Alexander’s POV.
The mansion was quiet when I walked in, too quiet. The usual hustle of bodyguards and staff moving around felt distant, muffled by the storm raging in my head. I could barely focus on anything but the anger seeping through my veins. The news James had just dropped on me replayed in my mind, impossible to shake.
Bianca Monroe Lewis was out of jail. And my mother had a hand in it.
I paced through the foyer, my footsteps heavy against the marble floor, trying to make sense of it all. I’d spent the past weeks doing everything in my power to ensure Bianca paid for her crimes, and now she was free, walking around like none of it had happened. And my own mother had gone behind my back to make it happen.
I stormed into my office, slamming the door behind me. The wood vibrated with the force, but it still didn’t release the tension coiled in my chest. I stood in the middle of the room, hands clenched at my sides, trying to figure out how it had all fallen apart so quickly.
A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. “Come in, I growled, not bothering to mask the anger in my voice.
The door opened, and James stepped in, his expression cautious. “Sir, I understand this is a difficult situation, but I’ve managed to gather more information.”
“Speak I ordered, sinking into the leather chair behind my desk. My fingers drummed against the desk as I waited for him to explain.
James took a breath before continuing, “It appears your mother personally contacted Bianca’s legal team. She vouched for her and even used her influence to expedite the release process. With Bianca’s lawyer being one of the top in the country, the judge decided the evidence wasn’t strong enough to hold her without bail. That’s why she’s free.”
“Of course, she did.” I leaned back, running my hand over my face in frustration. “I should’ve known. My mother’s always had a soft spot for Bianca, even when she was blatantly manipulating everyone around her.”
“She believes Bianca’s innocent,” James added, almost hesitantly.
I slammed my fist on the desk, causing James to flinch. “Innocent? Bianca is the furthest thing from innocent! She’s a liar, a manipulator, and she almost killed Christiana and the kids in that fire. She’s anything but innocent.”
James remained quiet, his face tight. He knew better than to push me when I was like this, but I could see the concern in his
eyes.
I stood up abruptly, pacing to the window that overlooked the sprawling estate. The manicured lawns and gardens stretched out before me, but all I could see was red. My mother….my own blood…had betrayed me. She’d fallen for Bianca’s lies, like so many before her, and now the snake was free to roam again.
“How could she do this, James?” I asked, my voice low but laced with fury. “How could my own mother fall for Bianca’s bullshit again? After everything?”
James shifted uncomfortably. “Madam Alistair has always had a soft spot for Miss Monroe, sir. She may not see things as clearly as you do.”
“Clearly?” I let out a bitter laugh. “She’s blinded by whatever spell Bianca has her under. Bianca is poison, and my mother just handed her a key to walk away from all of this unscathed.”
The more I thought about it, the more the rage built inside me. Bianca wasn’t just out of jail; she was out there, free to keep plotting, free to keep scheming. And my own mother had enabled it.
“I’ll talk to her,” I muttered, jaw clenched. “This can’t go on. She needs to see Bianca for who she really is.”
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James nodded, though he looked uncertain. “Do you think that will change anything, sir?”
“It has to,” I said, though I wasn’t even convinced. “It’s my mother. She’ll listen.”
But deep down, I knew it wasn’t going to be that simple. Bianca had wormed her way back into my mother’s good graces, and undoing that would be no easy task.
James gave me a respectful nod before stepping out of the office, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. I sat back down, gripping the edge of the desk, the weight of everything pressing down on me.
My mother had sided with Bianca.
The thought sent another wave of anger crashing through me. How could she be so blind? How could she not see that Bianca was the one behind everything? She had played us all, and now she was laughing her way out of jail, thanks to the woman who raised me.
5
I stared out the window, watching the sunset over the horizon, but there was no beauty in it today. Just anger. Just betrayal.
This wasn’t over. Bianca thought she had won, but I would make sure she paid. And my mother? She had some explaining to do.
I slammed the door to my mother’s office so hard, the walls rattled. The air inside felt thick, suffocating, as if the tension had been building for years and was ready to explode. She sat behind her massive oak desk, calm as ever, but there was a smug look on her face that only fueled my rage
further.
“Alex, what is this about?” she asked, her voice annoyingly composed.
I stepped forward, fists clenched at my sides. “You know exactly what this is about,” I spat. “Bianca.”
Her brow arched slightly, but she didn’t flinch. “What about Bianca? She’s out of that horrible cell, where she never should’ve been in the first place.”
“Never should’ve been there?” I repeated, my voice rising. “Are you out of your mind, Mother? She tried to kill Christiana. She put my kids in danger. She’s the one behind everything, and you…” I pointed a finger at her, trembling with rage…“you went behind my back and helped her walk free.”
“She’s innocent,” she said simply, as if that statement alone made everything okay.
“Innocent?” I laughed bitterly. “Mother, she’s a manipulator, a liar. She almost destroyed my family, and you’re defending her? Why? Because you hate Christiana so much? Is that it?”
Her eyes hardened at the mention of Christiana. “Don’t speak to me about that woman,” she hissed. “She’s the one who’s ruined everything. She came into your life, Alex, and turned you against me, against your own blood. I did what I had to do because Bianca loves you. She would never hurt you or the children.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was as if she’d been brainwashed by Bianca’s lies, completely blind to the truth. “Bianca loves no one but herself,” I snapped. “And you….” I shook my head, incredulous. “Lnever knew you could be this cruel, this heartless. Are you my enemy now? Because that’s what it feels like.”
Her face twisted into something cold, something ugly. “You don’t understand anything, Alex. I’ve done everything for you. Everything. Christiana is the one who doesn’t belong here. She’s nothing but a gold digger with baggage, and you let her waltz into your life and destroy everything.”
The venom in her words took me by surprise. I knew she didn’t like Christiana, but this…this was pure hatred. “Christiana is my wife,” I said through gritted teeth. “The mother of my children. And you released the woman who tried to take her life.”
“She didn’t try to kill anyone,” she said, standing up from her chair. “That’s your precious Christiana playing the victim,
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making you see things that aren’t there. Bianca has been nothing but loyal to you.”
“Loyal?” I scoffed. “You’re delusional. I’m done, Mother. I’m done with you defending that woman. You’ve crossed a line I can’t forgive. Stay the hell away from me, from my family. This is the last straw.”
Her face tightened, and before I could react, she slapped me across the face. The sound echoed in the room, sharp and stinging. I stood there, frozen in shock, my check burning. My own mother had hit me.
“How dare you speak to me like that,” she seethed, her voice low and filled with contempt. “After everything I’ve done for you. I raised you. I made you the man you are, and this is how you repay me? By choosing that woman over your own
mother?”
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I stared at her, feeling the sting of the slap more in my heart than on my skin. “You didn’t make me, Mother. I built myself, in spite of you. And the man I am right now? He wants nothing to do with you.”
Her eyes narrowed, and for the first time, I saw something truly dark in them. “You’re making a mistake, Alex. A mistake you’ll regret.”
I turned my back on her, heading for the door. “No,” I said, my voice hoarse. “The only mistake I made was trusting you.”
As I walked out of her office, the silence between us was louder than any argument. The finality of it weighed heavy on my shoulders, but there was no turning back now. She’d chosen her side, and I had chosen mine.
