Chapter 113

The afternoon light filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the polished floor.

Alexander moved with deliberate grace, his strides measured, his expression unreadable. A crisp white tissue rested between his fingers, its edges pristine.

He lifted his hand, the motion smooth and controlled, and brushed the tissue over his palm, wiping away the faint traces of moisture. His hands were broad, the veins tracing subtle lines beneath his skin—hands that commanded, hands that never faltered.

The air around him was cool, detached, as if he existed in a space separate from the rest of the world.

Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat.

She hadn’t expected to see him here.

Her pulse quickened, her fingers tightening around the edge of her seat.

Of course he’s here.

Lucas and Alexander were close. If Lucas had been invited, it was only natural that Alexander would be too.

She couldn’t tear her gaze away.

There was something magnetic about the way he carried himself—untouchable, yet impossible to ignore.

Before she could stop herself, she rose from her chair, her body moving on instinct.

"Evelyn!"

Ethan’s voice cut through her thoughts, sharp with warning.

He stood abruptly, his grip tightening around his glass, his knuckles whitening.

The ice in his drink clinked softly, the sound jarring in the sudden silence.

Evelyn hesitated, her eyes still fixed on Alexander.

But he didn’t look back.

Not once.

The moment Alexander Whitmore entered the room, Ethan Caldwell noticed the immediate shift in Evelyn Carter's attention.

Even seated right beside her, Ethan might as well have been invisible. Evelyn's gaze locked onto Alexander as if under a spell.

A shadow crossed Ethan's face. He had always dismissed Evelyn's public confession of love for Alexander as nothing more than a calculated performance.

But now, the way she barely registered his presence sent an unsettling realization creeping into his mind—Evelyn truly no longer cared for him.

As she walked past, Ethan's hand twitched with the instinct to grab her wrist, to force her to acknowledge him. But his fingers closed around empty air.

Evelyn didn't spare him so much as a glance.

The sting of rejection twisted inside him, darkening his expression.

Without hesitation, Evelyn took the seat beside Alexander in full view of everyone.

Subtle glances were exchanged across the room.

So it's true, they thought. She really did kiss him in public without hesitation. And now she's bold enough to claim the spot right next to him.

The whispers were inevitable.

But Evelyn didn't seem to care.

And that indifference cut deeper than any insult ever could.

Alexander showed no reaction to Evelyn's presence.

His eyes remained shut, fingers pressed lightly against his temple as though nursing a headache—or perhaps simply uninterested. The air between them might as well have been frozen.

Evelyn's gaze flickered to the table. A half-finished birthday cake sat there, smudged with fingerprints where someone had dragged a careless hand through the frosting.

"Whose birthday is it?" she wondered.

Before she could dwell on it, Sebastian approached, wineglass raised. "Happy birthday, Alex," he said, nudging Alexander's shoulder.

Alexander cracked one eye open, lifted his own glass in a half-hearted salute, but didn't drink.

Sebastian downed his wine in a single gulp, then turned the empty glass upside down with a grin. "Your turn."

Evelyn blinked. Alexander's birthday?

Sebastian, still hovering, smirked at her before addressing Alexander again. "Come on, man. She's right here beside you. Talk to her. Twenty-nine years single, and the first woman brave enough to approach you gets the ice king treatment?" He winked at Evelyn. "Don’t mind him. He’s allergic to charm."

Alexander exhaled through his nose but otherwise didn’t move.

Evelyn clenched her fingers around her clutch, the beaded surface biting into her palm. The music thrummed around them, laughter and clinking glasses a stark contrast to the glacial silence between her and the birthday man.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "See? This is why you’re still—"

"Sebastian." Alexander’s voice was low, a warning.

Sebastian held up his hands in surrender but shot Evelyn an apologetic look. "Good luck," he mouthed before sauntering off.

Evelyn swallowed. The cake, the indifference, the way Alexander hadn’t so much as glanced at her—it all coiled into a knot in her stomach.

She should leave.

But something—maybe stubbornness, maybe the champagne—made her stay.

Alexander turned his head slightly, his icy gaze sweeping over Evelyn before looking away without a word.

Just then, Ethan approached.

Noticing how close Evelyn was sitting to Alexander, Ethan hesitated for a split second. But when he saw the complete lack of acknowledgment from Alexander, a smug satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

"Uncle Alexander, I heard today's your birthday?" Ethan tore his gaze away, picking up a glass of wine and pouring himself a generous amount. "I've been so caught up with wedding preparations lately that I completely forgot. I'll make sure to get you a proper gift later."

Alexander barely spared him a glance. "Hmm."

Instead of leaving, Ethan smirked at Evelyn, his tone dripping with mockery. "What’s this? Tired of chasing after gigolos and now bothering my uncle instead?"

Evelyn’s fingers tightened around her glass, but she kept her expression neutral.

The air between them crackled with tension.

Alexander remained silent, his indifference cutting deeper than any words.

Evelyn exhaled slowly, refusing to let Ethan’s taunts get to her.

But inside, her heart twisted.

She had hoped for even a flicker of warmth from Alexander.

Instead, all she got was frost.