Chapter 127

Chapter 127 Chapter 127 +25 BONUS “Kris was an idiot. I completely agree with that. But I could never doubt the love he has for Thalassa. I’ve been with him all these years. I was there when he desperately tried to verify those pictures of her supposedly cheating on him. It shattered him every time he was told they were real. And yet, even after that, he still chose to marry her.

“1 Luisa spun around, her expression hardening. “He married her to make her suffer.”

Alden nodded slowly, not bothering to deny it. “Yes, but that wasn’t his only reason. He married her because he still had hope–

Hope that she would confess what he thought she’d done. Despite how betrayed he felt, he was willing to forgive her if he saw that she truly regretted betraying him, if she showed him that she didn’t want to lose him. That’s how much he loved her, Luisa.

And he still does.”

A curt chuckle escaped Luisa. “He loved her so much that he knocked up the woman who was supposed to be her best friend and married her right shortly their divorce.”

Alden pursed his lips, shaking his head. “There was nothing between Kris and Karen while he was still married to Thalassa. And after the divorce, he never intended for anything to happen with Karen either. What happened that night was a mistake.

He got extremely drunk, thinking about Thalassa, and the next thing he knew, he woke up in bed with Karen. He doesn’t even remember what happened. He made it clear to her afterward that he didn’t love her, that there could be nothing between them.

But a month later, Karen told him she was pregnant. He told her he would take care of the child, but he couldn’t marry her–until she threatened to abort the baby.”

Luisa inhaled sharply, her hardened expression faltering. Alden saw his opening and stepped closer, pressing on. “Kris and Karen may have been married all these years, but it was only in name. There’s never been anything real between them. The only reason he stayed was because of his daughter–and because he got used to being miserable. He convinced himself that he could never love anyone else but Thalassa.”

Silence fell between them as Luisa’s expression softened, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. Alden took another step forward, closing the gap between them.

“Believe me, Luisa,” he said, his voice low, “Kris wasn’t behind the sabotage.”

“But... the evidence... everything points to him.”

Alden’s eyes sharpened. “What evidence, Luisa? The only proof you have is the word of that model. But is that really enough?

You both already had a low opinion of Kris, so it was easy for you to believe her.”

Luisa frowned, pacing in front of her desk. “But why would Carmen lie? She has no reason to be against Kris.”

Alden seized the opportunity, grateful that she was starting to question things. “You’re right–Carmen has no personal vendetta against Kris. But there’s someone else who does. Clark.”

Luisa stopped in her tracks, shaking her head firmly, “Why would Clark do something like that to Thalassa? He’s in love with her–

or at least trying to win her love, Besides he’s a good person.”

Alden met her gaze. “Is he? How well do you really know Clark, Luisa?” He let the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing. “It’s precisely because he’s trying to win Thalassa that he did this. He perceives Kris as a threat in his plans, and by making it look like it was Kris behind the sabotage, he knew it would make Thalassa push Kris further away from her.”

“Alden...”

“Think about it,” Alden pressed, his tone gentle but insistent. “You already had cameras in the display room. Why Chapter 127 +25 BONUS did Clark suggest installing another one? And isn’t it convenient that right after that, the new camera caught the model destroying the dresses–and then the model claimed Kris paid her to do it?”

“He said he had a hunch...” Luisa began, but her voice wavered as doubt clouded her features.

“A very convenient hunch, don’t you think?” Alden raised an eyebrow. “Luisa, Clark isn’t the man you think he is. Thalassa already told you about what we discovered, didn’t she?”

“Yes...” Luisa nodded slowly. “But how does it make him a bad person if the people he loved ended up committing suicide?”

“It doesn’t,” Alden admitted, “but don’t you think there are too many coincidences? He met all those women at the foundation’s support group, they were all millionaires with no family, all vulnerable mentally–and they all committed suicide the same way.

Overdose. Leaving him with all their fortune. Doesn’t that seem too convenient? Too-”

“Planned,” Luisa completed, her eyes widening slightly as she shook her head in disbelief. “How do I know this isn’t all just a story Kris made up to make Clark look suspicious? How do I know—”

She stopped when Alden suddenly took her hand in his, his eyes staring calmly yet intently into her eyes, making her heart flutter.

“Kris isn’t here speaking to you, Luisa. I am,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I would never conspire with Kris or anyone to manipulate you. Do you trust me?”

Luisa’s heart pounded wildly in her chest, the spicy scent of his cologne and the intensity of his gaze making her head spin. She knew the right answer should be ‘no‘. She barely knew him how could she trust him? But looking into his eyes, her doubts seemed to fade away.

Licking her lips, she whispered, “Yes.”

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