Chapter 494 The Culprit
Victoria moistened her red lips with a slight pout.
She let out a deep, thoughtful sound from her throat.
Her slender index finger traced along her jawline.
She seemed to be contemplating which question to ask first.
Her unhurried manner made him increasingly nervous.
"Mr. Howard, I'm curious—before you were married, how did you fend off your female admirers?" she asked.
Alexander initially wanted to say "I didn't have female admirers," but realized that wasn't quite right.
He quickly corrected himself, "Before meeting you, I never allowed interested women to come within thirty feet of me. Dylan and Marcus can both attest to that."
He continued explaining, "As for Lavinia saving me, I was once driving alone when enemies attacked. My car crashed through a barrier and rolled down an embankment. Lavinia happened to be passing by with her driver and rescued me."
The implication was clear: there had been a third person present—they were never alone together.
Victoria felt a slight pang in her chest hearing his explanation.
Marcus hadn't mentioned how Lavinia had saved him.
She blinked her bright eyes. "Fine, you pass that question. Next one."
Alexander sat attentively, like a diligent student afraid of missing a single word from his teacher.
"That day at the cliff—was saving me purely coincidental? Were you actually there to rescue Ezra, and I was just collateral?"
Victoria's tone was calm, but he could tell the question mattered to her.
She wasn't intentionally being petty, but something about it bothered her.
Alexander answered honestly, "No, encountering both you and Ezra was coincidental. My people had intelligence that Organization 103 would be there, but we didn't know they were targeting you or about your history with them. Saving you wasn't coincidence so much as divine providence—and evidence we share common enemies."
Victoria recalled overhearing Gideon mentioning to him that Organization 103 had stolen a shipment of gold.
She'd forgotten about that.
His answer was straightforward and truthful—exactly what she needed to hear.
As long as he hadn't gone specifically to rescue the Harrison family, hadn't truly agreed to Lavinia's request but rather had found their interests temporarily aligned, she could be satisfied.
"Alright, I'll let you off the hook. You pass," she said generously.
"Thank you, darling."
Victoria said, "Next question."
"Do you prefer women like Miss Windsor—seductive and alluring—or proper ladies like Miss Harrison?"
Alexander answered without hesitation, "I prefer women like you."
He replied so quickly that Victoria had barely finished speaking.
He didn't give himself even a second to consider.
"And what exactly am I like?" Victoria asked, suppressing a smile that tugged at her lips.
Alexander recalled a phrase he'd once read that described her perfectly.
"Both adorable and formidable," he said slowly.
"How am I adorable? And how am I formidable?" she asked, deliberately challenging him.
Alexander fell silent. If an ordinary journalist had pressed him with such questions, they'd have been shown the door immediately.
But this woman before him was different—she was the one he couldn't resist.
The one he held closest to his heart.
How should he answer such a question?
Alexander suddenly thought of something, a subtle smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Are you sure you want me to elaborate?"
Victoria, not noticing his expression, nodded, insisting he continue.
Alexander's deep, captivating voice then began, "As for adorable, it's the shy way you look when we make love and..."
"Stop right there!"
Hearing this, Victoria immediately knew where he was heading and cut him off.
"No more?" Alexander asked with feigned innocence.
Victoria shot him an exasperated look. "Couldn't you have chosen something else to mention?"
"I couldn't. That's my most vivid impression," Alexander said with mock seriousness.
Victoria remained silent.
"Then tell me the other part!"
A triumphant gleam shone in Alexander's deep eyes. "As you wish."
"Regarding formidable—you're incredibly cool and commanding in a fight, with an impressive presence."
Victoria thought his answer was heading in a reasonable direction, but that changed in an instant.
"But what impressed me most was during lovemaking, when your initiative brought me such pleasure and surprise..."
She glared at him angrily. "Alexander! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
What was all this talk about lovemaking?
He was deliberately saying these things, wasn't he?
But Alexander looked at her with complete innocence. "Not at all. I'm answering your questions seriously. Besides, you asked me to tell you."
Alexander's acting was impeccable—appearing as innocent and aggrieved as possible, as if she were the instigator.
She suddenly felt frustrated. She had intended to set traps for him, but now he was the one teasing her.
"Alexander, I think you're just..."
Before she could finish, Alexander suddenly clutched his chest, head dropping forward as he let out a pained groan.
Her heart tightened instantly. She leapt from the sofa and rushed to his side.
Given that he'd only awakened the day after surgery—technically his first proper day of recovery—and considering his already pale complexion, she didn't question the authenticity of his pain.
As soon as she reached the bedside, she immediately pressed the red button on the headboard.
"Where does it hurt? I've called for the doctor, just wait..."
Before she could finish, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, pulling her down.
By the time she realized she'd been tricked, Alexander had already pulled her onto the bed beneath him.
They stared at each other, face to face.
Their position could easily be misinterpreted.
"Alexander, stop fooling around. You're injured. Get up, please listen," Victoria said.
She tried to rise, but Alexander, despite his injuries and apparent weakness, somehow maintained surprising strength.
She couldn't budge him.
It was absurd.
Meanwhile, the nursing station staff, hearing the call button, immediately rushed to get the doctor.
This wasn't an ordinary patient's room, after all—they'd been instructed to monitor him closely.
They arrived with remarkable speed.
Marcus and the others standing guard at the door were startled to see doctors and nurses rushing toward them.
What was happening?
The door opened.
The two people on the hospital bed turned their heads in unison toward the doorway.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Carry on," Kirk said awkwardly.
Kirk, running at the front, was the first to enter.
He'd barely uttered a word before coming to an abrupt halt.
Victoria remained silent. Carry on with what?
Kirk quickly turned around to block those behind him, his mind working rapidly. "It's fine, nothing's wrong. Let's go," he said.
The others looked confused.
Kirk ushered everyone out while frantically signaling with his eyes.
After everyone had left, Kirk suddenly remembered something.
Summoning his courage, he reluctantly turned and went back in.
He carefully avoided looking around too much.
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