Chapter 21 Just Friends?
Serena Whitmore had the live-in housekeeper call Alexander Horton several times, but he still refused to come over.
She was about to send him a message herself when the doorbell rang.
A smile slowly spread across Serena's face. She told the housekeeper to return to her room and warned her not to come out.
After checking herself in the mirror, Serena finally went to open the door.
The people standing outside were Violet Horton and Lucas Bennett.
Serena was visibly surprised. The moment she saw the anger in Violet's eyes, the smile vanished from her face.
After a brief hesitation, Serena politely stepped aside. "Miss Horton, what brings you here this late?"
Violet bent down, picked up a pair of men's slippers from the entryway, and checked the size.
They were Alexander's.
The anger she had barely managed to suppress flared again.
She tossed the slippers aside with a slap. "So this is the gilded cage my brother bought for you?"
Serena hurried to explain. "Miss Horton, you've misunderstood. Your brother and I are already in the past."
Violet crossed the room in her heels and stopped in front of Serena. Without warning, she reached out and yanked one of Serena's earrings free.
Serena gasped in pain, covering her ear as she stumbled back.
Violet held up the earring. "This custom diamond piece costs hundreds of thousands. Did you earn the money for it yourself, or did my brother pay for it?"
Serena answered honestly. "Alexander gave it to me."
Violet grabbed a fistful of Serena's hair and pulled her close. "And you call that the past?"
Serena struggled, embarrassed and flustered. "Miss Horton, you have the wrong idea. Your brother and I aren't what you think."
Disgust filled Violet's eyes. "Serena, do you know my brother is married? He has a wife. What exactly are you trying to do by calling and messaging a married man in the middle of the night?"
Serena's gaze shifted away. "Men and women can be friends. Don't make everything sound dirty."
"Friends?" Violet gritted her teeth. "You bombard my brother with messages after midnight and call that friendship? If you need a man that badly, just say so. I can find you several."
With that, she dragged Lucas forward.
Lucas raised both hands. "Hey. Don't involve me."
Violet ignored him. "Lucas Bennett. Second son of one of Saintville's four most powerful families. Rich, handsome, and he even has abs. If one isn't enough, I can hire you a few male models as backup."
Lucas immediately protested, "I'm not interested in someone else's leftovers."
Serena's face turned ugly. Tears gathered in her eyes.
She forced herself to remain composed. "Miss Horton, I don't know how I've offended you, but please watch your words. There really is nothing between your brother and me."
Lucas tugged Violet back a few steps. "Violet, careful. Maybe she's got some kind of spell on your brother."
Violet shook him off and pointed at Serena. "Whitmore, my brother is one of the most practical men alive. He doesn't date down. You don't have the family background, the ability, or anything else he values. In his circles, looks like yours aren't even rare."
Serena bit her lower lip until it turned white.
She had expected a confrontation with Alexander's wife someday.
She hadn't expected Alexander's own sister to come after her first.
No matter what happened, she couldn't fight back.
Violet stepped closer and spoke each word clearly. "If you want to climb into a rich man's bed and use your body to move up in the world, find someone else. Not my brother."
"You couldn't get through the Horton family's doors six years ago. Bringing a child back now won't change that."
The housekeeper, who had no idea who Violet was, rushed to shield Serena. "How can you speak to Miss Whitmore like that? Mr. Horton treasures her. If he finds out what you've done, you may not even be able to stay in Saintville."
Lucas covered his face with one hand.
Violet stared at the woman. "Are you serious? You're even more arrogant than I am."
She raised her hand.
Two sharp slaps later, the middle-aged housekeeper stumbled back while holding Serena for support.
Violet swept her gaze around the living room and looked back at Serena. "If everything here was paid for with my brother's money, then half of it belongs to my sister-in-law. I'm only helping her take back her half. Fair enough, right?"
Serena held her burning cheek and retreated toward the wall. "Do whatever you want, Miss Horton."
Violet started smashing things.
Anything she could reach, she broke.
Lucas noticed Serena filming from the side and stepped in front of her. "Miss Whitmore, recording this so you can stab someone in the back later isn't exactly honorable."
Serena hurriedly locked her phone. "Mr. Bennett, I was scared. I wasn't planning anything."
When Serena saw Violet heading toward the bedroom, she rushed forward to stop her.
Violet shoved her aside and hurled a metal hourglass at the crystal chandelier.
Glass exploded across the room.
Lucas pulled Violet back out of the way, while Serena screamed and fell to the floor.
The housekeeper panicked and reached for her phone to call the police.
Realizing things had gone too far, Lucas immediately sent Alexander a message.
Then, after a moment's thought, he sent one to Elsa as well.
......
Late that night, Elsa's emotions came crashing back so violently that she could barely control them.
The husband she had loved since childhood had looked at her while she threatened to end her life and calmly told her that her death would not affect him.
She lay in bed for a long time, feeling barely alive.
Then she thought of her parents and her younger brother.
Elsa forced herself up and took a little over ten milligrams of melatonin.
She switched off her phone and lay back down.
She wanted to shut out everything that could swallow her whole. She only wanted to sleep.
When the Winters family had been wealthy, Alexander had filled her heart.
After the Winters family fell, Alexander had still filled her heart.
Even now, after he had shattered her, the person she kept thinking about was still Alexander.
How pathetic.
And how exhausting.
Her body clock woke her on time the next morning.
Elsa washed up, put on light makeup, and changed into neat, professional clothes.
She had no time to sit around nursing her wounds. Whether she could bear it or not, she had to keep going.
She was no longer the seventeen-year-old girl who chased Alexander around asking him to buy her hair ties.
She was no longer the clingy young woman who wore her love on her face and waited obediently for him to come home from work.
From now on, she would simply be Elsa.
Professor Morris had told her yesterday that a very unusual patient would be coming in today. She had to be fully prepared.
Only after finishing everything Professor Morris needed before clinic hours did Elsa finally turn on her phone.
Missed calls and message notifications poured in one after another.
Most had come after midnight—from Alexander, Violet, and Lucas.
It was Lucas's message that told her Violet had gone to confront Serena the night before.
But healing was something no one else could do for her.
No matter how many people wanted to defend her, Elsa knew she was the only one who could pull herself back together.
Still worried, she called Violet.