Chapter 1

Living with Elena had been one of the most joyful moments in Alexander's life in recent days, despite the relentless insults he often endured from her parents. However, he didn't let those insults affect him. After all, Tracy and her family had always hurled insults at him.

Currently, Alexander was seated in a restaurant near Elena's Company’s building. Today, he planned to surprise her with a visit. Sipping his coffee slowly, he had been occupied with the flash drive he had been researching for the past few days.

Through this research, he discovered that several companies he had applied to in the past that rejected him not because of a lack of competence, but due to his lack of wealth and connections were all subsidiary companies of his father's company.

His father had given him the contact information of his butler, whom Alexander had reached out to a few days ago. The butler, upon learning that Alexander was still alive, felt immense relief and shed tears when Alexander told him about the death of his mother. He felt bad for not locating them on time. All this wouldn't have happened if he did.

The butler served as the second-in-command to Alexander's father and had always been fiercely loyal. However, the burden of running his father's business, which Alexander couldn't take over because of being too young, had taken a toll on the butler.

Alexander had made up his mind to take full control now. The business management education his mother had forced him to pursue, up to master's degree, was finally proving its worth.

He planned to weed out all the incompetent workers in the various subsidiary companies very soon. However, that was a secondary concern for him at the moment, as he wanted to surprise the one person who still believed in him after everyone else had failed him.

The least he could do was to bring happiness to this woman and his child that he had failed to take care of. Although their marriage was a contractual arrangement, she had made it clear that she wouldn't seek a divorce. It still astonished him that she remained committed to him. The mere thought of her brought a smile to his face.

Finally, he checked his wristwatch and realised it was already 6 PM, the time when she usually finished work. "She should be done by now," Alexander murmured to himself as he left the cafeteria and headed toward the buildings. He spotted Elena descending the stairs, but she seemed distressed, attempting to free herself from someone who was clutching her hands.

"Hey, James, please leave me alone. You have a girlfriend, and I'm married. If my husband sees you, he won't be pleased," Elena firmly told him.

"You mean that man you call your husband... you should be grateful I'm asking you out. And you should also thank me for persuading you to drop the case. You just have to pay me for my generosity, and you know what I want," James replied, gripping her hands and even sniffing them.

From a distance, Alexander observed the scene and swiftly sprinted towards them, utilizing the stealth move he had acquired during his martial arts training sessions. He reached James from behind, swiftly grabbing his hands before he could touch Elena again. In one swift motion, Alexander delivered a resounding slap to James' face, leaving him stunned and clutching his cheek in disbelief.

James, the managing director of a multimillion-dollar company, was taken aback that someone would dare confront him. As he turned to face the person, he was surprised to find Alexander standing there.

Meanwhile, Tracy had arrived at the scene, stepping out of a Rolls-Royce car. Witnessing the altercation and James being slapped, she rushed towards Alexander, her heels clacking on the stairs.

"You bastard! What did you do to my husband? You rapist!" Tracy shouted, her anger propelling her towards Alexander, her hand raised to slap him.

Elena quickly intervened, holding Tracy's hand, and said, "If I were you, I wouldn't do that!" The situation escalated into a clash between the two parties.

Unfazed by his actions, Alexander stood his ground, his voice resolute as he addressed James, "You should never touch a woman inappropriately, let alone my wife."

Tracy, infuriated by Alexander's words, snapped back, "I'm not your wife! How many times do I have to tell you?" She forcefully pulled her hand away from Elena's grasp.

Alexander's eyes burned with intensity as he retorted, "Who the heck are you? And what the hell do you think you're doing? You can never be worthy of being my wife." Holding onto Elena's hand, he walked away from the scene, collecting the keys to Elena's car, and they swiftly drove off.

Onlookers were left in shock, witnessing the dramatic fight between the couple.

Tracy's face boiled up , feeling disregarded by Alexander.

"What just happened? Don't tell me my best friend married that person," she suspected, noting Elena's protective stance and actions.

"You will pay for this! Good for nothing!" James exclaimed, his anger evident as blood trickled from his cheek due to the force of the slap.

Tracy attempted to touch James' chin to examine the injury, but he abruptly pushed her hand away. Confused, she asked, "Baby, what happened?"

"Get lost!" James snapped, walking into the building as Tracy hurriedly followed him.

*************

Alexander and Elena returned home, making their way to their room, determined to avoid any drama involving their family members.

"Thank you for standing up for me, but now he's going to give me a hard time," Elena murmured, bowing her head in discomfort. Despite the company's affiliation with the Darius family, Elena, being a female grandchild, wasn't taken seriously by her grandfather, despite her tireless efforts.

Moreover, her father, who should have had more influence, was considered a bastard child. As a result, Elena's status within the company remained low, merely serving as an assistant manager in a small department that failed to showcase her true competence.

To add to her frustrations, she had pleaded with her father countless times for a promotion, but to no avail. And now, James had been harassing her, pressuring her to sleep with him. That's why when she heard about the false accusation against Alexander, claiming he had raped Tracy, Elena knew it couldn't be true.

"I have always worked hard, yet all my efforts are thwarted by him," Elena cried, pouring out her emotions to Alexander.

Alexander approached her, gently wiping away her tears. "Elena, do you want to get promoted? Do you aspire to become the CEO of the company?" he asked, his words capturing her attention.

Elena's eyes widened as she responded, "Yes, I do."

"Then don't worry, you shall achieve it all," Alexander assured her, instilling a renewed sense of hope.