Chapter 169: Chapter 170

Chapter 0170 Chapter 0170 Ella POV “What happened? Why did I hear a scream?” Diana asked as she knocked on the door.

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. My heart pounded harder, and for a moment, I was completely frozen.

Alexander, however, didn’t seem fazed. Straightening up, he turned toward the door, his voice calm but firm. “It’s fine, Diana. Ella had a small accident. I’m handling it.”

“An accident?” Diana’s tone was sharp and suspicious. “Do you need me to come in?”

“No!” I blurted out, finally finding my voice. “It’s fine, really! Just... a shaving razor fell on my foot. Alexander’s helping me patch it up.”

There was a pause on the other side of the door, and I could practically hear her weighing the situation.

“Alright,” Diana said at last, though her voice held a note of skepticism. “But if you need anything, I’m right here.”

“We’re fine,” Alexander said curtly, his tone allowing for no further argument.

We listened as her footsteps retreated from the room.

When he turned back to me, Alexander’s expression was somewhere between amused and e he said dryly, “that could have gone worse.

”

rated. “Well,”

I let out a nervous laugh, shaking my head. “She probably thinks we’re hiding some kind of scandalous secret.”

“Let her think what she wants,” he said with a shrug, his smirk making my heart skip a beat. “The important thing is you’re not bleeding all over the place anymore.”

His light tone eased some of my tension, but I still had an odd feeling about the interaction.

Alexander pulled the gauze away from my wound and inspected it closely. “It’s not that bad,” he said, relief evident in his voice.

“I’ll bandage it up, and it should be fine.”

“Thank you,” I replied, relieved I hadn’t managed to seriously injure myself. “Once it’s bandaged, I’ll clean the blood up and-”

“Don’t worry about that,” Alexander interrupted as he rummaged through the first aid kit, selecting a bandage.

“I’m not going to ask someone else to clean up the mess I made,” I argued, but before I could say more, Alexander handed me the bandage and turned toward the cupboard.

Pulling down a towel, he knelt back down and began wiping up the blood. I stared at him in surprise, struck by the sight of him doing something so... mundane. Once he’d soaked up most of the mess, he stood, rinsed the towel in the sink, and glanced at me.

“Hurry up and get that bandage on,” he said with a pointed look.

“Of course,” I muttered, pulling my gaze away from him and focusing on my foot.

As I carefully wrapped the bandage, my thoughts drifted. Alexander continuously surprised me. Nothing about his behavior today–his interactions with his family, his willingness to help–was what I’d expected.

I would’ve thought he’d call for a staff member to clean the floor, yet here he was, doing it himself without hesitation. It might have only taken a few minutes, but still it said something about him.

1/2 Chapter 0170 +25 BONUS And then there was the way he handled Diana. His firm insistence that she not enter had been a relief considering my embarrassing state, but it also caught me off guard. She was his mother, and yet he had been so unwavering, just as he’d been during dinner when she started asking intrusive questions.

“You’re deep in thought,” Alexander said, drawing me out of my reverie. His tone was curious, not accusing.” What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I replied quickly, brushing the thoughts away.

“That’s not true,” he countered, his gaze sharp and searching. “Something’s been off with you all day. I just haven’t been able to figure out what it is.”

#1 “It’s just... it’s been interesting seeing the family dynamic Here, that’s all,” I said hesitantly, carefully choosing my words.

Alexander sighed and leaned back against the sink, crossing his arms. “I see,” he said softly. “Of course, you noticed. You’re very observant.”