Chapter 793

Without hesitation, Alexander snatched the phone from the assistant's hand. "Daniela, hey It's me "

At 30, 000 feet, Daniela sat buckled in, already halfway through her flight to Oiscoll. The moment she heard his voice, her eyes darted to the caller ID

It wasn't his number. It belonged to her secretary.

Putting two and two together, she figured he must have shown up at Elite Lux headquarters

Her voice dropped, thick with displeasure. "What do you want?"

Alexander approached the window, eyes tracking the helicopter. "You flew to Oiscoll today, didn't you?need to get there too. Any chance you could come back and give me a lift?"

Her laugh was short and sharp. "Alexander. You're serious?"

By now, her helicopter was cruising steadily. Turning around wasn't even an option.

Even if they were still grounded, she wouldn't have done it. They weren't on those kinds of terms-and hadn't been for a long time

"I'm not messing with you. It's my family Someone's dying. I need to get there before it's too late. I know I wasn't good to you before. I know I hurt you. But this is different. Please. Just this once."

Daniela didn't bother taking him off speaker

In the helicopter, Ryan, Lillian, and the pilot all exchanged looks as Alexander's voice echoed through the cabin, pleading.

The pilot, now aware of the commotion, subtly reduced their speed. He wasn't sure they'd turn around,but he wasn't ruling it out yet

Watching the helicopter slow down ever so slightly,Alexander felt a flicker of hope spark inside him. Still,he kept his voice even, almost mournful. "Daniela, I know we ended badly. But that's history now, isn't it?I really need help. You're already on your way. lt wouldn't be hard to swing back. I won't ask you for anything ever again after this. Just this one thing Please."

Off to the side, the photographer stood frozen,clearly stunned by the exchange.

All eyes were on Daniela, the people around her wonderingif she might finally give in. "Someone in your family's dying? In Oiscoll, of all places? How convenient"

A moment passed before Alexander answered simply,"Yeah."

On the other end, Daniela let out a short laugh.x"So it just so happens that I'm flying to Oiscoll today, and you track me down right as the photographer takes off? Now you want a favor?"

Tension flared in his grip as Alexander squeezed the phone harder

By now,everyone nearby had picked up on her tone She wasn't buying a word of it.

Without warning, the helicopter's engines roared louder as the pilot nudged it back to full speed Daniela's voice came back, cool and final. "If fate's working so hard to line things up for you, l'm sure you'll find another flight that fits your grand emergency. I'm not turning around."

Daniela's words hit Alexander like a slap. Before he could form a reply, the line went dead.

Security at Elite Lux arrived moments later, ushering both Alexander and the photographer out without a fuss.

On the steps outside, the photographer let out an irritated groan. "You've got some serious nerve, man That whole act-impressive."

Still facing the Elite Lux building, Alexander stared up at the steel-and-glass monolith, something sharp gleaming in his eyes.

Not bothering to look back, he gave his next order calmly "Daniela's stuck on that flight for the next twenty-four hours. Edit photos of me and Daniela and send them Hamilton. You've got one hour."

The photographer blinked. "One hour?"

Alexander didn't flinch. "You've got a team. Use them Make it flawless. Money's not an issue."

He pulled out a check and handed it over without ceremony. The moment the photographer saw the number,his doubt vanished.

Later that evening, as he looked at the photos,Hamilton opened the email and froze.

Staring at the attached images, he didn't wait-he called Alexander straight away

"Are these photos real?"

Without hesitation, Alexander replied, "Absolutely.Ask anyone. Daniela was obsessed with me for years.We're getting close again. It was bound to happen eventually." Though Hamilton said nothing, he remembered the cold look on Daniela's face the last time he saw her,nothing like the affection captured in the photos.

"Mr. McCoy,show them to Cedric if you want. They're authentic photos. He'll believe them," Alexander added

Once the call ended, Hamilton leaned back in his chair, still staring at the photos.

Wasting no time, his secretary brought in an expert to examine the photos.

Thirty minutes later, the results were in.

"Mr. Hamilton, we ran a full analysis. The photos are digitally altered," the assistant said. "Still, the experts were impressed. They said anyone without a trained eye would be completely fooled. It's nearly good enough to pass as real."

A dry sneer tugged at Hamilton's lips.

So much for Alexander's bravado-he couldn't even manage a couple of convincing photos after all that talk about Daniela being infatuated with him.

Right then, his phone buzzed again with a message.

"Mr. McCoy, Oiscoll's airspace is locked down. I can't get through. Can you send a private jet to pick me up?Trust me-once I arrive, Cedric and Daniela will be over for good!"

Glancing up, the secretary raised a brow"Should we send a plane for him, Mr McCoy?"

Hamilton didn't bother hiding his irritation. "No. Tell him to wait for air traffic to clear and find his own flight." His gaze flickered toward the photos spread across the table-fabricated intimacy

Later that evening, Hamilton walked into his home with his usual heavy silence. Without a word, he placed the folder of photos on the living room table before heading upstairs

When Nikolas stepped through the front door a few minutes later, the housekeeper greeted him warmly "Your father's tied up with an online meeting tonight He said he won't be joining for dinner. Are you hungry?Should I make something?"

Nikolas replied, "I didn't have lunch, so could you prepare.."

His attention drifted mid-sentence, drawn to the photos lying open on the table-its contents visible under the soft lamp light

Noticing the pause, the housekeeper leaned out from the kitchen. "What would you like to eat?"