“Alexander, you’re such a jerk!”
“Sophia, before you say that, perhaps you should check where your hand is.”
Sophia’s face flushed with rage. “What’s the matter with my hand? I—”
The moment she lowered her head, she was rendered speechless.
In an instant, her mind was preoccupied with how she was going to explain that her hand was on Alexander’s shirt button.
After all, she had no intention of doing it.
Alexander smiled at her, clearly indicating that she had done it on purpose.
“I didn’t mean it.”
“I know.”
Although Alexander nodded in response, his gaze said otherwise.
Sophia’s face was flushed and red. She had never experienced anything more humiliating than that in her entire life. Her imposing demeanor abruptly deteriorated.
She quickly let go of her hand and attempted to stand, but Alexander grabbed her waist.
His eyes were tinged with laughter and flitted with emotions as he looked down at her.
For a moment, Sophia believed Alexander was about to swallow her whole.
“Let me go!”
Alexander did not let go when he heard that. Instead, he gently pressed his thumb against her lips with his other hand. “What lovely lips. How can you say such hurtful things?”
Sophia was stunned for a split second. She regained her composure and realized Alexander was referring to her stubbornness.
“You have a handsome face, but why do you keep doing these shameless things?” she retorted.
Let me go if you dare!
“Are you saying you fell in love with me in the first place because I was handsome?”
His words struck a nerve in her. She tried to struggle. “Alexander, let me go!”
If a man could keep his cool while embracing a pleasant-smelling and attractive person in his arms, he was either impotent or gay.
Alexander was obviously neither of them. Yet Sophia was still doing everything she could to free herself.
Despite the fact that he could not control his natural biological reaction, he did not want to let go of her. Helplessly, he begged her, “Sophia, please stop struggling.”
Hearing that, Sophia became aware of something pressing against her thighs.
Her entire body froze, and she dared not struggle any longer. “Alexander, don’t even think about it!”
“I won’t think about it if you stop moving. But if you continue to struggle, I cannot guarantee it.”
When Sophia heard his lustful words, she wanted to pick up the cup and smash it over his head. She could not, however, because he still had his trump card.
She was terrified of moving after that. Her stiffened body was on top of his body, and the two of them were so close that she could feel his breath.
Sophia lowered her head and noticed his muscular body beneath the shirt she had unbuttoned.
She averted her gaze quickly as she blushed.
Alexander noticed her actions and smiled faintly before raising his hand to pat her head and encircling her in his arms.
“Don’t move.”
Sophia froze in place the moment she tried to move when she heard his voice.
Alexander could finally embrace her. In reality, he felt that showering himself with cold water for more than half an hour the night before, combined with his pitiful act that day, had not been in vain.
Despite being told that he had gone too far, he simply admitted it.
Ultimately, she was still too gentle with him.
After all, Sophia had only ever loved one person in her life, and that was Alexander. It would not be an exaggeration to say that their three-year marriage was a sham. They did not kiss or hug each other, let alone get intimate with each other.
But now that she was in his arms, his body heat and breath were like a fire engulfing her entire body.
She was just as overwhelmed and terrified as she had been when she was fifteen and dragged into the car.
“Sophia, I really love you. Whatever you want me to do, just—”
He paused for a moment, lowering his head and gently lifting her head to look her in the eyes. “Please don’t abandon me,” he pleaded earnestly as he looked at her.
Sophia felt betrayed. “You abandoned me first.”
She had tried her hardest to please him back then, but he had always pushed her aside.
Is he seriously pleading with me not to give up on him? I can’t believe he’s that brazen!
“I didn’t abandon you. I was just going at a slower pace.”
Despite his best efforts, the words that came out of his mouth were weak and unconvincing.
Sophia looked at him. Would I be in heaven or hell now if I hadn’t met Alexander when I was fifteen?
Regardless, he was the one who had brought her to heaven, but he was also the one who had pushed her into hell.
If not for Sophia, he would likely have led a boring life and died alone with nowhere to spend his money as Samuel had predicted.
He shut his eyes. “Sophia, stop avoiding me. I’m already thirty-three.”
Other men his age would have had their second child by now, yet he was still pleading with his ex-wife for forgiveness.
He could not help but feel sad as he reflected on that.
Sophia let out a snort after heaving a sigh. “Nothing would change even if you were forty-three.”
“I’d like to start my own family, Sophia.”
When Sophia heard that, she pursed her lips, unsure of what to say.
She had not expected to hear those words from Alexander.
Family? Does he even need that? He never cared about me during our three years of marriage.
Alexander raised his hand to touch the corner of her eye as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. He was relieved to discover that there were no tears.
“I need it badly, but the Xenos family is not what I need.”
Sophia tried to move slightly to get out of his arms once more. Surprisingly, Alexander did not stop her this time.
He let go and continued, “I’ve never had a family of my own, Sophia. Zachary and Eloise’s marriage was purely transactional, and my biological mother left me with the Xenos family in order to be with her lover.”
Sophia was unaware of the Xenos family’s scandal because he had refused to discuss it. To be more specific, there was a good chance she would not believe it even if he told her.
Yet, sometimes the scandal that everyone was speculating about was, in fact, true.
Even after Zachary had gotten married, he had remained a playboy, as the number of his lovers had grown with each passing day. Kristen was just one of them who had left him when she had finally got her hands on the Xenos family’s money.
Prior to meeting Kristen, Alexander had always assumed that he was Eloise’s biological son. He even resented his mother for not going after Zachary and for causing their family to become a laughingstock.
It was not until later that he realized he had been nothing more than an unwanted child all along. It was at that point that he realized he had no family.
Sophia came to a halt on her way to the kitchen when she heard that. “Are you playing the victim now?”
“Yes.”
Pursing her lips, Sophia drank a glass of water in the kitchen before returning to him. “Have you calmed down? If yes, please leave now.”
“Are you still trying to avoid me?” He locked his gaze on her.
“I never wanted to get back together with you—no. We’ve never been together before. What I mean is, I’ll never love you again.”
She had made the decision that she would no longer love him. Even if she had to forget about him gradually, she would eventually forget him. Ten years was only a sliver of her life.
“I understand. I never thought I’d fall in love with you either, Sophia.”
As he said that, he could not help but mock himself, “You probably wouldn’t believe it, but I never believed in things such as love.”
In the past, he had only been concerned with profit.
Sophia was the one who had shown him the true meaning of love.
“You should stick to your convictions, then.”
“You are the only thing on my mind right now.”
Sophia was rendered speechless when she heard that.
