Tycoon's Growing Obsession

2:Alexander

Alexander had been with countless beautiful women. Models, actresses, heiresses—they'd all tried to capture his attention with practiced seduction and calculated charm. He'd grown bored of beauty, immune to it.

But this girl, with her flushed cheeks and pleading eyes, her hands clasped like a child asking for a favor, her voice like honey and silk...

She was different.

"Sure," he said, his lips curving into the faintest smile. "Sit wherever you like."

He'd been expecting to catch a traitor tonight—Barrett, one of his subordinates who'd been selling information to his rivals. Instead, he'd caught a kitten.

A very interesting kitten.

"Thank you! Oh, thank you so much!" Lydia's face lit up with such genuine gratitude that Alexander felt something shift in his chest.

"My name is Lydia Chen. May I ask your name?"

This gentleman is so kind, Lydia thought, her eyes sparkling. And handsome too. I can't believe my luck.

Those sparkling eyes, like a handful of scattered stars, caused Alexander's heart to tremble in a way it never had before.

He chuckled softly, the sound rich and warm. "You can call me by my Chinese name—Xie Chi."

"You're also from China?" Lydia asked in surprise, her eyes widening.

"My mother was," Alexander replied. "I'm half-Chinese."

"Then you count too! What a coincidence." Lydia felt an immediate sense of kinship with this Mr. Xie.

During her months of careful planning, of feeling utterly alone in her father's house, Xie Chi was the first person who'd shown her genuine kindness. And to find out he had Chinese heritage too—it felt like fate.

"Would you like something to drink?" Alexander asked, rising from the sofa with fluid grace.

"Anything is fine, thank you," Lydia said quickly, not wanting to be any more trouble than she already was.

While Alexander moved to the bar area, his phone buzzed silently. He glanced at the message from Marcus, his head of security:

Boss, Barrett has been apprehended. Surveillance confirms the young lady did see someone in the corridor and entered your suite in a panic. Background check in progress. Initial sweep shows clean.

Alexander typed back quickly: Barrett doesn't need to stay. And I need to know everything about her before dawn. Everything.

Yes, sir.

Alexander pocketed his phone and returned carrying a tray with water and an elegant bottle of wine.

"I don't have any soft drinks here, only water and alcohol," he said, setting the tray on the coffee table. "But this wine isn't very strong—it's sweet, actually. You can try it if you'd like."

Lydia's eyes lit up at the mention of alcohol. She'd always played the obedient, perfect daughter in front of her father—no drinking, no parties, no fun of any kind. She'd never even tasted alcohol before. But now, free from his control, she was determined to try everything she'd been denied.

"May I try the wine?" she asked, her voice filled with such innocent excitement that Alexander had to suppress a smile.

Drinking just a little bit shouldn't be a problem, right? Lydia thought.

Seeing Lydia's adorable, expectant expression, Alexander couldn't help but smile. Then, as if remembering something, his smile widened even further, taking on a slightly wicked edge.

The last people who'd drunk wine he'd poured had all turned to ashes—poisoned rivals and traitors. But this wine was perfectly safe.

He'd been saving this particular bottle for a special occasion.

Perhaps this was it.

Lydia took a sip, and her face transformed with delight. "It's sweet and delicious! Like... like liquid starlight."

Her eyes lit up with such pure joy that Alexander's hands involuntarily clenched. His gaze grew deep and unfathomable.

I want to pinch her cheeks, he thought, the urge almost overwhelming. I want to keep that expression on her face forever.

Before either of them quite realized it, Lydia had finished two or three glasses. Her cheeks and ears had turned bright red, and her eyes had taken on a slightly glazed, dreamy quality.

Alexander hadn't expected the girl to have such a low alcohol tolerance. He should have stopped her after the first glass. But he hadn't. He'd watched, fascinated, as the wine loosened her careful composure, revealing glimpses of the person beneath.

"Miss Chen, are you alright?" he asked, though he could clearly see she wasn't.

Lydia's head felt pleasantly fuzzy, like she was floating. The room had taken on a soft, warm glow, and Mr. Xie looked even more handsome than before, if that was possible.

"It's not Miss Chen," Lydia said solemnly, reaching up to grab his hand as he moved to check her temperature.

She pulled his hand to her face and rubbed it against her chin, her skin soft and warm. "I'm not Miss Chen. I'm actually a p***y cat".

Alexander's pupils contracted sharply. He hadn't expected this development at all. His gaze toward the little figure before him deepened, darkened with something primal.

"Is that so?" he murmured, his voice dropping an octave.

"Mm-hmm!" Lydia nodded seriously, then leaned forward—so close he could feel her breath on his ear—and let out the softest, sweetest "Meow~"

Alexander felt like he'd been struck by lightning. Every nerve in his body came alive. He couldn't help but let out a soft, incredulous laugh, rubbing his forehead.

He'd negotiated with world leaders. He'd stared down armed enemies without flinching. He'd built an empire on ruthlessness and control.

And here he was, being completely undone by a drunk girl pretending to be a cat.

The key point was that these actions were all unintentional on her part. She had no idea what she was doing to him. Of the two of them, only he was affected, only he was losing control.

"You should do it like this~" Lydia said, reaching up with her small hand to gently scratch under his chin, just like one would pet a cat. "You should treat a kitten like this."