Chapter 76
Elizabeth's POV
Carter's gaze shifted to me, the scrutiny in his eyes not diminishing in the slightest.
He studied me for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his face.
"It seems your relationship is indeed quite solid. In that case, you should attend the banquet."
I froze, completely baffled, and shot a questioning look at Alexander beside me.
A banquet? What banquet?
Absolutely no one had mentioned anything about a banquet to me beforehand.
Alexander, however, showed no trace of surprise, which made it clear he had already decided to take me, just as Carter suggested.
An event hosted by the Windsor family was a social sphere I would normally have no access to, yet here was an invitation, offered so casually. I couldn't help but suspect a trap was hidden somewhere within the offer.
Carter met my eyes, the corner of his mouth hooking into a smirk. "Ms. Spencer, you were a lady of high society before. I trust I don't need to remind you of basic social etiquette?"
The barb in his words made me instinctively uncomfortable, but I managed a compliant response. "Of course. I will prepare accordingly."
Since Alexander remained silent, it was decided. It was my responsibility to step up and protect his standing in this matter.
Carter's smile deepened with a knowing look before he turned and left the office.
Only when the heavy door clicked shut did I let out a sharp exhale, turning to Alexander. "Mr. Windsor, isn't this a bit reckless? A Windsor family banquet… what business do I have being there?"
More importantly, if I found myself in real danger at such an event, I doubted Alexander could protect me in time.
Therefore, not attending, not getting involved, was the most rational decision for me.
I watched him, trying to read something, anything, in his expression, but his features were perfectly placid, offering no information at all.
"Mr. Windsor?"
Alexander's brow furrowed slightly. He reached out, took my arm, and guided me down onto the nearby sofa.
In an instant, his tall frame cast a shadow over me, his handsome face leaning in close.
As the distance between us shrank, my heart began to pound erratically, a knot of tension tightening in my stomach.
"What are you doing?" I swallowed hard. "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't get so close."
All I had agreed to was playing the part of his girlfriend; there were no other promises or arrangements. His proximity now did nothing but make me nervous.
Alexander looked directly into my eyes, then let out a soft laugh. "Are you afraid?"
I couldn't deny it, so I went along with his line of reasoning. "Of course, I'm afraid. Who doesn't know how complicated the Windsor family dynamics are? Even as a fake girlfriend, I'm sure plenty of people will target me, won't they?"
After the dangers I had already faced, my guiding principle was simply to survive in this world. That meant staying as far away from any potential threat as possible. A man like Alexander, accustomed to his position of power, would never understand my perspective.
"You don't trust me?"
My mouth opened, but no rebuttal came. He was right. I didn't trust him at all, which was precisely why I was so conflicted now.
Alexander let out a soft scoff. "There's no need for that."
The shadow looming over me retreated. I looked up into his eyes, searching for some hint of emotion, but found nothing.
Alexander was completely unconcerned with my words, his gaze simply resting on me with a cool detachment.
"I trust you," I finally conceded with a sigh, breaking the silent standoff. It seemed that, facing this situation alone, it was my only option.
A flicker of pleasure seemed to cross Alexander's face, the corners of his eyes and brows lifting with a hint of a smile. He released me and said, "It's good that you understand."
He said it as if trusting him was some kind of mandatory duty.
I remained silent, and once I was certain he had nothing else to say, I fled back to the sanctuary of my own office.
My heart refused to calm down, my mind replaying the scene from moments before. When Alexander had leaned in, it felt as if something intangible had quietly shifted between us.
Forcing those strange thoughts to the back of my mind, I tried to refocus on my work.
Aiden's harassment hadn't stopped, though he hadn't said a single word about Bianca.
It was as if he refused to even acknowledge the topic. He should have realized, the moment Bianca's feigned illness was exposed, that his years of devotion had been nothing but a joke. Now, as if making a final, desperate gamble, he had started pestering me again.
When I went downstairs to the company café to grab a coffee, Aiden materialized out of nowhere, grabbing my arm.
"Elizabeth! I finally caught you!"
It was the middle of the workday, so the café wasn't crowded, but Aiden's shout still drew the attention of a few patrons.
I frowned, shaking his hand off with a look of pure annoyance, having no intention of engaging with him.
Aiden, however, was relentless. "Elizabeth, I've been waiting downstairs for you, just hoping for a chance to talk. You have time now, so can we just sit over there for a minute?"
The face that had once regarded me with such cold indifference was now contorted into an approximation of a gentle, coaxing expression.
I frowned, hesitating for a few seconds before nodding. If he was going to keep ambushing me like this, it would only become more of a nuisance. It was better to hear him out once and for all, in the hopes that he might finally leave me alone.
Aiden eagerly led the way, moving to pull out a chair for me.
I sidestepped him and walked toward a more secluded corner. I had no desire to sit in the middle of the room with someone like him; the thought alone was humiliating.
Aiden, completely unfazed by the snub, followed me and took the seat opposite mine.
"Elizabeth, our engagement was witnessed by everyone. You cared about it too, didn't you?"
I stared at him, my brow furrowed in confusion. "So? What's your point?"
Had he lost his mind? I couldn't comprehend what he was trying to say.
Aiden took an anxious sip of his coffee. "I just mean, when the Spencer family had its accident, what if I told you I could help you rebuild it?"
Hearing this, my frown deepened. Was Aiden trying to win me over?
"The Spencer family's companies all went under, but I can figure out a way to start them up again. I've always recognized your talent. I can fund you."
A laugh escaped my lips. I looked him up and down, from his shoes to his carefully styled hair. "Fund me? Aiden, how much money do you even have to be meddling in my affairs?"
The money I had saved over the years as a designer was no less than what he possessed. His own company was still in a precarious state, yet here he was, thinking he could curry favor with me.
I wondered what kind of expression Bianca would have if she ever found out about this.