Chapter 16
The cold breeze from the river blew directly at her, penetrating to her bones like a knife’s edge, but Aveline managed to get up and continue her pursuit.
However, she had underestimated the current state of her body. She hadn’t run more than a few meters before she fell to the ground hard. The car door opened again, and a pair of shiny handmade leather shoes came to a halt in front of her.
She followed the crisp pant leg of the man as it slowly moved up, and her gaze met Alexander’s icy eyes.
“Alexander…” Aveline weakly began.
A pair of knuckle–defined hands came down above her, and for a moment, Aveline seemed to see the white–clad youth who had once fascinated her in her youth. She instinctively reached her hand toward
him.
The moment their hands touched, Alexander withdrew his hand abruptly, giving her a glimpse of hope and then mercilessly taking it away, causing her body to fall hard again.
She hadn’t been injured before, but this time, her palms landed right on broken glass shards, and the glaring bloodstains dripped down from her palm.
His black pupils hesitated, but he didn’t make a move.
Aveline felt a bit dazed for a moment. She thought of how, in the past, he had taken her to the hospital in the middle of the night just for a small cut on her finger.
The duty doctor had even jokingly said, “This gentleman arrived early; if he had come any later, the
wound would have healed.”
The man in her memory and the one before her now seemed to overlap. His eyes, though ruthless as ever, were no different from the past, except now, they were filled with frost.
Alexander’s voice was cold and indifferent. “Aveline, others might not understand me, but now I don’t know you either. Someone who can somersault a thousand times at the gym can’t walk a few steps?”
His gaze at her was filled with contempt, cutting through her like a knife.
Aveline bit her pale lips and tried to explain, “No, I didn’t lie to you. I’m just ill, and 1-”
Chapter 16
Without letting her finish, the tall man bent down, picked up her chin, and his rough fingers brushed over her dry lips. “Indeed, it seems that like father, like daughter. Willing to put on such a pitiful act for a little money.”
His words cut deeper than the chilling wind, stabbing into her heart.
Aveline slapped his hand away. “My father is an upright and honorable man, and I’m sure he’d never do anything that goes against his conscience for a little money!”
“Hm.” Alexander sneered as if he didn’t want to argue with her on this topic, and he took out a check from his wallet. He casually wrote a number on it, and with two fingers, he placed it in front of her.
“Do you want this?”
Five million dollars, a substantial sum that would ensure she didn’t have to worry about her father’s medical expenses for a long time.
Obviously, he wasn’t being that generous, and Aveline didn’t take it.
“Under one condition.”
Alexander murmured in her ear, “You just have to say that Anthony is a wretched scoundrel who’s not worth more than a pig or dog, and this money is yours.”
Aveline’s face changed dramatically after hearing this. She raised her hand to slap him but was swiftly caught by his wrist. In the struggle, her injured hand hit his shirt, leaving a bloody handprint.
Alexander tightened his grip and spoke sternly, “Don’t want to say it? Then let him die in the hospital, and I’ve already chosen the burial site.”
“Alexander, why have you become like this?” Aveline questioned through her tears.
The man who had once promised to protect her for a lifetime and keep her from crying seemed like a dream now. Her tears were just a tool to please him.
Even the dim yellow glow of the streetlamp that fell on his face lacked warmth; it was all just filled with disdain. “You refuse to say it?”
He let go of Aveline and tore up the check.
She rushed forward to stop him, but he pushed her away. He looked down with indifference, as if he were a god above the nine heavens. “I gave you a chance.”
Chapter 16
The torn pieces of paper shattered her hopes, finally turning into a flurry of butterflies that fell around
her.
“No, don’t!” Aveline frantically tried to pick up the shattered pieces, and her tears fell onto the ground one
by one.
She was like a lost child, in a panic, and feeling helpless after losing everything.
Alexander turned to leave. As he was about to get into his car, he heard a dull thud. He looked back to see
the unconscious woman on the ground.
The driver. Lucas, appeared nervous. “Mr. Sterling, it seems that Madam has fainted. Should we take her to the hospital?”
Alexander glanced at Lucas. “You seem to care about her a lot?”
Lucas had been by Alexander’s side for a long time and remembered when Mr. Sterling used to care deeply about Madam. However, since he returned from identifying a corpse, Mr. Sterling had completely changed.
This was their family matter, and Lucas didn’t dare to ask more. He drove the car away as Alexander disappeared into the distance.
As the car moved further away, Alexander looked at the woman who never got up through the rearview mirror, a disdainful expression deepening on his face.
After not seeing each other for many days, she seemed to have become better at acting.
Although Aveline had grown up in a pampered environment, Anthony had made her practice various physical activities from a young age so that she wouldn’t be bullied.
How could a woman as strong as a bull, with a black belt in taekwondo and a seventh–degree in sanda, faint so easily?
In his eyes, Aveline was just acting for money.
With this thought, Alexander coldly withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at her.
Once Alexander’s car was gone, Ryan hurriedly reached Aveline’s side..
Aveline woke up again, and she found herself in the same room she had left not long ago. An intravenous drip was connected to her hand, and the cold liquid slowly dripped into her, while her injured hand had been bandaged.
Chapter 15
The deer antler wall clock on the wall indicated that it was already three in the morning. Before she could say anything. Ryan’s gentle voice spoke, Tm sorry, I followed you to make sure you wouldn’t do anything rash.”
Aveline tried to sit up, but Ryan quickly placed an extra pillow behind her, gave her some water, and she felt more comfortable. “Did Mr. Sterling see you?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.”
Ryan was as clean as a white sheet of paper, easily understood with a single glance, quite different from
Alexander.
“It’s okay. I’m his wife, after all, and not some hidden mistress.”
When Aveline mentioned this, Ryan’s face showed a hint of astonishment. She smiled bitterly and said, “Yes, everyone thinks that Nora is the one about to get married to him. I also didn’t believe it…”
“I believe you. I know your wedding ring; it’s a limited edition from SL released three years ago. It’s the only one of its kind globally, and I’ve read in magazines that it was designed by SL’s owner for his wife. I know that the person behind SL is Alexander.”
He had considered the relationship between the two of them before, but after hearing about Alexander’s rumored relationship with Nora and not seeing him in the hospital for these past two years, he dismissed
that idea.
Aveline subconsciously touched the empty space where her ring used to be. It was empty, a constant reminder of her ridiculous marriage.
“Whether I’m his wife is not that important anymore. We’re getting a divorce tomorrow at nine.”
“Does he know about your condition?”
“He doesn’t have the right to know.”
C
