Chapter 304: Jealousy of Frederick

"Whether you can handle her or not, she doesn't stand a chance anyway."

Frederick looked at James with a smile, "And all I need to prove is that my wife is the only one in my heart. So your deal won't work on me!"

James fell silent.

His phone dinged softly—it was Alice's reply: [Not interested!]

James turned to Rebecca with pleading eyes. "Rebecca, you know how I feel about Alice. Help me out here!"

"James, nobody can help you with this, really!"

Rebecca smiled with her eyes crinkling, "If Alice likes you, we'll support you. But if she doesn't , we'll turn our heads and pretend we don't know you whenever we run into you on the street. So you'll have to figure this out yourself!"

The car slowly drove past, Rebecca's voice drifting over on the night breeze.

James let out a long sigh.

Another day of envying Frederick!

If he'd known better, he should have married Alice when she still didn't know about his family background.

Even if she blamed him for deceiving her, they'd still have a whole lifetime ahead, and he could always prove that his feelings for her were real.

But now, looking at the situation,she even had a bunch of dirt on him.

Sighing up at the night sky, when he looked up again, he saw Frederick and Rebecca walking hand in hand into the Getty family villa. James's eyes turned red with envy and jealousy.

......

Two days flew back in a blink of an eye..

After a pleasant breakfast, Frederick came over.

Rebecca held Alex's hand with one hand and linked arms with Frederick with the other, and the three of them headed out.

Behind them, Alexa smiled and turned to Layla, "I can already picture what it'll be like in a few years."

In a few years, Becca would be even more beautiful.

Frederick would probably still look the same as now.

The two of them would be holding hands with a little boy who looked like Alex, or maybe a delicate little Rebecca. The picture would probably look just like this.

"What a coincidence, I was thinking the same thing!"

Layla replied with a smile.

Turning back around, she saw Alice lost in thought, having poked at her bowl of cereal until it looked completely unappetizing.

"What's wrong?"

Taking the bowl and spoon away from her, Layla asked with amusement, "You've been distracted since yesterday. What's up? Did you lose your soul or something?"

"Huh? No!"

Alice snapped back to reality and said evasively, "I had a nightmare last night, didn't sleep well."

"Then go get some sleep!"

Alexa smiled gently, "While nothing is going on, go rest for a bit!"

"Okay. I'll sleep for a while. If anything comes up, just call me."

"Okay!"

"Got it!"

Getting up and heading upstairs, as soon as Alice closed her bedroom door, she opened her phone.

In the Facebook chat box, her conversation with James had stopped last night.

Usually, every day at 6:30, he'd message her like clockwork.

Every time, no matter how sleepy Alice was, she'd be startled awake.

And no matter what she was doing, she'd hurriedly reply, "I'm up, I'm up."

Ever since he asked her to be be his girlfriend, and she hesitated just a few seconds before refusing, he said no answer meant yes by default. From then on, James kept pushing boundaries, using increasingly mushy terms of endearment.

On one hand, she figured it was just his personality.

On the other hand, she thought this was James's childish side.

Alice could only blush and pretend not to see those mushy nicknames.

Rain or shine, even calculating time zones perfectly, his morning greeting—which had never failed—didn't come this morning.

When she opened her eyes before dawn, Alice wondered why her biological clock had gone haywire.

She opened her phone: 6:30 sharp.

6:30.

7:00.

7:30.

7:40.

Time ticked forward minute by minute, but that good morning message never came.

Alice's heart felt inexplicably anxious.

When Alice threw off the covers and sat up, she was completely panicking .

Ever since she returned to Empire City, she hadn't given James a pleasant face. He'd grown up surrounded by admirers—he must be angry too, right?

And he'd said he'd give her three days to think about it, but it was already today, and she still hadn't replied.

She was torn and couldn't decide.

But in his eyes, it must have looked like a cold rejection, right?

Both angry and wronged, Alice stared blankly at the still-silent chat box, not knowing how to react.

Before Alice could figure out what to do, Alexa's gentle call came from downstairs, "Alice, Alice, James is here..."

As if under a freezing spell, Alice went rigid for a moment.

When she came to her senses, she rushed out of bed toward the door.

Her hand hadn't even reached the doorknob when she suddenly ran back to her vanity, examining herself in the mirror.

Her heart was pounding fast and hard, but the moment she opened the door, she put on an air of casual indifference.

"Alice..."

James, dressed in an extremely formal three-piece suit, stood up with a bright smile, "I know this makes me look really rude, and you're going to call me shameless again! But I can't help it—when you like someone, being shameless is the highest level you can reach. So I came here with a thick face."

On the table were even more bags and packages than last time.

Nutritional supplements, skincare products, and luxury brand shawl gift boxes.

All in duplicate.

Clearly prepared for Layla and Alexa.

Besides those, there were fruits, fresh foods, dried goods—all kinds of things to eat and use.

Looking at James in his sharp suit, even his hair specially styled, Alice's heart, which she'd hardened with a deep breath before coming downstairs, suddenly went soft and sank.

A smile was just beginning to spread across James's face.

Then he heard Alice say with a smile, "Let me introduce you... This is my boyfriend, James!"

James froze.

His heartbeat exploded, the heavy drumbeat pounding into his eardrums.