Chapter 0269
Ella POV
The story unfolding on the stage below was utterly entrancing. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as the scene shifted to a beautiful young woman being pursued by her raving mother.
The villain’s aria was both mesmerizing and terrifying, her powerful voice weaving between anguish and fury as the daughter begged for forgiveness and mercy. My heart raced.
Alexander leaned closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he explained what was being said. He had been doing this throughout the opera, his whispered words sending a pleasant shiver down my spine each time. His low, steady voice grounded me in the story, even as the intensity of the performance threatened to overwhelm me.
In this scene, the Queen of the Night–the mother was demanding her daughter commit murder. If she refused, she would be disowned. The gravity of the moment weighed heavily on me, and I instinctively leaned into Alexander’s steady presence beside me.
By the time the final notes rang out and the audience erupted into applause, I was completely swept up in the drama. Rising to my feet, I cheered with the crowd, my earlier bitterness forgotten.
Alexander laughed softly beside me, clearly amused by my change in attitude. As the applause began to fade, he stood and turned to me, a teasing glint in his eyes. “So, I take it I was right?”
“Don’t be smug,” I said, unable to suppress a smile as I looked at him. “But yes, you were right. I enjoyed that- quite a lot.”
The truth, though, was that it wasn’t just the opera that had shifted my mood. It was Alexander himself. His attentiveness throughout the performance checking in with me, holding my hand during tense moments, and explaining the story to keep me engaged–showed me that this evening wasn’t an obligation for him.
He genuinely wanted to share this with me. That thought warmed me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. The old butterflied he caused in my stomach returned, making me feel slightly unsteady.
His undivided attention always felt strange, in the most exhilarating way, making my heart race. I found myself savoring the moments he focused entirely on me, and tonight was no exception.
Still, a nagging realization lingered at the back of my mind. I’d let my emotions get the best of me earlier–again. It had been happening far too often lately, and I couldn’t shake the concern that something deeper was at play.
I had a doctor’s appointment coming up with the same stem physician Alexander had arranged for me when I first started seeing doctors from his pack. She was a no–nonsense woman I trusted to give me straight answers.
When I saw her, I would ask–was my emotional volatility just a passing phase, or was there something more? Could it be related to the poison leaving my system?
For now, though, I pushed the thought aside. The evening had been unexpectedly fun, and I wasn’t about to ruin it by worrying about something that might not even matter.
“I knew you’d enjoy it,” Alexander said, his smile widening “Thank you for trusting my judgment and giving it a try.”
“And thank you for not being put off by my attitude when we first arrived,” I replied.
“Think nothing of it,” he said. “I completely understand why you felt the way you did. It was an oversight on my part not to prepare you for the media presense.”
“Still, I’m glad I didn’t ruin our evening,” I said.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0260
“It’s quite late,” Alexander pointed out, glancing at his watch. “Did you want to do anything before we head home?”
“I don’t know,” I said thoughtfully.
We linked arms and began making our way out of the theater. The lobby below was bustling, slightly crowded with people milling about. As we wove through the throng, a familiar figure caught my eye.
+25 BONUS
C
