Alexander POV.
I stared at the list on my desk, an endless column of zeros staring back at me. I’d spared no expense, not that it mattered–I had more money than most could dream of. The gifts were extravagant, each one more lavish than the last. But every single one of them had come back to me, untouched. Christiana was sending them all back.
“Sir, the Cartier diamond bracelet was returned this morning” James, my ever–faithful P.A., stood before me, his voice cautious as he placed the box on my desk. Inside, nestled in velvet, was a bracelet worth nearly half a million dollars. Flawless diamonds, handpicked for their clarity, sparkled back at me like tiny stars.
“Again?” I gritted my teeth, my frustration boiling over. “What the hell does she want, James? I’m sending her the best of everything. Jewelry, designer clothes, even that fucking limited–edition Birkin bag she’s always wanted. And she’s sending them back like they’re nothing.”
James shifted uncomfortably, clearly unsure of what to say. He knew better than to answer when I was like this, teetering on the edge of losing my temper. Instead, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out another box, placing it beside the bracelet.
“She also returned the sapphire and diamond earrings. They were delivered yesterday.”
I opened the box and stared at the deep blue sapphires, each surrounded by a halo of diamonds, worth over a million dollars. Christiana hadn’t even opened the package; she’d just sent it straight back. A part of me wanted to smash the damn thing. against the wall, to shatter those perfect stones into dust. But I couldn’t. Because this wasn’t about the gifts–this was about her. And I wasn’t going to let her slip away again.
“Fine.” I muttered, closing the box with a snap. “What about the car?”
James cleared his throat. “The Ferrari? She refused to accept it. It was returned to the dealership this morning.”
A Ferrari 488 Pista, customized down to the last stitch in the leather seats, delivered right to her doorstep. And she’d sent it back like it was nothing more than a trinket from a corner store. I could feel my hands clenching into fists, the anger rising in me like a tidal wave. How could she be so cold, so goddamn stubborn?
“Send something else,” I ordered, my voice low, trying to keep a lid on the rage simmering beneath my skin. “Send… Send her the Tiffany necklace, the one with the pink diamond.”
James hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowing. “Sir, that necklace is worth nearly three million dollars. Are you sure-”
“Yes, I’m sure!” I snapped, cutting him off. “Just do it. And tell them to deliver it in person this time. I want her to see what she’s rejecting”
He nodded, quickly jotting down the details. “I’ll have it sent immediately.”
I watched him leave, my mind churning with frustration. No one rejected gifts like these. No one. I wasn’t used to being ignored, to being dismissed. Christiana was the only person who had ever made me feel like this–like I wasn’t in control. And it was driving me insane.
The necklace would be delivered tomorrow, and if she sent it back again… I didn’t know what I’d do. It wasn’t about the money; it was never about the money. It was about her, about showing her that I could give her the world, that I still cared. But if she didn’t want any of it, if she kept pushing me away…
I slammed my fist on the desk, the force rattling the boxes. “Damn it, Christianal” I hissed under my breath. “Why won’t you just let me in?”
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I was Alex Williams Alistair–what I wanted, I got. And I wanted her back in my life. But Christiana wasn’t playing by the rules. She was sending back every gesture, every attempt to reach her, and it was making me feel something I hadn’t felt in years: desperation.
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm the storm inside me. Tomorrow was another day. Maybe the necklace would break through that icy exterior. Maybe she’d finally see that I was serious, that I wasn’t going to let her go,
But as I sat there, staring at the unopened boxes of returned gifts, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered something I didn’t want to hear. What if she never wanted any of it! What if she never wanted me?
19
曲
SIND GUT
11:53 AM
Chapter 43
No. I couldn’t think like that. I wouldn’t. I’d find a way to get through to her, to show her that we belonged together. I had to Because the alternative–losing her for good–was something I couldn’t bear to even imagine.
“Send the has to.”
ts, James,” I muttered to myself, leaning back in my chair. “Send everything we’ve got. She’ll come around. She
I sat back down, the leather chair creaking under the weight of my frustration. My fingers tapped restlessly against the polished wood of the desk, my mind spinning. Daniel That regular, run–of–the–mill guy. He couldn’t even hold a candle to the lowest employee at my company, yet there he was, taking Christiana to some cheap diner, and she had smiled at him- genuinely smiled, appreciated him
1 gritted my teeth, the image of them laughing together searing into my brain. What the hell did she see in him? A man like that had nothing to offer her, nothing compared to what I could give. I’d bought her a damn Ferrari, and she’d sent it back without a second thought. But this Daniel guy–he probably bought some cheap, and she was over the moon. It was infuriating.
How could she not see it? How could she not see that I was the one who could give her everything? I slammed my fist on the desk again, harder this time. She was mine, damn it. And I wasn’t going to let some nobody take her away from me. Christiana would come to her senses. She had to. And when she did, she’d realize that Daniel was nothing but a mistake.
