Chapter 134 Do You Still Hate Me?
Alexander suddenly smiled.
Grace stared at him in confusion. "What are you smiling about..."
"Nothing." He was simply imagining her current state—hobbling around shopping malls with her injured leg, determinedly spending money despite her physical limitations. The mental image was somehow both endearing and amusing.
"Focus on healing first." He stood up and instinctively reached out to gently stroke her hair.
The gesture was completely reflexive.
Even when he belatedly realized what he'd done, he was stunned for several seconds.
Grace didn't pull away, but her eyes showed equal surprise.
She could sense the tenderness in his touch...
Grace's body tensed slightly, perhaps from nervousness.
Alexander withdrew his hand. "Do you not like me touching you?"
"No... no..." Grace started to respond, then realized how that sounded and didn't know how to continue.
Alexander bent down to meet her eyes. "So you do like it?"
Grace's face instantly flushed crimson. "That's not..."
She seemed unable to handle even the slightest teasing. Her thin skin betrayed every embarrassed thought, burning red at the slightest provocation.
Alexander closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them. "Do you still hate me?"
Grace pressed her lips together.
Hate him?
Not really.
She just felt hurt.
After all, Emily had pushed her, and he'd protected Emily. That's what hurt.
Grace answered honestly, "I don't actually hate you."
"Why not?" Alexander couldn't help but ask. "I thought you would hate me."
Grace took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, licking her slightly dry lips. "Alexander, you care about Emily, you protect her—that's human nature. I promised you that in exchange for the two hundred million, I wouldn't pursue this matter. I don't hate you, I just feel hurt. But I also know I'm nobody to you, so I have no right to demand how you should act."
Alexander felt his heart squeeze painfully.
Her understanding was almost heartbreaking.
He'd already said this was his debt to her. She could have used it against him, but she didn't.
Perhaps growing up enduring countless grievances had taught her to accept things passively, to be careful, to live in an environment so starved of love that she never dared ask others to treat her well.
But not hating didn't mean not hurting.
Just thinking about it made Grace want to cry again.
Her eyes reddened, and she instinctively raised her hand to rub them—at least she didn't want him to see her losing composure.
But Alexander caught her hand. "You do."
"Huh?" Grace looked up blankly, her lashes fluttering. "What?"
Alexander patiently explained, "You do have that right—to demand anything of me."
Grace suddenly didn't know what to say.
Was this because he felt guilty and remorseful?
So he wanted to compensate her as much as possible?
Alexander suddenly said, "Emily is very important to me, but I have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever."
"What..." Grace looked surprised. "You... and her..."
Alexander said, "I once had a fellow soldier who died saving my life. Before he died, he entrusted his sister to my care, asking me to protect her. Emily is his sister..."
He didn't know why he was telling her this.
He wasn't someone who liked to explain himself.
After all, he wasn't good at expressing himself and didn't like dissecting his heart for others to see.
Grace said, "So... your feelings for Emily are only about duty, nothing romantic?"
Alexander replied, "At least on my part, it's only duty. I've also warned her not to harbor any unrealistic feelings toward me. A month ago, I sent her abroad. She probably won't be coming back."
Grace was somewhat surprised.
He seemed to be seriously trying to explain his relationship with Emily to her.
Why did he feel the need to explain?
Alexander seemed to read her thoughts. "I don't want you to misinterpret my relationship with her, so I wanted to clarify."
Grace said, "I understand..."
She suddenly felt somewhat relieved. "If that's the case, then it's understandable."
Putting herself in his shoes...
Perhaps if she were Alexander, she would have done the same thing.
Alexander's tone shifted from his usual domineering manner to something gentler, "This situation hurt you, but I won't let you suffer in vain."
This was the first time he'd opened his heart to her like this.
Grace bit her lip. "I don't want you to compensate me for anything. I only ask that you do one thing."
Alexander raised an eyebrow slightly. "Hmm?"
Grace said, "You said that child might still be alive. I want you to help me find him, no matter what it takes. If he's alive, I want to see him. If he's..."
Alexander said, "I promise you."
He didn't believe the child was dead. He firmly believed the child was still alive.
That was his child too. Even if she hadn't made this request, he would definitely find him.
Hearing this, Grace's eyes curved into a smile—a rare expression of joy.
She rarely smiled at him like this. When she did, her eyes curved like crescents, utterly captivating.
Alexander found himself momentarily mesmerized.
He had to admit, he was somewhat bewitched by that smile, so much so that in this moment, he suddenly understood something.
His desire to remarry her wasn't solely for Liam's sake.
When it came to emotions, his reactions seemed rather slow and delayed.
Only now did he realize that the day he saw her lying in a pool of blood, while his face remained expressionless, his heart had been frantic.
Besides Liam, nothing could make him lose his rationality and composure. Yet that day, standing outside the emergency room, he'd been so distraught, so lost, as if his soul had been split apart.
Perhaps long ago, when she'd personally demonstrated the difference between a kiss and CPR, his heart—usually as hard as ice—had unknowingly been cracked open by her kiss.
He'd been attracted to her for much longer than this moment.
As if possessed...
Alexander slowly leaned down, his handsome face drawing close to hers, his lips parting slightly. "Grace, could you... teach me again?"
"What?" Grace didn't immediately grasp his meaning.
Especially since...
His devastatingly handsome face was so close, she'd never been at such intimate distance with a man before. Even the air she breathed carried the faint warmth of his breath.
He said he wanted her to teach him again.
Teach him what?
Alexander said, "The difference between a kiss and CPR."
As he finished speaking, his lips suddenly pressed down, gently touching hers.
Grace's eyes widened in shock, her breathing and heartbeat both thrown into chaos.
"Mmm... Alexander..."
His sudden kiss caught her completely off guard...