Chapter 221
Madison
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she navigated through several comments.
“Oh, this is juicy,” she said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “According to this post from two months ago, Katherine is dating a CEO in London. And not just casually, like, seriously dating,”
“How reliable is that information?” I tried to keep my voice neutral despite the strange relief washing over me.
“Pretty solid. Several people confirmed it in the comments.” Hazel scrolled down further. “Only a couple saying it’s fake news. Oh, and get this–she’s not just some trophy girlfriend. She runs her own fashion retail empire and some luxury business ventures. Started from scratch,”
“Impressive,” I murmured, trying to picture the woman from the photo as a business mogul rather than just Alexander’s ex.
“If this gossip is true,” Hazel said, closing her laptop with finality, “then Katherine won’t be coming back into Alexander’s life anytime soon. You can relax.”
“I wasn’t worried,” I lied, probably unconvincingly.
“Sure you weren’t,” Hazel smirked. “That’s why you had me searching through internet cesspools for information about your boyfriend’s ex.”
“I was just curious.”
“Mmhmm. Curiosity. That’s what we’re calling jealousy these days?”
“I’m not jealous,” I insisted, grabbing a throw pillow and hugging it to my chest. “I just wanted to know who she was.”
“Because…?”
“Because it’s complicated.”
“Complicated how? The man called you another woman’s name while you were naked. That’s not complicated- that’s a red flag parade!”
“It was just once. And he was… not entirely himself that night.”
“Not himself, how?” Hazel narrowed her eyes. “Was he drunk? High? Possessed by the ghost of relationships past?”
“Something like that,” I muttered, not wanting to get into the whole drugging incident. “Anyway, thank you for finding her. I tried looking online myself, but I couldn’t find anything.”
“That’s because you were probably using G****e like a normal person,” Hazel said with a hint of pride. “The real dirt is always in these private forums. People with money pay good money to keep their secrets off the main search engines.”
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“So Katherine Sinclair is dating some CEO in London,” I mused, trying to process this information. “And she rums her own business empire.”
“Which means she’s probably not pining away for Alexander Knight,” Hazel pointed out. “So you can stop worrying about ghosts from his past showing up to reclaim him.”
“I wasn’t worried about that,” I protested weakly.
“Sure, and I’m not worried about my credit card bill.” Hazel rolled her eyes. “Look, Madison, it’s okay to admit you have feelings for the guy. You’ve been ‘dating‘ for what, a couple of months now? It would be weird if you didn’t care about his past.”
I bit my lip, uncertain how to respond without revealing too much about our arrangement,
“I just don’t want to be someone’s second choice,” I said finally. “Or worse, a replacement for someone else.”
“Has he given you any reason to think that’s what you are?” Hazel asked, her tone softening
“No,” I admitted. “Other than that one slip–up, he’s been… attentive.”
“Then maybe it’s time to stop obsessing over Katherine Sinclair and focus on what you have with Alexander right now,” Hazel suggested. “She’s clearly moved on with her life. Maybe he has, too.”
“Maybe,” I echoed, though I couldn’t quite shake the memory of how he’d said Katherine’s name that night.
“Besides,” Hazel continued, waggling her eyebrows, “I bet you could make him forget all about Katherine if you really tried.”
“Hazel!” I threw the pillow at her, my cheeks burning.
“What? I’m just saying!” She caught the pillow effortlessly. “Use your feminine wiles! Make him scream your name so loud he’ll never mix it up again!”
“Oh my god, stop!” I laughed despite myself. “You’re terrible.”
“I’m practical,” she corrected. “And speaking of practical, I think you should make a bold move. Wear that red lingerie set I got you for your birthday.”
“I am not discussing this with you,” I said firmly, though my mind had already drifted to the still–packaged lingerie set hidden in my drawer.
“Fine, be boring.” Hazel shrugged. “But just remember–while you’re worrying about Katherine, Alexander is probably just focused on you.”
“You think so?” I couldn’t keep the hopeful note from my voice.
“Madison, the man can’t keep his hands off you according to your own stories. I doubt he’s spending his nights pining for some ex who’s moved on to another CEO.”
She had a point. Alexander certainly seemed… enthusiastic about our arrangement. The memory of his hands on my body, his mouth at my neck, sent a shiver down my spine.
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“You’re right,” I conceded. “I’m overthinking this,”
“As usual,” Hazel stood up, stretching her arms above her head. “Now, can we please talk about something else?
“Like what?” I asked, grateful for the change of subject.
“Like Food. I’m starving.” Hazel patted her stomach dramatically, “Pizza?”
“Sounds perfect.” I nodded, reaching for my phone to check the time. It was already past nine,
“I’ll order. The usual?” Hazel grabbed her phone from the coffee table.
While Hazel called our favorite pizza place, I leaned back against the couch cushions, my mind drifting back to Katherine Sinclair. At least now I had a name and a face to go with the mysterious woman from Alexander’s past. And more importantly, I knew she was across an ocean, building her own empire and dating someone else.
“They said twenty minutes.” Hazel flopped back down beside me. “So, crisis averted with this Katherine person?
”
“I guess so.” I shrugged, trying to sound casual. “Knowing she’s moved on helps.”
“See? Nothing to worry about.” Hazel nudged my shoulder. “Your man is all yours.”
1 forced a smile, not bothering to correct her assumption that Alexander was actually “my man.” The truth was far more complicated.
“What happens when it’s over?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
“When what’s over?” Hazel looked confused.
“With Alexander.” I picked at a loose thread on the couch. “I mean, we haven’t been together that long. What if it doesn’t work out?”
“Already planning your breakup? That’s optimistic.”
“I’m being realistic,” I countered. “He’s Alexander Knight. His relationships aren’t exactly known for their longevity.”
“So what? You’re just going to worry about the end?” Hazel shook her head. “That’s like refusing to eat a pizza because you know it’ll be gone eventually,”
“That’s different.”
“Is it?” Hazel raised an eyebrow. “Look, I get it. You’re scared. But don’t sabotage something good because you’re worried about when it might end.”
If only she knew our relationship had a literal expiration date. One year. That’s what I signed up for. One year of being Alexander Knight’s girlfriend, and then back to normal life.
“You’re right,” I said, pushing the thought away. “I should just enjoy it while it lasts.”
“Exactly!”
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Chapter 222
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
