Chapter 101 Private Investigator.

Chapter 101 Private Investigator.
Mrs. Alexander’s POV

Anger boiled inside Mrs. Alexander as she watched the proposal video again, her fingers tightening around the phone until her knuckles blanched. The room was quiet—too quiet—but the cheers from the screen filled it anyway, loud and triumphant, strangers celebrating something that felt like a personal insult. Liam’s voice played clearly, steady and sure as he asked the question, and Maureen’s shocked laughter followed, soft and overwhelmed. The ring glinted under the fading beach sun, and the crowd erupted.

Mrs. Alexander scoffed, a sharp sound escaping her lips. She dragged her thumb across the screen, pausing the video just as Liam slipped the ring onto Maureen’s finger. There it was again—that look on his face. Happiness. A kind she had not approved of, a kind she had not sanctioned.

Her gaze shifted from the phone to the wide mirror opposite her bed. The woman staring back looked composed, elegant even, but her eyes betrayed the storm raging beneath the surface. She had raised Liam better than this. She had planned his future with precision, had shaped his life with careful hands, and now he was throwing it all away in front of millions of people.

Her thumb moved again, scrolling through comments. Thousands of them. Congratulations. Heart emojis. Praise for Liam’s “bravery” and “romantic gesture.” Mrs. Alexander felt each word like a slap. Not one person questioned the wisdom of it. Not one person paused to consider the consequences. They never did. Outsiders only saw love; they never saw damage.

She tossed the phone onto the bed, exhaling slowly as she moved toward the window. Outside, the city lights shimmered, oblivious to her fury. For a moment, she simply stood there, arms folded, nails pressing into her sleeves as she tried to regain control. Losing her composure would solve nothing. She had survived far worse situations than this.

Still, the ache remained.

Liam had not called her. Not before the proposal. Not after. She had learned about her own son’s engagement the same way everyone else had—through a screen. He only mentioned it once at the dinner but never carried her along with the plans. The realization stung more than she cared to admit.
Mrs. Alexander began to wonder where she had gone wrong. Where she had mis stepped as a mother, at what point Liam had slipped beyond her influence. The thought only fueled her anger.

She turned back toward the bed, her expression hardening. This was not over. A ring did not mean permanence, and public approval did not equal victory. Mrs. Alexander had spent too many years navigating power, reputation, and sacrifice to surrender now. If Liam believed this chapter was finished, then he was mistaken. She set the phone down abruptly and lay back on the bed, closing her eyes, willing sleep to come.

It didn’t.

She turned from one side to the other, the mattress creaking softly beneath her restless movements. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of the proposal flashed behind her lids—Liam’s smile, the ring, Maureen’s stunned joy. Her jaw tightened. After several minutes of fighting the inevitable, she pushed herself up from the bed.

Sleep was pointless.

She reached for her phone again and dialed Angela.

It rang once. No answer.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she waited a moment, then dialed again. This time, the call connected.

“Why are you calling me this late at night?” Angela asked immediately, irritation evident in her voice.

Mrs. Alexander cut her off without hesitation. “Because things didn’t work out between you and my son does not give you the right to question me or speak to me however you please.”

There was a brief silence on the line.

“Have you seen the video?” Mrs. Alexander asked sharply.

Angela laughed lightly. “Of course I have. Liam proposed to the love of his life. Congratulations to them,” she added mockingly. “I’m done with whatever it was between us.”

Mrs. Alexander’s grip tightened around her phone. “Why would you give up on your man?” she demanded. “You were supposed to fight to the end, not let one riffraff come and steal him away from you.”

Angela exhaled slowly. “Liam doesn’t want me,” she said, her tone firm. “And I’m done pushing myself on someone who’s made his choice.”

The words landed harder than Mrs. Alexander expected. She straightened, her expression hardening as her mind moved quickly.

“Meet me tomorrow,” she said. “At the coffee shop on the corner of my street.”

There was hesitation on the other end of the line. “Why?”

“Because I said so,” Mrs. Alexander replied coolly.

After a moment, Angela sighed. “Fine. I’ll come.”

The call ended shortly after.

The next day arrived too quickly for Mrs. Alexander’s liking. As the time for the meeting approached, she wasted no time leaving the house. She arrived at the coffee shop early, took a seat near the window, and ordered a drink she barely touched.

Thirty minutes passed.

Her patience thinned with each second that ticked by. Just as she was about to reach for her phone, Angela finally walked in, scanning the room before spotting her.

“You’re late,” Mrs. Alexander said the moment Angela reached the table.

“Oh, sorry,” Angela replied flatly as she took a seat. “I had some important things to do.”

Mrs. Alexander’s eyes narrowed. “More important things than Liam?”

“Look, I don’t know what you want from me, but I’m exhausted already,” Angela said, her voice strained.

“So you’re just going to give up on Liam like that?” Mrs. Alexander shot back. “Where was the energy from the beginning? You’re really going to throw away the years you spent with him and let that slum girl take everything?”

“Kate, what do you want me to do?” Angela asked helplessly. “I don’t know what else to do anymore. I’ve done everything I can, but your son doesn’t see me worthy of being his. You know this.”

There was a pause. Mrs. Alexander studied her for a brief moment, then suddenly said, “Well, there’s always something that can be done.”

“What do you mean? What are you planning this time?” Angela asked, her eyes widening. “I don’t want any part of it. Kindly count me out.”

“Relax,” Mrs. Alexander said calmly. “All we need is something to tarnish her image…something that would make Liam feel disgusted just by looking at her.” her eyes glistened with intent.

Angela swallowed. “So……what do you have on her?”

“Nothing yet,” Mrs. Alexander replied. “But I have a private investigator working on it. Very soon, I’ll get feedback from him.”