The Billionaire’s Reluctant Bride
Chapter 13
Alexander’s POV:
I listened as Charlotte casually suggested I take Karen with me, seemingly not caring at all that her husband–in the legal sense–would be alone with another woman. My gaze followed her intently, searching for any sign of different emotions. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back toward me. Our eyes met, and I saw a flash of realization cross her face before she spoke.
“Alexander,” she said clearly, “today you helped me deal with my parents, and I helped you distract Richard. Let’s call it
even.”
Simple. Transactional. No emotional entanglements or hidden agendas. Just a clean balance sheet. As a businessman, I appreciated this approach. But I felt an inexplicable dissatisfaction.
I watched as she bounded up the stairs, taking two steps at a time, deliberately breaking the strict etiquette rules of this suffocating house. My eyes followed her until she disappeared at the end of the hallway, realizing I had developed a strange interest in this unexpected addition to the Kingsley family.
Karen’s gaze rested on me with an uncomfortable intensity.
“Alexander, about time you showed your face. I’ve been waiting up all night.” she said, clutching the edge of my custom- tailored suit with a practiced vulnerability.
“Have you been drinking?” I asked directly.
Karen immediately shook her head. “No! If you don’t want me to drink, I promise never to touch alcohol again. A Barrett’s daughter keeps her word.”
I glanced briefly at the staircase where Charlotte had disappeared, finding myself oddly reluctant to have the conversation I knew was necessary. “Let’s talk in the garden.”
I led Karen to the terrace. I politely handed her coffee, using this formal ritual as a barrier between us. Karen immediately
sensed the shift.
“Alexander, what’s wrong? What do you want to tell me?” Her carefully maintained composure began to crack at the edges.
I looked directly into her eyes, keeping my tone even. “Karen, stop wasting your time on me. I feel nothing but gratitude toward you, nothing more. If there was ever going to be something between us, it would have happened sometime in the past fifteen years.”
With matters of the heart, clarity is the only path to clean closure. I continued, “You’re thirty–two now. The Barrett family must be expecting you to find a suitable match. There are many eligible men in Silicon Valley circles. You deserve a relationship with someone who can reciprocate your feelings.”
Karen clenched her hands, her knuckles turning white. But I continued coldly, “I understand your situation clearly. I am now a married man. Your continued appearances at the Kingsley residence are not good for you, for me, or for Charlotte. If you need to contact me about anything important, please do so through the proper channels at my office.”
“Do you care about Charlotte?” Karen asked, her voice tight.
I merely looked at her, offering no response.
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Chapter 13
Karen’s carefully constructed exterior completely collapsed. Tears began to soak through her makeup, and she reached out to grab my hand. I smoothly lifted my coffee cup, skillfully avoiding the contact without making it seem deliberate.
“No, Alexander, it’s not like that,” she said, shaking her head. “You told me you cared about me. How could it just be gratitude? You helped the Barrett Luxury Group through its crisis for me, you acquired Serena Fashion for me, you left the mansion on your wedding night to meet me at your Marin County villa.”
I felt my brow furrow slightly. “I never expressed that kind of sentiment to you. You’ve misinterpreted my actions. I helped your father’s company because I was grateful for his support during my early entrepreneurial days. The Serena Fashion acquisition was part of a planned investment portfolio diversification scheduled a year ago–I wasn’t even aware you had any conflict with them. And my departure on the wedding night had nothing to do with you.”
“No, Alexander,” Karen insisted, tears flowing freely. “That night in Marin County, you admitted your feelings. You said you
loved me!”
Her sobs echoed across the stone terrace. I looked at her calmly, clearly remembering how intoxicated she had been that
night.
“I don’t engage in meaningful conversations with intoxicated individuals,” I stated flatly.
Rising from my seat, I politely but firmly dismissed her. “You should go home and rest.”
When I reached the second floor, I paused at the window overlooking the terrace. Karen was still there, silently wiping tears from her face.
I sighed and prepared to leave when Victoria’s figure caught my eye. She had just returned from outside and, seeing her friend crying alone, hurried over to comfort her.
“Karen, what happened?” Victoria asked with concern, sitting down on the bench beside Karen.
Karen remained immersed in her grief, tears streaming down her face in increasing abundance.
Victoria noticed the two empty cups on the coffee table. “Karen, who upset you so much? Who was here with you just
now?”
“Victoria, let’s not talk about this anymore,” Karen’s voice carried a hint of restraint.
“It was Charlotte Cole, wasn’t it?” Victoria asked, her tone hardening.
“Don’t worry,” Victoria continued, patting Karen’s shoulder reassuringly. “In the Kingsley home, no one gets to mistreat my
friends.”
She suddenly stood up, only to be stopped by Karen grabbing her arm. “Victoria, don’t go!”
Victoria’s chest heaved with anger, her eyebrows slightly furrowed with rage. “You don’t need to fear her. That college girl thinks she can control everything just because she now bears the Kingsley name?”
Karen took a deep breath, as if summoning courage to reveal some major secret. “She was just currying favor with Richard, and he… he said she was the true lady of the Kingsley house.”
Victoria’s hands clenched into fists as she turned completely to face me. “Is this true?” her voice trembled with suppressed fury.
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Chapter 13
“Victoria,” Karen continued urgently, “I must be honest with you. A woman like Charlotte doesn’t belong at Alexander’s side. She’s already trying to take over your responsibilities as the senior daughter–in–law. Think about what she might do to ensure Jason never gets his rightful share of Kingsley Tech.”
“I’ve already been warned not to come here without a specific invitation,” Karen added. “You need to be especially careful to protect your position in this household.”
Victoria clenched her fists tightly, seemingly consumed by rage.
“Wait and see, I’ll make her understand exactly who the real hostess of this house is!”
The Billio ire’s
