Chapter 40 Let go of me you demon
Alexander.
I didn't go back to the estate until dawn.
I splashed cold water on my face in the penthouse bathroom before heading out back to the estate.
I couldn't avoid her forever.
Grandma would notice if I stayed away too long.
The drive back felt longer than it should have. My knuckles ached where I had hit the marble desk, and my head pounded.
I parked in the private garage and slipped inside through the side entrance, keeping my footsteps light.
Maybe if I was quiet enough, I could avoid everyone and just collapse in my bedroom.
"Alexander."
Of course, the universe had other plans.
I stopped mid step, my jaw tightening.
Tristan stood at the end of the hallway arms crossed with his smug.
"What do you want?" I didn't bother hiding my irritation.
He pushed off the wall, walking toward me with that infuriating smirk. "I won't ask why you're sneaking back home by this time or where you went to probably leaving your so called wife behind. But what I want to know is why you brought her here. That scandalous actress. As your wife."
I raised a brow but didn't answer. So he knows now.
"Couldn't you find anyone better?" His tone was mocking. "Or did you just pick the first desperate woman you could manipulate?"
"Mind your business, Tristan."
I moved to walk past him, but he stepped into my path.
"Does Grandma know?" he asked quietly. "Does she know the truth about your little arrangement?"
I stopped. Turned and stared him down with all the cold fury I could muster.
"Are you planning to tell her?"
He blinked at my question and I saw the hesitation in his eyes. But just a fraction. I scoffed.
"I thought so." I stepped closer, my voice dropping. "If you're so concerned about me marrying a scandalous woman, then maybe you should also focus on your own life. After all I'm not the only grandson of Grandma, am I?"
His jaw clenched. "I'm not the firstborn. So I don't have to tie myself down with marriage just to please her."
"Then stop meddling in mine." I snapped and shoved past him, ignoring the way his glare burned into my back.
"This won't end well, Alex," he said after me. "You know that, right?"
But I didn't answer him, and just kept walking.
..............
I pushed open the door to my bedroom, already mentally preparing to collapse face first into bed.
But I stopped immediately I closed the door, because She was still there.
Dandelion.
Asleep on the couch, curled on her side, the duvet half covering her body.
And God help me, my eyes went exactly where they shouldn't.
Her shoulder was bare. The curve of her neck visible. The duvet had slipped low enough to reveal smooth skin and the swell of her cleavage.
My throat went dry.
Move away, I told myself. Look away!!
But I couldn't I was frozen.
I just stood there like an idiot, staring at her, my pulse kicking up for reasons I refused to acknowledge.
She looked peaceful, soft and vulnerable in a way she never was when awake.
She even looks
Uncomfortable on that couch, now I have to move her to the bed. Damm it.
I crossed the room quietly and silently crouching beside the couch.
Carefully, I slid one arm beneath her shoulders, the other under her knees, and lifted.
She was lighter than I expected, lighter than the last time I carried her with her wet clothes when she fell into the pool. This time she was warm and her head lolled against my chest, and I feel her breathing against my neck.
My pulse increased.
I carried her to the bed and laid her down as gently as I could, pulling the duvet over her properly.
She stirred, her eyes fluttering half open.
"Let go of me, you demon," she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
I froze.
Demon?.
So that's what she called me when I wasn't around.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"Go back to sleep," I muttered.
Her eyes closed again, her breathing evening out.
I stood there for a moment, staring down at her.
Her dark hair fanned across the pillow. Her lips parted slightly. Her expression was peaceful.
Were we really childhood sweethearts?
Grandma had said so. Said our mothers were inseparable.
But I didn't remember her, at least not like this.
And yet, standing here now, watching her sleep in my bed, I felt something stir within me. Something old and buried and dangerous.
"Who are you?" I whispered to the sleeping woman.
She didn't answer.
Just breathed softly, oblivious to the war raging inside me.
I turned away, scrubbing a hand o
ver my face.
If after four rounds with Roxy and I had still been thinking about dandy.
Then what the hell did that mean?