Chapter 182 Does Your Daddy Have Any Violent Tendencies?
Alexander gave a noncommittal grunt.
Jeremy pressed further. "So did you bring it up with her?"
"She turned me down," Alexander said flatly.
Jeremy's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What?!"
Grace actually rejected Alexander?
Jeremy couldn't believe it. "Mr. Hayes, if even you get rejected, then no man on earth will ever get married."
"She wants romantic gestures," Alexander said. "Jeremy, tell me, what kind of romantic gestures do women want?"
Now Jeremy understood. "Ah, I get it. Ms. Foster must think agreeing to remarry too quickly would be rash. She's playing hard to get."
"So?" Alexander waited.
Jeremy settled into the chair next to Alexander, ready to play advisor. "Women want romance! They want to feel cherished and adored. Women are emotional creatures—they care about all the little details and gestures..."
Alexander cut him off. "Don't give me theory. I need practical advice."
For someone with no dating experience, Jeremy's words were too abstract to be useful.
Jeremy got straight to the point. "Women want little surprises in their daily lives. Like an unexpected gift—that would make Ms. Foster feel surprised and touched."
"A gift?"
"Yes, but it has to be a surprise gift. Something you pick up when you're shopping together doesn't count. You need to give it to her when she's completely unprepared for it. That doubles the impact of surprise and emotion."
Jeremy generously shared his wisdom.
"What kind of gift would you suggest?" Alexander asked.
"Necklaces, bracelets, handbags, earrings... Women love diamonds, the sparkly kind. The bigger the carat, the better. Mr. Hayes, why don't you get Ms. Foster a diamond necklace? Do you know her neck size?"
"No," Alexander admitted.
Jeremy fell silent for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Maybe you could find an opportunity to... secretly measure it?"
"Mm. Pick something out for me later."
"Sure thing! Tomorrow works. But tonight, remember to measure Ms. Foster's neck size—and whatever you do, don't let her know!" Jeremy emphasized repeatedly.
...
That evening.
Alexander returned home from the office.
Grace was in Liam's room, keeping him company.
Liam had been in low spirits these past couple of days.
Grandpa Joe's death had hit him hard.
Max and Alexander weren't particularly good at comforting people, but Grace was emotionally intuitive. She could see that Liam was devastated and distracted, so she'd been staying by his side.
Only then had Liam's spirits begun to lift.
Alexander paused in the doorway and saw Liam reading through the traditional medicine books Grandpa Joe had left him.
Grace immediately walked over when she saw Alexander. "You're home."
"Mm." Alexander glanced at Liam, who was absorbed in his reading. "How is he?"
"Liam misses Grandpa Joe terribly," Grace said.
"Grandpa Joe was the kindest to Liam. Now that he's gone, Liam must be devastated," Alexander said.
"But compared to yesterday, his mood is much better today," Grace noted.
"He's still young—he doesn't really understand death and separation yet. As he grows up, he'll slowly learn how to say goodbye," Alexander said.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death—these were natural laws no one could escape.
A person's life was actually quite brief.
Grace paused, feeling somewhat dazed by Alexander's words.
Yes, the older people got, the more they had to learn how to say goodbye.
Alexander's gaze suddenly focused on her neck.
His stare was direct and unguarded, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Noticing him staring at her neck, Grace self-consciously raised her hand to touch it. "Is there something on my neck?"
"No." Alexander seemed about to say something, then stopped. "Grace, you..."
He wanted to ask what her neck size was, but Jeremy had emphasized repeatedly that it had to be kept secret—it was supposed to be a surprise, so she couldn't know anything about it.
"Never mind," he said instead.
Grace didn't think much of it.
"Let's have dinner," she said. "Liam and Max are hungry. They've been waiting for you."
"Alright."
The family of four finished dinner together.
Grace tucked Liam and Max into bed.
Liam had barely smiled or made any noise these past two days. Even Max found it strange, but all he could do was stay by his side during his most heartbroken moments.
...
Late that night.
Alexander quietly pushed open Grace's door.
Grace was already asleep.
He approached the bed, looking at her graceful, delicate neck, hesitating.
There was no measuring tape in the house.
How was he supposed to measure her neck size?
After a moment's hesitation, Alexander moved closer to the bed, leaned down slightly, and reached out with both hands, spreading his fingers to try to roughly gauge her neck circumference.
The next second, Grace sensed something unusual around her neck and suddenly opened her eyes.
Under the hazy moonlight, their gazes met.
Grace, emerging from drowsy sleep, saw Alexander's hands positioned around her neck.
An unnatural expression crossed his handsome face.
She'd woken too suddenly—he hadn't had time to pull his hands away.
Grace's face showed alarm. "Alexander..."
A hint of unease flickered in her eyes. She couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.
Otherwise, why would she wake up to find this man's hands around her neck...
Could it be...
Was he sleepwalking?
"Alexander..." Grace asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you awake?"
"Why did you wake up?" Alexander asked.
From his tone, he seemed fully conscious.
Alexander withdrew his hands.
Grace sat up in bed awkwardly, staring at him in confusion. "What were you trying to do..."
This man didn't have violent tendencies, did he?
She studied him with suspicion.
Alexander didn't know how to explain.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he slowly stood up. "Go back to sleep."
He left without explaining anything.
She didn't dare ask, and even after Alexander left the room, she lay back down but couldn't fall asleep again.
...
The next morning.
Grace had slept fitfully, plagued by nightmares. She'd dreamed that after they remarried, Alexander suddenly became a different person, beating her with fists and feet.
She woke up terrified, only to realize it had been a dream.
Apparently, she'd been overthinking before bed, which led to the nightmare.
After washing up and leaving her room, Grace discovered Alexander had already left for the office.
She somewhat absentmindedly woke Max and Liam for breakfast.
...
In the dining room.
Grace looked at Liam sitting across from her.
Grace and Max had been keeping Liam company these past two days. After sleeping on it, Liam's mood seemed to have improved somewhat. His appetite had returned too—he'd already eaten three sandwiches.
Grace asked tentatively, "Liam, does your daddy have any violent tendencies?"