Chapter 0080
Ella POV
“Oh,” I said softly. An uneasy feeling passed over me. Whatever she wanted to talk to me about, I knew that it probably wasn’t good.
I knew that Alexander had a reputation as a womanizer. He had dated a lot of women over the past few years, but only ever for a few months at a time. I had heard rumors that the breakups were messy, but I didn’t know much about it.
In the original timeline, some of the women had come forward to speak out against him, which had hurt him in the election. I had even heard rumors that Alexander had a child.
It was possible that the changes I had caused in the timeline were going to result in the women coming forward
sooner.
That could be a good thing. We might be able to handle the rumors and show that Alexander was a changed man. We had time on our side now.
“It’s nice to meet you, Nadia,” I said, standing up and offering her my hand.
“I wish that we never had to meet,” she replied, shaking my hand weakly. “I only came to speak to you because I felt that I had to.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Why would you have to come speak to me?”
“I have to warn you about Alexander,” she said seriously.
I smiled gently at her. “I’m sorry if things between you ended badly, but I assure you I don’t need to be warned about him.”
“Yes, you do,” she said insistently. “You don’t know him. You don’t know what he’s really like. He’ll use you and throw you away. He can’t be trusted.”
I felt my smile fade away at her words. Part of me was concerned, but mostly I was just annoyed at her for speaking about Alexander in such a way. It shocked me how strong my negative reaction to her was.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine,” I said tensely. “I don’t need to be warned.”
“He hasn’t changed,” she said. “No matter what he’s told you. Please, just take care of yourself. Be careful.”
Before I could respond to her words, Nadia turned and hurried away from me. It was a busy day, and in seconds she was lost in the crowd of shoppers.
I was oddly offended by my interaction with Nadia, and the only explanation for that was that I had grown too attached to Alexander. I knew that was a mistake, yet I had allowed it to happen anyway.
Everything between us was fake. What was real was the fact that I had to protect my family and my kingdom from David Alexander was merely a means to an end–nothing more.
I couldn’t allow myself to become offended on his behalf because that would mean I was letting my guard down. Trusting him–or anyone else could lead me down a dangerous path. If I did, I risked everything once again.
I took a moment to breathe, reminding myself of my purpose and the stakes involved. I had to keep my heart safe and my mind sharp, even as the allure of Alexander’s charm tugged at my resolve.
The sound of footsteps approaching alerted me to Alexander’s return. I stared at him as he approached. He looked. at me questioningly.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0050
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he stopped in front of me.
“Who’s Nadia?” I asked as I handed Alexander his coffee, watching his expression closely.
His eyes went wide for a split second before he quickly shook his head. “No one important,” he answered, a little too quickly.
I raised an eyebrow. “Did you date her?”
He hesitated, concern creeping into his gaze. “Why are you asking this?” he replied, his tone guarded.
I sighed, setting my own cup down. “While you were gone, she came to talk to me. She said she felt the need to wam me about you.”
Alexander scoffed, the sound low and bitter. “Warn you?
“Yes,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “So, who is she?”
He looked away, taking a sip of his coffee, the tension in his body obvious. “An ex–girlfriend,” he finally admitted.
‘Someone with dirt on you, by the sounds of it. This is a liability. Why wouldn’t you warn me about this?” I asked, doing my best to keep the irritation out of my tone.
