Chapter 88
Elizabeth's POV
For someone with so little regard for a signed agreement, I had no desire to waste another breath on him.
He hadn't tried to haggle, and his willingness to pay the termination fee was already the greatest concession I could expect.
"I'll have my lawyer handle the proceedings," I stated, my voice devoid of warmth. With that final sentence, I ended the call.
I leaned back in my chair, massaging the bridge of my nose as I mentally braced myself for the walk to Alexander's office.
Though I had managed a sharp retort to Jasper, the inevitable confrontation still loomed.
Alexander had entrusted this deal to me, and now I owed him a reasonable explanation for its collapse.
But as I knocked and stood before him in his office, my legs felt unsteady, a familiar dread coiling in my stomach.
"Mr. Windsor, there's been an issue with the Jasper partnership," I began, the words rushing out in a practiced torrent. "I will formulate a solution as quickly as possible. The original project can still move forward. I'll find a way to handle the funding myself, and I guarantee it won't impact any of the company's other projects."
My heart hammered against my ribs as I finished the speech I had prepared. Only then did I dare to lift my gaze to his face.
His handsome features were, as I'd anticipated, a mask of composure, almost serene. It was as if the project's sudden implosion was of no consequence to him at all.
While I understood that such a minor setback was likely trivial in Alexander's world, his placid reaction still made me swallow nervously.
"Mr. Windsor, what are your thoughts on this?" I pressed, my voice a little tighter than I would have liked.
Alexander's mind was notoriously difficult to read; his calm exterior might have hidden a storm of reproach, and he was already calculating the cost of my failure. The thought only amplified my anxiety.
A soft sound, a barely audible hum, escaped his lips. If not for the profound silence of the office, I would have dismissed it as a figment of my imagination.
It took me a few seconds to process it, and when I did, my legs felt even weaker. I looked at him, my resolve wavering. "Mr. Windsor, I was serious about what I said. Won't you consider it?"
Without the investment Jasper had initially promised, the project should have been dead on arrival. My own team members all believed as much.
"Without the investment capital, you intend to continue the project. Where will the money come from?" Alexander's tone remained unnervingly even, as if he were inquiring about the most mundane of matters.
I couldn't help but lower my gaze, unable to meet his eyes. "I'll arrange the funding myself. I won't touch any of the Windsor Family's capital." I hesitated before adding, "But, regarding the termination fee... could I ask you to handle that?"
When I looked up at him again, I didn't notice the pitiful expression on my own face, but I did see a subtle shift in Alexander's.
He averted his gaze, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes, before letting out a slightly unnatural, "Mm."
I missed the strangeness of his reaction, too swept up in a wave of genuine relief at his consent. A smile broke across my face. "Great! I promise I won't let you down! Even without that investment, I have a way to make this project profitable!"
My emergency fund had always been set aside for just that—emergencies. I had never intended to touch it for something like this.
It was only on the way back to my own office that the full weight of my decision began to sink in. I had just committed my personal savings to salvage this project.
Had I gone mad? But the words were already out, and Alexander had given me his approval to see it through. There was no room for regret now.
I quickly recalibrated my emotions and called a meeting with my team to discuss the next steps.
Just as I finished gathering my materials, my phone rang, displaying an unknown number. After a moment's hesitation, I answered.
As expected, Aiden's voice immediately slithered through the receiver. "Elizabeth, losing that investment must not feel very good, does it? You're clearly not getting anywhere with The Windsor Family. Why not come back to me?"
Aiden's call confirmed my suspicion.
Jasper's sudden reversal was Aiden's doing. Or, more accurately, it was because of Barry, the man pulling Aiden's strings.
Their relationships were a tangled, complicated web I knew little about, and it wasn't something I had any desire to get involved in.
But for Aiden to call me now, he must have been convinced that I was cornered and utterly defeated.
I leaned lightly against my desk, my tone deliberately relaxed. "Is that the only reason you called? To tell me this?"
My casual air clearly shattered his composure. "Elizabeth, haven't you told Alexander yet?" He practically shouted. "A businessman like him—do you really think he'll tolerate you staying at The Windsor Family after this?"
Hearing the derision in his voice, my contempt for him deepened. "Aiden, you don't know Alexander at all. Besides, he and I are a couple now. Not only was he not angry with me, but he even supported me in continuing the project. After all," I said, deliberately emphasizing the last few words, "he has more than enough money."
Alexander's power was an undeniable fact, the most direct proof there was.
Even if Aiden wanted to kick me while I was down, he had to consider that reality. Alexander was someone he had never dared to provoke directly.
He only found his courage in making taunts to me over the phone; if he ever dared to say such things to Alexander's face, I might almost consider him brave.
"You mean, he's investing in you directly?" Aiden's tone was laced with astonishment, the idea clearly outside his realm of understanding.
"How could someone like him trust you so easily? Elizabeth, is any of what you're saying true? Are you really that important to Alexander?"
His voice finally shed its pretense, revealing a familiar, cold edge filled with aggression and doubt.
I let out a soft laugh. "Of course. I have both the brains and the looks. Isn't it only natural that Alexander would fall in love with me?"
Just as the words left my mouth, my office door swung open. A tall, slender figure strode in, catching me completely off guard.
As my eyes focused on that impossibly handsome face, my heart plummeted, and a thin layer of sweat broke out across my skin.
It was Alexander. Why was he here all of a sudden?
Had he heard every single word of the ridiculous, arrogant statement I'd just made to spite Aiden?
My mind went completely blank, the confident mask on my face threatening to crumble.
Aiden's incessant chatter continued from the phone, but I didn't hear a word of it. All my attention was fixed on the man standing before me.
His expression remained as unreadable as ever, as if my words had made no impact on him whatsoever.
I, on the other hand, was a picture of disarray. I clamped a hand over my mouth and abruptly ended the call with Aiden.
The office was plunged into a heavy silence. The memory of my own narcissistic declaration made my face burn with a fierce, crimson blush.
I took a tentative step closer to him and rushed to explain, "Um, Mr. Windsor, please don't misunderstand. I was trying to provoke Aiden. I didn't mean any of that."
As I spoke, my head drooped, and I lost the courage to meet his gaze, praying he wouldn't take my foolish words to heart.