Chapter 49

Alexander POV

I found my mother in her study late afternoon. She was sitting in her usual chair, the one by the window, with a cup of tea perched delicately on the table beside her. Her posture was as stiff as ever, her expression one of cool, nonchalant as she skimmed through the pages of a magazine.

“Mother, we need to talk,” I said, my voice strained as I stepped into the room.

She looked up from the magazine, arching an eyebrow at me. “Alex, dear, what’s the matter? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

I didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Christiana’s house was set on fire last night,” I said, watching her closely, searching for any flicker of emotion. The entire place was destroyed. The kids were inside.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and she set the magazine down, her lips pressing into a thin line. “The children… are they alright?” she asked, her tone as controlled as always, but I could hear the underlying concern.

“They’re fine,” I replied, though my voice was tight with the tension I was barely holding back. “Thankfully, they got out in time. But the fire was no accident”

Her gaze hardened, and I could see the gears turning in her mind. “What are you suggesting, Alex?” she asked, her tone icy. “That someone deliberately tried to harm them?”

I swallowed hard, preparing myself for what I had to say next. “Mother… did you have anything to do with this?”

Her reaction was immediate. Her eyes flashed with anger, and she shot up from her chair, her voice rising. “Are you out of your mind, Alex? How dare you accuse me of something so vile!”

“I had to ask,” I said, my voice cold, though it pained me to be this way with her. “I know how much you despise Christiana, how much you hate the idea of her being in our lives again. But if you did anything–if you even considered putting those kids in danger-”

“Stop right there!” she snapped, pointing a finger at me, her expression furious. “Yes, I loathe that woman, but those children. are my blood, my grandchildren! I would never harm them! How could you even think that?”

swirling within me. “Good,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Because if I find out that anyone had a hand in this, they’ll pay. And I don’t care who they are. I won’t let anyone

the anger in her eyes. “Are you threatening me, Alex?” she asked, her voice quiet,

turned and walked out of the room, ignoring the sound of her voice calling after me,

anger, jealousy. The image of Christiana with Daniel, the way she had looked at him, the way the kids had run to him–it was all too much. And then there was the fire, the terrifying thought

I was walking through quicksand, my mind a chaotic mess of conflicting thoughts and emotions. I had failed them. I

horrible uncertainty about who could have done this. The confrontation with

splash of cold water. I wanted to scream, to punch something, to find whoever had done this and

I going to do? How

11:53 AM

Chapter 49

in my mind, and I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to break

couldn’t lose her. I

felt like I was losing

out onto the balcony. The night air was cool, but it did nothing to calm the storm raging inside me. I pulled out

once before he

ever, but I could sense the tension. He knew why I

said, trying to keep my voice steady, “what’s

end. “The private investigators and the police are still looking into it,” he

in check. “What do you

James continued, his voice lower now, almost as if he was reluctant to say the words out loud. “They sprayed

of it played out in my mind–Christiana, the kids, everyone in

were professionals,” James added, trying to fill the silence. “Whoever they were, they planned this meticulously. There were no traces

nothing to release the rage boiling inside me. “How can they be so elusive? No one saw

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