Alexander woke the next morning with a simring irritation beneath his skin. He had called Serena repeatedly the night before the mont he discovered she had left, but every attempt had gone unanswered.
Why would she leave the banquet without informing him?
He dressed quickly, skipped breakfast, and drove straight to the company. His phone rang nonstop—his mother, Alia, even his grandfather—but he ignored every call. The old man had texted the previous night asking to see him; Alexander hadn’t bothered replying.
His mind was occupied by only one person.
What was Serena feeling now? Was she as restless as he was? Did she think of him at all? Did she miss him even a fraction of how much he missed her?
His grip tightened around the steering wheel. He pushed the car faster.
By the ti he reached the company, his feet moved on their own, carrying him toward her office as though drawn by instinct. When he arrived, she was speaking to one of her colleagues.
"I have nothing to do with Mr. Blackwood, and I never will. It would be best if no more rumors spread."
The words hit him harder than he expected. Sothing inside his chest twisted sharply.
She had nothing to do with him? Never would?
For a mont, he wanted to step in—wanted to correct her, to tell her that whatever existed between them wasn’t a rumor, wasn’t nothing. But he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt.
He stood there, hidden from view, listening to the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about distance herself from him with carefully chosen words that felt like knives.
They had only known each other for barely four days... yet her thoughts filled him completely.
Alexander had barely taken ten steps when the elevator door slid open with a soft sound.
He snapped his head, and his gaze landed on Alia. Dressed in a fitted cream suit with her hair pinned neatly, she looked every bit the elegant heiress—the perfect "CEO fiancée" the dia loved to photograph. Two assistants followed behind her like shadows.
Her sharp gaze locked instantly onto Alexander.
He groaned internally, ntally asking himself what she was doing at his company.
"Alexander!" She scread, all attention falling on her. "Why aren’t you picking your calls? I called you several tis."
Alexander pinched the space between his brows. "What are you doing here?" He questioned.
Alia plastered a smile on her face and walked over to him, and was about to loop her arms around his—just like the previous night but he evaded her with a blank face.
Alia was taken aback as her expression hardened. "You’re my fiancé, why—"
"I am not your fiancé." He cut her off without any change in his expression.
Alia’s gaze landed on every employee who had stopped to watch the drama and she glared at each and every one of them.
Scared by her gaze, they scattered, fleeing to their respective departnts.
Alia looked at the two assistants behind her, and they walked away, giving she and Alexander privacy.
"Alexander baby, it is only a matter of ti before you get engaged to and eventually marry . Stop making things difficult for both families."
Alexander rolled his eyes. Her words were funny to his ears. Seeing that he was distracted, Alia decided to trace her fingers against his chest, but before she could do so, he caught her hands.
He tightened his grip around her wrist, causing her to wince in response while his cold gaze was fixated on her.
"Do not try it." Each word was enunciated clearly before he let go of her.
Alia rubbed her wrist, face twisting. "Is this because of that little sl*t you kept by your side? What was her na again?" She tapped a finger theatrically against her chin.
"Oh—yes!" She snapped her fingers with a bright, poisonous smile. "Serena. Isn’t that her na?"
"What," Maya snarled, her voice echoing across the hallway, "did you just say?"
Alexander looked over Alia’s shoulder and let out a quiet, amused chuckle.
Maya.
She stord forward, grabbed Alia by a fistful of hair, and yanked her head back with zero hesitation.
"I dare you," Maya growled, giving another vicious tug, "say that again. Say her na with that disgust in your mouth one. more. ti."
Alexander didn’t move. He didn’t stop Maya. He didn’t even pretend to intervene.
He simply watched with a quiet, unreadable expression as Alia struggled helplessly, and every colleague leaned forward with wide eyes, hungry for drama.
Maya didn’t wait for a reply. Her fingers twisted tighter in Alia’s hair, yanking her head back with enough force to make the woman stumble.
"I said," Maya hissed, her voice carrying through the hallway, "who did you call a sl*t?"
Before Alia could form a full word, slap! Maya’s palm struck her cheek so sharply that the sound cracked through the floor like a whip.
Gasps erupted from the watching employees. Instead of interfering, they edged even closer, hungry for the unfolding drama.
"Maya—" one of Serena’s colleagues whispered.
"Shhh! Don’t spoil it," another hissed, eyes gleaming.
Alia was frozen for a split second, stunned. "How—dare—"
SLAP! The second hit sent her head turning in the opposite direction. Her neatly pinned hair ca undone, strands falling ssily around her face.
Alexander stood with his hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. Not once did he step forward. Not once did he tell Maya to stop. His eyes remained cold, his silence speaking louder than any threat.
Serena erged slowly from her office, still processing what she had overheard monts earlier. Her gaze landed on Alia—red-faced, disheveled, trembling. Then she saw Maya, unbothered, rolling her sleeve higher as if preparing for round three.
"Maya..." Serena whispered, feeling stunned.
Alia, breathing hard, tried to regain so dignity. "You—you animal! Do you know who I am? Do you know—"
SLAP!
Maya’s third strike was the loudest yet. Several employees actually clapped before quickly pretending to cough.
"That’s for opening your filthy mouth," Maya said evenly. "And if you ever ntion Serena like that again—God help you, because no one else will."
Alia’s eyes watered with rage and humiliation. "Alexander! Are you just going to stand there? She assaulted !"
Alexander finally tilted his head, gaze lazy but posture straight.
"Then stop talking," he drawled, his hands in his pocket. "Before she gives you another one."
The crowd erupted into muffled snickers.
Alia’s humiliation was absolute. She had never faced such.
Her voice broke as tears filled her eyes. "I’ll report all of you! My family—"
Maya raised her hand again.
But before it could land, a deep, commanding voice rolled across the corridor like thunder.
"That’s enough!"
Everyone froze.
The employees straightened instantly, eyes widening. Even Alia stopped mid-breath. Maya dropped her hand.
Alexander slowly turned toward the source of the voice, a deep furrow between his brows.
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