Chapter 139 Must It Be Alexander?
After ending the meeting, Jeremy informed Alexander that Grace had called him. Thinking she had some urgent matter, Alexander had driven straight home from the office, only to discover she had left in Henry's car.
Where were they going together?
Puzzled, Alexander dialed Grace's number. The moment the call connected, he asked with forced casualness, "Where are you?"
"I'm out running an errand," Grace replied.
"Are you alone?" Alexander asked.
"I'm with a friend," she said.
She wasn't lying, but she was being deliberately vague, not mentioning Henry by name.
Grace was afraid he might misunderstand, but she was also eager to investigate the events from seven years ago, so she chose not to specify that she was with Henry.
Alexander looked up at his rearview mirror, which reflected the disappointment in his eyes. He asked quietly, "When... will you be back?"
He had wanted to ask which friend, and their name. But he seemed afraid of being disappointed a second time, afraid she might lie to him, so he decided not to ask.
"I don't know how late I'll be, but I'll try to come back early," Grace said.
"Alright. I'll wait for you at home."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Alexander turned his car around on the ramp, stepped on the gas, and drove out of the garage.
Meanwhile, in Henry's car, Grace had just ended the call when Henry asked, "Was that Alexander?"
Grace nodded.
"You're living together?" Henry asked.
Grace looked surprised. "How did you know?"
Henry smiled. "I could tell. He said he'd wait for you at home."
"Yes, we are living together," Grace confirmed.
"So are you really planning to remarry him?" Henry asked.
Grace frowned, looking somewhat hesitant.
Regarding remarriage, she was indeed wavering. It wasn't that she was unwilling to remarry Alexander, but having been through one divorce, she didn't want to repeat the same mistake. She would think it through carefully—if they were to remarry, she wanted to be certain of their mutual feelings.
Marriage should be built on emotional foundation between two people, not for the sake of anyone else.
"If our relationship stabilizes, yes, I plan to remarry him," Grace replied.
Henry stared straight ahead, falling silent for a moment, but his hands gripping the steering wheel stiffened slightly.
Grace didn't notice his expression and simply asked, "Mr. Phillips, what did you want to see me about?"
"Could you not remarry him?" Henry asked.
Grace froze.
Henry's brow furrowed slightly, his heart aching fiercely.
Seven years ago, he had missed his chance with her due to his studies. He didn't want to miss a second opportunity.
"Grace, could you please consider this carefully?"
"I am considering it carefully. Remarriage isn't something to decide lightly—it does require careful thought," Grace said.
"I meant consider me," Henry interrupted, his voice gentle yet firm. "Wouldn't I work?"
Grace's face went pale. She sat rigidly in her seat, not knowing how to respond.
Seeing her continued silence, Henry felt agitated. He started to lift his hand, then let it fall heavily back onto the steering wheel. "Do you think I don't know about Max's parentage? Do you think I don't know he's not my son? I know better than anyone that he's your child with another man."
After a pause, he continued, "I wish more than anyone that he were my child. That way, I could marry you with the same legitimate claim as Alexander."
"My remarrying him isn't because of Max," Grace said.
"Then what is it? Love?" Henry's eyes narrowed as he looked at her, trying to glimpse some unknown emotion in her gaze. "Do you love him? Or does he love you?"
Grace was stumped again.
Love...
She had never experienced a truly stable romantic relationship.
She had harbored feelings for Henry for years, thinking that was love. But when he actually wanted to be with her, she found herself hesitant.
In her eyes, Henry was like a man surrounded by light—clear from afar, but blinding up close, admirable but untouchable, inspiring respectful distance.
But Alexander was different.
He was clearly privileged, from an elite background, impossibly wealthy—he seemed even more unreachable than Henry. Yet when he held her, when he kissed her... she didn't feel the urge to retreat.
"Grace, seven years ago, I missed my chance with you because of my studies. I don't want to miss you a second time," Henry said.
At the intersection, the traffic light turned red.
The car suddenly braked.
With the sudden deceleration, Grace was pressed firmly against her seat by the seatbelt.
At the same time, Henry unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward her.
He bent down, pressing her against the seatback with one hand, his lips about to descend.
Almost instinctively—
Grace raised her hand and covered her mouth.
Henry's lips stopped just inches from the back of her hand.
He slowly opened his eyes, his gentle breath warming her forehead.
He felt like he was beyond salvation. He had always prided himself on gentlemanly conduct, yet now he was trying to force her to face him through such means.
Grace was startled as well.
She had never imagined that someone as honorable as Henry would try to force a kiss on her.
She didn't even realize how intense her reaction was, how obvious her rejection.
Henry looked at her wide eyes, at the hand desperately covering her mouth, and felt a strange sense of powerlessness wash over him.
He felt unwilling to accept this, gazing at her face with deep, flickering eyes. "Why do you reject me so strongly? If Alexander were sitting here instead of me, would you react the same way?"
He had been the first person to enter Grace's life. How had it come to this?
Henry persisted desperately, "Does it have to be him? Everything Alexander can give you, I can give you too. What he can't give you, I can also provide."
He said it all in one breath, then watched for any change in her emotional expression.
"So... wouldn't I work?" he asked again.
Grace couldn't immediately process the meaning behind his words. Her eyes held a hint of fear as she looked at Henry, as if she were looking at a stranger.
Henry's lips parted slightly, and suddenly he kissed the back of her hand, a light touch like a dragonfly on water, saying soothingly, "I'm sorry. I overstepped."
The light turned green.
During rush hour, cars behind them honked impatiently.
Henry calmly fastened his seatbelt, gripped the steering wheel, and drove forward.
Grace slowly lowered her hand, still seeming shaken. "Mr. Phillips..."
"Don't call me Mr. Phillips," Henry said with distaste for the distant address. "When you call me that, it's like we're strangers."
"I'm sorry..." Grace said, feeling she had lost her composure. Perhaps at that moment, she also realized...
No one could force her to do anything she didn't want to do.
Alexander and Henry were different.
It turned out that when facing Alexander, many of her seemingly resistant reactions... were actually willing...