Chapter 1411

No.1

The world spun as she wiped her mouth.

A strong hand seized her arm.

She gasped as familiar arms caught her.

"Who let you drink?" Alexander Kingsley's voice rumbled above her.

Evelyn froze.

They'd broken up. She'd walked away without looking back. He hadn't stopped her.

Why was he here now?

No.2

"Let go..." She struggled weakly. "I didn't—"

"Really?" His laugh was cold.

Reeking of alcohol, swaying on her feet, vomiting—yet she claimed sobriety?

Before she could protest, Alexander swept her into his arms.

"Stay still." His grip tightened as he bent close, voice uncharacteristically soft. "Be good..."

Evelyn blinked in shock.

She'd never heard him speak so tenderly. The man who was usually as sharp as a blade now sounded like a spring breeze.

No.3

He carried her upstairs effortlessly, retrieved her keys, and headed straight for the bedroom.

Gently depositing her on the bed, he knelt beside it, gaze intense. "Eve..."

The childhood nickname made her heart stutter.

How many years since he'd called her that?

Alexander suddenly pressed his lips to her fingertips.

"Our breakup was just anger talking, right?"

"Nothing happened with Julian, right?"

No.4

"You'll come to Grandfather's birthday, right?"

Each question came with another kiss.

Evelyn's mind reeled. This had to be a dream.

The proud boy she remembered would never beg like this.

She yanked her hand back in panic.

Alexander's eyes darkened as he leaned closer.

"You're drunk," he murmured hoarsely. "Tomorrow you won't remember."

No.5

Evelyn clamped a hand over her mouth. "I will! Alexander, snap out of it!"

He pinned her wrists to the bed.

"After tonight," his voice held dangerous conviction, "we were never broken up."

"You said I disgusted you." Her voice shook. "Called me your plaything..."

She gritted her teeth. "Now you want me? Who's the real hypocrite here?"

Alexander Kingsley froze mid-motion.

He straightened slowly, the light casting shadows across his sharp features. The obsession and fervor in his eyes receded like the tide, replaced by their usual piercing intensity.

No.6

"You're not drunk?" His voice regained its characteristic iciness, sharp as an unsheathed blade.

Evelyn Sinclair's mind cleared gradually. "I told you—I didn't drink."

His tone ignited her anger.

She had repeated the truth multiple times, yet he twisted it into something calculated. This arrogance—condemning her without listening—was all too familiar.

"Then why do you smell like alcohol?" Alexander's gaze darkened. "Playing drunk to seduce someone?"

Evelyn nearly laughed.

This was Alexander Kingsley in a nutshell. Always jumping to conclusions. Always self-righteous.

No.7

It suddenly struck her—how had she endured this for thirteen years? The thought now seemed absurd.

"Believe whatever you want," she replied flatly.

Her indifference only provoked him further. He seized her shoulders and shoved her against the headboard.

A sharp pain flared in her stomach.

"So you admit it?" He gripped her chin. "You left the Kingsleys to chase power and wealth? What did the Sullivans promise you?"

Evelyn's pupils contracted.