. I still can’t fully control public opinion. You’re a public figure now. If we clarify things, it could damage your career."
??Lilian lowered her gaze, a heaviness settling in her chest.
??Was he really doing this for her career...
??Or did he simply not want to make their relationship public?
??"I just..."
??"Lilian," he interrupted gently, "you don’t need to worry about this. Keeping things quiet is my decision. If Alicia wants to bla anyone, she can bla . Just focus on your work. I’ll handle everything."
??Her smile wavered, but she nodded.
??Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek against his back.
??"Alexander... you’re so good to ."
??"Alright," he said softly. "Go wait outside. The food will be ready soon."
??"Mm."
??Lilian left the kitchen, her steps light as she walked away.
??Alexander stood still for a mont, watching her leave, before turning back to the stove.
??He was lying.
??He wasn’t worried about Alicia clarifying the rumors.
??He was worried about her—about how much it would hurt her if she saw the comnts.
??And yet, when Lilian asked him... he had chosen to lie without hesitation.
??
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