Chapter 148

The last of the visitors had departed from Rose Manor, leaving only Isabella and Victoria alone in the twilight-kissed gardens.

As shadows lengthened across the manicured lawns, Isabella's natural beauty remained undiminished, her flawless complexion making Victoria's fingers curl with envy.

Despite their bitter history, Victoria couldn't deny Isabella's breathtaking allure.

Living with such perfection for three years, even in a marriage of convenience, had left Victoria seething with insecurity.

Victoria approached, smoothing her own hair with calculated grace, her smile sharp as broken glass. "Found yourself a new protector already? How efficient. Though really, you should have done this sooner. No matter how desperately you cling to Alexander, he'll never look at you twice."

Isabella regarded her with amused detachment. "Why would I need his attention? I'm not some performing circus animal."

Victoria's smirk faltered at the barb. Suppressing a snarl, she played her trump card. "Since we're being honest, let me share some happy news. Alexander and I are announcing our engagement on my birthday."

"How lovely. Though I'm afraid I didn't bring a gift." Isabella's tone dripped with disinterest.

The dismissive response ignited Victoria's temper. "You can pretend all you want, but I know you're seething inside. What does it matter? I'm the one Alexander chose, while you're just New York's most pathetic divorcee."

"Victoria darling," Isabella sighed, "every time we meet, it's either threats about stealing Alexander or boasting about your relationship. Is your life truly so empty? Beyond a divorced man, have you nothing else to define yourself?"

Victoria's face flushed scarlet. "How dare you!"

"I understand the urge to flaunt your wealthy catch, but find someone who cares. What you treasure is refuse I wouldn't touch again. How tedious."

"Refuse?" Victoria's voice rose to a shriek. "You're just jealous! The more vicious your words, the more you prove how much our relationship torments you! Three wasted years and Alexander still discarded you like yesterday's trash!"

A glacial shift came over Isabella's expression, making Victoria's blood run cold.

"People should learn when to stop. My patience isn't permission for your insolence. Cross me again, Miss Ashford, and I'll ensure your future becomes... complicated."

The name 'Ashford' struck Victoria like a physical blow, draining the color from her face.

She stumbled back a step, pulse hammering.

"That's an interesting reaction," Isabella observed with cold amusement. "Isn't Ashford the name you used abroad? Most people don't pale at hearing their own name."

"I don't know any Ashford! You're delusional!" Victoria's denial came too fast, her breathing ragged. The Ashford identity held everything she'd buried - the promiscuity, the illegitimate child, all anathema to the pure image she'd crafted for Alexander.

Isabella stepped closer, her smile razor-thin. "Names can change. Faces can change. But the past leaves marks even you can't erase. I've kept silent not from kindness, but indifference. Provoke me again, and I'll strip away every pretense."

Victoria's palms grew clammy, her heartbeat erratic.

When Alexander emerged from the manor, Isabella and Daniel had already departed.

After his unsettling conversation, he'd remained in the gardens, buffeted by cold winds until nightfall.

Now, after delivering Victoria to the hospital, Alexander returned to Windsor Estates with Lawrence.

The drive passed in tense silence, Lawrence's shirt damp with nervous sweat. "Mr. Kingsley, I... I can't apologize enough. Punish me as you see fit! This is entirely my failure—I had no idea we were dealing with Chambers Group representatives!"

His voice broke with genuine distress.

Alexander, who had been lost in thought, opened his eyes with a derisive snort. "You're weeping over this? At your age?"

"But this isn't insignificant, sir."

"The Chambers Group hasn't operated domestically in over a decade. Their obscurity isn't your failing."

Alexander exhaled sharply, massaging his temples. "Even with full intelligence, the outcome wouldn't change. He'd never have negotiated. Contact every comparable rose supplier in the country. We'll find alternatives."

"First thing tomorrow, sir!"

Lawrence mopped his brow, venturing carefully, "Mr. Chambers was remarkably generous to Mrs. Kingsley. Most businessmen would at least entertain multiple offers before committing to such a substantial deal."

The observation pierced Alexander like a blade.

Quietly, he asked, "Lawrence... was I truly so terrible to Isabella? Was I that cruel?"

Lawrence stiffened, caught between honesty and self-preservation.

"Speak freely. I won't hold it against you."

"Well, sir... materially, you were exceptionally generous. The finest homes, vehicles, unlimited credit..."

"A contractual arrangement requires proper compensation. I never withheld what was owed."

Alexander rubbed his brow, the weight of memory pressing down.

"If Mrs. Kingsley had viewed your union as purely transactional—prepared to depart after three years—then no, you did nothing wrong." Lawrence hesitated, then continued gravely, "The tragedy is that she loved you authentically. For three years, she endured your neglect and the Kingsleys' cruelty without complaint. To a woman who saw you as her husband, your treatment was... profoundly cold. All the money in the world must have felt like salt in the wound to someone who only wanted your heart."

Salt in the wound.

Alexander's throat constricted.

Emotions surged within him, a tempest he struggled to contain.

But the words "she loved you authentically" shattered his composure completely.