Chapter 77: Chapter 78

Chapter 0078 Alexander seemed to read the hesitation on my face. “There’s no obligation,” he said gently. “I can have someone drive you home if that’s what you’d prefer.”

I hesitated again, not wanting to offend him. But the truth was, I did need some space. My parents would undoubtedly want to talk about everything, and I needed time to clear my head. Slowly, I nodded.

ווידיי box.

arrange for it,” Alexander said, standing and pulling his phone from his pocket as he walked back inside the I watched him for a moment, feeling both relief and a slight pang of regret. The day had been perfect, but I knew I needed to take things at my own pace.

The tension between us seemed to have returned when Alexander came back out to the box. I kept my focus on the game until the very end, avoiding looking at him.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had upset him somehow, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. For his part, Alexander didn’t appear upset–he was just quiet and lost in thought.

As soon as the game was over, we walked back down the hallway we had entered through and out to the car. There were two vehicles waiting, and Alexander opened the door to one of them.

“They’ll take you straight home,” he said, leaning slightly into my personal space. “I’m glad you had fun.”

“I did,” I replied awkwardly, feeling the weight of his gaze. “Thank you.”

“We’ll talk again soon,” he said, and I could hear the warmth in his voice. “You have a good night.”

I nodded, struggling to find the right words. Instead, I slid into the car as Alexander closed the door behind me. The drive back to my family home felt like a blur, and before I knew it, I was safely inside.

“Ella!” my father’s beta, Alex, said as he walked through the room with a teasing smile. “I caught your television appearance!”

I groaned, feeling my cheeks heat up. “Someone’s going to be teasing me about this at dinner, aren’t they?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he replied, laughing at the expression on my face before leaving the room to continue whatever work he was doing.

I considered looking for my parents but decided that whatever teasing they had in store could wait. I went up to my bedroom instead.

Once inside, I found a vase I had hardly ever used and filled it with water from my bathroom tap. Carefully, 1 arranged the roses Alexander had given me. They were gorgeous and elegant, yet they looked completely out of place in my room.

For all the changes I had made to my wardrobe since my second chance began, I hadn’t actually done anything to change the appearance of my room.

Standing and looking around now, I felt a little like I didn’t belong. My room looked like it belonged to a child. The pastel walls and stuffed animals felt foreign, a stark contrast to the new me I was trying to become.

1 sighed, wondering if I should finally take the time to redecorate. It was about time I turned my space into a reflection of who I was now.

Thinking about it now, I realized that I had felt like a child all day. Alexander had taken me out on a date meant to be a declaration of our connection, and I had acted immature and silly the entire time. Maybe it was a defense mechanism to try to cover up how awkward I felt. But after that kiss....

7/2 Chapter 0078 +25 BONUS I couldn’t let my awkwardness and attraction toward Alexander override the purpose of our charade. This was all Just business, and I needed to get a hold of my childish feelings before I ruined everything.

Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself of my goals and the reasons for this arrangement. I needed to focus on the bigger picture and not let emotions distract me. But deep down, I knew I couldn’t easily shake the thrill of the connection I felt with him.