Chapter 25

It she lied, he would uncover it. If she told the whole truth, everything she had carefully hidden would unravel. The only path left was the treacherous middle ground.

Lilly swallowed hard and said. "He's not just a friend. He wasm my former lover."

The tension in the car snapped like a taut wire. Alexander's expression darkened immediately. "Pull over."

The driver obeyed without question, bringing the car to a halt on an isolated road. The escort vehicles following behind stopped as well. Both the driver and James, Alexander's right-hand man, exited the car silently and climbed into one of the other vehicles, leaving the two of them alone.

Lilly's pulse quickened. The abrupt stop, the oppressive silence-something about the situation felt dangerously volatile. "Why are we stopping?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Alexander's gaze bore into her."When you say he was your ex, do you mean he was your boyfriend?"

"Yes,"she admitted.

“And how," Alexander asked coldly, "could you have had a relationship with him if this is his first time in Country A?" Lilly hesitated, the weight of his question pressing down on her. There was no point denying it further. “Because I traveled to another country before," she confessed. His hand shot out, gripping hers with a force that made her wince.“You visited Country C?"

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth, trying to pull away."Let go of me!"

His grip tightened before loosening slightly, his dark eyes studying her intently. “You need to explain why you went to Country C and why you hid it from me."

"I don't owe you an explanation," she snapped, defiance flaring despite her fear.

Alexander's jaw clenched. "When we married, I had you investigated thoroughly. Nothing about a trip to Country C came up. You'd better start talking, Lilly, or you'll face the consequences."

She met his gaze with a mix of defiance and desperation. "The contract we signed specifies that you're not to interfere in my personal matters, just as I don't interfere in yours.”

"Not when it's something I need to know," he growled, his voice like a blade slicing through the tense air. “Especially since he was your first."

Lilly flinched at the mention of her past, the unspoken accusation hanging heavy between them. “You're hurting me," she said quietly.

His grip loosened, and for a moment, something unspoken flickered in his eyes before he turned away. Without another word, he signaled for the driver and James to return, and the car resumed its journey. The rest of the drive was cloaked in icy silence. When they finally reached the mansion, Lilly climbed out and stormed inside, her anger simmering beneath the surface. Clara greeted her warmly. "Welcome back, ma'am.How was your evening?

"It went fine," Lilly replied curtly, her tone betraying her irritation.

Clara's gaze dropped to Lilly's wist, her expression shifting to concern.“

Oh dear, what happened to your wrist?"

Before Lilly could respond, Alexander entered the room.

“I'm fine," Lilly said, pulling her hand back. She shot a glance at Alexander before adding, "Clara, you don't need to worry.”

"Let me treat it for you-" Clara began, but Lilly cut her off.

"No, it's fine." She turned on her heel and headed for the elevator,leaving Clara staring after her.

Alexander's presence loomed behind them. Clara quickly bowed.“Welcome back,sir."

He gave a terse nod before heading to the basement. There, he switched on the lights,selected a gun from the wall, and began firing at the target.Each shot rang out like a punctuation mark to his thoughts, sharp and deliberate.

Meanwhile, Lilly was pacing her room, phone in hand.

Lilly:“There's a problem."

Michael:"What happened?” Matthew:“Details,now.”" Lilly hesitated before typing: "Albert showed up. I had to tell Alexand er that we had a relationship and that I traveled to Country C." Matthew: "Does he know anything else?”

Lilly:“NNot yet.”

Matthew: "I'll deal with their investigation. I can plant a cover story to mask your time in Country C."

Lilly:“Do it. Just don't let anything about my connection,to Albert come up.”

The group chat fell silent for a moment before Sarah responded.

Sarah:“You know this can't last forever. You'll have to tell him the truth eventually.”

Lilly stared at the message, her mind a storm of conflicting thoughts.

Michael: “No, she can't reveal everything yet. Not until we've gathered enough evidence against her stepmother and stepsister."

Sarah:"He's going to find out, especially now that she's carrying his child.Do you really t'll let this go?”

The group chat erupted with stunned messages.

Michael:"Lilly... you're pregnant?!”

Matthew:“Wait,what?!” Lilly sighed, reading their shocked reactions. She quickly typed,“Let's meet tomorrow at my old place at noon," and turned off her phone. That night, Alexander didn't retuarn to their room. When she woke the next morning, her wrist was bandaged. The sight of the neatly wrapped gauze made her heart clench in confusion. She smiled faintly before shaking it off.

At breakfast, she was surprised to find Alexander still at home. He was seated at the table, casually scrolling through his tablet, his coffee untouched.

Clara greeted her warmly, serving breakfast. "Good morning, ma'am."

"Good morning, Clara," Lilly replied with a forced smile."Thank you for taking care of my wrist."

Clara blinked in confusion. “I didn't bandage your wrist,ma'am.”

Lilly froze, her gaze darting to Alexander.

Clara hesitated, glancing at him as well. “Ma'am, the truth is that Mr.Kane-”

"You're dismissed, Clara,” Alexander cut in sharply.

Clara bowed and left quickly.

Lilly turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “Did I do something wrong.Mr.Kane?” she asked, feigning innocence.

His gaze darkened, his jaw tightening. “You've made plenty of mistakes,"he said cryptically. He slid an envelope across the table toward her.

"What's this?" she asked, picking it up. “You'll accompany me to a banquet next week," he said. Lilly frowned. “You never take me to these things. Why now?" "It's the 80th birthday of the Lawrence family head. It's time I introduced you properly," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Her blood ran cold. The Lawrence family was one of the most influential in Aurora City. The event would be swarming with media, ensuring her presence would not go unnoticed.

“You're planning to announce our marriage," she said,her voice barely above a whisper.

Alexander's cold smile was all the confirmation she needed.