Chapter 757 The smiling eyes gradually dimmed
Melissa suddenly raised her hand and slapped Alexander across the face.
Alexander felt the sting but just lowered his eyes and took it, saying softly, "This slap is long overdue. I hope it helps you let go of some of that anger."
In that moment, he looked just like his father Maximus—calm, composed, and patient.
Melissa's hand trembled as she hit him, then slowly lowered it, and tears started to fall. She never let her emotions show; she was usually so composed, but Alexander's words had really gotten to her.
Seeing that Alexander had actually taken the slap, Melissa finally started to calm down and turned to walk outside.
The afternoon sky was a bit gloomy as Alexander slowly pushed open the door to Adrian's ward..
Adrian had already heard the commotion outside. Seeing Alexander come in, he nervously asked, "Alexander, did my mom hit you? I'm sorry about that."
Alexander said coolly, "No need to apologize, but once you recover, I want you to leave Ankenra City."
"What?"
Alexander said, "Until you give up on Victoria."
Adrian got what he meant and immediately refused, "I won't leave. I could never give up on her."
"I get that you miss home, but that doesn't give you the right to go after my wife," Alexander retorted.
"I love Victoria; I don't need any excuses." Adrian understood Alexander's words. On one hand, he found it unbelievable; on the other, he couldn't agree to Alexander's demands.
Alexander said with a cold smile, "I don't know where the ring on Victoria's hand came from, but there's one thing I can tell you for sure. Victoria is still my wife."
"What do you mean?" Adrian felt a bit uneasy.
"The divorce papers have always been in my office. I've never submitted them."
In other words, even though both had signed the divorce papers, they were invalid.
"How can you do this? You're just playing with Victoria. You know she will never love you again. You know how much she wants to cut ties with you."
"But she is Strawberry's biological mother."
"I love Strawberry too," Adrian said, feeling wronged but certain. Despite his feelings, he still sensed a kind of bloodline suppression in front of Alexander.
Alexander said with a sneer, "Of course you can love her. You're Strawberry's uncle."
Adrian felt stifled. He didn't understand why Alexander had such a strong sense of control, as if everything in the world should be decided by him. But why should it be?
Alexander sat by his bed and talked with him for a while, then patted his shoulder, saying, "Grandpa and Grandma are very worried about you. Get some rest and visit them when you recover."
As Alexander left, Adrian remained standing there, every bone in his body resisting, wanting to overturn everything Alexander had said.
At the Harrington Group's annual meeting, held in the Sky Garden of the Harrington Group Hotel, all the executives from various branches were in attendance.Victoria wore a sexy black dress, showing off her fair skin, and attended with Alexander, who was in a suit.
Of course, as the previous chairman of Harrington Group, Maximus also attended with his wife Arabella. Many long-time employees of the company had a close relationship with the couple.
Shortly after the cocktail party began, Alexander finished speaking and turned to walk off the stage, starting to take off his jacket. He headed straight to Victoria, who was standing not far away, and opened his jacket, saying, "Hold out your hand."
Victoria looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he was trying to do in such a setting. Everyone's eyes were on them, and she felt a bit bewildered.
Alexander urged patiently, "Hurry up, or you'll catch a cold and won't be able to hold Strawberry when you get home."
Hearing his words, she put on his jacket, still puzzled as to why he had given her such a beautiful dress in the first place.
Maximus and Arabella were watching with some old friends. Arabella said, "My dear son never knows how to speak properly, but at least he's smart enough to be considerate."
Arabella's friend next to her said, "They look like a loving couple. Even though it seems like they're arguing, they still care about each other. Just now, when Alexander was on stage, I saw Victoria fixing his tie."
Arabella kept her eyes on the couple and responded, "Victoria has always been very attentive. At home, she takes good care of us. Outside, she shows great respect for Alexander."
Alexander's gaze was fixed on Victoria. His long fingers gently brushed over the top of her head, and when he reached her ear, he slowly tucked her stray hair behind it. Her hair was now so short that it slipped through his fingers with just a slight touch.
As Alexander felt the loss of the sensation in his hand, it was as if something important had been taken from him, and the smile in his eyes gradually dimmed.
Victoria looked at him in confusion, thinking it might be an illusion or that he was just pretending, because he now looked very affectionate, even with a hint of pain. She didn't understand, but soon she heard people talking not far away and finally shifted her gaze from him.
"Arablla, have you heard the rumors about your son being very close with Bryant family's daughter?"
Another voice chimed in, "Of course, I heard Harrington Group is collaborating with Bryant Group again. Mr. Bryant himself said it was thanks to his daughter."
"That Daisy from Bryant family."
Arabella, maintaining her composure, gestured for the speaker to look at Alexander. "Don't talk nonsense. Personal relationships shouldn't affect business. Look at Alexander's gaze; do you think he will fall in love with another woman?"
There was still a host speaking on stage, but Alexander's eyes seemed to be glued to Victoria.
Victoria felt uncomfortable being stared at and immediately looked away, saying, "I see Mr. Raymond is here. I'll go greet him."
"I'm done here. I'll go with you," Alexander said, wrapping his arm around Victoria's slender waist.
Victoria instinctively looked down at his hand, then looked back at him, reminding him softly, "Mr. Harrington, you don't need to be so affectionate with your secretary, do you?"
Alexander's eyes softened as he replied, "Your waist feels cold. Let me warm it for you so you won't be uncomfortable. And don't get too emotional; after all, you are the mother of my child."
Later, Victoria stood in front of Francis Raymond, with Alexander's arm around her waist. They looked so close that it made people think they were inseparable, but...
"I heard you had a very cute baby. If you have time, I'd love to meet Strawberry." Francis expressed genuine concern for Victoria, but before she could respond, someone else spoke up.
Holding Victoria's slender waist, Alexander said to Francis, "Didn't you receive the invitation to my daughter's Welcome Baby Party? It's here tomorrow night. You must attend."
Francis was in charge of two factories in the city. He had taken Victoria there a few times before, and she always found him kind-hearted. Francis felt a special connection to Victoria because she reminded him of his late daughter, which led to their frequent interactions.
With Alexander suddenly saying this, Francis felt honored and said, "That's wonderful. If I could bring my wife, that would be..."
Alexander said with a slight smile, "Please do bring Mrs. Raymond."
Victoria couldn't help but look up at Alexander, not knowing what he was suddenly planning tonight. They had said such things to each other in the morning, and she thought he wouldn't continue pretending in front of others, but he was pretending even more tonight.
Later, Alexander took her to sit on the sofa, and Victoria asked, "What was that about just now?"
Alexander took a sip of his drink and said, "Don't you think he's kind-hearted? Do you want to get to know him better?"
Victoria looked at him in confusion, her heart sinking.
Back when their relationship was still good, they had once watched TV in the living room after returning from the factory. She had lain in his arms and said that Francis looked like a kind-hearted father. She hadn't expected him to remember.
She slowly lowered her eyes, trying to hide the emotions that shouldn't be in them.
Alexander's eyes looked at her with a deep, penetrating gaze, as if he could see straight into her heart. Suddenly, he said, "Let's leave in five minutes."
Victoria looked at him and asked, "We together?"
Alexander looked at her, saying, "Yes, together."
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