While Olivia was overthinking Alexander's words, Alexander, on the other hand, didn't think he'd done anything wrong. In the moment he'd asked the question, he'd simply noticed a woman had sat at the dining table with him twice in a row, and connecting the dots, he needed to confirm she was the wife his grandfather had married him off to.
Although the Great Elder had introduced his wife on the day of the banquet, Alexander hadn't really been paying attention, nor was he interested — all he could recall was a woman with red hair standing next to him. If not for what had happened during dinner, he wouldn't even know his arranged wife's name, let alone what she looked like.
To Alexander, her looks didn't really matter, as long as she didn't disturb his work, act coquettishly or demand anything excessive from him. He'd treat her with basic respect, since it was his grandfather who'd chosen her. He would see her as a subordinate.
Thinking over everything that had happened since he'd gotten back home, Alexander picked up a cigarette and lit it without taking a puff. He knew he wasn't going to sleep again that night — a near-constant occurrence for him, due to his insomnia. He looked out the window of his bedroom and heard a sound coming from the trees below. Watching casually as a figure in black climbed up the wall of the mansion, Alexander nonchalantly put out the cigarette and sat on a sofa in the dark, tapping his fingers against the armrest looking like a devil ready to feast on souls.
After ten minutes of struggle, the black-clad figure climbed up to Alex's window and opened it with a soft creak. He entered the room, looking toward the bed, expecting to find a man asleep — but all he found was an empty bed. Frowning, he scanned the room until he spotted a shape seated cross-legged on the sofa, tapping its fingers.
"I had always known that the great Alexander would be so prepared for any situation… well, I didn't expect anything less," the man in black, obviously an assassin, said calmly.
"Being able to bypass all my bodyguards — I must commend you. Looks like whoever sent you this time is more capable," Alexander said calmly, still tapping his fingers, looking at the man without much interest.
"Let's cut the talk. I'm here to take your life," the assassin said, pulling a gun from his pocket as he attached a silencer and aimed it at Alexander.
"I must commend you again for your courage, but since I've already commended you twice, I see no need for you to keep living," Alexander said, standing up from the sofa and walking toward the window with elegant steps.
The assassin faltered slightly at his words and prepared to fire, but before he could place his finger on the trigger, he saw a red dot land on his head. Before he even understood what was happening, he'd taken his final breath.
Alexander looked nonchalantly at the dead man in his room and kept staring out the window.
"We're so sorry, boss. We didn't know someone had climbed up to your room," a few bodyguards said after entering moments later. Not bothering to respond, Alexander gestured for them to leave and walked toward his bed. If you look at him well, a trace of melancholy can be felt oozing out of him.
The men felt as though their own lives had been spared, as they carried the dead assassin out of the room, closing the door gently behind them.
Alexander lay in bed with his eyes wide open. He knew he could not live with anyone, since it would be dangerous for that person — his life was a constant battlefield. Still, he had no choice but to stay in the mansion for the time being, until he could convince his grandfather he wanted to move out. Even though Alexander was seen as cold by outsiders, the only person he truly cared about was his grandfather. He'd have to find a decent excuse if he wanted to leave the mansion.
Waking up in the morning, Olivia stretched, looking cute with her head full of tousled red hair. She'd had a good sleep that night, though it seemed like she'd heard the sound of people walking down the hall late the night before.
Maybe I'm just imagining it, Olivia thought, walking into the bathroom to get ready for the day. After dressing, she went downstairs and saw the man dressed in his black European suit, seated on the couch, reading a financial magazine while drinking his coffee, as usual.
So he stayed overnight, Olivia thought as she came down the stairs.
"Good morning," Olivia greeted him. Looking up from his magazine, Alexander glanced at her briefly.
"Hm," he replied, going back to what he was doing.
By now, Olivia seemed used to his replies, because she didn't wait for him to say anything more before heading to the dining hall for breakfast.
After eating, she found that he'd already left the mansion with his bodyguards, so she headed off to college as well.
That day, Olivia planned to have dinner with her friends. She hadn't seen them in a while, due to the heavy workload from their final-year project.
Around 5 p.m., Olivia met up with her friends at a restaurant in the city. It was considered one of the most famous restaurants in the country, reputed for its expensive yet exotic seafood — reserved for the elite, and Olivia and her friends could only get in thanks to Tommie's exclusive membership card.
As soon as the driver dropped her off, she told him to leave, since she'd find her own way home after dinner.
Olivia walked into the restaurant and called Tommie to ask for the location of their private room. While on the call, she spotted the last person she expected walking into the restaurant with his entourage. Well for her, more like people trying to lick his shoes.