Chapter 28 Ill Give Your Happiness Back
Elsa stood outside the study, her ears ringing.
Her mind went blank.
She stumbled backward until her back hit the cold wall.
Bent at the waist, she struggled for breath, but nothing could stop the pain spreading from her chest through her entire body.
Alexander had held it in for so long.
Now he had finally exploded.
And finally said what had always been buried inside him.
He loved Serena.
Serena was the woman he had wanted to marry.
He hated his grandfather for separating them and stealing away his happiness.
From beginning to end, Elsa had been the only one dreaming.
She closed her eyes in despair as her heart seemed to split apart.
Inside the study, Old Mr. Horton sat behind the desk. Charles and the butler stood on either side of him.
Alexander stood opposite them with both fists clenched at his sides. His eyes were bloodshot, veins raised along his forehead, and his expression was terrifyingly dark.
Charles looked equally furious.
"You are the only heir to the Horton family. Everything you do affects this family's future. If Elsa wants to work, she can work at the Horton Group. Otherwise, she should have a child and stay home. The Horton family doesn't support useless people."
Alexander spoke slowly, each word distinct. "Whether she works, whether we have children—those are matters between husband and wife. They have nothing to do with you."
Charles opened his mouth, but Old Mr. Horton raised a hand to stop him.
The old man stood, and the butler hurried to support him.
He walked around the desk until he stood directly before Alexander.
"Six years ago, I made Serena disappear from right under your nose. Six years later, I can make that woman and her child disappear from this world entirely."
Alexander's face changed. "Grandpa, don't push me."
The old man's voice was deep and dangerous. "You are the Horton heir. I will not let one woman and one child of uncertain origin destroy you or the Horton Group."
Alexander answered firmly, "That child is mine."
The study fell silent.
Charles stepped forward and slapped his son hard across the face.
"You bastard. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Alexander staggered back a step and touched the blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Dad, didn't you have an illegitimate son outside your marriage once? Why are you reacting so strongly?"
Charles raised his hand again, but Old Mr. Horton stopped him.
"If you're claiming the child is yours, get a paternity test. I want to see the result."
Alexander's eyes hardened. "Grandpa, I know you could make Serena and her son disappear with a single order. So hear me clearly. From this moment on, if anything happens to them, I will make the entire Horton family—and the Horton Group—pay for it."
A flash of ruthlessness crossed the old man's eyes.
"Prove that the child is yours, and I will leave them alone."
Some of the tension left Alexander's body. "I'll bring you the result as soon as possible."
He turned and opened the door.
The first thing he saw was Elsa standing in the corridor, ghostly pale and shaking from head to toe.
Their eyes met.
A tear slid down Elsa's face.
Alexander's heart seemed to stop.
He stepped forward and caught her swaying body. His voice was no longer steady.
"We'll go home first."
Elsa tore herself away and rushed into the study.
With a dull thud, she dropped to her knees before Old Mr. Horton.
Alexander's pupils contracted. "Elsa, what are you doing?"
She pushed away the hand he reached toward her and clutched the old man's trousers with both hands.
"Grandpa, Dad, please. Let Alexander be with Serena and the child. Let us divorce."
Alexander's expression changed completely.
He pulled Elsa to her feet. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Elsa struggled desperately.
The moment she broke free, she knelt again, one hand clutching Old Mr. Horton's leg and the other reaching for Charles.
Her voice trembled.
"Grandpa, Dad, I know the Winters family used a lot of Horton money after we went bankrupt. I won't deny the debt. I'll sign an IOU. I'll bring my parents and my brother and have them sign too. You can take my salary card. I swear I'll find a way to repay the one billion."
Alexander stared at her bloodless face. His eyes reddened.
Realizing she might have heard every word he'd said inside the study, he swayed hard enough to nearly lose his balance.
Old Mr. Horton looked down at Elsa. "Do you sincerely want to divorce Alexander?"
Elsa raised one hand as though swearing an oath. "I swear. After the divorce, I won't say anything negative about the Horton family. If you're worried, hold a press conference. I'll say I cheated. I'll say I ruined the marriage myself."
Tears streamed down her face. "I'll leave with nothing. I won't take a cent from Alexander."
"Elsa!"
Alexander dragged her up again.
His eyes were red as he gripped both her shoulders. "Do you even know what you're saying?"
Elsa nodded frantically.
She clutched the front of his shirt, her chin trembling uncontrollably.
"Alexander, ask Grandpa with me. If we divorce, the three of you can finally be together openly."
Her voice broke.
"I promise I'll go far away after the divorce. I'll never interfere with your lives."
Alexander didn't explain.
He only tried to pull her into his arms. "Elsa, don't do this."
She panicked and struggled away.
Old Mr. Horton looked toward his son.
Charles spoke. "Dad, I agree to the divorce."
Alexander turned on him. "It's my marriage. What gives you the right to agree?"
Charles didn't flinch. "Because even if it's your marriage, I can still decide that it ends."
Alexander locked Elsa in his arms so she couldn't kneel again.
Then he looked at his father and grandfather and spoke word by word.
"I will not divorce her."
Elsa slid downward in his arms, sobbing. "Alexander, I'm begging you. If you don't divorce me, I'll die in this marriage."
Pain tightened somewhere deep in Alexander's chest.
"Stop saying things like that," he snapped hoarsely.
Elsa collapsed at his feet, barely coherent.
"I know you've always loved Serena. Even if you married me three years ago just to rebel against your grandfather, you never let her go. Now she's back. You have a child together. For their sake, stop fighting your grandfather."
She looked up at him through tears.
"Alexander, I'll kneel if that's what it takes. I'll give your happiness back to you. I'm begging you for the sake of the more than twenty years I loved you—please divorce me."