Chapter 58

Scarlett POV

When George's grandfather, Clifford Harber, pulled Richard away to discuss some business matters, a familiar figure approached me.

"Scarlett, I need to speak with you privately," George's voice was warm, but his eyes were searching.

Not giving me a chance to refuse, he had already pulled me upstairs, into a guest room, and locked the door.

I watched him silently. His movements were frantic, nothing like the usual composed George. Before, I had fantasized countless times about being alone with him, yet I never imagined it would be under these circumstances.

"Did you really get engaged to Richard?" he asked, his hands trembling slightly. "Tell me this is just a business arrangement!"

I leaned against the elegant desk, maintaining the distance between us.

Smelling his familiar cologne, I felt a tightness in my chest. "It's complicated, George."

"Complicated?" His laughter was hollow, his eyes filled with deep disappointment. "You're engaged to Alexander's uncle, and that day with Alexander in the garden... the way he looks at you like—" He kept interrupting himself as if unable to complete a single sentence.

"What game are you playing?" The word pierced my heart like a needle. Game—as if all my suffering had just been some form of entertainment.

"This isn't a game," my voice grew sharp, tearing off the mask of politeness I'd worn all evening. "This is my situation. You'll never understand."

"What about Alexander? Do you sleep with both of them?"

His words struck me like a slap across the face. Anger instantly blazed through my entire body. The three years of secret love suddenly felt like a joke.

"So this is how you see me?" I asked through gritted teeth, stepping closer to him. "A woman who climbs into any man's bed for power? I always thought you were different, George. I was such a fool."

"I always thought you were different, Scarlett！" he countered. "Not like those women willing to do anything for money and power. I was wrong."

Something inside me completely shattered. I had loved him from afar, imagining that he understood and respected me, and this was what he truly thought of me?

"You have no right to judge me," I said, my voice low but filled with anger. "You don't know what my life is like, or what I've had to do. Not everyone is born into the Harber family. You sit in your ivory tower pointing fingers at me, having no idea what I've been through!"

I walked toward the door, my eyes filled with tears, but I refused to let them fall. Just as I was about to open the door, George suddenly grabbed my wrist from behind, his grip painfully tight.

"Let go of me!" I turned to glare at him.

"I'm not finished—" His eyes flashed with a possessiveness I had never seen before. This wasn't the George I knew.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door. We both froze, our heartbeats deafening in the silent room.

"George?" a female voice called out. "Are you in there?"

I felt petrified on the spot. If someone discovered us alone together, my reputation would be completely ruined, and Richard would...

The thought of Richard's potential reaction made it almost impossible for me to breathe.

George's hand tightened, panic flashing in his eyes. "This isn't over!"

I leaned in close, my lips almost touching his ear, but my voice was as cold as ice. "If you make a scene about this, Richard will find out. Do you really want to risk losing the partnership between the Harber family and the Gray family?"

The knocking on the door became more urgent. My heart raced wildly, my palms sweating, each second feeling like an hour.

His fingers slowly released my wrist. This real threat proved more effective than any physical resistance.

Those eyes I had once been infatuated with were now filled with unrecognizable emotions—anger, betrayal, and perhaps a hint of regret.

But it no longer mattered. The old dreams had died, leaving only the cold reality.

I had barely opened the door when I collided with a broad male chest.

Looking up, Alexander stood there, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement, staring at my flushed face like a predator who had discovered his prey, then turning to George behind me.

In that moment, an electric sensation spread from my skin throughout my entire body.

"Look who it is, my little aunt-to-be," Alexander drawled, his voice as deep and smooth as velvet against my nerves.

His fingers effortlessly encircled my wrist, yet with an undeniable strength, steadily pulling me into the hallway, positioning me behind him.

At that moment, my heart raced, yet I simultaneously felt a strange sting—did he know what George and I had been doing?

"George, Lillian and I have been looking everywhere for you." His tone was calm yet carried an unquestionable authority that made me shiver involuntarily behind him.

My gaze finally shifted from Alexander, noticing a woman standing beside him. Earlier, my attention had been completely captured by Alexander's commanding presence, and I hadn't noticed her partially hidden by his tall frame.

Meeting Lillian for the first time, I couldn't help but hold my breath. Her beauty was breathtaking—tall and slender, with golden hair cascading elegantly down her back like a waterfall, and bright brown eyes that sparkled with intelligence and warmth.

No wonder Sandra was so protective of Alexander and Lillian's relationship. Watching her stand beside Alexander, as if she was born to be in that position, I felt an inexplicable sense of loss rising within me.

"Mrs. Gray," Lillian said with perfect etiquette, "it's so wonderful to finally meet you."

Alexander reached out and playfully pinched Lillian's nose. "Shameless," he admonished, his voice filled with undisguised affection.

"You're addressing my uncle's fiancée as 'Mrs. Gray,' as if they're already married." Though Alexander's words were directed at Lillian, I felt each syllable deliberately reminding me of my impending status—Richard's wife.

This thought poured over me like ice water, involuntarily stiffening my spine.

Lillian adorably pouted, her fingers tapping Alexander's chest.

"I'm just preparing for the inevitable, unless you plan to raise an objection at the wedding?"

Their playful tone seemed to completely disregard my presence beside them, as if I were merely an insignificant prop rather than the core of their conversation.

I clenched my fists, maintaining a perfect smile. Alexander's eyes moved slowly and deliberately toward me, a dangerous, playful smile appearing at the corner of his lips, like a predator baring its fangs.

I unconsciously held my breath.

"What do you think, little aunt-to-be? Should I object?"