Chapter 107
Elizabeth's POV
All of this was so confusing that I didn't even dare think too much about it; the only thing in my head was getting away as fast as possible.
No matter what, as long as I could completely escape that place, any effort, any price I paid would be worth it.
The sharp edge of my anxiety clashed hard with how calm everything looked right then—the more I worried that something would suddenly happen, the safer my surroundings seemed to be.
Until I finally got out, standing in the middle of a crowded street.
Even if Aiden showed up right in front of me at that moment and tried to drag me away, that was just not something he could pull off anymore.
I really had slipped out of that place so easily.
That restless thrum in my chest slowly started to quiet. I looked around, debating whether I should grab a cab and go straight to find Alexander or stay right there and wait for him to come to me.
My phone must have been tampered with by Aiden; even if I tried to contact Alexander now, there was no way I would reach him.
Which meant, at that very moment, we were still completely out of touch.
I hesitated over whether to wait there when I suddenly realized something was wrong.
The location I had sent Alexander earlier was in the exact opposite direction from where I was now.
In other words, Aiden really had messed with it and made me send the wrong address.
Were they trying to lure Alexander over there, using the location I gave him?
The fact that I had been brought there so cleanly was enough to prove they had been planning this for a while. If Alexander fell for it, he might end up walking straight into danger.
On purpose? Was Aiden literally digging a pit and waiting for us to jump in?
The second that thought landed, I flagged down a cab and blurted out the address for The Windsor Group.
All I could do was push the driver to go faster and faster, praying silently that Alexander hadn't personally headed out to look for me, praying nothing had happened to him yet.
On the way, I stared at the endless stream of cars sliding by on both sides, and my breathing quickened with every passing moment.
None of this was anywhere in my plans. It never even crossed my mind that Aiden's real target might actually be Alexander.
He went to all that trouble, running in such a wide circle, just to gamble on where I stood in Alexander's heart?
If Alexander didn't personally step out for me, didn't go himself, then didn't this whole plan just fall apart?
That's what I was thinking, and my mind got more tangled with every passing second.
Honestly, in that first moment, I instinctively believed Alexander would definitely go find me himself.
I didn't even know where that confidence came from, but I just… felt like that's what he would do.
My palm rested over my lower belly, that strange feeling rising stronger inside me.
It hit me that I might have developed some other kind of feeling for Alexander. That feeling… it felt suspiciously like liking him.
I told the driver to go faster and faster, and the moment the car stopped, I didn't let myself think at all—I just bolted straight inside.
On the way there, I had already gotten some information from the driver.
Something had happened with The Windsor Group; they had been dealing with it for the past couple of days, but things were supposedly moving in a positive direction, and there hadn't been much public backlash.
Hearing that finally let me exhale.
Thank God The Windsor Group hadn't taken any major damage, or their core interests would have been hit directly.
I ran toward the Windsor building; my face was already familiar around there, and no one even thought about stopping me.
The employees who saw me all stared like they had seen a ghost, clearly aware that I had been missing these past two days.
I finally made it all the way up to the executive floor, and someone stepped right in front of me.
"I can't believe you're here, Ms. Spencer. Weren't you missing? Mr. Windsor actually went out to look for you himself."
"Yeah, Mr. Windsor just rushed out of here, and we all guessed it had to be because of you!"
The second I heard that, my heart sank straight down.
Had Alexander already left? Was I too late?
The address I sent flashed through my mind, and I practically threw myself at the nearest employee, fisting a hand in his collar. "Your phone. Give me your phone. Call Mr. Windsor right now!"
The only thing I could do then was get in touch with him immediately and tell him he was heading into danger.
The employee was clearly startled by me, his expression twisting as he tried to read something—anything—from my face.
"W-what are you even talking about? Don't you have your own phone?"
The guy I was demanding a phone from didn't cooperate at all; instead, he just stared at me in fright, trying to figure out the truth from my eyes.
I was so furious I could barely see straight. I turned to the people hovering nearby and shouted, "You all care about Mr. Windsor, don't you? Then listen to me—right now he's on his way to a very dangerous place. Give me a phone. I can stop him!"
The moment the words left my mouth, the entire floor went dead quiet. Every face turned toward me, eyes wide with fear, like I had just said something monstrous.
"Y-you can't just say something like that and expect us to believe you. What actually happened?"
"I've thought there was something off about you for a while now. Don't tell me you did this on purpose. How are you going to prove you're not in on this?"
"A random woman who suddenly shows up at Mr. Windsor's side, and now you're barking orders at us? This just doesn't add up."
I didn't know who started it, but suspicion sparked in the crowd, and the whole mood shifted in an instant.
I got even more desperate, itching to lunge forward and snatch someone's phone by force.
Right then, a voice cut in from the back of the crowd.
Carter's low, even tone carried easily over everyone's heads. "Ms. Spencer, do you have any proof for what you're saying? You want us to just take your word for it?"
I met Carter's eyes, that hint of a smile in them, and a frown pulled tight between my brows.
For all I knew, the person who betrayed Alexander might be him.
Otherwise, how would Aiden have found me so easily, pulled all of this off so cleanly? I had every reason to suspect he was the one pulling strings behind the scenes.
The way he looked like none of this had anything to do with him just made my suspicion harden.
"Mr. Carter, you're involved in this, aren't you?"
For a split second, he froze—so fast most people would miss it, but I caught it perfectly.
I locked my gaze on his and kept going. "If anything really happens to Alexander, I'll never let you off the hook."
My teeth were clenched so tight my jaw ached, and I was using every last ounce of strength I had. People around us collectively sucked in a breath, clearly not expecting me to say something like that.
In their eyes, the gap between our statuses was so huge that I would never dare talk to him in that tone.
Carter obviously thought the same; the look he gave me was full of open contempt.
I stared right back at him without flinching, and he was the first one to smile.
"Ms. Spencer, you're smarter than I thought," he said softly, "but have you considered that, with your current status, there's nothing you can actually do?"
I curled my hands into fists, forcing myself to stay calm.
Of course, I knew that. I had always known. That was exactly why I had shelved my hatred for Aiden for now and thrown myself into the project.
There was only one way to protect myself and the people around me: I had to become stronger.