Chapter 81 He Focused His Gaze on Cordelia
Julian, being Alaric's close friend, surely knew about Evelyn and Alaric's marriage status.
Janet figured she could get some information from Julian.
"Hey, Julian?" Janet called out, her voice tinged with anticipation.
Julian took a moment to respond, his tone slightly puzzled. "Yeah, what's up?"
Janet pressed on, "So, I was wondering about Evelyn and Alaric's marriage. What's the deal there?"
Julian chuckled, "Oh, that's what you're curious about."
Janet nodded, "Yeah, exactly."
"Everyone's been asking me about them. I didn't know who else to ask, so I thought I'd ask you," she explained.
Julian smirked, catching on to Janet's curiosity. He leaned back on the couch, making himself comfortable. "Aren't you working under Evelyn? Why not just ask her directly?"
Janet hesitated for a moment. "You know my history with Alaric. Evelyn's not exactly my biggest fan."
"I don't want to ask her and have her get the wrong idea," Janet admitted.
Julian laughed softly, "Wrong idea? Come on, Janet, you sure you don't have any hidden motives?"
Janet was momentarily taken aback, feeling a wave of frustration. She bit her lip, trying to keep her cool. "If you don't want to talk, that's fine. I was just asking for someone else."
Julian raised an eyebrow, picking up a decorative item from the table and fiddling with it. "They're divorced."
Janet's eyes lit up with joy at the news. Finally, they were divorced. But then Julian added, "That's why Alaric's been in such a bad mood lately."
Her excitement quickly faded. Julian, noticing the silence, continued nonchalantly. "Janet, I finally get why Evelyn keeps you around at Luminary Ventures."
Janet was confused, not quite understanding his point. "What do you mean?"
But Julian ended the call, leaving her hanging. Dissatisfied, Janet put her phone away and got back to work.
Despite the Stone Group's announcement that Evelyn was single, neither Alaric nor Evelyn had addressed the rumors, making the situation even murkier.
Donald hadn't been at the Stone Group for a while and was out of touch with their current strategies. It was the digital age, and some of Donald's ideas were outdated, contributing to his recent failures.
Alaric arrived at the Stone Manor and discussed things with Donald over dinner. While talking, he kept glancing at Cordelia.
Cordelia was carefully picking through a plate of pan-seared sea bass, frowning whenever she encountered a bone. Alaric watched her, remembering what she had said that morning, and felt a pang in his heart.
She used to be so gentle and calm, but lately, her temper had become more irritable. Alaric picked up a piece of fish, removed the bones, and placed it in an empty bowl, pushing it towards Cordelia.
"Here, let me help with that," he said softly.
He continued talking to Donald about work while deboning the fish.
Cordelia glanced at the boneless fish in front of her and then looked up at Alaric. He was still engaged in conversation with Donald, demonstrating his deep knowledge of the Stone Group's future plans and prospects. He even accurately predicted Evelyn's next moves.
Donald frowned slightly. If Alaric ever became the Stone family's adversary, he would undoubtedly crush them. When the Stone family faced trouble, if Alaric had taken advantage, the Stone family might have been history by now.
Donald sighed heavily, looking at Alaric with a serious expression. But Alaric's deep eyes were focused solely on Cordelia.
Cordelia lowered her head and ate the deboned fish, her frown easing slightly. Alaric sighed in relief, realizing she enjoyed eating the fish.
Donald observed Alaric, whose attention was entirely on Cordelia, and also relaxed.
After eating, Cordelia pushed herself up from the table, the chair scraping noisily against the floor. Alaric frowned and immediately reached out to steady her.
"Careful."
Cordelia nodded lightly, "You guys take your time. I'm full."
She withdrew her arm from Alaric's grasp and slowly made her way to the living room. Alaric watched her until she settled on the couch, then turned back to Donald.
After dinner, Alaric and Donald walked out of the dining room together. Allegra was massaging Cordelia's ankle and applying ice.
Alaric noticed the medicine he had brought was untouched, his eyes darkening slightly.
"Why aren't you using the medicine?"
Cordelia's expression changed. Allegra quickly explained, "The medicine we're using now is effective, so we haven't used the one Mr. Hughes brought."
Alaric frowned slightly, noticing another unopened bottle of medicine next to his, clearly given by Dominic. Seeing that Cordelia hadn't used Dominic's medicine either, Alaric felt a bit better.
He walked over to Cordelia, looking down at her ankle, which was less swollen and bruised than yesterday. He felt reassured.
"Make sure to rest and avoid walking around too much," he advised in a low voice.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow, noticing his serious expression and concern, feeling a bit unsettled. In three years of marriage, he had never shown her such concern.
Cordelia sighed softly, responding politely, "Okay, thanks for the reminder."
Alaric frowned, unhappy with her politeness.
Evelyn called after settling in Astoria. Cordelia answered, and their conversation was lively. Alaric, sitting on the couch opposite Cordelia, watched her intently. When she smiled, her eyes curved, filled with envy for Arabella's wedding.
Alaric watched her smile, feeling a bit dazed, remembering how Cordelia had been full of hope and anticipation for their wedding when they first got married. She used to share wedding arrangements and videos with him. When he didn't respond, she eventually gave up on the idea of having a wedding.
Reflecting on his cold attitude back then, he felt a pang of regret. In their three years of marriage, Cordelia had indeed tried hard to make their life together work. But he had chosen to ignore her efforts.