Chapter 4: This Woman Is Mine
744 Words
Aexandier Sterling stood a few steps away from them.
The billionaire looked absolutely deadly. He wasn't wearing his gala tuxedo anymore. Instead, he was dressed in a tailored charcoal three-piece suit, his coat fluttering slightly in the morning breeze. His jaw was clenched, his slate-gray eyes burning with a protective fury that made the entire street feel smaller.
He didn't walk. He marched toward them, his presence so bold and commanding that Julian instinctively took two steps back, his face turning pale.
"Alexandier..." Julian swallowed, trying to stay calm. His fingers tightened around the envelope of cash in his pocket. He tried to force his signature arrogant smirk onto his face, but under Alexandier's cold stare, it looked weak.
"Alexandier," he called once again, taking a half-step back. "Don't get your expensive tie in a twist. I was just giving your... asset here a better option. If you're allowed to buy a bride, I'm allowed to buy a witness. It's just open-market capitalism."
Ciara frowned at the term asset used on her. But Alexandier, on the other hand, didn't yell.
He didn't lift a finger or even show an ounce of surprise as to how Julian was able to come up with such precise conclusion. Instead, he tilted his head a fraction of an inch, his expression melting from fierce rage into a disturbing calm. A low, dark chuckle vibrated deep in his chest, dripping with mocking pity that Julian’s face instantly flushed with humiliation.
"Open-market capitalism, huh?" Alexandier murmured, his voice dangerously quiet. "Is that what they call desperate bribery in your circle these days, Julian?"
He stepped closer, instantly shielding Ciara behind his massive, broad-shouldered frame. The intoxicating scent of his woodsy cologne completely wiped out the smell of Julian's cigarette. Alexandier looked down at his cousin, making the height difference between them pretty obvious. He was, after all, taller.
"It's not bribery, it's—"
"Tell me," Alexander interrupted, stepping forward just one pace. The confidence radiating from him forced Julian to back down another step, his leather shoe slipping slightly. "When you drove into this neighborhood, did you honestly believe you were executing a brilliant move? Did you truly think to yourself, 'Oh yes, this is how I defeat Alexandier'?"
Julian blinked, completely thrown off balance by the calm, almost casual tone of the question. "What are you talking about? I have the board's backing for the audit, If she testifies that you—"
"The board already approved the audit?" Alexandier cut in.
For the first time since arriving, the slightest pause crossed his expression. Calculation. His gaze sharpened almost imperceptibly. Not only had the audit been approved, but footage of Ciara's little display had leaked.
But to make matter worse, Julian had been reckless enough to come here himself. How did he find out?
How convenient.
The silence lasted barely a heartbeat before every trace of surprise vanished behind Alexandier's usual stone-cold expression.
He understood everything now.
"Marcus," he said quietly.
"Sir?"
"How long has my cousin been standing outside Miss Vance's home?"
Marcus answered without hesitation. "Approximately seventeen minutes, sir. We arrived less than a minute after Mr. Sterling did."
Julian's smug grin faltered.
Alexandier's gaze settled on him again, colder than before.
"You see, Julian..." he murmured, his voice carrying the calm certainty of a man who had already reached the end of a chess match. "You made two mistakes this morning."
Julian frowned.
"You assumed Miss Vance could be bought. Because you can be bought for a few stacks of dirty cash." He took one slow step forward. "And your second mistake was having the audacity to step onto her property."
Julian took another step back without thinking. "I came here to finalize an agreement with Miss Vance."
"Is that so? So why do I find you attempting to manufacture false testimony against me?"
A faint, humorless smile touched his lips. "Thank you for saving my legal department so much investigative work."
Ciara, standing safely behind Alexandier's broad shoulders, hid a victorious smirk.
He hadn't raised his voice. He hadn't threatened. Yet somehow Julian looked as though the ground beneath him had begun to crumble.
"Wait..." Julian's breath caught. His eyes darted between Alexandier and Ciara as he desperately tried to understand what was happening.
"You can't be serious about this..."
"This woman is mine. Slexandier said, his deep voice leaving no room for argument.
"he next time you reach for her, you'll regret it."
- Writer
