Chapter 284 Don’t You Have Anything to Say?
Alexander had just exited the washroom when a cold breeze blew from the balcony. He sneezed twice consecutively while feeling a chill at the back of his neck. I answered a phone call from my family’s butler, Mr. Harry. He was nagging me over the phone for quite some time and urged me to return to the Duncans’ ancestral home to make peace with Grandpa. Mr. Harry has been giving me the same speech every other day. In fact, he has been rather loquacious lately. I respect him as an elderly in the Duncan Residence, which is why I listen when he nags. However, I have yet to return home even once.
“President Duncan.”
Alexander barely took a couple steps forward when a figure blocked his way. She was wearing a bright yellow, knee-length dress; her hair was tied in a bun and there was a silver, crown-shaped hairpin inserted into her brown hair. As far as my tastes are concerned, I find her rather childish. I wouldn’t usually notice such details, but Courtney has a similar hairpin, which is why I’ve noticed it. Besides, the clothes that Courtney pairs with the hairpin look so much more elegant than whatever the girl standing in front of me is wearing. “Can I help you?” he asked.
“President Duncan, you couldn’t possibly have forgotten me, can you?” The girl, who was wearing the bright yellow evening gown, stared at him unblinkingly. She looked like she was controlling her temper when he did not seem to recognize her.
“Should I remember you?”
“I am Kelly, Anna’s cousin sister.”
Alexander wore an indifferent expression while giving her a once-over. I have a vague impression of her. It is not much of an impression and it’s not even a good one. I believe I ran into her the day I arrived at the Hunter Group to assume my position. It happened that she was embarrassing Courtney. He frowned slightly and repeated his initial question. “How may I help you?”
Kelly’s cheeks flushed red, but she could not lose her temper. “Well, of course I have something to discuss with you—it is about Courtney. I think you’ll be very interested in this, President Duncan.”
He arrogantly glanced at her. “I do not feel like I need to listen to somebody else about Courtney.”
“Well, what if it’s something about her sleeping with another man?” Kelly called out for Alexander. “Do you think that she would tell you such a thing? President Duncan, you can’t possibly be such a naïve person, can you?”
He stopped dead in his tracks; he turned to stare at her with an eerie gaze. “What was that?”
“The night that Courtney celebrated her 18th birthday, she went to bed with a group of men. I personally heard Vanessa saying that. I can’t believe you treasure such a disgusting and promiscuous woman. Aren’t you afraid that others might comment that you are dating a loose woman behind your back?”
Alexander’s expression fell. He grabbed her arm before she could respond and he dragged her into the adjacent lounge.
“What are you doing??” Kelly struggled in fear, but she tripped over the ribbon on her skirt. In the end, she lost her balance and fell onto the couch.
He leaned down to put his hands on the sides of the single sofa. At that moment, he had a face like thunder.
The scent of his cologne was refreshing and intoxicating, causing her to blush. Her heart was racing when she started to stutter, “Y-You b-better not do anything rash.”
Alexander laughed mirthlessly, but his eyes glazed over with a layer of frost. “Do you believe that you’ll become the so-called promiscuous woman if I were to ever hear you say those things again?”
Kelly felt as if her heart had instantly stopped beating. Those wonderful thoughts that she had completely vanished before it was replaced by a suffocating chill that spread all over her bones. It was her first time experiencing his cruelty and ruthlessness, which others had described in the rumors. Nevertheless, she had been spoiled as a young lady from a wealthy family. Hence, despite being afraid of his threat, she held onto her last shred of dignity to defend herself. “I am speaking the truth. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you ask—”
“Do you truly want to experience the sensation of not being able to open your mouth to speak?” Alexander’s eyes were pitch-black at that point and he shot her an icy look. “I find women who carry tales sickening.”
She was rendered speechless when she heard that.
Following what Casey had said, Courtney was looking for a place to rest. She saw the plate, which indicated the direction of the VIP lounge, from afar. She then lifted her gown to make her way forward. Suddenly, she heard the door open with a thud just as she took a few steps forward. After that, she saw Kelly running out while holding a hand to her chest. Her hair was disheveled and she seemed to be scared witless.
Despite the animosity between the two of them, they were working in the same company. Furthermore, Courtney was older than Kelly by two years, so she felt responsible if the latter was bullied there. In the end, she kindly asked, “What happened to you?”
However, before she could ask further, Kelly severely glared at her. Then, she ran away with the hem of her gown in her hands.
When Courtney looked up again, she saw Alexander walking out of the lounge.
There were obvious creases across his straight and dark suit. Her heart sank when she recalled how Kelly ran out from the lounge in a hurry. “Why are you here?” she blurted out.
“I came out of the washroom and I dropped by to have a rest here.”
“What about Kelly?” Courtney pointed in the direction that Kelly left with a suspicious look. “Did you take her back to the lounge to rest with you?”
Alexander maintained a blank expression. “The lounge is a public lounge. It is accessible to everyone. Please do not misunderstand the situation.”
She inhaled deeply when she heard that. “Fine. I will not misunderstand the situation. However, as far as I know, you will never be alone in the lounge with her. There must be a reason since it happened. What were you two talking about? I believe I have the right to know, don’t you agree?” Alexander has had very little gossip over the years and it is mainly thanks to the fact that he never hangs around a woman alone. It’s his habit to avoid a scandal. I do not believe that Kelly has the ability to change his habit which has lasted for more than ten years. Initially, this is just a simple matter; maybe he walked into the lounge a second before she left the room. That might explain why Kelly was heading out from the lounge earlier.
With that in mind, Courtney requested Alexander to explain the situation to her.
“There’s nothing for me to say because nothing happened. You are thinking too much,” he calmly replied.
“Are you telling me that nothing happened even though Kelly ran out from the lounge looking like that?” She felt a looming disappointment deep in her heart. “Have you considered the possibility that I wasn’t the only one who saw her running out in that state? You wouldn’t even explain to me. What about others? What would others say about this?”
“I don’t care what others think.”
“Alexander!” Courtney stopped him. She was on the verge of breaking down as she was still shaken after Vanessa’s public humiliation earlier, but she now had to face another challenge. “Please imagine yourself in my shoes—you can’t even handle it when I stare at another man for a moment longer. A pretty girl, who wasn’t properly dressed, has just run out of the room whereas you are right behind her. Do you truly feel that you do not have to explain yourself?”
Alexander remained silent. It is not that I can’t explain myself. I just do not want to talk about the horrible things Kelly mentioned about Courtney earlier under those circumstances. I do not want to speak with her about it in this manner. Similarly, I do not want to lie, why I choose to keep quiet.
“Fine. You have nothing to say, have you?” She tightened her grip around the hem of her skirt and she hissed coldly. “In that case, I have nothing to say either.”
