Chapter 200

Chapter 200

Elizabeth's POV

"What happened to your hand?" I asked.

He lowered his eyes to it, like he was only just noticing. "It's nothing. I broke a glass."

He broke a glass.

Alexander was not the kind of man who broke things.

It wasn't that he never got angry. He did. But when Alexander was angry, he didn't throw things or raise his voice. He shut himself in his study, said nothing, and smoked one cigarette after another until he finished the whole pack.

The fact that he had broken a glass meant his emotions had pushed past a line even he couldn't control.

"He went to see his office. He stayed in there for ten minutes, then came out and left."

"He didn't say anything?"

"Not a word. He just stood there, looked around, and walked out." Alexander opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

"But everyone saw him. Everyone knows he's back. Everyone knows that the same day he got out, he went straight to The Windsor Group building."

I walked over and sat beside him. "Does your grandfather know?"

"He knows. He arranged it."

My fingers tightened in the fabric of my clothes.

"He found the lawyer. He handled the bail. Going to The Windsor Group building was his idea too." Alexander's voice was flat, so flat it sounded like he was reading from a report.

"He's telling everyone Franklin is still part of The Windsor Family."

He paused.

"What is he telling you?"

"That he's not choosing me."

When the words landed, the living room went so quiet it felt airless.

There were less than twenty days left until Gray's birthday banquet.

The notebook still existed. The evidence still existed.

Franklin's confession was still on that recording. But Gray didn't care.

What he cared about was The Windsor Family's reputation, The Windsor Family's legacy, and whether Franklin could come back to The Windsor Family.

As for how Daniel and Lyanna died, how Elizabeth's father died, and all the people Franklin had destroyed along the way—

None of that mattered.

What mattered was that the Windsor Family could not fall apart.

"Alexander," I said softly.

He turned to look at me. "What do you want to do?"

He held my gaze for a long moment before he finally spoke. "On the day of the banquet, Franklin will attend as the second son of the Windsor Family. Grandfather will announce that he's returning to the family. Everyone will applaud. Everyone will congratulate him. They'll all act like the last fifteen years never happened."

His voice was quiet, but every word sounded dragged out through clenched teeth.

"I won't let that day happen."

"What are you going to do?"

He didn't answer. He reached for my hand instead and held it, his eyes fixed on mine.

"Elizabeth, do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then don't ask."

I parted my lips, ready to press him, but something in his eyes stopped me. I swallowed the question.

Whatever he was planning, I believed in him.

That night, Alexander stayed in his study until very late.

Charles came over carrying a file envelope, his expression grim.

They talked in the study for more than two hours. When Charles left, he looked a little less burdened than he had when he arrived.

I didn't know what they had discussed, but I knew Alexander was preparing something.

Something would happen at the birthday banquet.

Something that would change everything.

The news of Franklin's release on bail hit The Windsor Group like a bomb.

Over the next week, Alexander left early and came home late every day, his face growing darker by the day.

He never told me what was happening at the company, but Julia kept texting me, one message after another, and from those fragments I pieced together what was going on inside The Windsor Group building.

[Elizabeth, Franklin came in again today. This time, he wasn't alone. He brought two lawyers and went straight to the twenty-third floor, saying he wanted access to the files for the projects he used to handle. The front desk tried to stop him and said he needed Mr. Windsor's approval. Guess what? He pulled out an authorization letter signed by Mr. Gray Windsor.]

[Elizabeth, Franklin stayed on the twenty-third floor all day today. He met with people from Finance, Legal, and International Operations one by one. Those were all departments Alexander cleaned out before. The new people don't know Franklin, but he has Gray's authorization, so nobody dares stop him.]

[Elizabeth, someone saw Franklin in the company cafeteria today. He was eating with a few longtime employees, laughing and talking like old times. They all used to work under him before they got pushed into the sidelined departments. Now that he's back, they look like they have hope again.]

I read every message, then set my phone facedown on the table and took a slow breath.

He was winning people over.

Not with authority. Not with money.

With Gray's backing as his banner.

He wanted everyone to understand that the real master of the Windsor Family was not Alexander. It was Franklin.

Alexander was only the one keeping the seat warm, and now that the rightful owner had returned, the caretaker was supposed to step aside.

That night, Alexander came home very late.

I was waiting in the living room. When he walked in, his tie was loosened, one button at his collar undone, and the shadows under his eyes were darker than before.

"Did you eat?" I asked.

"Yeah." He came over, sat beside me, leaned back against the sofa, and closed his eyes.

I said nothing and let him rest for a while.

"Alexander."

"Mm."

"Is Mr. Gray Windsor pressuring you?"

He opened his eyes and looked at me. "Yeah."

"Are you going to leave?"

"No."

"Then what are you going to do?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Elizabeth, have you ever thought about why Grandfather is in such a hurry to bring Franklin back?"

I thought for a second. "Because he doesn't trust you?"

"It's not that he doesn't trust me." Alexander's voice was low. "It's that he's afraid. He's afraid that once I have all the power in The Windsor Family, I'll send Franklin to prison and make sure he never gets out. As long as he's alive, he can still protect Franklin. Once he's gone, no one will be able to."

I understood then.

Gray wasn't just helping Franklin come back. He was securing Franklin's future.

He wanted to make sure, while he was still alive, that Franklin had a place to stand and wouldn't be completely crushed by Alexander.

And Alexander—

He was the eldest grandson, the man steering The Windsor Group, the heir Gray praised in public more than anyone else.

But in Gray's heart, he would never matter more than the Franklin who needed protecting.

"Alexander." I reached for his hand. "No matter what happens, I'm on your side."

He looked at me, and the corner of his mouth lifted faintly. "I know."

That night, he went to sleep early.

I lay beside him, listening to the steady sound of his breathing, and felt strangely calm.

Not because the storm was over.

Because I knew that no matter how bad it got, we were in it together.

The next morning, I got a phone call I never expected.

"Elizabeth, it's Aiden."

My grip tightened hard around the phone. "Where are you?"