FRAMED BY DESTINY

THE DRUNKEN CONFESSION

Alexander slammed the file shut before tossing it onto his desk. His office had never felt this suffocating before.He leaned back in his chair, loosening his tie for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"What's wrong with me?" he muttered under his breath. Every document he tried to read reminded him of the same person.

Elara.

Her shy smile.

Her soft voice.

The way she apologized over and over that morning.He groaned and rubbed his temples.

"This is ridiculous. A knock interrupted his thoughts."Come in."

Ryan Carter walked in without waiting for another invitation. One look at Alexander's face and he burst into laughter."You still look miserable."

Alexander glared at him."I don't have the energy for your jokes today."Ryan sat opposite him.

"You've been staring at that same document for almost thirty minutes."

Alexander looked at the untouched file.

"Have I?"

Ryan nodded."You've officially lost it."

Alexander sighed."I think I have." Ryan folded his arms.

"So..."

"Still thinking about Elara?"

Alexander didn't answer.Ryan smirked.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Before Alexander could reply, another knock echoed through the office.The door swung open. A young woman in a stylish red dress walked inside carrying two cups of coffee. She smiled brightly the moment she saw Alexander.

"Alex!"

Alexander looked up. "Riley."

Riley Carter.

Ryan's younger sister.

She worked as one of the company's interior designer and had been crushing on Alexander for years. She placed one cup on Ryan's desk before walking over to Alexander."I brought your favorite coffee."

"Thank you."

She smiled sweetly."You've been working too hard." Ryan rolled his eyes dramatically."Can you at least pretend I exist?" Riley looked at him. "I brought you coffee too , Only because you had to walk past my desk."

Alexander chuckled softly. Ryan immediately pointed at him.

"There!"Alexander frowned. "What?"

"You smiled."

"So?"

"You've been acting like someone stole your puppy all morning."Riley looked between the two men. "What's going on? Ryan grinned mischievously."Our dear Alexander is lovesick."

Alexander shot him a warning glare.

"Ryan."

"What?"

"It's true."Riley blinked."Lovesick?"

Alexander sighed. "Ignore him."

Ryan laughed. "He's been thinking about a girl all day." Riley's smile faded almost instantly. "Oh...I didn't know there was someone."

Alexander noticed the disappointment in her voice. "There isn't. Ryan laughed loudly."There definitely is." Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose."Can we change the subject?"

Ryan stood up."Actually...I have a better idea."

Alexander looked at him.

"We're going clubbing tonight."

"No."

"Yes."

"I'm not interested." Ryan walked around the desk and grabbed Alexander's arm."You need to stop thinking about Elara for one night."

Alexander sighed.

"I don't even like clubs."

"You don't have to."

"You just need a drink."

"And maybe dance."

"I'm not dancing."

"We'll see."

Later That Night...

Music thundered through the crowded nightclub. Colorful lights flashed across the dance floor while people laughed, danced and shouted over the music.

Ryan handed Alexander another glass of whiskey. "Drink."

Alexander emptied it in one gulp.

Ryan laughed.

"That's my guy."

A few minutes later...

Several women approached their VIP table.

One smiled brightly."Would you like to dance?"

Alexander barely looked at her.

"No."She frowned before walking away.Another tried. "Just one dance?"

Alexander shook his head.

"I'm here to drink."

Ryan sighed.

"You know...You could at least pretend to enjoy yourself."

Alexander poured himself another drink.

"I'm trying."

"No..."

Ryan laughed."You're trying to imagine every woman here is Elara."

Alexander froze.Ryan smiled knowingly. "I knew it."

Alexander looked away."I'm hopeless."

Ryan raised his glass."Finally."

"You admitted it."

Hours passed.

Alexander lost count of how many drinks he had taken.

His words became slower. His movements less steady. Ryan checked his watch before sighing.

"Okay."

"That's enough."

Alexander looked at him lazily.

"I can still drink."

"No."Ryan took the bottle away. "I'm taking you home before you embarrass yourself."

Kingsley Mansion

The mansion was unusually quiet. Ryan struggled to support Alexander as they walked inside.

"You're heavier than you look." Alexander mumbled something unintelligible.

Just then... A bedroom door opened.

Elara stepped into the hallway after hearing voices.She stopped."Oh..."Ryan smiled politely."You must be Elara."She nodded. "And you are?"

"Ryan Carter."He shifted Alexander's weight again."Alexander's best friend."

"It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

Ryan looked at Alexander before looking back at her."I hate to ask...But I need your help."

Elara looked surprised."My help?"

"I have an emergency meeting overseas early tomorrow, I just need someone to help me get this stubborn i***t into his room."Elara hesitated."I don't think that's appropriate."

Ryan gave her a pleading look."Please I promise I wouldn't ask if I had another choice."After a few seconds...She sighed.

"Okay."

Together, they managed to get Alexander upstairs.Ryan gently lowered him onto the bed.

He smiled gratefully at Elara."Thank you."She nodded."I'll stay until he's asleep."

Ryan picked up his car keys. "You're a lifesaver."

As Ryan left the room, Elara turned to leave too.

Suddenly...A warm hand gently wrapped around her wrist.She looked back. Alexander's eyes were barely open. His voice was soft.

Almost broken.

"...Don't go."

With a sudden, alcohol-fueled burst of strength, Alexander grabbed her wrist and pulled. Elara gasped as she lost her balance, tumbling backward onto the bed. Before she could process what was happening, Alexander rolled over, pinning her beneath him. The sudden shift in gravity made her heart hammer against her ribs.

He hovered over her, his eyes dark, heavy, and intensely focused on her face.

"You are... so beautiful," he murmured, his voice a low,soft, which she had never heard from him before.

Elara’s breath hitched, her hands coming up to press against his chest. "Alexander, stop. You are drunk."

"I’m not," he whispered, though his slurred words betrayed him.

He leaned down, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Elara shivered as his warm breath brushed her skin, followed by the soft, intoxicating pressure of his lips.

"You smell so good," he mumbled against her skin.

"Sir... stop, please," she pleaded, her voice shaking. She tried to push him, but he was a solid wall of muscle, entirely unyielding.

Alexander ignored her protest, his lips tracing a path up her jawline until they found hers. The kiss was messy, urgent, and fiercely passionate fueled by the alcohol and the unspoken, simmering tension that had been building between them .

Elara struggled against him, planting her hands firmly on his shoulders to push him away. But as the seconds ticked by, the heat of his body and the sheer intensity of the kiss began to blur her own judgment. For a devastatingly weak moment, her hands softened, and she gave in, kissing him back.

Then, reality slammed into her like a wave of ice water. What am I doing?

Using every ounce of strength she possessed, Elara brought her knees up and violently shoved his chest, forcing him off her. She scrambled off the bed, her breathing ragged, her lips tingling and swollen.

She looked back at Alexander, who had collapsed sideways onto the pillows, already drifting back into a heavy, drunken sleep.

Fixing her shirt with trembling hands, Elara stared at him, a mix of anger and fear swirling in her chest. "You won't even remember all this tomorrow morning," she whispered bitterly to the silent room, before turning and fleeing into the dark hallway.

The next morning, the mansion was bathed in bright, unforgiving sunlight.

Alexander groaned as he walked down the hallway, clutching his pounding head. The hangover was brutal, leaving his memory of the previous night in fragmented, blurry shards. He remembered Ryan, the club, the taste of whiskey... and a strange, lingering warmth that he couldn't quite place.

As he turned the corner near the staircase, he saw Elara walking toward him, carrying a stack of linens.

The moment her eyes met his, her face went completely pale. Her eyes widened in what looked like sheer panic. Without a word, she dropped her gaze, spun on her heel, and practically bolted down the opposite corridor, her footsteps echoing loudly as she fled from him.

Alexander stopped dead in his tracks, his brow furrowing as he watched her disappear. He rubbed his temples, a deep sense of unease settling in his stomach.

What the hell happened last night?