Chapter 386
Zoey put down the towel she'd been using to dry her face, her tone carrying a hint of amusement: "What do you think Mason's reaction would be if he found out that the Beatrice he's desperately trying to get close to now is actually Cleo—the same person who teamed up with him and Scarlett to hurt me before?"
Alexander met her eyes in the mirror, his voice low and cold:
"What reaction could he have? Nothing more than surprise, then continuing to work together for their own gain."
"Those two have always been birds of a feather. One pretended to stay silent while actually enabling everything, the other was vicious and cruel, doing the dirty work herself. Together they hurt you so badly."
"Even if she's changed her identity now, the greed and malice in her bones won't change. Hell, when Mason sees Cleo's new face, he'll probably think God's given him another chance to use her for his own purposes."
As Alexander spoke, his fingers tightened slightly, and he said with a cold laugh:
"My hands are itching right now. I really want to make them taste what it's like to be schemed against, to have nowhere to turn."
Zoey turned around and gently patted the back of his hand, signaling him to relax.
"Don't rush."
"If they really dare to get together, that's actually good for me. I can take them all down at once, save myself the trouble of dealing with them one by one."
She paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and said: "Oh right, I forgot to tell you—I actually ran into Mason yesterday on my way back from the film studio."
"What?" Alexander's expression changed drastically, the coldness instantly replaced by tension.
He quickly helped Zoey up, made her turn around, and looked her up and down carefully, his tone urgent: "You ran into him? Where? Did he do anything to you? Are you hurt? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
Zoey felt warmth in her heart, but also found it a bit funny.
"You're overreacting. How much could he possibly hurt me? I was waiting at a red light at an intersection, and his car happened to stop next to mine. Scarlett was in the passenger seat. When she saw me, she got really emotional and cursed at me a few times."
"As soon as the light turned green, I drove off. They tried to follow, but unfortunately, their driving skills and car weren't up to par. I lost them in no time."
Alexander frowned: "Scarlett was with him too? Did she lose it again?"
Thinking about the vicious things Scarlett might have said to Zoey, the murderous look in his eyes began to surface again.
"Just the same old accusations, saying I ruined the King family, ruined Cleo." Zoey's tone was indifferent, completely unconcerned. "I couldn't be bothered to listen. But them showing up like ghosts and trying to follow me is pretty annoying."
Alexander's eyes turned cold, and he said decisively: "This can't go on. I'll have someone handle it—get them to go back abroad, or find a place to settle them where they can never bother you again."
But Zoey shook her head: "No need."
"Right now, the entire King Group is mine. Even if Mason really does have some transfer document that Aiden left behind, it's just a piece of paper that's legally questionable and possibly invalid. What can he do? What kind of trouble can he stir up?"
She turned to face Alexander, her eyes bright: "Are you really worried that I'll be taken down by his little tricks?"
Alexander looked at her confident, radiant appearance, and the coldness and murderous intent in his eyes finally slowly dissipated, replaced by deep affection and pride.
His Zoey was no longer the little girl who needed his constant protection from being bullied.
She was a queen who could stand beside him, or even hold up the sky on her own.
"Of course I'm not worried you can't handle them." Alexander stepped forward, gently wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on top of her head, his voice softening. "I just don't want to see anyone or anything that makes you unhappy around you. Even if they're just buzzing around like flies, I find it annoying."
He paused, his tone serious: "But you're right—they're definitely up to no good coming back. You must not let your guard down. Of course..."
He tightened his arms, pulling her closer into his embrace:
"Even if you do let your guard down, it's fine, because I'm here."
Zoey leaned against his solid, warm chest, listening to his steady, strong heartbeat, feeling completely at peace.
She almost instinctively replied: "Right, you're here."
The words were soft, but like a stone dropped into a calm lake, they created huge ripples in Alexander's heart.
His body trembled slightly, and then an indescribable surge of emotion and joy swept through him like a warm current.
He loosened his hold, turned Zoey around to face him, cupped her face in his hands, his voice somewhat hoarse with emotion:
"Zoey, did you just say I'm here?"
Zoey felt a bit embarrassed under his burning gaze and blinked: "What's wrong?"
Alexander lowered his head, gently pressing his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling:
"You've never been this direct about relying on me before. You always carried everything yourself. No matter how hard things got, you wanted to handle them on your own. Now you've learned to rely on me. That's wonderful."
Zoey was stunned.
She hadn't expected that one casual remark would move Alexander so much.
Thinking back carefully, it seemed to be true.
In the past, she had been extremely insecure emotionally, habitually putting up walls, blocking out all the storms, but also shutting out all possible warmth.
Even after marrying Alexander, even in their most intimate moments, she rarely took the initiative to show vulnerability or express dependence.
So that's how she appeared in Alexander's eyes before?
Seeing the undisguised cherishing and joy in Alexander's eyes, Zoey's heart became incredibly soft. She took the initiative to reach out, wrap her arms around his neck, pull him closer, and gently kiss the corner of his lips, saying softly:
"I'm sorry for worrying you before. From now on, I'll try to rely on you more."
Alexander could no longer control the surging emotions in his heart and kissed her deeply.
When they came downstairs, both their faces still carried traces of lingering flush and warmth.
In the dining room, breakfast was already set out.
Rhea and Finn were sitting at the table talking quietly about something, both elders wearing peaceful smiles—the atmosphere was warm.
Seeing them come down, Finn smiled and called out: "You're up? Come have breakfast, we've been waiting for you."
Zoey and Alexander walked over and sat down.
During the meal, Zoey glanced at Rhea, who looked healthy and seemed to be in good spirits, and felt moved.
After thinking it over, she decided to tell Rhea in advance about Mason and Scarlett's return.
Although Rhea had complicated feelings about Mason and was even more disgusted with Scarlett, they were still blood relatives.
If Mason or Scarlett suddenly showed up one day, or contacted Rhea through other means, it wouldn't be good if Rhea was completely unprepared and got frightened or upset.
Alexander obviously thought of this too, and gently squeezed Zoey's hand under the table, giving her a supportive look.
Zoey put down her utensils, picked up her napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth, and spoke in as calm a tone as possible: "Grandma, there's something I want to tell you."
Rhea looked up, gazing at her lovingly: "What is it, Zoey? Go ahead."
"Mason and Scarlett—they're back in the country. Yesterday, I ran into them on the road." Zoey said slowly, while carefully observing Rhea's expression.
The smile on Rhea's face did freeze for a moment, and the hand holding her spoon also paused.
She was silent for a few seconds before slowly putting the spoon back in her bowl, letting out an almost inaudible sigh.
"They came back after all." Rhea's tone was somewhat complicated, impossible to tell if it was disappointment or that she'd expected this all along.
Finn also frowned, clearly extremely disgusted with these two people who had hurt Zoey.
Rhea didn't show much excitement or anger.
She looked at Zoey, her eyes holding both insight and worry: "Zoey, tell Grandma the truth. Did Mason come back this time for the company? For that share transfer document your father left behind?"