Chapter 140: Chapter 141: Dangerously peaceful
I still couldn’t bring myself to trust Alexander completely, and I had no idea how things between us would ultimately end.
"I’ve been watching you two from the start," Raphael said warmly.
"And I’m really happy for you."
"Thank you."
Of all Alexander’s friends, Raphael was the only one who knew about our marriage and the only one who had always treated
openly.
But then his expression shifted slightly.
"Alexander is the kind of person who values loyalty deeply."
"That’s why he couldn’t simply ignore Lilian after what happened."
"I hope you can understand."
Raphael had always been perceptive.
I could tell he had noticed the distance between Alexander and —perhaps ever since that gathering.
But I had no idea what he ant.
Seeing the confusion on my face, Raphael paused.
"Has he never told you?"
I shook my head.
Alexander had been careful not to ntion Lilian in front of
these days, likely trying to avoid upsetting .
Still, whatever Raphael referred to sounded like sothing from the past.
Raphael hesitated.
"I know it may not be my place to say this... but you deserve to know."
My chest tightened slightly.
"When they were together, Lilian was kidnapped."
His voice lowered.
"And during it... she was assaulted by the kidnappers."
My eyes widened in shock.
Before I could respond, a voice called from the restaurant entrance.
"Raphael, are we going?"
He glanced back, then at .
"I have to go now, Alicia. We’ll talk another ti."
"Take care."
"Bye."
I stood there, watching him leave.
An uneasy feeling settled heavily in my chest.
I had always suspected sothing terrible had happened to Lilian.
But I had never imagined sothing like this.
Still...
Alexander had not arranged Lilian’s kidnapping.
So why had he been trying to make it up to her then?
Unless—
My thoughts stilled.
Could Lilian’s kidnapping have had sothing to do with Alexander?
I thought about what Raphael had said the entire day, yet I still couldn’t bring myself to ask Alexander about it.
By the ti we returned ho from work and sat down for dinner, my mind was still elsewhere.
"If you have sothing to say—or sothing you want to ask—just ask."
Alexander’s calm voice pulled
back.
At the dinner table, I had glanced at him countless tis already.
I lowered my eyes, took a sip of soup, and stayed silent for a mont before finally speaking.
"What exactly happened between you and Lilian?"
Alexander paused.
For the first ti that evening, his expression faltered slightly.
"What made you ask that?"
"I just... wanted to know."
I lifted my gaze to et his.
"If it’s sothing you don’t want to talk about, that’s fine."
Instead of answering imdiately, he picked up a serving spoon and placed so chicken onto my plate.
"Eat more. Don’t just drink soup."
"mm."
"There’s nothing I can’t talk about."
His voice remained calm.
"It’s just that those things are in the past. There’s no need to keep bringing them up."
"You’re right."
Seeing my expression, Alexander let out a quiet sigh before speaking again.
"You should know so of it."
"I first t Lilian during our university anniversary celebration."
"That year, the event was large-scale, and preparations started months in advance."
"We got to know each other during rehearsals."
"After the celebration, we started dating."
"It wasn’t anything particularly dramatic at first... but later, so unpleasant things happened."
"After that, she broke up with
and went abroad."
The unpleasant things he ntioned were likely what Raphael had hinted at.
I looked at him carefully.
"There wasn’t much to it?"
My tone sharpened slightly before I could stop it.
"What do you an by that?"
Alexander raised a brow faintly.
"My schedule was packed back then."
"Classes, responsibilities, work."
"We didn’t spend much ti together."
I paused before asking the question that had suddenly risen in my mind.
"Who confessed first?"
"Lilian."
Alexander’s POV
Alicia had never shown much interest in my past with Lilian.
So when she suddenly began asking questions tonight, I was genuinely caught off guard.
For a brief mont, I even wondered whether she had sohow learned the true reason behind our separation.
Back in university, I had been handling courses from two separate disciplines—finance and mathematics.
My schedule had been overloaded.
I barely had ti to sleep, much less date.
I hadn’t even wanted to attend the anniversary event originally.
But in the end, I had no choice.
As I thought back to those years, I narrowed my eyes slightly.
So much ti had passed that the clearest reason I could rember agreeing to be with Lilian was simple—
She had been easy to be around.
I had always been reserved.
While other students chased romance with flowers, banners, dramatic confessions, and endless attention, I had been focused on my studies and the company.
At the ti, Lilian had seed gentle and considerate.
Unlike other girls who demanded constant attention, she gave
space and never pressured
for ti.
At least... in the beginning.
Perhaps it had been difficult for her at first.
Perhaps she simply learned to accept it.
"The charm of CEO Blackwood hasn’t faded, has it?"
Alicia’s voice pulled
from my thoughts.
I looked up.
She was smiling.
A rare smile.
My eyes flickered.
I hadn’t seen that expression on her face in a long ti.
Sothing stirred quietly in my chest.
I reached over and gently rubbed her head before leaning closer.
"Would you like to experience my charm?"
I asked teasingly.
"How would I experience it?"
I chuckled softly and leaned nearer, lowering my voice beside her ear.
"You’ll find out once we’re in the room."
"No way."
She scrunched her face dramatically, though the faint pink on her cheeks betrayed her.
"Finish your al before it gets cold."
She pushed
lightly away and changed the subject on purpose.
I smiled faintly and continued eating.
I already knew she wouldn’t allow anything intimate tonight.
These past few days, I had noticed it clearly.
Though she no longer pushed
away, she remained cautious—
As if afraid I might hurt her again.
The thought dimd my mood slightly.
Then I rembered sothing and looked up.
"By the way, everything is ready for the trip."
"You can pack tonight."
"Our flight leaves tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay."
She lowered her head and continued eating.
Alicia’s POV
That evening after dinner, I went upstairs and walked into the walk-in closet.
Tomorrow afternoon, Alexander and I would be leaving for New York for a few days, so there were still things to prepare.
I pulled out a suitcase and set it on the bench at the foot of the bed.
The mont I unzipped it, I heard footsteps behind .
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
"Packing already?" Alexander asked.
I glanced over my shoulder.
"Mm."
He leaned lazily against the doorfra, sleeves rolled up, looking entirely too relaxed for soone who was about to travel.
"Need so help, wife?" he asked teasingly.
I ignored the way my heartbeat skipped and continued folding my clothes.
"I’m packing. Stop distracting ."
"I can see what you’re doing."
He walked over and crouched beside the suitcase.
"I’ll help."
I stared at him.
"You?"
He raised a brow.
"You don’t believe I can?"
"Of course I do."
I narrowed my eyes, the teasing tone unmistakable.
"You’re CEO Blackwood. What can’t you do?"
A low chuckle escaped him.
"Is that a complint?"
"Consider it whatever you want."
Still, he reached for one of my blouses and began folding it.
I watched in silence.
Then I snatched it back.
"That’s inside out."
Alexander looked down at it, completely unbothered.
"It’s still folded."
"It’s wrinkled."
"It builds character."
I nearly laughed but held it in.
"You’re impossible."
"And yet you married ."
I paused.
He said those words so naturally now, as though the distance between us had never existed.
I quickly turned away and reached for another stack of clothes.
Alexander remained beside , this ti behaving himself.
He folded shirts neatly, placed them inside the suitcase, and even arranged the shoes to save space.
I glanced at him in surprise.
"You actually know how to pack."
"Of course."
He looked offended.
"I used to live alone in university."
"That explains why your clothes always looked wrinkled whenever you ca to the mansion."
He laughed softly.
"Hey, that’s not true."
The sound ward the room more than it should have.
For a while, we worked quietly side by side.
The soft rustle of fabric, the muted lamplight, the occasional brush of our hands—
It all felt strangely dostic.
Peaceful.
Dangerously peaceful....
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