Chapter 261 Demand to Release Carl
Alexander lowered his head, gazing at the empty air in his arms with a tenderness that seemed ready to spill over.
"What should we name you..." he murmured.
He thought for a long time—so long that the sunlight outside the window crept from east to west—before his face lit up with a smile that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside.
"Aurora." He looked up, eyes bright, turning toward the empty space beside him. "How about Aurora? It means her future will always be like the dawn, moving toward the light. Caroline, what do you think?"
He seemed to be listening, waiting. Then his smile widened. He looked down at the emptiness in his arms and said softly, "Aurora... that's your name now. Aurora, my little sweetheart..."
"Your mother says she loves it. See? She agrees, so it's settled."
He leaned close to the air in his arms, as if kissing his daughter's cheek.
"Aurora, you need to grow up quickly. I have so many things to teach you—how to ride horses, how to play ball, how to..." He paused, his voice dropping. "How to truly love someone. Don't be like me."
His voice grew quieter as he cradled the emptiness, gently rocking while humming a slow lullaby.
Mark stood in the doorway for a long time. Alexander never noticed him.
He didn't step inside, just stood there watching the smile on Alexander's face.
That kind of smile was too pure—so pure it made his chest ache.
Alexander rarely smiled. Even when Liam was alive, he'd said Alexander was the type who hardly ever relaxed, even in his younger days.
When Mark was assigned to Alexander's side at sixteen, Alexander was locked in a deadly struggle with Linus.
Alexander was only a few years older than him, but he stood like a mountain—silent, immovable.
A weight that could crush anything, but also a presence that somehow brought comfort.
And this smile—it looked like the kind he'd only have when seeing Caroline in his dreams. Those were the rare moments of peace in his long life, even if they were all illusions.
Mark suddenly understood why Alexander kept asking David to hypnotize him.
Finally, he backed quietly out of the room and closed the door, afraid of disturbing the dream inside.
He stood in the hallway for a long time, until his phone rang and jolted him back.
Mark walked to the far end of the hallway and answered.
"Hello."
The person on the other end said a few words. In seconds, Mark's expression darkened.
"Got it. I'll get back to you."
After hanging up, he stood without moving.
Then he turned back toward Alexander's door, put his hand on the handle, but couldn't bring himself to turn it.
Through the crack came Alexander's soft murmuring—unclear, but obviously still lost in his self-constructed world.
Mark's hand dropped slowly.
He took a step back, then another, and finally turned and left.
Della came upstairs carrying a tea tray and spotted Mark in the hallway.
He was leaning against the wall, head down, shoulders slumped, looking like something heavy was crushing him.
"Mark?" Della approached quietly. "Why are you standing here? Where's the boss?"
Mark looked up.
Della froze.
His eyes were red.
The usually steady, sharp Mark now showed a helplessness he couldn't hide, and it made her heart clench.
"What happened?" She stepped closer. "Mark, what's wrong?"
Mark raised his hand and pointed down the hallway, signaling her to follow.
They walked one after another to the terrace. Mark stood by the railing with his back to her, silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"Something happened with Carl."
Della frowned. "What happened?"
"Carl's father-in-law... Ralph Cook. He sent people today demanding we release Carl."
Della's expression shifted instantly.
To put it kindly, Carl was mediocre—only fit for the most basic management position, nowhere near qualified to take over the Hamilton family's business.
To put it bluntly, he was useless and only caused problems.
But Armando had lost his mind back then. Even though Alexander was perfectly qualified to lead, Armando had insisted on bringing Carl back and handing him everything.
That's what led to the disasters that followed.
And now Ralph was personally demanding his release.
Besides doing it for his daughter, Della knew there was another reason—he knew Alexander's mental state was fragile and wanted to exploit it.
"He never knows when to quit. Isn't what the Hamilton family gave him enough?"
"Who knows." Mark smiled bitterly. "Probably thinks this is the perfect opportunity."
Any businessman would jump at a chance for profit.
Even if they'd already gained plenty, as long as they could get more, they wouldn't let go.
"But we can't release Carl. If we do, there'll be no end to it." Della said.
"I know." Mark nodded wearily. "But Ralph isn't easy to deal with."
The Smith family had deep roots in Grandhaven and connections everywhere.
He was just a bodyguard and assistant—how could he negotiate with someone like that?
And what Ralph wanted most was for Alexander to handle it personally.
But to Mark, Alexander absolutely could not get involved.
Della fell silent.
She understood Mark's concern.
If Ralph showed up and said the wrong thing, shattering Alexander's illusion, letting him know Caroline was gone, letting him know those things were real... Alexander would fall apart completely.
That was what they feared most and were desperately trying to prevent.
"So what are you going to do?"
Mark leaned against the railing, looking up at the pale sky, silent for a long time.
"I'll test his intentions first," he finally said.
"See what Ralph really wants. If it's just money, maybe we can work something out."
He turned to look toward the hallway.
"If there's really no other way... then we'll have to let the boss handle it himself."
Della pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
She knew—that was the last resort, the most desperate option.
Having Mark negotiate with the head of the Smith family was like fighting a hurricane with bare hands.
If they were truly backed into a corner, they'd have to persuade Alexander to face it himself.
And then... they'd do everything they could to help from the sidelines, to keep the truth covered.
"Be careful," Della said finally.
Mark nodded and turned to leave the terrace.