PLEASE IGNORE THIS Chapter,IT IS JUST A REPEATATION, DO NOT OPEN IT.

"Alexander, what are you looking at?" Lilian asked softly.

"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head as his gaze dropped. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Alicia tightened her grip on the card, took a deep breath, and walked back toward Sophie.

Alicia’s POV

A staff member approached and led us to our table. We sat down and placed our orders, though my mind was far from the present moment.

After a while, the dishes began to arrive, and we started eating. I forced myself to act normal, doing everything I could to keep Sophie from noticing the turmoil raging inside me.

As I absentmindedly dipped a slice of meat into the broth, my thoughts drifted even further. Suddenly, the hot broth splashed onto my hand—but I felt nothing at first.

"Alicia—oh no! How could you be so careless?" Sophie exclaimed, quickly grabbing a napkin and dabbing at my hand.

By then, my skin had already turned red and swollen from the burn.

"Does it hurt? Is it bad? Should we go to the hospital?" she asked anxiously.

I gave a small smile and shook my head. "It’s fine. I’ll just put some ointment on it when I get back."

Sophie frowned, muttering under her breath, "How did you even manage to burn yourself like that?"

"I was distracted... not paying attention," I replied quietly. "I’ll rinse it off in the restroom."

With that, I stood up and walked toward the sink, letting the cool water run over the burn.

As I turned off the tap, I caught a glimpse of someone standing behind me in the mirror.

I stepped aside, intending to walk past her.

"Alicia, I need to talk to you about Alexander."

Lilian’s voice carried a faint, knowing smile.

I paused, glancing at her. "What about him?" I asked evenly.

She took a step closer. "I only found out a few days ago that you two are married."

I raised a brow, letting out a soft, disbelieving laugh. "And? Are you expecting me to leave him?"

I didn’t buy her words for a second. She claimed she had just learned about our marriage, yet from the very beginning, Kendra had been targeting me. They were business partners—none of this added up unless there was something more between them.

Lilian’s expression stiffened for a fraction of a second.

"So... you’re not planning to leave him?" she asked, tilting her head as though my reaction surprised her.

I met her gaze calmly. "What exactly are you trying to say? Or do you want me to step aside for you?"

She inhaled slowly, composing herself before that polished smile returned.

"Alicia, don’t be so quick to judge. What Alexander and I have... isn’t something you can reduce to a few words."

I smiled back, though my patience was thinning. "I’m not interested in whatever you think you have with him."

"Oh, it’s not that you’re uninterested," Lilian replied, her smile widening. "You’re just afraid to face the truth."

She took another step closer, her voice soft but deliberate.

"What I share with Alexander is different. You admire him—look up to him. But with me, it goes far deeper. We went to college together. We grew from naïve teenagers into who we are today. We faced hardships side by side... our lives are intertwined in ways you could never understand."

My fingers tightened against the fabric of my clothes as a bitter wave rose in my chest.

She wasn’t entirely wrong.

I had always looked up to Alexander.

When I first entered the Blackwood family, I could only steal fleeting glances at him whenever he returned to the mansion from his apartment. I would linger by his study, watching him from afar, my heart swelling with a quiet, secret joy.

And back then... the one who stood openly by his side, proud and unafraid—

was Lilian.

PLEASE IGNORE THIS Chapter,IT IS JUST A REPEATATION, DO NOT OPEN IT.

"Alexander, what are you looking at?" Lilian asked softly.

"Nothing," he replied, shaking his head as his gaze dropped.

Alicia tightened her grip on the card, took a deep breath, and walked back toward Sophie.

Alicia’s POV

A staff member approached and led us to our table. We sat down and placed our orders, though my mind was far from the present moment.

After a while, the dishes began to arrive, and we started eating. I forced myself to act normal, doing everything I could to keep Sophie from noticing the turmoil raging inside me.

As I absentmindedly dipped a slice of meat into the broth, my thoughts drifted even further. Suddenly, the hot broth splashed onto my hand—but I felt nothing at first.

"Alicia—oh no! How could you be so careless?" Sophie exclaimed, quickly grabbing a napkin and dabbing at my hand.

By then, my skin had already turned red and swollen from the burn.

"Does it hurt? Is it bad? Should we go to the hospital?" she asked anxiously.

I gave a small smile and shook my head. "It’s fine. I’ll just put some ointment on it when I get back."

Sophie frowned, muttering under her breath, "How did you even manage to burn yourself like that?"

"I was distracted... not paying attention," I replied quietly. "I’ll rinse it off in the restroom."

With that, I stood up and walked toward the sink, letting the cool water run over the burn.

As I turned off the tap, I caught a glimpse of someone standing behind me in the mirror.

I stepped aside, intending to walk past her.

"Alicia, I need to talk to you about Alexander."

Lilian’s voice carried a faint, knowing smile.

I paused, glancing at her. "What about him?" I asked evenly.

She took a step closer. "I only found out a few days ago that you two are married."

I raised a brow, letting out a soft, disbelieving laugh. "And? Are you expecting me to leave him?"

I didn’t buy her words for a second. She claimed she had just learned about our marriage, yet from the very beginning, Kendra had been targeting me. They were business partners—none of this added up unless there was something more between them.

Lilian’s expression stiffened for a fraction of a second.

"So... you’re not planning to leave him?" she asked, tilting her head as though my reaction surprised her.

I met her gaze calmly. "What exactly are you trying to say? Or do you want me to step aside for you?"

She inhaled slowly, composing herself before that polished smile returned.

"Alicia, don’t be so quick to judge. What Alexander and I have... isn’t something you can reduce to a few words."

I smiled back, though my patience was thinning. "I’m not interested in whatever you think you have with him."

"Oh, it’s not that you’re uninterested," Lilian replied, her smile widening. "You’re just afraid to face the truth."

She took another step closer, her voice soft but deliberate.

"What I share with Alexander is different. You admire him—look up to him. But with me, it goes far deeper. We went to college together. We grew from naïve teenagers into who we are today. We faced hardships side by side... our lives are intertwined in ways you could never understand."

My fingers tightened against the fabric of my clothes as a bitter wave rose in my chest.

She wasn’t entirely wrong.

I had always looked up to Alexander.

When I first entered the Blackwood family, I could only steal fleeting glances at him whenever he returned to the mansion from his apartment. I would linger by his study, watching him from afar, my heart swelling with a quiet, secret joy.

And back then... the one who stood openly by his side, proud and unafraid—

was Lilian.