Chapter 141

By the time the doctor reached Alexander's hospital room,Alexander was no longer there.

Richard sat in the room, a smug grin plastered across his face. He was certain that, this time, Daniela would feel pity for Alexander. Once she gave in to her sympathy, the future of their family's wealth and status would be secured without question.

The doctor shot Richard a look filled with confusion and disbelief. He couldn't make sense of it. Richard's son had been left battered and bruised, yet instead of rushing to call the police, the man just sat there,grinning as if nothing had happened.

At Elite Lux, Daniela was hard at work preparing for an important event. She was so absorbed in her tasks that when Alexander entered her office, she didn't even acknowledge his presence.

It wasn't until she paused to sip some water that she finally looked up.

Startled,she instinctively threw the cup at his face.

Alexander had lingered at the doorway for what felt like an eternity, growing more and more humiliated as she stayed completely unaware of his presence.

Just as he was about to put on a pitiful expression to draw her attention, a cup flew towards him.

He was so stunned that he couldn't even react in time to avoid it.

"Ouch!"

The pain was unbearable.

Daniela instantly realized how forcefully it had hit him.

She could even hear a sharp crack-the unmistakable sound of a nose breaking.

Blood began gushing from Alexander's nose,running down his face and dripping onto the floor.

As the cup clattered to the floor, Daniela finally got a clear look at him. Her face drained of color, her stomach twisting in shock. "Who the hell are you?"

Just as Alexander was about to shout in pain, her question struck him silent.

He struggled to shape his face into an expression of sorrow,hoping to appear pitiful enough to win her sympathy,but no matter how hard he tried, his efforts fell flat. To Daniela, the figure standing before her was hardly recognizable.

His face was a grotesque mess, swollen and bruised beyond any hope of recognition.

"Who are you?" she repeated.

Alexander pressed his hand to his bleeding nose, his voice muffled as he rasped, "It's mne! Alexander!"

Daniela blinked, her face frozen in sheer disbelief. Her first instinct was to grab her phone and call the police.After all, this disfigured man could only be here to extort her for money.

Just as she reached for her phone, Alexander stumbled forward, clutching his nose, and shouted,"Don't be scared! I look like this because Cedric beat me up!"

Daniela's thoughts flashed to Cedric-the small cut she had seen earlier on the back of his hand. Slowly,she lowered the phone.

Alexander stood there, waiting for her response, but Daniela remained silent. Finally, unable to keep his frustration in check, he snapped, "Aren't you going to ask why Cedric hit me?" Daniela barely hesitated before answering,"If Cedric hit you, there must've been a reason."

Alexander froze, stunned by her response. Clenching his teeth, he hissed, "That's not it! He..."

He wanted to shout, "Cedric likes you!" But he bit his tongue. Saying it out loud would only end up doing Cedric a favor, and that was the last thing he wanted.

After a brief pause, he changed tactics. "Cedric has been sabotaging Bennett Group during the project inspections. I confronted him to get answers, and what did he do? He attacked me!"

Daniela raised an eyebrow, her expression becoming sharper. "So, let me get this straight-you actually went to confront him?"

Alexander gave a stiff nod."Yes."

"And instead of answers, you ended up getting yourself beaten?"

Alexander balled his fists tightly, his tone filled with resentment."Yes."

"And now, you're too scared to retaliate because it might hurt your company, so you've come running to me, expecting me to step in and handle it for you?"Daniela summarized flatly, getting straight to the point. Alexander's chest tightened, the sting of humiliation hitting him hard. It was the painful truth, but hearing it spelled out by Daniela, along with her icy, mocking look, only deepened his embarrassment.

"Alexander, even children understand that when you lose a fight, you own up to it. Are you seriously telling me you're worse than a child? Or did you come here to play the victim? Hoping I'd feel sorry for you?"Daniela's tone was filled with disbelief. "Do you seriously think I'd still feel the same way about you?That I'd protect you no matter the circumstances?Alexander, if that's what you're counting on, then you clearly have no clue about how women think. Let me be blunt-any woman who sees you walk in with a face like that would lose every last ounce of sympathy she might've had."

Daniela grabbed a mirror from her desk and held it out to him. "Here, take a long, hard look. Why not pay Joyce a visit instead? See,I'm shallow, Alexander.I can't handle a face like that. But Joyce? She'd probably embrace you likea long-lost treasure."

Alexander's bruised and battered face darkened with humiliation, the sting of her ridicule cutting deeper than the physical pain.

Standing there, he felt utterly defeated,wondering how he had been naive enough to believe that Daniela might still harbor any feelings for him, even in his current state.

He turned to the mirror, his swollen and bruised face staring back at him like a cruel reminder of his downfall.Shame,raw and overwhelming,clawed at him for the first time in his life. A fleeting wish crossed his mind-that the floor might split open and swallow him,sparing him from the weight of his disgrace.

Yet, despite the heartbreak crushing his spirit, he didn't walk away. He remained rooted in place, his gaze fixed on Daniela with the silent desperation of a man grasping at his final lifeline. "Daniela, is there truly no chance for us? Just a few months ago, things were okay, weren't they?"

Daniela let out a sharp breath, clearly struggling to believe what she was hearing. "That was all in your head. Now, do yourself a favor and get to the hospital.While they're patching up your face, maybe ask them to take a look at your brain. Or better yet, see a psychiatrist. Who knows? You might have some delusional disorder. If you're really unwell, get help.Don't let it go untreated."

Alexander stood motionless, the ache of humiliation piercing him more painfully than any wound could.

He had come here, clinging to a hope of salvaging what they once had. But her icy indifference shattered him completely.

"Daniela, do you truly have no respect for what we shared? Not even the slightest?" he asked, his hand slowly dropping from his face.