Chapter 0120
Alexander POV
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I had to respect Ella for handling the awkward situation so directly. She continually surprised me. She was a woman of many contradictions–intelligent and shrewd, but at times, surprisingly innocent and naive.
Yet, when it came to the most important things, she didn’t mince words. Despite the nervousness in her voice, she spoke clearly, stating exactly what she meant. I appreciated that, and oddly enough, it made me like her even
more.
It was strange to admit to myself that a woman essentially rejecting me made me like her more. But it wasn’t really a rejection, was it? It was a confession.
Ella had admitted she had feelings for me; she just believed it was a bad idea to act on them. I found myself in the same position.
My own past experiences had shown me that I had no intention of ever settling down. And since I respected her so much, it wouldn’t be fair to string her along, getting her hopes up for something that could never be.
Not that I would intentionally string her along–there was just something about her that made me drop my guard, made me act impulsively. It was contrary to my nature and everything I had worked so hard to attain.
It was dangerous. But, of course, that danger only drew me to her more, like a moth to a flame. I was a man who had always enjoyed a bit of risk, so it wasn’t surprising.
What bothered me, though, was that I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what made Ella feel dangerous to me. Sure, there was the David factor, but I had no real fear of him. Despite his connections to dangerous people and his tenacity, when it came down to it, I was stronger–and he knew it just as well as I did.
No, it was something else about Ella, something I couldn’t understand. I had used every contact and resource at my disposal to look into her. I had far too many unanswered questions about her.
How did she know the things she knew? How were her instincts so sharp? I had a million questions and no
answers.
It made August suspicious, and I couldn’t blame him. He was convinced that Ella had some ulterior motive for approaching me, but there was no evidence of that.
None of my investigations had revealed anything out of the ordinary. She was a perfectly normal woman.
In fact, until recently, she had seemed like a spoiled, ditzy princess. Every person I spoke to who knew her described her the same way: odd, awkward, and privileged. The only child of doting parents, she had never wanted for anything and had never worked a day in her life.
She couldn’t have been more different from me.
And yet, that description felt like it belonged to someone else entirely. The Ella I had come to know was far more complex, far more intriguing.
Something must have happened to her, something that changed her, and the thought had become an obsession for me. I couldn’t explain why and I knew it was a mistake to become so interested–but I couldn’t help myself.
The danger factor went two ways. It wasn’t just that something about Ella felt dangerous to me–being with me was dangerous for her.
And she had no way of knowing just how dangerous. I couldn’t tell her the whole truth, couldn’t trust anyone with it. That was why I had to protect her.
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Chapter 0120
What happened with David disturbed me deeply. Ella should have been safe under my protection, yet I had come so close to losing her. It was infuriating, especially given how sloppy David’s plan was. But maybe it only seemed that way because of the manic, frantic way he executed it..
The fact remained: he knew Ella’s schedule and her habits when she was in the capital. He knew about her bodyguard and the tea shop she frequented. And not only had he known all of that, but he had used it against her.
He bribed the barista, poisoned her drink, and came armed, ready to take James out of the picture.
I wasn’t lying when I told David that James was the only reason his plan failed. If James hadn’t had the sense to call me and alert me to the situation before he passed out…
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