+25 BONUS
Chapter 0069
Ella POV
“I had no idea you were going to be so forward, Alexander,” I said.
Alexander smirked. “Did you think I was going to play games?” he asked with obvious amusement. “I’m afraid that’s against my nature.”
“I have a feeling there’s much I have to learn about your nature if we’re going to move forward with this relationship,” I replied.
“I look forward to teaching you,” Alexander said smoothly.
I had come to the Capitol to visit Elizabeth, and luckily, I was able to slip away from my father’s guard long enough to meet up with Alexander in the shopping center. We were in the food court, surrounded by plenty of people. I had no doubt that someone would snap a photo of us together, so we were careful not to stand too close.
It was necessary for us to meet. After all, we had to decide what our next steps were going to be. Alexander had publicly announced his interest in me, and I had to respond, but I wasn’t sure what the right way to do that was.
“I hope I didn’t embarrass you,” Alexander said. “I simply had to respond to David’s claims that no one would be interested in you.”
“I appreciate you coming to my defense,” I said, “although I’m afraid that your statement is going to raise a lot of questions. After all, we barely know each other.”
Alexander looked thoughtful. “I believe that we actually met a couple of years ago,” he said.
“We did?” I asked, surprised. I couldn’t remember meeting Alexander prior to beginning our arrangement.
“It was at a party. The coming–out party for the daughter of the Red Oak Alpha, I believe. You were wearing a neon orange top and a cute black skirt. I believe you had knee–high boots on as well.”
My eyes went wide as I realized he was correct. It had been a very brief meeting. I had been chasing after David, who had gotten ahead of me in the crowd. I hated to be alone at those kinds of events, so I was frantically looking for him.
I had been moving too quickly, and I ended up running into Alexander. I had nearly fallen over, but he’d caught my arm and held me up easily.
I had apologized profusely and was so embarrassed that I couldn’t even look him in the face. It was, in fact, the first time we’d met.
So much had happened since then–both in the original timeline and now–that I had completely forgotten about that brief encounter. But I was sure there were other people who would have been at that party who could corroborate Alexander’s statement. So, in a way, it made sense for him to claim he had been interested in me from that moment.
“So are you saying that you’ve had feelings for me for that long?” I asked.
“I’m saying that some people might be led to believe that,” he responded. “Do you think that’s too outlandish?”
I shook my head. “I think it’s quite a romantic story,” I said truthfully. If Alexander intended to convince people that he had fallen in love with me at first sight, well, that was exactly the kind of story people loved to hear.
It would also help to explain his behavior over the last few months. A lot of people were talking about the extravagant gifts he’s given me. His story would be an explanation for that.
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Chapter 0069
“When did you remember that?” I asked.
“Actually, August, my beta, is the one who reminded me,” Alexander admitted. “You’re so different from the way you were back then, I hardly realized you were the same girl.”
“I can’t blame you,” I said. “I have changed a lot since then.“”
“Why is that?” Alexander asked seriously. “You’re a completely different person, and it seems like you changed in an instant.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Learning the truth about David made me reevaluate what I wanted from my life. I realized that I had to put aside my childish ways and start to take responsibility for myself.”
“That’s admirable,” Alexander said. “I think most people would have just cried and felt sorry for themselves.”
I felt my face heat slightly at his compliment. “It’s not admirable,” I muttered. “I only did what I had to do.”
Alexander POV
I wasn’t sure if Ella was aware that her nervousness was apparent. I doubted it, and I found it rather amusing.
She was capable of being clever and even manipulative when necessary, but when faced with a situation like this- where she was receiving positive attention–it seemed she didn’t know how to feel.
Since beginning my deal with Ella, I had investigated her thoroughly. I knew everything there was to know about her past, which is how I discovered the story of how we first met.
There was no denying that she was a spoiled princess who had wanted for nothing, but at the same time, she had been very sheltered. That was probably why it had been so easy for David and Amanda to manipulate her. She didn’t have the experience to recognize what they were doing until it was too late, and she was so entangled with them that she couldn’t easily break free.
A small part of me envied her for that. I couldn’t imagine what life would be like to be that protected from the ills of the world. My life had been very different from Ella’s, but I didn’t hold that against her. If anything, it made me more curious about her.
The more we interacted, the more I found that I enjoyed her company, which was the last thing I had expected when this arrangement began. She had proven herself to be shrewd and intelligent when needed, which impressed me. I knew there had to be more behind this sudden shift in her personality, but it seemed she still wasn’t ready to open up to me about it.
That was okay–there was plenty of time to find out.
After all, we were only beginning our relationship. Even though it was all an act, Ella and I were going to be spending a lot of time together for the foreseeable future.
If I couldn’t win her trust and find out the truth about what was going on with her, I had other means at my disposal to get that information. It was nothing personal–I had to be careful to protect myself in this situation as well.
Still, I genuinely looked forward to the beginning of our romantic relationship. Ella and I were going to have a lot of fun together, even if it was all just for show.
“I think that you have many admirable qualities, which is why I have to ask if you’ll have me as your new boyfriend,” I said.
Ella gave me a coy smile. “I would like nothing more,” she answered, “but I’m afraid there’s one thing you have to do first.”
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Chapter 0069
I frowned at her in confusion. Did she want another favor from me? She already owed me at least twice over.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She smiled, and a bit of that nervousness snuck back into her demeanor as she said, “You have to ask my father’s permission.”
