After grabbing his coat, Alexander followed Raphael downstairs.
Neither of them spoke much during the drive.
The city lights flashed past the windows while Alexander sat silently in the passenger seat, staring outside without really seeing anything.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at their usual place.
Raphael led him toward their private room.
The mont they entered, the conversation inside died down.
Several pairs of eyes turned toward Alexander.
Michael, Victor, Ethan
And a few of their other longti friends.
For a mont, nobody spoke.
They had all attended Rosalind Blackwood’s funeral.
They knew Alexander had been under imnse pressure recently.
But seeing him in person was different.
He looked exhausted.
His face had grown noticeably thinner.
Dark circles sat beneath his eyes.
Even his usually impeccable appearance seed neglected.
Victor was the first to recover.
"Alexander."
He stood up and gave him a brief pat on the shoulder.
"It’s good to see you."
Alexander nodded quietly before taking a seat.
The others exchanged subtle glances.
Nobody ntioned how terrible he looked.
But everyone noticed.
Drinks were poured.
And the atmosphere gradually beca more relaxed.
Several of the n tried steering the conversation toward business.
"Now that you’re the largest shareholder, things should settle down soon."
"Exactly. Once you officially take over as chairman, Blackwood Dominion should stabilize."
"You’ve handled worse situations before."
Normally, Alexander would have responded.
Tonight, he simply sat there holding a glass of whiskey.
Listening.
But not really participating.
The others eventually stopped trying.
Most of them assud Rosaline’s death was weighing heavily on him.
Only Raphael and Michael knew the situation was far more complicated.
Michael studied Alexander from across the table.
A mory surfaced.
Their last conversation.
Back then, Alexander had admitted he didn’t know exactly what he felt for Alicia.
Only that he didn’t want her to leave.
At the ti, Michael had dismissed it as confusion.
Now, looking at the man sitting before him, he wasn’t so sure.
When the others beca distracted by a discussion about company shares, Michael quietly moved to the couch beside Alexander.
For a mont, neither man spoke.
Then Michael lowered his voice.
"Still no news?"
Alexander didn’t need clarification.
He knew exactly who Michael ant.
He slowly shook his head.
"No."
Michael sighed.
His gaze dropped to the untouched drink in Alexander’s hand.
"Alexander..."
He hesitated.
Then continued.
"Have you ever considered letting her go?"
Alexander’s fingers tightened around the glass.
Michael quickly added,
"I don’t an giving up on her."
He paused.
"I an accepting that maybe this is what she wanted."
Silence followed.
The noise from the rest of the room faded into the background.
For several monts, Alexander didn’t answer.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.
It was bitter.
Tired,almost hollow.
"You think I haven’t thought about that?"
Michael remained silent.
Alexander stared down at the amber liquid inside his glass.
Every day.
Every night.
The thought haunted him.
What if Alicia truly wanted nothing to do with him anymore?
What if she had left because being away from him made her happier?
What if finding her only brought her more pain?
He had considered all of it.
Far more tis than he wanted to admit.
"It’s just..."
His voice trailed off.
For the first ti that evening, genuine emotion surfaced in his expression.
He looked exhausted.
Lost.
Broken.
"The thought of never seeing her again..."
He swallowed hard.
"...frightens more than anything else."
Michael froze.
Because he understood imdiately.
This wasn’t guilt.
It wasn’t obligation.
And it wasn’t responsibility.
Alexander Blackwood was in love.
The realization settled heavily in Michael’s chest.
Yet he said nothing.
Because for the first ti in years, he had no idea how to help his friend.
The room around them remained lively.
People laughed.
Glasses clinked together.
Conversations continued.
But Alexander felt completely detached from it all.
His gaze remained fixed on his drink.
And his thoughts remained with only one person.
Alicia.
Suddenly, soone from the side spoke up.
"Alexander, I heard Alicia left. Did she finally realize she didn’t belong beside you?"
He let out a chuckle, and a few others joined in.
The room instantly grew quieter.
Raphael, who had been sitting beside Alexander, frowned. He knew that look. Alexander hadn’t reacted outwardly, but sothing in his expression had changed.
Michael noticed it too and imdiately shot the man a warning glance, but the fool either didn’t notice or simply didn’t care.
Alexander slowly set his glass down on the table.
Then he stood.
His movents were calm—too calm.
"So," he said, walking toward the group, "you think Alicia leaving was the right thing because she didn’t deserve to be beside ?"
The man nodded confidently.
"Of course. Everyone knows it. She never belonged in your world in the first place."
The atmosphere in the room beca noticeably heavier.
Several of the n exchanged uneasy glances.
Raphael quietly stood up.
He had a bad feeling about where this was heading.
Alexander stopped in front of the man and looked down at him.
"Then tell ," he said evenly, "who do you think deserves to be by my side?"
The fool mistook Alexander’s calmness for agreent.
"A woman from a respectable family, obviously. Soone with status, influence, and a proper background."
He scoffed.
"Not so common journalist’s daughter with no standing in society."
Silence.
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
For a mont, nobody moved.
Then,
His fist slamd into the man’s face.
The impact sent him crashing backward onto the couch.
Several people jumped to their feet in shock.
"Alexander!"
Raphael imdiately rushed forward.
The man held his bleeding mouth, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"What the hell"
Alexander grabbed him by the collar before he could finish.
"Let show you who has no standing here."
His voice was dangerously low.
The man stared at him in shock.
Raphael ca forward and held Alexander.
Then, instead of backing down, the idiot friend made the worst mistake possible.
"Did you seriously hit because of that gold-digging woman?"
Sothing inside Alexander finally snapped.
He broke free from Raphael’s grip and drove another punch into the man’s jaw.
The force nearly knocked him to the floor.
Another punch followed.
Then another.
By the ti the others managed to pull Alexander away, the man’s face was already bruised.
"Alexander, enough!"
It took Raphael, Michael, and two others to restrain him.
Alexander struggled against them, breathing heavily.
His knuckles were scraped and bleeding.
His chest rose and fell violently.
"How dare you speak about my wife that way?"
The room fell silent.
No one had ever seen him like this before.
Not even Raphael.
The man sat on the floor trembling, blood running from the corner of his lips.
Only now did he realize how wrong he had been.
Everyone knew Alexander had once loved Lilian.
Everyone knew he had married Alicia unwillingly.
Because of that, they had all assud the sa thing—that Alicia ant very little to him.
But looking at him now, that assumption seed ridiculous.
A man doesn’t lose control like this over soone he doesn’t care about.
A man doesn’t nearly break another person’s jaw over a woman who ans nothing to him.
For the first ti, they truly understood.
Alexander Blackwood loved Alicia.
Perhaps far more than he even realized himself.
The realization lingered in the room long after the fight ended.
But Alexander didn’t feel any satisfaction.
The anger faded as quickly as it had co.
Leaving behind nothing but emptiness.
His eyes drifted toward the untouched glass on the table.
Even after everything,
Even after defending her.
Even after admitting his feelings.
Alicia was still gone.
And he still had no idea where to find her.
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