Chapter 169 A House
Chloe sat perfectly composed, not defending her grandson like she normally might have.
The FitzRoy family had plenty of children. She wasn't the type of grandmother who treated grandkids like precious treasures. Before her husband passed, he'd favored Craven. But she'd raised Alexander with her own hands. If push came to shove, her loyalty naturally lay with Alex.
Tonight's dinner was a circus of scheming relatives. She wasn't about to fall for their tricks.
She looked at Craven, her tone sharp. "Alex had every right to lose his temper. Craven, Arabella is your sister-in-law. Show some basic respect. 'Divorced, divorced'—so what? As long as she's a good person with a good character, I don't care if she's been married five times. You call yourself modern and you're more backwards than this old woman?"
The words came as both lecture and warning. Craven's expression crumbled. Robert and Neil fell silent.
Sending Craven to stir up trouble had been part of their plan—a test to gauge how much this mystery woman actually mattered to Chloe and Alexander.
Now they had their answer.
She mattered enormously. Enough for Alexander—who usually ignored his relatives—to physically lash out. Enough for Chloe, who typically indulged Craven, to publicly scold him.
This complicated things significantly.
When the old man died, he'd bypassed his own children entirely and handed the family empire directly to Alexander. By then, Alex had already spent over a decade entrenched in the business, his authority deeply rooted.
They'd considered underhanded tactics, of course. But when Alexander was young, Chloe had protected him flawlessly. Once he grew up, his abilities were extraordinary—they simply couldn't touch him.
Still, Alexander had always been single. Not just unmarried—no girlfriend, ever. No marriage meant no children, and no children meant no heir. Eventually, the family would revert to them.
And if Alexander ever did want to marry, as long as they controlled the candidate pool, they'd still have leverage. Both families had spent years cultivating suitable heiresses as backup options, ready to push forward the moment Alexander showed interest.
Whether advancing or retreating, they'd had the perfect strategy.
Except they never anticipated this: barely a year after establishing the Majestic City branch, Alexander had found a woman. Not only that—he'd married her. Without a word to anyone!
They'd been married over six months! And the family had been completely in the dark!
If Chloe hadn't let it slip, they'd still know nothing.
And now they faced another devastating realization.
Alexander was serious about this woman.
Chloe clearly favored her too.
What the hell were they supposed to do now?
If this couple lived happily ever after, they'd eventually produce an heir. Game over.
Neither Robert nor Neil considered Marvin and Vera threats. Those two were lovesick fools who spent their days eating, drinking, and playing. Marvin had even renounced his inheritance rights to marry Vera—completely inappropriate match, different social classes. Such losers weren't worth worrying about.
The atmosphere in the private room grew thick, suffocating. Even Arabella could feel the tension.
She glanced nervously at Alexander. Under the table, his hand gently covered hers, though his expression remained cold. "Let's eat."
At his signal, everyone picked up their utensils. With some effort, the mood gradually loosened.
Uncle Robert shot his younger daughter Iris a meaningful look.
She immediately stood, walking over to Arabella with a bright smile. "Arabella, everything happened so fast tonight—I didn't have time to prepare a proper gift. I bought these little rabbits while shopping earlier. Consider them a wedding present."
Arabella looked at the elegant box and the two purple plush rabbits displayed behind clear acrylic.
It should have been an ordinary gift. Except she happened to recognize the brand.
A famous luxury label's new release this year. Price tag: sixty thousand dollars. Faye had been obsessing over this exact pair for weeks before reluctantly deciding against it.
Not everyone had the courage to drop sixty grand on stuffed animals, especially people in their income bracket.
But this girl was casually gifting them away with a carefree smile.
The strange feeling in Arabella's chest intensified. After a moment's hesitation, she accepted them. "Thank you. They're adorable."
Iris beamed. "I'm so glad you like them!"
Craven snorted from the side. "Suckers."
After his earlier warning, he didn't dare provoke Arabella or Alexander again. But Iris? She wasn't intimidating.
Iris shot him a glare but didn't dignify it with a response, returning to her seat.
The rest of dinner passed more smoothly. When it ended, Robert and Neil left with their families. Vera and Marvin exchanged pleasantries with Arabella before departing as well, all lovey-dovey affection.
Only Alexander, Arabella, and Chloe remained.
Chloe beckoned Arabella over mysteriously, handing her a document.
Arabella glanced down and froze.
A property deed?
Chloe pressed a set of keys into her palm. "Now you have a home. One that's completely yours. No matter what happens, this home will always be your sanctuary."
Arabella saw something tender in Chloe's eyes. Something that looked like heartache.
She stood there, stunned, until Chloe patted her shoulder. "You barely ate tonight. Have Alex take you for a proper meal. I'll have your father-in-law and his wife drive me home."
Arabella snapped out of it, immediately moving to help her. Chloe waved her off with a laugh. "I'm not an invalid yet. I'm fine. You two eat. Don't worry about me."
Despite Chloe's firm grip keeping her in place, Arabella insisted on walking her out.
Sure enough, Marvin and Vera were still waiting. Seeing Chloe emerge, Marvin opened the back door. "Mom, get in."
He nodded briefly at Arabella before driving off.
The entire time, he didn't spare his own son a single glance.
After they left, Arabella asked curiously, "You and your dad don't get along?"
They'd barely exchanged two words all evening.
Alexander was silent for a moment. "When my mom was pregnant, she got curious about the gender and had testing done. They told her it was a girl. She was thrilled. Decorated this beautiful nursery. Dad built all this little furniture by hand. They were so excited for their daughter." His voice was flat. "Then I was born. A son."
Arabella had no words.
Ah. So he'd been a disappointment from day one.
She couldn't help laughing. "That's why they don't like you? Seriously?"
"Mm. They kept trying for a daughter. Never happened. Eventually they had to accept that they only had a son."
Arabella bit back a grin. "Your parents sound... interesting."
Alexander privately agreed wholeheartedly. Those two had literally bought an island and spent their days living in romantic bliss.
What normal people did that?
Though, if he and Arabella grew old together... maybe buying an island for their retirement wouldn't be the worst idea.
He looked down at her. "Are you still hungry?"
She shook her head quickly. "The sandwich and milk saved me. I ate a few bites at dinner and was fine."
"Then let's head home."
---
In the car, Alexander steered with one hand and passed Arabella her purse with the other. "Put the deed away. Aren't your hands tired?"
Arabella blinked, realizing she'd been clutching the property certificate this whole time, staring at it blankly.
Embarrassed, she tried to hand it to him. "Actually, maybe you should keep it?"
He shook his head. "Grandma gave it to you. You hold onto it."
After a moment's hesitation, she tucked it into her bag.
The house was for both of them anyway. Both names were probably on the deed. It didn't matter who kept the paperwork, as long as they sorted things out properly if problems arose later.
She noticed the unopened envelope in her bag—the one from Marvin. This was her first time receiving such a thick envelope. Curiosity got the better of her.
Alexander's lips curved slightly, eyes on the road. "Go ahead, open it."
Arabella grinned and tore it open.
She pulled out a small stack of bills and counted them. "Five thousand dollars!"
Just as she'd suspected—Alexander's immediate family was different from his uncles' families. This amount, she could accept without guilt.
Her fingers brushed something hard still in the envelope. She reached in quickly.
Alexander watched silently, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Arabella stared in shock at the belated bank card now in her hand.
What had she just been thinking?
Three bank cards lay in a row across her lap. Something was very, very wrong here.
She looked at Alexander nervously. "Do you know how much is on your dad's card?"
"No idea." He paused. "But he said it was for decorating the house. Probably a decent amount."
Arabella laughed weakly. Yeah, that was her guess too.
"Can you pull over at that bank up ahead?" She gripped the cards. "I want to check the balances."
If it wasn't much, she could keep them. But if it was too much... she absolutely could not accept that money.
Alexander didn't refuse, pulling over quickly. Arabella stepped out of the passenger side. He glanced around—the streetlights were dim, everything shadowy. He got out too, following her to the ATM.
The cards had no PIN. She inserted the first one—Robert's.
Balance: $600,000.
Her hand trembled. She inserted the second card—Neil's.
Balance: $380,000.
The third card. Marvin's 'decorating money.'
Balance: $6,000,000.
Arabella went numb for several seconds before stumbling out.
Alexander asked, "A lot?"
She nodded. A lot. Enough to burn a hole through her conscience.
Without hesitation, she shoved the cards into his hands. "Robert gave six hundred thousand. Neil gave three hundred eighty thousand. Your dad gave... six million."
The way his family handed out money made her feel like cash wasn't real—just meaningless numbers on a screen.
Alexander frowned at the cards, looking displeased. "Neil only gave three hundred eighty thousand?"
Arabella: Only???
Did he hear himself?
She swallowed the outburst. Different worlds, different concepts of money.
Alexander tried to give the cards back. "These are for you. Keep them."
No way in hell. "That's over six million dollars. Are you insane?"
Who was she to accept six million dollars from people?
He stuffed them firmly in her pocket. "This is our shared property. What's wrong with you holding our shared assets? I'm terrible with money—I'd blow through it in no time."
Arabella absolutely could not accept this money with a clear conscience. Even just holding it felt wrong. She tried to give them back, but Alexander asked quietly, "Are you still planning to divorce me? Is that why you don't want our finances getting entangled?"
He looked down, seeming genuinely hurt. "Everything that should happen between us... already has. You said you'd take responsibility. I thought we'd reached an understanding. That we'd be patient with each other, grow old together. But you won't even manage our shared finances..." His voice dropped. "Are you planning to go through the motions for a while, then divorce me?"
Arabella was thoroughly confused.
Something about his phrasing was off. He was acting like she was some heartless player who'd used him.
But normally, when that kind of thing happened, wasn't the woman supposed to be the one at a disadvantage? Okay, factoring in his uncertain orientation, maybe who was 'disadvantaged' was debatable. This wasn't exactly a standard case.
She tried to explain. "I'm not planning to divorce you. It's just that we don't have feelings for each other, and when it comes to money—this much money—it's better to keep things clear..."
Alexander suddenly leaned down and kissed her.
The kiss came out of nowhere. Arabella had zero preparation, eyes going wide at the man now inches from her face.
Alexander's eyes were open too, blue gaze locked on hers.
Someone's heartbeat kicked into overdrive, finally catching up.
Their breathing tangled together. The kiss remained chaste, restrained.
Finally, Alexander pulled back.
Arabella still hadn't recovered when she heard him say, "Since we're spending a lifetime together anyway, why don't we try... see if we can develop real feelings?"
She stared at him blankly, thinking, Why bother trying? I already have feelings.
But then—he wanted to try developing feelings for her. That was good, wasn't it? If he actually succeeded, she'd get exactly what she wanted.
Her thoughts were a chaotic mess. Alexander had already taken her hand, guiding her back into the car.
They drove in silence, the air between them thick with something unspoken.