Chapter 15 What Did Elsa Do Wrong?
Alexander checked Serena's thermometer.
37.8 degrees Celsius.
He set it down. His gaze briefly passed over the revealing nightdress she was wearing, and he picked up a light blanket and draped it around her shoulders.
Then he prepared to leave.
"Eat something, then take the medicine."
Serena pulled the blanket tighter around herself, her expression awkward.
"Alexander, my son is staying with my mother tonight. It's raining so hard outside, and it isn't safe for you to drive back this late. Why don't you stay here? Just for tonight."
Alexander's eyes turned noticeably colder.
Serena hurried to explain. "It's already so late, and you still have work tomorrow. I just don't want you driving back and forth and losing more sleep."
Alexander stopped and faced her.
"Serena, don't ask me to stay overnight here again."
She looked innocent. "Why? When I was in the hospital, you stayed all night taking care of me and nothing happened."
Fatigue showed clearly between Alexander's brows.
"I stayed with you in the hospital because it was a public place. We weren't alone. This is your home. You're a single woman asking a married man to spend the night. It would damage your reputation."
Serena smiled lightly. "It doesn't matter. You're not a stranger."
Alexander's tone grew heavier.
"To you, I am an outsider now."
The smile slowly disappeared from Serena's face.
Alexander's voice stayed gentle, but the decision in it was unmistakable.
She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "So after all these years, we've really become this distant."
Looking at her wounded expression, Alexander sighed.
"Serena, I know things haven't been easy for you. Tomorrow I'll arrange a live-in housekeeper for you. I'll also give you a car and a driver."
At the doorway, he stopped and added one more instruction.
"And from now on, try to stay away from Elsa. Don't appear in front of her intentionally."
Serena froze.
Alexander's tone left no room for argument.
"You have to do that."
Elsa loved him.
She could not tolerate another woman near him.
If Elsa and Serena met face-to-face again, Alexander was certain Serena would be the one who got hurt.
Serena quickly nodded. "Of course. I'll do whatever you say."
But the moment Alexander turned away, uncertainty filled her mind.
What exactly did he mean by that?
She could clearly feel that Alexander still had feelings for her.
Or did he look down on her now because she'd been married before?
Was that why he had no intention of divorcing Elsa and marrying her?
Her thoughts began spiraling.
Alexander left Serena's home feeling reassured.
More than an hour later, he entered a private club in Saintville.
When the door opened, he looked up, then poured a second glass of liquor.
Lucas dropped onto the sofa opposite him, leaned back, crossed his legs, and casually rested his feet against the edge of the coffee table.
With his expensive clothes and careless posture, he looked exactly like a wealthy playboy who had never taken anything seriously in his life.
Lucas studied Alexander. His handsome face and distinctive single-lidded eyes made him difficult to forget.
"Trouble at home?"
Alexander swirled the liquor in his glass. "I can't communicate with her right now."
Lucas had the advantage of seeing the situation from the outside.
"Alexander, Serena came back for you. If you refuse to explain things clearly, Elsa will divorce you sooner or later."
Alexander answered lightly, "It won't come to divorce."
Emotionally, Elsa loved him, depended on him, and couldn't leave him.
Financially, she could never repay everything he had spent on the Winters family.
Professionally, she had married him immediately after university and spent years as a full-time wife. She was completely disconnected from a career.
And Elsa had been born into wealth. After marrying him, she'd continued living in luxury, using the best of everything.
Even if she found a job, whatever salary she earned wouldn't be enough to maintain the life she was used to.
So Alexander did not believe she would leave him.
She was stubborn, emotional, and dramatic.
She would fight with him, of course.
But leave?
No.
Lucas gave a humorless laugh. "I've already heard she's asking you for a divorce."
Alexander lifted a brow. "Violet told you?"
Lucas didn't bother denying it. "Brother, be careful. If Elsa really divorces you, you'll never find another woman who loves you as much as she does."
Alexander sounded completely certain.
"Don't worry. You could be buried six feet under and still never see the day Elsa and I divorce."
Lucas realized arguing was useless and switched topics.
"And Serena... honestly, she knows you're married, yet she refuses to let you explain anything to your wife. Isn't it obvious she's trying to drive the two of you apart?"
Alexander's expression hardened.
"Lucas, don't talk about Serena like that."
Lucas sat up straighter. "I'm not insulting her. I'm stating the facts. What she's doing is clearly creating conflict in your marriage."
Alexander lit a cigarette.
Smoke blurred his eyes.
After a long silence, he said, "Serena came from an ordinary background and was always naive. Years ago, my grandfather forced her overseas and made her marry someone else so that I could inherit Horton Group without complications. She suffered a lot because of me. I owe her."
He continued, "She was abused for years. Her health is poor and she developed severe depression. I have to take care of her."
Lucas's smile turned knowing. "Just admit it. You still have feelings for her."
Alexander frowned. "She almost lost her entire life because of me. I have a responsibility to her."
Then he added, "Serena doesn't want me explaining things to Elsa because she's sensitive and proud. She's afraid Elsa will use what happened to humiliate her. She's afraid people will say she came back to manipulate my sympathy, destroy my marriage, and take Elsa's place."
Lucas challenged him immediately.
"She won't let you explain anything to Elsa, yet she depends on you for everything. She takes your money, your time, your energy—and now she's consuming your marriage too. If that isn't calculated, what is?"
"It's different. I'm choosing to compensate her."
Lucas stared at him.
"You feel guilty toward Serena. You feel responsible for her. You still have feelings for her. Fine. Then what about Elsa? What did she do wrong?"
Alexander sounded weary. "No one said Elsa did anything wrong."
"You don't have to say it out loud. You refuse to explain, and you refuse to let her divorce you. With Elsa's personality, you'll suffocate her alive."
A heavy pressure settled in Alexander's chest, but he still did not believe things could become that serious.
"I agreed to let her work. Once she has something to focus on, she'll feel better."
Lucas stared at him as though he had lost his mind.
"So you really aren't going to explain anything? You're relying on the fact that she's hopelessly in love with you, so she just has to endure whatever you do?"
Alexander clinked his glass against Lucas's.
"It isn't as serious as you're making it sound."
At that moment, Lucas's phone rang.
The instant he answered, Violet's furious voice exploded through the speaker.
"Lucas, is my brother with you?"
Lucas pulled the phone away from his ear. "You little brat. Show some respect. Call me brother."
Violet shouted back, "I'll call you my ass. Something happened to Elsa! Get my brother back here now!"