Chapter 119 A Divorced Dad with Baggage
Alexander didn't care what kind of person his marriage partner would be.
He'd once been married to Grace, and remarrying her wasn't out of the question. Though high society valued strategic matches between equals, such conventions didn't apply to Alexander.
Because no one in high society was truly his equal.
He certainly didn't need to rely on marriage or women to expand his business empire.
The question was: what did Grace think?
Because of the Emily situation, she must hate him and probably didn't want to see him at all.
Not to mention Max.
The boy was fiercely protective of Grace, and now Alexander was like a sworn enemy in Max's eyes.
Besides, how would he even bring it up?
A direct proposal?
What if she rejected him the moment he opened his mouth?
Alexander suddenly froze.
He gave a self-mocking smile.
He'd always been so arrogant, yet now he was actually worried about being rejected when asking a woman to marry him.
In all of Silverlight City, who could refuse his proposal if he chose to make one?
Except Grace.
She was the exception. She would.
Late at night.
After putting Liam to bed, Alexander drove to the hospital.
Since his falling-out with Grace, he rarely came here anymore, and when he did, he never went inside.
Standing downstairs, he noticed the residential wing had security gates that locked after 10:30 PM.
Alexander stood at the entrance and pressed the night emergency bell.
The duty nurse hurried over. "Who are you here to see?"
Alexander said, "I'm here to visit a patient."
The nurse rubbed her sleepy eyes and mumbled, "But visiting hours are over." Her voice grew smaller as she spoke, because even through the glass door, she could feel the overwhelming presence radiating from Alexander.
It was intimidating.
Though the man before her was devastatingly handsome, he still carried an indescribable aura that immediately marked him as someone impossibly important.
She felt inexplicably guilty.
Alexander said, "Open the door."
Overwhelmed by the man's commanding presence, the nurse reluctantly unlocked the entrance. "Please don't stay too long, or I'll get in trouble."
Alexander headed straight for the elevator without a backward glance.
When he reached the right floor, he stepped out and walked toward the patient room.
The door was closed.
He stood outside, peering through the small window to see Grace lying in bed while her caregiver slept on the reclining chair.
Alexander pushed the door open and walked in.
Grace was a light sleeper and woke immediately. Opening her eyes to see a tall figure looming by her bed, she was startled awake.
Focusing her vision, she gasped, "Alexander?"
What was he doing here so late?
Perhaps because time had passed, some of her resentment toward him had faded, making her tone surprisingly calm.
Alexander sat down in the chair beside her bed.
The room fell quiet except for the caregiver's rhythmic snoring.
Grace muttered, "What are you doing here?"
Alexander asked, "Are you still angry with me?"
His out-of-nowhere question left Grace puzzled. "Angry about what?"
Alexander said uncertainly, "The Emily situation. Didn't you say you didn't want to see me?"
Grace nodded. "I didn't want to see you. So why are you here?"
Alexander: "..."
Her attitude was utterly indifferent, as if he were some irrelevant stranger.
Grace continued, "Isn't that matter over? You gave me two hundred million as hush money, and I agreed. I'm treating the whole thing like it never happened." She was a woman of her word—take the money, honor the deal.
The doctors said she was recovering well. Initially, Liam had changed her dressings daily, and she'd healed remarkably quickly.
Max had worried she'd have lasting complications, but the doctors said the brain swelling would gradually subside, her broken bones were mending, and her wounds were healing faster than expected.
There would be some lingering effects, but nothing that would significantly impact her life.
More importantly, Alexander's two hundred million would give her complete financial independence. She could raise Max, put him through school, support his future marriage and children without any financial burden.
She'd earned this money with her blood—she deserved every penny.
Alexander suddenly fell silent.
Grace couldn't help asking, "So? Why are you here?" He'd shown up in her room in the middle of the night just to sit by her bed and brood?
This man was truly bizarre.
Grace lay back down, staring at the ceiling, her fingers fidgeting. Since he wouldn't leave, she couldn't go back to sleep, but she couldn't exactly kick him out either—after all, she could barely walk a few steps without difficulty.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Alexander stared at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. The words kept forming in his throat but seemed impossible to voice.
Grace noticed he seemed to have something to say and asked warily, "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"
Alexander: "..." What did she mean by that?
Grace pressed, "You're not regretting the two hundred million now that I'm getting better, are you?" Or maybe since she'd originally asked for one hundred million but he'd given her two hundred, he wanted the extra back?
Was the Hayes family having cash flow problems?
Alexander: "..."
He couldn't help but laugh, his lips curving slightly as he said coolly, "First, I thought you understood my financial position—I don't need that two hundred million. Second, I thought you knew my character—once that money hit your account, I'd never take it back. Third..."
Seeing right through Grace's thoughts, he said coldly, "And if the Hayes family ever had cash flow problems requiring two hundred million to solve, the entire financial market would have already collapsed."
When one falls, all fall.
If the Hayes family faced serious trouble, the chain reaction would affect countless companies large and small, creating a global financial crisis that would spare no one.
Grace was even more confused. "Then what exactly do you want to say?"
Alexander said in a low voice, "Would you remarry me?"
Grace didn't catch it at first. "What... what?"
The man looked up, enunciating each word: "Would you remarry me?"
Grace was stunned.
She said incredulously, "Why me?"
Alexander replied, "Why not you?"
Grace mimicked his tone: "First, there are so many eligible socialites and heiresses in high society. You're so wealthy, no one would mind that you're a divorced single dad. Second, why should I agree to marry you? Marriage is a graveyard, and I finally managed to crawl out of one. I'm not stupid enough to climb back into another grave."
Divorced... single... dad?
Marriage... was a graveyard to her?