I had no choice.

I slipped on my slippers, walked to the door, and stepped out, closing it quietly behind me.

I looked at him.

"What are you doing here? Do you need something?"

"You tell me," Alexander replied, his gaze fixed on me.

Before I could say anything, he cut in—

"Don’t make excuses. Just tell me the truth. Are you in a bad mood?"

"There’s no reason. Don’t ask me again."

"Did you watch Lilian’s show?"

I said nothing.

"You’re jealous, aren’t you?"

"No. Not at all." I shook my head quickly. "Why would I be jealous? Don’t jump to conclusions."

I paused.

Then added, quietly—

"I don’t even like you....."

The air between us froze.

The moment the words left my mouth, Alexander’s expression shifted.

"Alicia," he said, his voice lower now, "are you planning to go back on your promise to Nana?"

I hesitated, then whispered,

"Not really..."

He reached out and grabbed my hand.

"You’re just going to sulk on your own?" His grip tightened slightly. "No matter what happens, you should be honest with me. Don’t avoid things."

His eyes locked onto mine.

"Communication is the only way to solve anything. Otherwise, the distance between us will only grow."

He paused, then asked again—

"Is it because you saw Lilian’s show? Because you found out I used to tell her those stories?"

"No."

I bit my lip and shook my head.

But even I knew—

I was lying.

And he knew it too.

I just...

Didn’t want to admit that I was jealous.

"Alicia, you can’t take out your frustrations about my past on me," Alexander said, his tone firm. "My past is there—I can’t erase it. I’m not asking you to accept everything, but you need to understand... the past is the past. What matters is the future."

He paused, his gaze steady on mine.

"If, in the end, I choose to stay with you and not divorce, then what difference does it make that I told her the same stories?"

I lowered my head, pressing my lips together.

I said nothing.

"Still planning to soak in the pool?" he asked after a moment.

When I didn’t respond, he continued,

"If you want to, go back to your room, pack your things, and move into mine. Don’t worry—tonight is the last night. Tomorrow morning, I’ll drive you out. No one will know."

I turned silently and walked back to my room.

"Director Alicia, are you leaving?" Amanda asked, confused.

"Yeah, something came up. I need to leave," I replied, my expression unchanged.

"Oh... I hope everything goes well."

"Thanks."

After packing, I headed to Room 0108.

Dinner had already been set out.

We ate together in near silence.

Just as Alexander was about to stand, I remembered something and spoke quickly—

"Can you do me a favor?"

He glanced at me. "Just say it. No need for pleasantries between us."

"Can I take a picture with you... for my status update?"

His expression shifted immediately.

"A picture with me? For your status update?" he repeated.

I nodded and explained quickly,

"On the ride here, Leonard asked if I was in a relationship. I said yes, but he didn’t believe me. He’s... interested in me."

I lowered my gaze slightly.

"I told him I have a boyfriend, but he still won’t back off. I’m worried he’ll keep bothering me, so... I want to make it clear."

I added quickly,

"Don’t worry, I won’t show your face."

Alexander already knew there had been someone pursuing me at work.

Without hesitation, he agreed.

"Alright. How do you want to take it?"

"I want it to look believable," I said calmly. "Something... a little more intimate."

He held my gaze for a moment.

Then nodded.

"Okay."

I smiled and continued,

"Here’s what I was thinking: I’ll sit on your lap, and you wrap your arm around me. I’ll take the selfie so only your chin down is in the frame. Is that okay?"

"Okay."

I stood and walked over to him.

Even though it felt a little awkward, I pushed those thoughts aside and sat on his lap.

I took several shots.

After going through them, I picked one.

"This one works. But we can’t post it today. Let’s wait until we’re back."

If I posted it now, people at work would immediately guess it was Alexander.

"Alright."

In the photo, my face was the focal point.

The rest of the frame showed a man in a bathrobe—his collarbone, part of his chest, and a sharp jawline visible, but not enough to fully reveal his identity.

Satisfied, I stood up and walked toward the pool, sinking into the warm water with a soft sigh.

So relaxing.

A moment later, Alexander joined me.

Before I could react, his arm slid around my waist, pulling me back against him.

His breath brushed against my ear as his voice dropped."Would you like to try the twenty-centimeter depth?"

My face burned instantly.

I pushed against him. "Is that all you think about? Is that why you insisted I come here?"

"It’s been two months," he replied calmly. "What do you think?"

Realizing where this was heading, I tried to pull away.

"No..."If I let this go on, the baby might not be able to handle it.

‎Alexander chuckled softly. "It’s fine, we don’t have work tomorrow."

‎He’d been holding back for two months already. Not to mention, these past few days, he’d been helping me relax even more, I could imagine how much its been making it harder to resist."You said I needed to agree first," I reminded him, my voice quieter now. "And I didn’t."

He paused.‎"Well, you could at least help me out."

Then, instead of pressing further, his tone shifted slightly—less forceful, but no less intent.

"stay," he murmured. "Just... stay like this."I hesitated,then waved my fingers in the front .

‎Alexander shook his head. "Turn around and keep your legs together..."

The warmth of the water, his presence beside me, the steady rhythm of his breathing—

It all blurred together.

Afterward, I felt completely drained, leaning back with a mix of exhaustion and mixed emotions,the inside of my thighs was flushed and sore. I Couldn’t even move.

Alexander, however, seemed unusually calm and satisfied.

He carried me back to bed afterward, his movements careful and steady.

His attentiveness remained as precise as ever.

I didn’t say anything.

The next morning, before dawn, Alexander gently woke me.

"Let’s go. You can continue resting in the car on the way back."

<<<>>>>

The department employees were still at the resort.

Although I had already returned early, there was no work waiting for me, so I stayed home and allowed myself to rest.

While scrolling through my phone, I suddenly remembered the photo Alexander and I had taken.

It was time to post it.

But that wasn’t the real reason.

The photo wasn’t for Leonard.

It was for Lilian.

A faint thought crossed my mind as I stared at the image.

I wanted her to see it.

And I wanted it to unsettle her.

I attached a heart emoji and uploaded it as a status.

If Lilian had a reaction to it, that was her problem. Even if she did, I was certain Alexander wouldn’t ask me to take it down.

I waited.

It didn’t take long before a notification popped up:

Alexander liked your status.

Shortly after, comments began appearing from colleagues who were still at the resort.

Most were confused—they couldn’t see his face clearly, yet they still offered congratulations.

One particularly bold male colleague even commented:

"Definitely looks like a twenty-centimeter guy."

Sandra immediately messaged me on WhatsApp.

"Sis, what’s going on? Tell me everything!"

Alicia:

"Just as you can see, we’re in the dating phase. Not sure if it’ll last."

"Aaaah! Alicia, where did you find him? That body, those pecs—amazing!"

"Stop drooling."

"Can I meet him?"

"Not yet. Maybe later."

Third Person POV

When Aiden saw the status update, he froze.

His eyes stayed fixed on the screen for a long moment, as if he needed time to process what he was seeing.

His thoughts became unsettled.

He had always assumed Alicia was single... and that he still had a chance.

But now, someone had already stepped in front of him.

Aiden finally sent a message:

"When did you start seeing someone? Your boyfriend’s in great shape."

Alicia exhaled softly as she read it.

She immediately regretted making the status visible to everyone.

Her intention had been simple—to provoke Lilian, not to deal with questions from colleagues.

Still, she replied calmly:

"Right? He’s definitely in great shape."

"When can I meet him?".....