Chapter 103
Camille felt sick imagining it. "Your family..."
"Closed ranks around Thomas. Made sure no one knew he'd been drinking. Paid off witnesses." Alexander's voice hardened. "My father made it clear that the family reputation was more important than anything "That's horrible," Camille whispered.
"It
was clarifying," Alexander corrected. "I saw my family for what they really were. The moment I could walk well enough, I
left. Took the trust fund money they couldn't legally keep from me and disappeared."
He pulled the car to a stop in front of a small brick apartment building. Nothing special, just one of thousands of such buildings in Boston.
"I came to Boston. Rented an apartment in this building. Started over." He nodded toward the building. "I was determined to make it on my own, to build something my own way. Got a job on the loading docks a Camille tried to picture
Alexander, now one of the world's wealthiest men, living in that ordinary building, working on a loading dock.
"And then came the second accident," Alexander continued his expression changing. "The one where our paths first crossed."
He reached into his pocket and removed something small and silver. When
he opened his palm, Camille saw the delicate rose pendant on a thin chain, the one she had given him years ago, the one he
had returned to her that night he first mentioned their connection.
"You kept it all this time?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
"It was my talisman," Alexander said quietly. "When things got hard... and they did, many times, I'd hold it and remember that someone had once seen value in me when I couldn't see it in myself." He started the car again, driving a
few blocks to a sleek office building with "Pierce Technologies" emblazoned on the side.
"I built my first company here. Developed shipping logistics software that revolutionized the industry. By twenty-
was a Billionaire. By twenty six, a Trillionaire." His
of-
without boasting. And when I crossed into trillionaire territory three years ago, guess who suddenly wanted to reconnect?" wanted to
"Your family," Camille said.
another car accident, this time with no one to blame but himself." A shadow crossed Alexander's face. "They
did you do?" Camille
directly. Wanted to
"I cut them off
I had no parents." His voice was steady, but Camille could hear
you
just blood, Camille.
her, thinking of how easily her parents had sided with
tell you all this for so long," Alexander said
at that charity gala, I've wanted to explain everything. But
what?" Camille
close to you." His eyes held hers, vulnerability
her from feeling manipulated when manipulation had defined her
tight and guarde in
forward, taking the pendant from his palm. Their fingers brushed, sending warmth up her arm. "It protected you,"
more than that." Alexander's voice dropped lower. It led me back to
meeting his gaze.
were weak, but because she chose to lower ther
his face to press a kiss against
this again," she whispered.
was dead."
"Nothing dies
completely," Alexander murmured. "Not when the roots are
forward slowly, giving her time to pull away. But Camille didn't want distance anymore. She closed the
her
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
The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!