Chapter 46
Elizabeth's POV
After Alexander carried me into the car, I huddled in the back seat wrapped in a blanket, watching him warily.
My gut told me Alexander was in a bad mood right now.
The fact that he showed up there and saved me at the critical moment was unbelievable in itself.
For a brief moment, I even had the ridiculous thought that maybe he was sent by heaven to save me.
But I quickly dismissed that idea. Someone like Alexander only acted based on benefits. How could he possibly play the role of a pure savior as I imagined?
Once I realized this, I actually felt relieved. Dealing with someone who's purely about exchanging benefits was simpler than dealing with a good person whose motives you couldn't figure out.
I decided to break the silence first and explain the situation, "Aiden smashed my phone. He tried to force himself on me. Thank you for saving me."
Dead silence in the car. Alexander, sitting beside me, didn't even glance at me, as if I were just air.
The driver kept the car unusually smooth, as if this were just another ordinary evening drive home.
The prolonged silence actually helped my tense nerves gradually relax. I took a deep breath and spoke again, with a hint of self-mockery in my tone, "Fine, you can blame me however you want. I admit, I should have listened to your warning from the start."
At first, Aiden acted relatively normal, even trying to play the devoted lover in front of me.
But when he realized I wouldn't forgive him as easily as before, his behavior became increasingly out of control. He got extremely irritable from not getting my forgiveness, and after all his attempts to convince me failed, he simply locked me in the room.
I tried to call for help, but he caught me and smashed my phone to pieces on the spot.
After dinner, he was still trying to force me to give in. Our standoff finally escalated, and he was ready to hurt me with violence.
Just as I was desperately struggling, Alexander appeared.
I looked at him, pressed my lips into a thin line, and said, "I know you probably don't want to deal with me, but you did save me, and I have to thank you."
This overly formal and distant tone finally seemed to catch Alexander's attention. He looked over with a frown and let out a cold laugh, "Elizabeth, do you think saying these polite things to me means anything?"
I was simply expressing my gratitude. If he hadn't shown up, I would have been hurt by Aiden again, and might have even lost my baby. Aiden's final lunge at me made his intention crystal clear—he was like a crazed beast.
"You'd better behave yourself." Alexander dropped this harsh warning, but I felt the coldness around him seemed to dissipate a bit.
I obediently nodded, and on the way back, I kept sneaking glances at him.
Although Alexander's presence was still intimidating, I could feel that he wasn't as oppressive as he appeared to be.
I even seemed to see a hint of softness deep inside him.
This thought startled me, and I immediately closed my eyes, pretending nothing happened.
I didn't notice that Alexander's gaze had actually been falling on me, on and off.
Back at The Windsor Family estate, lying on that familiar bed again, I surprisingly felt a long-lost sense of security.
Even though living here meant being held captive by him, my mindset had somehow changed without me realizing it.
However, the trouble I caused for the Smith Group during the day should be brewing nicely by now.
Aiden could still laugh today, but when he goes to the company tomorrow, he'll probably be stunned.
I would get a new phone tomorrow. Thanks to Aiden smashing it, I could actually have some peace and quiet tonight.
When Alexander carried me away at the end, Grandma saw it too.
Aiden had been trying to hide the true parentage of my child from her, but now it looked like that secret wouldn't stay hidden much longer.
Since that's the case, I should make a clean break with The Smith family. As for Grandma, who was so good to me, I would find another way to repay her, but I would never let myself be tricked like today again.
Early the next morning, Lisa came to wake me up with a new phone.
"Ms. Spencer, this is what Mr. Windsor had prepared for you. Your old phone number has been restored too."
I looked at the new phone, somewhat surprised. Yesterday, in the car, when I mentioned my phone, Alexander acted like he wasn't listening at all. I thought he didn't care. I didn't expect he'd already prepared a new phone for me. Is Alexander actually such a thoughtful person?
"Please thank him for me." I took the phone and immediately logged into my social media.
Sure enough, there were messages from Smith Manor and Aiden. I ignored them directly and opened the chat windows with those partners I'd won over. I prioritized contacting partners related to the design field. Just negotiating with the identity of Designer S alone gave me an eighty percent success rate.
Just then, Kieran from the clothing business sent me a message.
[Ms. Spencer, I've thought it through. I'm going to terminate the contract with Mr. Smith today. From now on, I'll only work with you.]
I was overjoyed and quickly replied to him. Although Kieran' project wasn't the most profitable, it was currently the most urgent one for the Smith Group. With the new season's clothing launch coming up, having problems at this critical moment would definitely make Aiden panic.
Receiving such great news first thing after waking up got me all excited. When I went downstairs for breakfast, I proactively greeted Alexander.
He looked at me with a frown.
I completely ignored his expression and waved the new phone at him, "Thank you for the phone, Mr. Windsor. I'll take good care of it."
Hearing this, he finally reacted, his tone still cold, "Try letting it get smashed again and see what happens."
This was clearly a warning, but it didn't sound as threatening as before. I obediently agreed and even smiled at him.
After breakfast, as Alexander was about to leave, I suddenly stood up and called out to him.
He looked at me questioningly, and I put on a worried expression and said, "Can I go to the company with you?"
His frown deepened, as if he didn't understand what I meant. I continued to explain, "I think, since I've already completely fallen out with Aiden, I'm safest staying by your side. So, I want to go to the company with you."
I lowered my head, hiding the true emotion in my eyes well.
My real purpose for wanting to stay by Alexander's side was to go to his company. At a major corporation like The Windsor Family, any casual encounter could be a valuable resource. I was preparing to restart the Spencer Group, and what I lacked most right now was connections. Alexander was the best way for me to access these resources.
To achieve my goal, I could use anything and endure anything.
Alexander's furrowed brow showed no sign of relaxing. He just stared at me silently.
Suddenly, he smiled, with a hint of mockery in it, "Elizabeth, you don't hide the fact that you're using me as a tool, do you?"
I froze, finding myself unable to say a single word in response.