Chapter 98
Elizabeth's POV
I froze in place, taking a few seconds to process what Alexander actually meant.
Was Alexander being serious with me right now?
Did he really think I would accept money from Aiden?
"Mr. Windsor, Aiden and I have been over for a long time. Even if he wanted to give me money, I wouldn't take it."
As I said this, it suddenly hit me that Alexander didn't really know me that well either.
That's why he assumed I couldn't possibly come up with that kind of money on my own, and might even accept Aiden's help?
The realization left me feeling strangely upset. "Mr. Windsor, I'll complete the project myself. I won't let you down."
This time I meant it. Only by achieving real results could I truly stand before Alexander as an equal.
Alexander had the ability, and if I wanted to benefit from that ability, I had to prove my own worth.
I looked up at him with complete sincerity. "Do you really not trust me at all?"
Alexander hesitated, his eyes meeting mine with an expression I couldn't quite read. "If you need anything, you can ask me."
His calm words, devoid of any emotion, echoed in my ears. My head snapped up to look at him.
Was he telling me I could rely on him?
Whatever he meant, the feeling was strange.
"I should get back to work then."
Staying in this office would only make the atmosphere more awkward. I needed to leave quickly.
Fortunately, Alexander didn't react further. He smiled at me slightly, his usually cold face softening with a touch of warmth.
I hurried out of the office, and only when the door closed behind me did I fully calm down.
This feeling was dangerous. Being around Alexander was making me feel increasingly out of control.
At noon, when Aiden had called and Alexander happened to be right there beside me.
In that moment, I'd held back because of Alexander's presence. Otherwise, I would have said far harsher things.
Was I watching my image because Alexander was nearby?
The possibility made my heart race.
It was something I didn't want to admit to myself.
That afternoon, I worked as usual. Near the end of the day, a coworker asked me to pick something up from a nearby location.
I didn't think much of it and went.
But the moment I turned a corner, a large hand suddenly reached out from the side and dragged me violently into an alley.
"Who—?" I called out in alarm, trying to break free as quickly as possible, but the person quickly tied my hands together.
A strange scent hit my nostrils. The man covered my mouth with something, and my consciousness began to blur.
My whole body went limp.
In those last moments of awareness, I saw two burly men in black clothing forcefully dragging me into a vehicle.
Someone had deliberately planned this. They wanted to kidnap me.
And they'd moved so quickly after I arrived here, which meant they'd probably been staking out the area for some time.
Just waiting for an opportunity to take me.
Who could it be? In this world, there was probably only one person who would target me like this.
Aiden.
His name crystallized in my mind, and I couldn't help but let out a mocking sound.
When I woke up again, everything around me was pitch black. I couldn't see anything.
I could vaguely feel that I was lying on a bed.
Just as I sat up, a voice came from the doorway. "Awake?"
That familiar voice instantly confirmed my earlier suspicion. The person who'd kidnapped me was Aiden.
It seemed to be nighttime now. The entire room was dark, and I couldn't make out Aiden's features at all.
"Aiden, when will you stop?" Knowing it was him who'd kidnapped me, I felt less nervous.
He already knew Bianca wasn't actually sick, so at worst, he wouldn't go as far as sacrificing my life like before.
And now that he'd successfully kidnapped me, I might as well figure out what his real purpose was.
Just then, Aiden suddenly turned on the lights.
Bright illumination flooded the room, enough for me to see everything clearly.
It looked like an ordinary bedroom, and I was lying on the bed.
"We were lovers once. Why be so hostile?" Aiden said with a laugh as he walked toward me.
I looked into his eyes and let out a cold laugh. "You kidnapped me and brought me here. Aren't you afraid Alexander will find out and come after you?"
At least during that phone call at noon, Aiden had clearly been wary of Alexander.
I didn't believe he was bold enough to actually keep me trapped here.
But when I finished speaking, I saw mockery flash across his face, even tinged with hatred.
"So you think finding a more powerful man than me means you're safe now? Elizabeth, wasn't I good to you before? When your family went bankrupt, I didn't abandon you." Aiden suddenly became agitated, as if past events still bothered him deeply.
I watched him quietly as he grew more and more worked up, but I felt absolutely nothing in my heart.
Even now, Aiden hadn't realized what he'd done wrong.
He still thought everything he'd done in the past was right.
Remembering that he and Bianca were still together, I felt oddly disoriented.
I couldn't figure out what Aiden was thinking. Did he actually love Bianca?
"What's the point of bringing up the past now? I'll only tell you one thing—if you don't let me go right now, you'll face the consequences."
The fact that he'd kidnapped me but not hurt me directly, instead placing me in this bedroom, indicated that Aiden didn't actually dare to truly harm me.
In that case, I didn't mind saying more things that would pain him.
"Elizabeth!" Aiden suddenly rushed toward me and grabbed my hair. Pain shot through me and I instinctively tried to push him away.
"Let go! What are you doing?"
I stared hard into his eyes, trying to intimidate him into backing off.
But Aiden wasn't affected in the slightest. He moved even closer. "I want you to break up with him now and come back to me."
Finally, I couldn't hold back anymore. I looked straight into his eyes and said, "Break up with him and come back to you? What about Bianca? Since you know she was faking her illness, how have you handled your relationship with her?"
I clearly saw a flash of panic in his eyes, and the sense of irony in my heart grew stronger.
Even now, just mentioning Bianca could easily get under Aiden's skin.
The thought filled me with bitter amusement.