Chapter 80

"If I disclose your penalty now, it will take away the excitement, my dear," Alexander said. Lilly had a strong premonition that whatever was planned for her would be unpleasant, so she needed to prepare herself.

"I need to use the restroom. I'll be down shortly so we can head out," she announced, rising and leaving without waiting for his consent. By the time she was finished with Alexander, he would be too wary to attempt anything against her in the future to avoid losing her.

She checked to ensure he wasn’t following her before closing the door and heading to the restroom. Once inside, she sat on the toilet and retrieved her phone. She called Sarah, who answered on the first ring.

"Hey Lilly, how’s everything? Did you change his mind? Is he still upset with you? I’ve been waiting for your call since yesterday," Sarah inquired, bombarding her with questions.

"He’s still going forward with his plan to ‘punish’ me, as he puts it," Lilly replied.

"What’s the punishment?" Sarah asked.

"I don’t know yet, but I’ll be initiating Plan D," Lilly said.

"Wait, there’s a Plan D?" Sarah asked, surprised.

"Yes, and you’ll find out later. I’ll coordinate it with Jacob and Michael," Lilly explained.

"Are you planning to avoid the punishment?" Sarah asked, astonished.

"Yes."

"He’s really going to be furious. You might even provoke him into locking you up one day. Isn’t your grandfather saying anything?" Sarah inquired.

"Grandfather supports him. He was even pleading on my behalf this morning," Lilly said. She remembered how her grandfather used to discipline her and her late sisters when they were growing up, so his support for Alexander didn’t surprise her.

"Seriously?" Sarah asked, disbelieving.

"Yes, so whatever Alexander plans to do, Grandfather won’t interfere," Lilly noted, recalling how her grandfather Caleb used to handle things when they were children.

"So, what’s your plan?" Sarah asked.

"You’ll find out later," Lilly said with a smile, thinking about it.

After ending her call with Sarah, Lilly contacted Michael and Jacob to share her plan. They weren’t supportive and saw it as a risk to their own interests. They knew well how formidable Alexander could be when truly enraged, and what Lilly was about to do would not only anger him but deeply concern him as well. Jacob, in particular, was anxious since he had been instructed to hack into Jack’s phone to find out the specifics of the punishment so they could prepare.

After her conversation with them, Lilly checked the time and realized she had been in the restroom for 30 minutes. Alexander might already be at the door waiting for her. She exited the restroom and returned to the room, only to find him sitting on the bed. She was confident he hadn’t overheard her conversation, thanks to the restroom’s soundproofing. Even after all these years, she still didn’t understand why her grandfather had made the restroom soundproof but not the rest of the room.

Alexander gave her a scrutinizing look. "What were you doing in there for over 30 minutes?"

"I was using the restroom," Lilly replied, meeting his gaze.

Alexander looked at her for a moment before standing up and approaching her. Lilly thought he was going to question her further, but instead, he said something different.

"You should change into something else."

"Why? Don’t you like this outfit?" Lilly asked, looking down at her clothes and wondering what was wrong with them.

"It’s nice, but since you’re going to face your punishment, you should wear something more comfortable," he suggested.

What kind of punishment was she going to face? Lilly wondered. By now, Jacob would have already hacked into Jack’s phone, but she still had no idea. Whatever it was, she was confident they would come up with a good plan to get her out of it. She just hoped it wasn’t at one of Alexander’s remote locations, as escaping from there would be nearly impossible.

Alexander watched her as she appeared lost in thought, likely contemplating her punishment.

"Get changed," he instructed, pointing to the outfit laid out on the bed.

Lilly’s eyes fell on the athletic wear—a pair of exercise pants and a top. Was she going to be doing some sort of physical activity? Alexander disliked clothes that revealed too much of her body, so she wondered why he wanted her to wear such tight-fitting clothes.

"You dislike clothes like this, so why do you want me to wear them?" Lilly asked, puzzled.

Alexander looked at the clothes. He indeed disliked it when she wore revealing outfits outside, especially when other men looked at her with desire. Over the past three years, he had dealt harshly with men who dared to look at her inappropriately.

It took him considerable resolve and multiple considerations before he allowed her to wear this, given that there was no other choice. "If anyone dares to look at you with inappropriate intent, I will ensure they regret it," Alexander warned.

Lilly knew he was serious. He had almost followed through on a similar threat before when one of Blake’s business associates had ogled her during a meeting. Alexander hadn’t been present, but how he discovered it made Lilly realize he kept a close watch on her.

"Get dressed," Alexander repeated.

Lilly picked up the outfit and went to change in the closet. When she emerged, Alexander was no longer in the room. She put on sneakers and took her phone before leaving.

"Are you heading for a workout?" her grandfather Caleb asked when he saw her outfit.

Lilly glanced at her sportswear. "Alexander said it’s part of my punishment," she explained.

As soon as she finished speaking, Caleb burst into laughter.

"Grandpa, it’s not funny," Lilly protested.

"It is to me," Caleb said with amusement.

"How is me being punished funny?" Lilly’s frown deepened.

"It’s just a minor correction a husband gives his wife," Caleb explained, still chuckling.

Lilly wanted to ask if this was how he disciplined her grandmother but chose not to, not wanting to bring up painful memories.

"Really?" Lilly asked.

"Yes," Alexander said as he came down the stairs.

Lilly turned to him and frowned. "Is this what the scriptures say about how husbands should treat their wives?"

Her eyes widened at her own question. Alexander and Caleb looked at her in shock.

"Says the wife who doesn’t even own a Bible," Alexander replied, amused. Caleb shook his head and stood up to leave the room.

"Grandpa," Lilly called, unable to believe he was allowing this.

"Goodbye, granddaughter," Caleb said as he went to his study.

Alexander took her hand. "We should leave now."

As they left the house, Lilly glanced back, hoping her grandfather might intervene. They got into the car, and the chauffeur drove them out of the estate. Lilly kept her eyes on the road, trying to discern their destination.

Thirty minutes later, they had left the city, traveling on a highway toward the mountains. Lilly glanced at Alexander, who was intently focused on his laptop.

"Alexander," she said.

"Mmm," he responded without looking up.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You’ll find out," he replied vaguely.

"Did it really anger you that I went to see your mother, or is it because I did it without informing you?" Lilly asked.

Alexander stopped typing and looked up with an expressionless face. "Both," he replied plainly.

"You didn’t think I needed to know about her. If you had told me, I wouldn’t have gone to see her. If you were in my place, what would you have done?" she asked, but Alexander remained silent. He returned to his work, ignoring her.

Lilly turned to the window, her thoughts a whirlwind of emotions. The colorful autumn leaves gently swayed in the breeze, creating a beautiful view outside.

After about an hour, the car stopped in a wooded area with rocky terrain and tall mountains. The peaceful surroundings were broken only by the rustling leaves and distant bird calls. Lilly got out of the car, followed by Alexander, who signaled to his men to bring over the supplies. They promptly brought a large backpack.

Alexander took the backpack, placed it on her back, and then put a coat on her. Lilly was confused.

"Alexander, can you explain this to me?" she asked, bewildered.

"You’re going to climb the mountain to the other side," Alexander said, pointing into the distance.

Lilly’s jaw dropped. "Is this my punishment?"

"You’ll climb the mountain. The backpack contains a tent for you to sleep in if you don’t make it to the other side before dark. I didn’t plan to provide any food, just water, but since you missed breakfast, I included lunch. Good luck reaching the other side," he said.

Lilly stared at him in disbelief. Was this the man she loved, married, and had a child with? She knew he could be ruthless, but she hadn’t expected this level of severity.

"Alexander, you want me to climb this mountain for a whole day? What will you tell Viola when she asks where her mother is?" she questioned.

"I told her you’re on a business trip," Alexander replied.

"You told her what?" Lilly asked, astonished.

"You heard me."

"And what about my work? I run a multi-million dollar company," Lilly said, exasperated.

"You’ll return to work tomorrow. If you want to reach the other side on time, I suggest you start climbing," Alexander said coldly.

"Alexander, look at me," Lilly pleaded, placing her hand on his face.

Alexander turned to her, his expression still cold. Lilly’s heart ached as she looked at him.

"Are you sure you want me to go through this? To climb this mountain?" she asked.

Alexander remained silent.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you truly want this," Lilly urged.

Alexander met her gaze but said nothing.

"Think it over, Alexander. I’m giving you a chance to reconsider. You’ll only hurt yourself if you follow through," Lilly said.

Did she think it was easy for him to let her do this?

"I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t considered it thoroughly," Alexander said.

Lilly withdrew her hands and gave him one last look before turning and starting her climb up the mountain without another word.

Alexander took a few steps forward but stopped, his fists clenched. He didn’t want to do this, but his pride prevented him from backing down after warning her not to act against his wishes.