Rain watched as Alyssa’s face slowly drained of color. Her eyes widened, darting between Alexander and Brian. "Brian... is that true?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"That’s not true! I-I’ve never been to a place like that," Brian stamred, his voice rising defensively.
Brian’s face went slack, lips parting as he struggled to co up with any sort of defense, but Alexander’s words hit like a hamr. "You make it sound like I’m lying. That’s not nice," Alexander added, his tone unrelenting.
Before the silence could stretch further, William, clearly taken aback, broke in. "You went back to the Gentleman’s Club after the stag party?"
The disbelief in William’s voice mirrored the expressions around the table. Eyes widened, brows raised, and the shock was palpable. No one could quite reconcile the image of Alexander, serious and composed, with the idea of him frequenting such a place. Even Rain felt the weight of the stares, but she knew Alexander was making a point.
Alexander t their stares with a calm, almost indifferent expression. "Twice. And every ti I saw him there. It’s hard to miss." His words were cool, but the intent behind them was clear.
Brian’s face was now a shade of white as he fumbled for words, but the damage was done. Alyssa’s gaze was locked on Brian, her earlier confidence shattered as suspicion took root. Rain watched, wondering how much longer Brian could maintain his crumbling facade.
Rain realized it must have been during those visits that Alexander had booked her while she was undercover.
Alyssa’s face contorted in disbelief. "Brian? What were you doing at the Gentleman’s Club?! Isn’t that a place where won strip? And I heard you can book them for... more!" she blurted out.
"They were involved in prostitution and drug trafficking," William murmured, his voice low but clear. "That’s why the police raided the place."
Alyssa’s face drained of color, her disbelief turning to anger as she stared at Brian. "Is this true?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of hurt and fury.
Brian stamred, avoiding her gaze. "I... I can explain..."
"I’ll be leaving now..." Alyssa murmured before glancing at her father-in-law. "Uncle, I’m sorry, but may I go first?"
Rock gave a silent nod, and without another word, Alyssa rushed off, Brian trailing closely behind her.
Mark, with a serious expression, turned to his son. "Lyndon, follow your sister, but keep your distance. Make sure she gets ho safely."
Lyndon nodded and swiftly left after them.
Once they were gone, Mark looked at Alexander and asked, "Did you really see him there?"
Alexander sighed. "Uncle, you know I’m not one for idle talk. I wouldn’t waste energy on nonsense. Rain was undercover at that ti, and I went to the club to check on her. She had to return there three tis, so I was there three tis as well. Every ti, that idiot Brian was enjoying himself with one of the perforrs."
"That bastard!" William growled. "I swear, I’ll make him pay for cheating on my cousin!"
"Sebastian is already handling it," Alexander said calmly. "We all know how stubborn and reckless Alyssa can be. It’s better to let Sebastian deal with this."
"Sebastian?" William exclaid, his voice rising in surprise.
Before things escalated, Rain spoke up, explaining how she and Sebastian had overheard Brian’s conversation by accident at the café, confirming his intentions.
"That jerk!" Ava seethed. "How dare he cheat and try to manipulate my daughter."
Mark’s face remained grim, but William caught on and asked, "Uncle, you don’t look surprised. Did you already know?"
"Yes, Sebastian inford earlier," Mark admitted, his tone heavy.
Ava turned to Rain, offering her a regretful smile. "I’m so sorry you had to witness all this, Rain, especially on your first day eting the whole family."
Rain waved it off graciously. "It’s fine, Aunt Ava. The important thing is that Alyssa is safe. I’m glad we found out about Brian’s true intentions before it was too late."
Ava nodded, squeezing Rain’s hand. "Thank you, dear, thank you so much for looking out for her."
"It’s really nothing," Rain said with an awkward smile. "I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right ti to overhear those things about Alyssa."
Father Rock, intrigued, turned his attention to Alexander. "You ntioned Sebastian is handling it. Does that an he’s now honoring the agreent between Mark and Darwin? The arranged marriage between the families?"
Everyone’s eyes shifted toward Alexander, who casually sipped his wine before noticing their expectant gazes. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Why ask ? It’s not my style to ddle in other people’s lives. If you’re curious, ask Sebastian directly. All I know is that he told he’d take care of it. I assu he inford Uncle Mark before taking any steps."
Mark gave a slight nod, acknowledging the situation, as the gathering continued with Rain mingling comfortably among everyone, including her Aunt lanie. She smiled softly as she watched Aunt lanie chatting with Aunt Ava, Bella, and Lily, blending seamlessly into the family dynamic.
They were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Uncle Greg’s boys: two teenagers from his first and second wives, along with little Sean, who was just five years old from his current wife, Lily.
The little boy instantly ran to Alexander, his face lighting up with joy. "Big Brother!" he scread, his toddler voice ringing with excitent as he dashed towards him.
She smiled as she watched Alexander lift little Sean into the air, twirling him around while the boy giggled with delight. "My little Sean is getting so big already!" Alexander humd, planting a kiss on the boy’s cheek. It wasn’t the first ti she had seen how effortlessly he connected with children; she recalled his joyful interactions at the orphanage before.
"I’m sure Alexander will make a great father," Uncle Greg remarked beside her, watching the scene. "He’s always had a soft spot for kids. When my two older boys were younger, he’d spend hours playing with them. Now that they’ve grown out of that phase, Sean’s the only one left who enjoys it."
Rain turned to him, smiling. "Your sons are adorable."
Greg grinned proudly. "Of course, they take after !" His jovial tone reminded Rain of Father Rock’s playful nature. "You and Alexander should have a daughter. We need a princess around here. Ava and Alyssa have been pampered enough... ti for so competition," he joked.
Ava, who had joined their group, rolled her eyes but smiled. "Hey! My daughter and I deserve all the pampering. Thank you very much."
Rain chuckled, enjoying the lighthearted banter, but was surprised when Ava leaned in and whispered, "Looks like Ben is quite taken with your Aunt."
Rain smiled knowingly. The connection between her Aunt lanie and Uncle Ben was hard to miss. Just as she was about to comnt, Greg unknowingly blurted out, "Who’d have thought Ben, the hardened assassin, had a soft side?"
"Assassin? You an a hired killer?" Rain gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. The revelation caught her off guard, and she instinctively glanced over at Uncle Ben.
Ava shot Greg a sharp look. "Oh, you and your big mouth, brother!"
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