Alexander Hughes froze mid-motion, as though some thought had struck him.
“Claire, get out of the car first.”
And why should I ever listen to him?
I hadn’t three years ago, and I certainly wouldn’t now.
The mockery in my eyes was barely concealed.
Tired of wasting breath on him, I kicked Alexander hard, shoving him out of the car, and slammed the door shut.
As the engine roared to life, he tried to chase after me again.
But Isabella Reed clutched at him from behind.
“Alexander, my stomach hurts—my ankle too!”
Only then did his gaze shift back to her.
After settling Isabella in the hospital, Alexander finally remembered me.
He immediately ordered his men to investigate and obtain my address, then rushed straight over.
I had just hung up the phone when the doorbell rang.
Opening the door, I found Alexander standing there.
The moment his eyes fell on me in a loose robe, a flicker of possessive hunger lit his expression.
I gave him a cool glance.
“What, didn’t get enough of a beating today? Want me to kick you again?”
My words made him laugh, though his amusement was laced with arrogance.
“You went through all that trouble today just to draw me here, didn’t you?”
So that was it. He truly believed I was playing some elaborate game of hard to get.
When I didn’t respond, he pressed on.
“To reel me in, you even risked bribing my uncle’s men. Claire, you’ve learned a few tricks.”
His hand reached toward my face.
“I came to you as you wished—why pretend otherwise?”
But before his fingers could touch me, his phone rang.
Glancing at the screen, he stepped aside to answer.
On the other end, a woman’s voice whined and cooed. Alexander’s tone softened at once.
“Be good, don’t worry. I’ll be right there.”
After hanging up, he looked back at me.
“I have to go. You—”
I cut him off without ceremony.
“Then get lost quickly. Don’t stand here embarrassing yourself.”
“If my family saw you, they’d only feel disgusted.”
His face darkened at that.
“Claire, playing coy once is enough. Don’t keep testing my patience.”
“And besides, your parents are long dead. Other than me, what family do you even have?”
Even now, he stood over me with that same lofty arrogance.
He could mention my parents’ deaths so carelessly—as if he’d forgotten that it was his doing.
Had he forgotten how we spent three years locked in vicious combat, trying to destroy each other?
Why did he now act as though nothing had happened—so casually speaking of the pain he caused me?
That unbearable ache surged up again, and I couldn’t stop myself.
My hand flew across his face in a resounding slap.
“Alexander, you disgust me.”
He faltered, stunned, staring at me with my fury blazing in his reflection.
One hand rose to my cheek, the other slipped to my throat.
“So many years later, you finally speak the truth.”
His smile held no warmth, only cruelty.
“Disgusting, am I? Do you still think you’re that pure little flower you once were?”
“You’re nothing but a ruined toy now. What right do you have to stand against me?”
His grip tightened, cutting off my breath.
Just as the edges of my vision began to darken, I grabbed the heavy object at my side and swung it hard at him.
