What He Really Wants

Chapter Fourteen

EDNA
I got back to Alex's house just in time to see Mrs. Trent drop Peter off. She had insisted that I let her pick him up from school, and since I had the restaurant scouting thing today, I agreed.
"What's up, sweetie?" I said, wrapping him in a hug. "Did you have fun?"
He nodded and grinned at me.
"I baked chocolate chip cookies! Will you show Mommy the ones I made, Mrs. Trent?"

He was facing Mrs. Trent now, but I was sure he was giving her goo-goo eyes. Mrs. Trent handed me a plastic dish that obviously contained the cookies Peter was so pleased about.
"Thanks, Mrs. Trent," I said, giving her a quick hug. "You're a rare one."
"It's no problem, honest."

Mrs. Trent left, and I walked inside with Peter. He was trying to con me into giving him some cookies before dinner—the little devil.
"Just one, Mommy, I promise."
"No, Peter, you'd ruin your dinner."
"Mooooooom," he whined.
"Peter, you're a big boy, and big boys don't—"
"—Sulk," he pouted defeatedly.
"You can have one before your dinner."

He jumped up and down, clapping happily.

I gave him a cookie and led him upstairs for a shower. After showering myself, we went downstairs for dinner. Regina was setting the table when I came down, and when I tried to help her, she politely ordered me to sit.

Alexander wasn't at the table yet, but I heard the door of his room open, so I knew he was around. He came down for dinner five minutes later, and we ate in silence—except for Peter, of course. He chattered away about his friends at school, playdates, toys, and basically everything going on in his four-year-old life.

It made me smile, but the way Alexander had been silent for over a week made me dread that he was about to dump a big one on me. It felt like a dark cloud was looming over my head, just waiting to burst when I least expected it.

We finished dinner and helped Peter brush his teeth and get ready for bed. I needed some stuff from Alex's room, so after putting Peter to sleep, I walked down the corridor to the master bedroom.

Alex was sitting at a desk, his fingers flying over the keys on his laptop. I walked into the closet and grabbed a few sweats and T-shirts.
"I thought we had a truce."

I jumped, startled. He was leaning against the entrance to the closet. I cleared my throat.
"Of course. Why?"
"Well, for one, you haven't moved back into our room," he said, crossing his arms over his chest—drawing my eyes to his muscles. Huh. How about that? He wasn't wearing a shirt. I wonder how I'd managed to ignore that.
"It's your room, Alexander, and I don't think it's necessary that I stay in it. It's not like I'm running away or something," I said, staring him in the eye.
"Still, our contract states that we're to stay in the same room to make the marriage believable."
"I doubt your housekeeper believes we're married for real, Alexander. And who do we need to put on a show for?"
"You still have to move back in."

There was tension in his tone. He's angry? And what—I don't have the right to be? Egocentric ass.
"I don't want to, Alex."
"Fine. You need to get ready tomorrow morning. We're meeting shareholders of my father's company. I'll get Regina to drop Peter at daycare."
"But it's not necessary, is it? I mean, you can just show them the marriage certificate or something," I said, nervous. He couldn't have deemed it fit to tell me this earlier?
"Maybe not. But I can't take chances."

I hated him for that statement. Not take chances. Like I was just a means to an end.
"I understand. Just like you didn't take chances four years ago—when you kicked me out of your life and your company, right?"
"Edna, I didn't—"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I stormed out of his room with the clothes in my hands.

⸻

ALEX
Hell. I always seem to mess up with her.

I destroyed her when I kicked her out of the company like that. Even if she were guilty, I was going to marry her. I treated her like crap—because I had Selena whispering in my ear.

If anything, I'm glad for this marriage. It helped me get rid of Selena's manipulative claws.

I ran my fingers through my hair, tiredly. I really fucked up this time.

I can't help but imagine how she'd react if I told her that I found out she was innocent... and still continued using her. I know other women in her shoes would do everything in their power to ruin my reputation.

But somehow, I know Edna's not like that. It's just not in her to hurt people. It took me four years to realize that.

The moment I have the company in my hands, I'll start making amends.

As for now, I just need to focus on getting it.

⸻

Author's Note
Hey guys 👋
So sorry for the late updates. We've been really caught up in schoolwork lately and haven't been able to write much. Thanks for understanding, and stay safe!