Chapter 255 Has He Gone Mad?
Oliver frowned deeply as he deliberately made a jeering remark. “That’s right; our home.”
Alexander’s expression darkened straight away. “Oliver, have you forgotten about something?”
Before Oliver could answer, Courtney glared at Alexander warningly. “I wasn’t asking you; kindly shut your mouth.”
With that, she looked at Hannah. “One at a time now—tell me, Hannah; why are you here?”
Hannah pouted while looking sorry for herself. She pointed at Alexander, who was sitting across from her. “Well, it’s all thanks to him. He has gone mad; I cannot believe he actually told Dad that he wants to marry me. I’m underage, for God’s sake.”
Pfft! Oliver spewed out the water he was drinking while he stared at Alexander in disbelief. “I knew that you were a pervert, but I didn’t know that you’ve lost your mind!”
Alexander scowled while looking at the splashes of water across his sleeve. He glared at Oliver threateningly.
“Go on,” Courtney encouraged as she regarded Hannah. Truth was, Courtney was surprised but she had to allow the young girl to finish her story.
“Dad asked him to get married to Mikayla. Alexander was reluctant so they argued. Dad says that it doesn’t matter who it is but he has to get married by the end of this year. Then, Alexander dragged me from the entrance while announcing that he wants to get married to me. He’s obviously gone mad, hasn’t he?”
Upon hearing that, the two little ones, who were seated beside each other on the couch, regarded Alexander like he was indeed an insane person. Tina looked scornful whereas Jordan wore a contemptuous expression.
Alexander cleared his throat before explaining, “It was just a random comment.”
“You randomly claimed that you want to marry a 13-year-old teenager? It is no wonder you scared her so badly that she ran away from home.” Courtney rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. She looked at Jordan without waiting for an explanation from Alexander. “What about Jordan? Why is he here?”
Jordan might be able to utter some simple words but he could rarely complete a sentence. Therefore, he wrote on his drawing board after he heard her. ‘Daddy got into an argument with Great-Grandpa and he got kicked out of the house.”
“Serves you right!” Hannah muttered furiously after reading that sentence.
Alexander glared at Hannah and she immediately ducked behind Oliver, afraid to utter another word.
After a round of questioning, Courtney finally got a better picture of what was going on. Well, it all stems from the fact that Alexander has lied to Mr. Duncan by claiming that he is dating Mikayla. In the end, Alexander spilled the beans when Mr. Duncan was about to set a wedding date in excitement. After angering Mr. Duncan, Alexander vented his frustration by dragging poor Hannah into his mess, which is why we have this situation right here.
“Why are you here after having a fight with Mr. Duncan?” Courtney gave Alexander a sideways glance. “I’ll honor my promise to prepare dinner for Jordan but you’ll have to leave after that.”
Alexander leaned against the couch, as if he was expecting nothing less from Courtney. “Sure, but Jordan and I do not have a place to stay tonight. It doesn’t matter to an adult, but a child might fall ill and get admitted to the hospital the next day after being in the cold the whole night. I’m afraid you’ll have to send your meals to the hospital tomorrow,” he answered calmly.
“You—” Courtney stared at Alexander in disbelief. “Your grandfather merely kicked you out of the Duncans’ ancestral home. How can you possibly not have a place to stay?” Isn’t it ridiculous for the richest man in Melrose City to complain of being hard up?
“I didn’t take my phone and wallet along, so I am left with nothing but a car.” Alexander cocked an eyebrow at her, as if unfazed whether she believed him or not. Then, he placed the car keys on the table, its shield logo shining brightly.
“Stop pretending.” Oliver glared at him. “You’d be able to afford a condominium for a bachelor with that car of yours.”
“If you are able to sell me an apartment, I’ll pay you a 20% commission. My requirements are basic—no less than 200 square meters, a balcony that is connected to the living room and the bedroom has to have an en suite bathroom.”
“What is wrong with you? Courtney, will you just look at him?” Oliver threw Alexander a disdainful look. “Anybody who takes in such a spoiled brat is a fool.”
Courtney pressed her lips together. “Oliver, tidy up your room tonight because he’ll be sleeping with you.”
“What?” Hearing that, Oliver almost blew his top. “Why though? I don’t want that.”
“Nor I,” Alexander chirped.
“In that case, you can stay at the subway station if you’re not happy with the arrangements. The house only has three bedrooms—Jordan and Tina will be taking one, whereas I am occupying the other one. That leaves the last room for you two, so the both of you will have to figure it out.”
Oliver pointed at Alexander. “Well, let him sleep on the couch. Isn’t the couch empty?”
Courtney’s tone was icy when she glared at Alexander. “I don’t want to be scared to death by a stranger when I’m up for a cup of water in the middle of the night.”
She efficiently blocked suggestions involving the couch.
After dividing the rooms, Hannah looked upset because she was left out. “What about me?”
“You need to go home,” Courtney answered while looking at her. “Are you waiting for Harry to call the police if you don’t? I don’t want the police knocking on my door in the middle of the night.”
“I don’t want to go back.” Hannah held Tina tightly; she looked as if she was holding onto her lifeline. “I’ll end up as a child-bride if I were to go home. I am willing to sustain bodily injuries but I can’t abandon my dignity.”
Courtney wasn’t sure how to explain to a 13-year-old girl that Alexander was merely using her as an excuse. Nevertheless, with Hannah’s unreasonable outburst, Courtney vented her frustrations on Alexander. “Mr. Duncan, kindly attend to the issue that you’ve stirred up.”
Therefore, Alexander glanced at Hannah while analyzing the situation in a concise manner. “If you think that interacting with me is dangerous, don’t you think that living with me here would pose an even larger threat?”
He sounded especially eerie and it sent shivers down Courtney’s spine.
True enough, Hannah was scared witless as she cried and sobbed openly. “What happened to logic? I am your aunt. Mr. Harry says that you are committing incest!”
“You should go back once you’re done crying. Besides, Harry will be arriving soon if you wait any longer. Being dragged back home and going back on your own will are two vastly different things,” reminded Alexander in annoyance.
Hannah stopped crying immediately. “Fine; I’ll leave.” She sniffed loudly while picking up her bag. Then, she waved at everybody while glaring furiously at Alexander. In the end, she opened the door and left under everybody’s scrutiny.
Does the little girl have a flair for the dramatic?
The door shut with a loud thud and there was complete silence in the house. Courtney stared at the four of them, feeling utterly annoyed. “I’ll go prepare dinner,” she murmured, finding an excuse to lock herself in the kitchen.
I know very well what Alexander is trying to achieve. Mr. Duncan would never leave his grandson without a place to live no matter how angry he is. I want to look after Jordan, so I don’t mind having an extra person in the house. I just have to suck it up and accept that Alexander comes with Jordan as a package. Besides, I have a feeling that Alexander won’t be staying long.
Just as Courtney was preparing the vegetables for cooking, she heard the kitchen door open. A tall figure walked into the kitchen and he closed the door behind him. Alexander’s voice then came from behind her, “Did Mikayla tell you everything?”
Courtney’s heart skipped a beat and her half-peeled carrot fell into the basin of water, resulting in a splash of water.
