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

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255