Chapter 82 Is It True Alex?
Dandelion.
I was adjusting my scarf in the elevator mirror when the doors opened on the executive floor of Graham Corp.
Grandma Winifred had insisted I visit Alex during his lunch break, "you need to be more present at his workplace, people need to recognize you as his wife you know, especially since he finally agreed to take on the position as CEO I Graham Corp."
So here I was, playing the dutiful wife role. Again.
The receptionist smiled when she saw me, but I noticed a bit of nervousness behind it. "Mrs. Graham! you're here."she said with a rushed tone.
My brows creased.
"Mr. Graham is in his office. You can go right in."
"Ok? Thank you."I said with wondering why she sounded unusually off.
I walked down the hallway toward Alex's office, my heels clicking against the polished floor. Everything was quiet, too quiet, or did something happ--
"Did you hear? That model, Roxy Briggs, she's claiming she's pregnant."
My feet stopped moving.
Two women stood near the water cooler, partially hidden by a decorative pillar. They were speaking in hushed tones, but the hallway echo carried their words clearly.
"With whose baby?" the second woman asked.
"Mr. Graham's, obviously. She came earlier today, causing a scene in the lobby. Said she's carrying his child from before he got married."
My eyes widened.
"No way. Mrs. Graham seems so sweet though, even though nobody knows when they got married, but still this must be devastating for her."
"I know, right? Imagine finding out your husband got his ex-girlfriend pregnant. And Roxy's so beautiful too. Maybe he still has feelings for her."
"But do you think the marriage is fake? Like maybe he only married Mrs. Graham to please his grandmother, but Roxy was always the one he really wanted?"
The second lady paused, "It would make sense. I mean, the wedding seemed so sudden. And they barely interact when they're here together."
My chest felt tight. Too tight. Like someone was squeezing all the air from my lungs.
"Poor Mrs. Graham. She probably doesn't even know yet."
Oh, I knew now.
I must have made some sound because both women suddenly turned and saw me standing there. Their faces went white.
"Mrs. Graham! W...we didn't see you--"
I didn't wait to hear the rest. I walked past them, my face carefully blank, and headed straight for Alex's office. My hand was shaking when I reached for the door handle.
Walter was inside with Alex, both of them seemed to be having a serious conversation. They looked up when I entered.
"Dandelion," Alex said, surprise flickering across his face. "I wasn't expecting you--"
I dropped the lunch box on his desk first, "Is it true Alex?" My voice came out more calm than I felt. "Is she pregnant?"
The room went completely silent.
Walter's eyes widened. He glanced at Alex, then back at me, then quickly gathered some papers. "I'll give you two some privacy."
He left, closing the door softly behind him.
Alex stood slowly from his desk. "How did you find out?"
"Does it matter?" I stepped closer, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "Just answer the question. Is Roxy pregnant with your child?"
"No." His voice was firm and confident, "She's not."
"You sound very sure of that."
"Because I Am sure." He moved around the desk toward me. "Dandy you have to listen to me. Roxy is lying."
"How do you know?" The words burst out of me, sharper than I intended. "How can you be so certain?"
"Because I was...I was always careful. Every single time. There is no possible way--"
"Every single time," I repeated, something bitter and painful twisting in my chest. "Right. Because you two have such an extensive history."
His jaw clenched. "That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" I was practically shaking now, all the emotions I'd been holding back rushing to the surface. "Because from where I'm standing, it sounds like you've been with her enough times to be absolutely certain about your contraception methods."
"Dandy--"
"Those women out there, they think I don't know. They were gossiping about how devastating this must be for me. About how maybe you only married me for your grandmother but Roxy was always the one you really wanted."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it?" I challenged. "You were with her for years, Alex. Years. We've been married for what, a few months? And it's not even a real marriage. It's a contract. A business arrangement."
"It stopped being just a contract a long time ago and you know it."
The statement hung in the air between us, heavy and dangerous.
"Do I?" I whispered. "Because I don't know anything anymore. I don't know if this baby is real or fake. I don't know if you still have feelings for her. I really don't know--"
"The baby isn't real." He cut me off, his voice was hard. "Roxy is lying because she's desperate. Because she can't accept that what we had is over."
"What you had," I said quietly. "Past tense. But was it really over, Alex? You were still with her even after we got married."
His expression darkened. "That was before."
"Before what?"
"Before everything changed."
"When did everything change?" I demanded. "Because I feel like I'm going crazy here. One minute you're pushing me away, the next you're holding me while I cry. You kiss me like you can't help yourself, then you act like it was a mistake. You tell me you love me, Now there's a woman claiming to be pregnant with your baby and I don't know what to believe anymore."
"Believe me." He stepped closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to look at him. "I am telling you the truth. Roxy is not pregnant. This is a manipulation tactic."
I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to so badly it hurt.
But there was this voice in my head, the same voice that had whispered warnings when I first fell for Chase. The voice that said men lie. They manipulate. They make you believe them right up until they destroy you.
"I need proof," I whispered.
"What?"
"If she's lying, prove it. Make her take a test. Get medical records or Something."
"I already have Walter handling it."
"Good." I moved toward the door, needing space and fresh air.
"Where are you going?" He asked worriedly.
"I don't know. I just need to think."
"Dandelion, wait." His hand caught my wrist, stopping me. His touch sent electricity through my arm. "Please. Just listen to me."
I turned back to face him, hating the tears I felt burning behind my eyes. "What else is there to say?"
"I don't love her." His words came out raw and desperate. "I never loved her. What we had was just convenient, just physical. Nothing more, Please you have to believe me."
"Alex, what do we have?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.
He stared at me intensely with that green eyes of his, "We have something real."
My heart hammered against my ribs. "Real?"
"Yes. It's real and terrifying and complicated and completely unexpected, but trust me it's real."
I pulled my wrist from his grip, taking a step back. "Don't do this."
"Don't do what?"
"Don't say things you don't mean just to make me feel better. Don't pretend this marriage is something it's not just because your ex showed up with a fake pregnancy."
"You think that's what this is?" His voice rose slightly. "You think I'm lying to you?"
"I don't know what to think anymore!" I shouted back. "All I know is that six months ago, you offered me a contract marriage with strict rules about no feelings, no complications. Now you're standing here telling me we have something real? Forgive me for being confused."
"But things changed."
"When? When did they change for you? Because I've been trying so hard not to feel anything. I've been fighting it every single day, telling myself it's just proximity, just forced intimacy from Noona's meddling. But then you look at me the way you're looking at me right now and I...."
I stopped abruptly, realizing I said too much.
His expression shifted. "You what?"
"Nothing. Forget it."
"Dandelion." He said my name like a plea. "Finish what you were saying."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it doesn't matter" The tears were coming now, hot and angry. "Whether it's real or not doesn't matter. Your ex could be pregnant. And if she is, if that baby exists, then you have obligations to her. You have a future with her that doesn't include me."
"She is NOT pregnant." He said with frustration.
"But what if she is?" My voice cracked. "What if the test comes back positive? What then? Do we just pretend this conversation never happened? Do I step aside gracefully while you play happy family with her?"
"That's not going to happen."
"You can't promise that."
"Yes, I can." He moved closer again, and this time I didn't back away. "I can promise you that no matter what Roxy claims, no matter what games she tries to play, she means nothing to me. You're my wife."
"I'm your contract wife." I corrected.
"You ARE my wife," he repeated firmly, "Contract or not. Legal paper or not. You're the one I married. You're the one sleeping in my bed. You're the one I can't stop thinking about even when I should be working. You're the one who makes me break every single rule I set by myself."
Each of his words cracked something open inside my chest.
"Alex--"
"I do NOT love Roxy. I don't want Roxy. I want...." He stopped himself, his jaw clenched tight.
"What?" I whispered. "What do you want?"
He stared at me for a long moment, something vulnerable and raw flashing across his face.
"It's you I want Dandy. And the truth is that Roxy is lying. Give me one day to prove it."
My wall of uncertainty melted slowly, "One day."
"Yes. That's all I'm asking."
I studied his face, looking for any sign of deception. But all I saw was frustration and something that looked almost like desperation.
"Fine," I said finally. "One day. But if you're lying to me, if this turns out to be real--"
"It won't." He said reassuringly.
"If it does," I continued, my voice shaking, "then we're done. Contract or not. I won't play second choice to anyone ever again. Not even for you."
The words hung between us, a line drawn in the sand.
Alex's expression was unreadable. He shook his head in agreement, "Understood."
I turned and walked out, my whole body trembling with adrenaline and emotions I couldn't name.
The hallway was empty. Those gossiping women had disappeared. I walked quickly toward the elevator, my vision blurring with unshed tears.
The elevator doors opened and I stepped inside, pressing the button for the ground floor. Just before the doors closed, I heard a loud crash from the direction of Alex's office.
The sound of something breaking.
The doors slid shut, and I was alone with my racing heart and the terrible, terrifying realization that I wasn'tjust jealous because of some contract obligation.
I was jealous because despite all my efforts to protect myself, I had fallen for Alexander Graham.
And the thought of losing him to Roxy made me want to break things too.