Chapter 250 He Wants to Protect Caroline
Alexander knew Linus wasn't buying it.
In the real world, Linus had been formidable.
Business instincts, connections, schemes buried so deep you'd never see them coming—he had it all. Back then, Alexander had been backed into corners more times than he could count, pushed to the brink just to stay alive.
But this wasn't the real world. This was his dream.
And even if the dream didn't bend entirely to his will, he still had the upper hand—years of hard-won experience from a life already lived. Closing a mid-tier port deal, making a statement, and stepping on Linus's throat in the process? None of it was particularly hard.
Truth was, Alexander hadn't wanted the attention.
He'd wanted to stay quiet. Stay close to Caroline. Protect this fragile, hard-won dream.
But after the violence in the study—after Isabella tried to hand Caroline over to the Simmons family like a bargaining chip—he'd finally understood.
Patience wouldn't protect the people he loved.
So he'd stopped being patient.
The elevator descended in silence, the numbers ticking down from eighteen to seventeen, then sixteen.
Linus said nothing for a long moment. Then he let out a soft laugh.
"You know, I'm a few years older than you. Technically your uncle. But when it comes to business..." He shook his head with mock resignation. "I really can't keep up."
He sighed, the picture of weary humility.
"Guess I'm getting old."
Alexander's expression didn't shift, but disgust coiled in his gut.
Old?
Linus was twenty-two. In his prime. Sharp as a blade and twice as ruthless, with instincts that could gut you before you even saw him move.
This was just another performance.
What Linus did best was smile like a saint and go for the throat the second you looked away.
In his past life, Alexander had bled for that act more times than he cared to remember.
Not this time.
He just smiled faintly and said nothing.
The elevator hit the ground floor. The doors slid open, and Alexander stepped out without a word.
Behind him, Linus stayed where he was, watching that retreating figure until the smile finally slipped off his face.
Alexander left the building and headed straight for the Neville estate—straight for Caroline, the only person who mattered.
He took the familiar path around to the back garden. Before he got close, he heard voices.
"A white dress would be perfect on you, Caroline."
Edith's voice. Still soft, still sweet, with that familiar lilt she always used when she wanted something.
"White for an engagement just looks so pure and elegant, and with your complexion, you were made for light colors. Did you try on the ones I picked? What did you think?"
Alexander slowed. Through a gap in the hedges, he could see them.
Caroline and Edith sat on a white bench, thick bridal catalogs spread across the stone table between them.
Edith flipped through the pages with the kind of enthusiasm you'd expect from someone planning her own wedding, pointing out dress after dress.
Caroline sat beside her, but her expression was strained.
"White dresses are beautiful, but... I need more time to think about it."
"You're not still thinking about red, are you?" Edith's tone turned theatrical. "Caroline, I know you love red, but it's just not right for an engagement. Look at this one—all white, a little lace, A-line skirt. You'd look like something out of a storybook."
Caroline glanced at it and frowned. "There's too much lace. It's... a lot."
"How is it a lot?" Edith tilted her head, all innocence. "An engagement should feel special. And Alexander adores you—you'd look stunning in anything. But white really is your color."
Caroline's voice softened. "Edith... let me think about it."
She was being polite. Diplomatic. But she clearly didn't want to say yes.
And Edith, who could usually read a room like a book, seemed determined to ignore every signal Caroline was sending.
"What about this one? Also white, but simpler. No extra frills. Very you."
Caroline opened her mouth to respond—
"Caroline."
Both girls looked up.
The moment Caroline saw him, her whole face lit up.
"How did you get here?"
"Finished the signing. Thought I'd stop by." Alexander crossed the garden and sat down beside her without hesitation.
Edith's gaze lingered on him for half a beat before she flashed a bright smile.
"Alex, perfect timing. I'm helping Caroline pick her engagement dress. What do you think about white?"
"I don't." Alexander didn't even glance at the catalog.
Edith's smile faltered.
Alexander turned to Caroline.
"Wear whatever you want. If you don't want a dress, wear jeans. I don't care."
Caroline blinked, then laughed despite herself. "Jeans? To an engagement? You're not serious."
"Completely serious." Alexander kept a straight face. "You look good in anything. If you want jeans, I'll wear them too."
"That's ridiculous..." Caroline's ears went pink as she shoved him lightly.
Edith watched the two of them, her smile slowly hardening into something brittle.
"Alex, you spoil her too much." She tried to sound playful. "An engagement's a big deal. You can't just wear jeans."
"Why not?" Alexander looked at her. "I think jeans at an engagement would be bold. Memorable."
Edith's expression cracked.
"I just thought... a white dress would be prettier." Her voice dropped to a mumble as she closed the catalog.
Silence settled over the garden.
Caroline cleared her throat. "Edith, thank you for helping. I'll think it over and let you know."
"Okay." Edith stood, forcing the smile back onto her face. "I'll leave you two alone, then."
She walked a few steps, then couldn't help glancing back.
Alexander had leaned in close, murmuring something in Caroline's ear. Caroline's face was flushed, laughing as she pushed him away, the two of them tangled up in each other like the rest of the world didn't exist.
Edith's fingers tightened around the edge of the catalog until her knuckles went white. Then she turned and walked away quickly.
The garden was theirs now.
Alexander finally let the act drop, slumping against Caroline like dead weight, his chin hooked over her shoulder. "I'm exhausted."
"That's what you get for showing off," Caroline muttered, but she didn't push him away. Instead, she shifted slightly to let him settle in more comfortably.