Chapter 144: Chapter 145

Chapter 0145 Ella POV Alexander’s driver had been on standby, knowing we likely wouldn’t stay long. The car was already running when we reached it.

Alexander held the door open for me before getting in behind me, and as soon as the door closed, the driver began to pull away from the park.

I looked down at the papers in my arms and started to read, but honestly, I couldn’t make sense of much of what I was looking at. Maybe it was the excitement of the last few minutes, but I was having trouble focusing on anything in particular.

I felt almost jittery from adrenaline. Confronting David and Amanda so directly was frightening but also gratifying. If the two of them thought they would be able to abuse and torment me and then simply walk away, moving on with their lives as though nothing had happened, they were wrong.

I would make myself a thorn in their side for all time if that’s what it took to keep David from carrying out the same actions he had in the original timeline.

Alexander seemed just as determined, though for reasons I didn’t fully understand. He wanted to be king, so I suppose that was reason enough. But there was more to it, could feel it a depth to his actions, a hidden motivation behind his actions.

I couldn’t quite grasp it yet, but I would. For now, I just had to trust that our shared goal would keep us aligned.

“You handled that well,” Alexander said, his tone light and approving I smiled at his reassuring words but shrugged. “I’m sure I only managed the situation because you were with me. If I were still trying to handle David on my own, I probably would’ve let this contract go,” I admitted.

Alexander’s gaze softened. “Well, it’s a very good thing you don’t need to handle him alone,” he replied. “I’ll have my lawyers look over the paperwork when we get back to the Capitol, just to make sure he hasn’t tried to pull anything. It would be foolish of him to do so, but we both know how unpredictable he can be.”

“Of course,” I nodded, agreeing. “We can’t be too careful when it comes to him.”

“He was clearly shaken to see you,” Alexander said, his voice low and serious. “Which means he knows he’s not going to get away with what he did to you.”

The serious expression on Alexander’s face made me pause He was right, of course. David had panicked the moment he saw me, thinking that I was there to expose his criminality.

He must believe we had some proof against him, even though we didn’t–yet. Hopefully, Alexander’s investigators would dig something up soon.

“The loss of this land is going to be devastating to his pack’s finances,” I said thoughtfully, setting the papers on the seat beside me. “It wouldn’t be if David and his father were more responsible with their money, but considering the fact that they spend beyond their means, this will have a notable impact very quickly.”

“It will have a notable impact for your pack as well,” Alexander said. “I have no doubt that you’ll be able to make good use of the land and enrich yourselves even further, which will, of course, Infuriate him.”

“That’s the reason I proposed this exact contract,” I explained. “If we’re able to make this land productive, we can. cut back on our imports of food and spend less.”

“You’re clever,” Alexander said, offering me a fond smile. And knowledgeable about your pack’s needs. You’ll be a great leader,”

+25 BONUS Chapter 0145 “Thank you,” I said, feeling a little shy at his compliment. “We don’t need the land, but it’s always good to look for opportunities to make the pack more stable.”

“Well, if you don’t need the land, I seem to remember you promising me I could have a portion of it,” Alexander said, his voice light with a teasing wink.

“I did say that, didn’t I?” I smiled, remembering the time he had come to my home late at night, and I had snuck out to meet up with him in my pajamas.

The memory made me smile until I recalled the way Alexander had pushed me up against the house to shield me from the sight of the guards. The closeness and heat of his touch brought up other memories, ones I had been doing my best to keep away.

“I’m only joking,” Alexander said, his tone softening as he caught the shift in my expression.

“I know,” I said, smiling as I shook the memories away.

“It’s payment enough that I got to see the look on David’s face,” Alexander said, smirking. “He’s getting worse at hiding his anger in public, which is good for us. If he seems unsteady, it will shake people’s trust in him. No one wants a leader who’s fueled by their emotions. It makes people unpredictable, and that unpredictability can be dangerous.”

“Which is exactly why we have to keep doing what we’re doing,” I agreed. “Someone like David can’t be allowed to come to power.

“But that amount of land is tempting,” Alexander said, glancing at the stack of papers. “I had no idea you talked him into a contract that is so lucrative. He must really have been desperate that night in the restaurant.”

“You were there,” I said with a slight smile. “How desperate did he seem?”

“Very,” Alexander replied. “And truly, he seemed to believe he couldn’t live without “If that were true, he wouldn’t have hurt me,” I said quietly “Undoubtedly,” Alexander said, reaching out to touch my knee comfortingly.

you.

I smiled, but his statement made me think. Alexander had done so much for me recently–lavish gifts, constant protection and I owed him several times over. Yet, he never asked for anything in return.

Maybe it was time for me to find a way to thank him. There had to be something I could do to show him how much I appreciated everything he’d done for me.

I didn’t know a lot about Alexander’s tastes–what he liked and what he didn’t. It seemed he was always spending lavishly, buying the finest of everything, but I got the feeling that was more about keeping up appearances than personal taste. I would have to pay close attention, see if I could find any hint of what he might like as a gift.

If he could remember little details like my favorite flower, then there was no reason I shouldn’t be attentive to him. Our relationship might not have been truly romantic, but it was real enough.

We were going to continue to spend most of our time together for the foreseeable future, and not only would it help with the public perception of our relationship for us to seem like a close and happy couple, but it would also strengthen our bond of friendship. That would make our time together more pleasant.

That is, so long as I could keep my more romantic feelings for Alexander under control. It had become a bit more difficult to do so since the night we slept together, but it wasn’t impossible. I just had to keep my wits about me.

Looking at Alexander’s hand on my knee, I knew that it wouldn’t be so easy.

-25 BONUS Chapter 0146