Alexander reached out his hand and stroke her lips. “What’s wrong?”
Sophia looked up, and suddenly, she remembered something Kristen had said an hour ago and the expression on Alexander’s face when he told him about his relationship with Kristen. Sophia could not help but feel something was amiss. Who exactly is Alexander if he’s not from the Xenos family?
She wondered if Kristen had used him to get into the Lambe family. It would be a cruel truth if that’s really the case.
It was difficult for Sophia to tell him about it.
Alexander’s brows twitched when she did not give him any response. “Did she scold you?”
Sophia regained her sense upon hearing that. She shook her head and replied, “Nope.”
While answering his question, she lowered her head, watched as the man held his manly palm around hers, and pressed her lips. “She showed me some information. It was information about you.”
“What information?” he asked.
“It’s the DNA report between you and father, Zachary, and Leonard.” Sophia looked up and gazed into his eyes. “The report showed that you’re not related to them.”
Alexander looked at her with his piercing eyes. “She showed you that information because she wanted you to give birth to Leonard’s child?”
Sophia hummed in response before grabbing his index finger. “You must have felt terrible, Alexander.”
She then tightened her grip on his finger. “Do you need a hug?”
Sophia had never encountered something like this before.
Without a doubt, Alexander felt terrible. He had never experienced any form of kinship in the last two decades. Despite being a capable all-rounder, he always wondered if his biological parents loathed him.
Beau was fond of him merely because the former knew he could not count on his only son, Zachary, and it so happened that Alexander was Zachary’s most capable son.
Now, he only realized Zachary and Kristen were not his parents. Is this a joke?
Alexander gazed into Sophia’s eyes and noticed her usual gentle, smiley eyes were now filled with worry.
He lifted his hands and pulled her into his arms. “Yes. I feel a little awful.”
Deep in his heart, he did not feel that terrible. In fact, he was relieved he was finally freed from the shackles that had been holding him down for decades.
Alexander suddenly scoffed, “I bet Kristen must have had a hard time keeping this a secret.”
The fact that Kristen was willing to reveal the secret that she had kept for years meant that she was ready to fight to the death for Leonard’s sake.
Sophia tilted her head to look at him. “I rejected her offer. I supposed she has now turned her target to the other distant relatives in the Xenos family.”
“I don’t belong to the Xenos family. She would have told the truth if she wanted to. Something must have triggered her to spill the bean.” Alexander then paused for a moment. “I don’t think she dares to reach out to the distant relatives yet.”
Alexander was right.
The intention to look for the Xenos’ distant relatives to reveal Alexander’s identity did pop into Kristen’s mind when she was heading home. After returning to the mansion and regaining her composure, she hesitated.
Alexander might not be his biological son, but the people from the branch family had been eyeing Odyssey. I don’t have shares in the company, but Leonard has some. If Odyssey continues to do well in the years to come, Leonard will be able to enjoy a comfortable life. If Odyssey falls into the hands of those devious distant relatives, how much more dividends or bonuses will Leonard be entitled to?
The fact that Kristen managed to marry into the Xenos family showed that she was shrewd.
The secret of Alexander’s identity would give her leverage to threaten him. The outcome would not be as favorable as she would imagine had she exposed the secret. Sophia would have told Alexander the truth by now, and I believe he’ll contact me soon. I’ll be able to negotiate with him on behalf of Leonard when that happens.
As Kristen’s daughter-in-law for three years, Sophia immediately understood what Alexander was saying. “If that’s the case, she might still be waiting for you to fall into her trap.”
Alexander glanced at her. “Let the waiting game begin then.”
Sophie grinned in response. “All right. Let her wait then.”
She wanted to see how long Leonard could wait.
Indeed, Leonard could not afford to wait any longer, as the victim refused to forgive and insisted on pressing charges against him. His lawyer also indicated that it would be difficult to plea for a reduced sentence without the victim’s forgiveness, so they could only do their best to seek a favorable outcome.
Though he was released on bail, the trial for the case would begin within the next two months.
Meanwhile, Kristen waited for Alexander to approach her, but to no avail.
Another week passed, and it was time to celebrate Sophia’s birthday. Like last year, Katherine organized a modest party for her.
This year’s birthday party was unlike any that Sophia had celebrated before, as Alexander, Samuel, and others had come to join the festivities.
Charlize had prepared a gift for Sophia in advance. It was a porcelain doll she had made herself. The craftsmanship was not particularly exquisite, but it looked adorable. Its value lay in the thought and care that had gone into making it. “Happy birthday, Ms. Yarrow! Hope you stay young forever!”
“Thank you.” Sophia accepted the gift when Samuel and the others were walking in her direction. They then greeted her, “Happy birthday, Sophia.”
Sophia glanced at him and gave him a smile tinged with irony. Meanwhile, Charles and Justin, too, gave her their presents.
Sophia accepted the gifts and thanked them. “Where’s Alex?”
Samuel took a sidelong glance at the area but did not see Alexander around. As he looked at Sophia and her elegant dress, an idea suddenly popped into his mind. He nearly blurted out the question in front of her.
Sophia raised her hand and pointed at a man behind Samuel. “He’s on a call.”
Samuel turned around, followed Sophia’s line of sight, and noticed Alexander was indeed talking to someone over the phone. He tutted, “Of all times, he chose to answer the call at this hour?”
Sophia chuckled before turning her attention to Charles and the others. “Thanks for coming, and thanks for the gifts. Please make yourself at home.”
Charles bobbed his head in response. “Don’t mind us.”
Without hesitation, Yun Su hummed in acknowledgment and went to look for Katherine.
After seeing Sophia walk away, Samuel walked up to Charles. “Will Alex propose to Sophia tonight?”
Charles glanced at Alex, who was standing a stone’s throw away. “Who knows.”
Justin looked at Samuel from the corners of his eyes. “Why don’t you go and find out?”
Samuel had learned his lesson, opting to play it safe instead. “No way! Do you think I’m stupid?”
After taking a sip of his juice and setting down the glass, Samuel noticed Charles and Justin exchanging a cryptic smile. It seemed as though they were hinting that he was indeed the stupid one.
The look on their faces rendered Samuel speechless. D*mn it! I would have given it to them if I were capable of taking them down!
While Samuel, Charles, and Justin were curious about Alexander’s next move, Katherine, too, wondered why Alexander was not there. She gently bumped Yun Su’s shoulder and asked, “Do you think Alexander will propose to you tonight?”
