In His Arms

Chapter 38

Showered and dressed in a bathrobe provided by the hotel since I accidentally dropped my clothes in the toilet, I prop myself against the plump pillows of our bed to see him better as he chooses to take a seat in the sturdy relaxation chair by the window. My hairdryer-dried hair mimics the head of a frayed straw broom giving me the look of a crazy cat lady while Alexander who took a shower after me and is dressed in the same get-up, though I have no idea why looks as though he's just successfully accorded a business meeting.

"How are so so calm about what just happened?" Alexander begins, eyeing me curiously. "As a woman who was in the child trafficking industry, I'm surprised that you managed to even stay a virgin that long."

Okay...how do I explain this in the sanest way possible without revealing that I was able to keep my virginity and sanity by threatening to kill the men who tried to bed me?

"I wasn't the only one and when the girls would...you know...I was always there to listen to them cry and I guess I built up a mental wall that has lasted until now. ," I begin softly, avoiding eye contact with him by playing with the sash of my robe. "I also wasn't the prettiest back then so...I was mostly used as a punching bag."

A moment of silence follows my words and when I feel that it's been long enough I ask my question, "Why did you drug my water?"

"Your father told me about your...fear of flying. He suggested that I put you to sleep," He replies, simply. "I thought he was exaggerating so I didn't do it beforehand and you reacted quite badly."

Dang it, Dad...how much did you tell him exactly? Does he already know about my being in the child trafficking ring before I even told him? Did Dad tell him what I did to survive back then? Only Dad knows exactly what I did...he and Damian at least.

"Who was the man chasing you down the streets the night before?" He asks.

"I don't know...he was just after me," I reply vaguely, lying through my teeth. "How did you meet my brothers?"

"Adam came to me for a position in my company," He responds, leaning back into his seat. "The rest of your brothers were recommended by him. Other than Oliver of course, he works under my mother at her law firm but in a way, he does work for me since he does all the legalities for my company. Why did Anton call you Alastora?"

My heart skips a beat at his million-dollar question, looking up at him, I answer softly, "Didn't Anton Heaven say I looked similar to someone he used to know as a child? You, sir, just wasted a question. What changed your mind about our relationship?"

"Seeing the way you interact with the baby," He replies immediately. "Lillian never came close to caring for the baby the way you do, it is mesmerising to watch your mother a child that isn't yours. Why did you have a gun on you after the man chased you?"

"An old acquaintance saved me from the pursuer, he gave me his gun in case he wasn't alone and he was also the one who gave me his jacket by the way," I respond quickly, not exactly lying but also not exactly telling him the truth. "Why did you kiss me that night in the alleyway behind the Palisade?"

"I was jealous," Alexander sighs, standing from his seat. "I didn't know Damian Higgens was your biological brother. I just assumed he had at some point dated you and I had already started developing feelings for you at that point."

Wait... Sitting up on the bed at his words, I stare at him in shock. I never told him who Damian Higgens is to me...I vaguely remember falling asleep before I could...

"Alexander...how do you know that?"

"Know what?" He asks me puzzled, his body tensing at my question.

"I never mentioned that Damian Higgens was my biological brother...nobody knows he and me are related...," I state shakily, staring at him.

"I am one of Damian Higgens' business partners, he gave me a call the day after the party," Alexander smiles softly, turning around to look at me. "Unlike your brothers, he was a little more accepting of our upcoming nuptials."

Oh...Damian told him...well, probably indirectly but Alexander pieced it together...

"I guess this is my final question," Alexander murmurs, suddenly appearing in front of me, his hands pressing into the mattress, caging me in his arms. "Where were you last night?"

"I was here last night," I respond confidently.

His heavy sigh of disappointment confuses me as he hands me the brown envelope from previously. Puzzled, I watch as he sits next to me on the bed.

"Open it and try answering the question again, Janette," Alexander states bleakly, his grey eyes staring at me detachedly.

Biting the inside of my cheek at his words, I pull open the flap of the envelope, sliding out the papers which are, in actuality, pictures into my hand. My eyes widen in shock as I stare at the CCTV picture of me meeting Todd in the hallway and pocketing the gun into my clutch, the next two pictures that follow are of me dining with the Lees in their dining room and the last three are of Eugene carrying me out of the car and into the room.

Oh my god...

Hanging my head low, I put the pictures back into the envelope, my fingers shaking nervously. Looking back up at him, I feel my throat close up at the way he's looking at me. I would prefer him to look angry and betrayed right now than to look so purely disappointed in me, never in all my years of getting caught lying have I ever felt this bad.

"I'm sorry...I went out to meet an old associate who found out I was in Taiwan," I mumble, closing my eyes tightly and forcing the first of my gathered tears to fall down my cheeks. "The man carrying me is his son...we didn't do anything...I just fell asleep and...and he helped me get back to the room..."

Getting no response from him, I lay back on the bed with a soft thump turning away from him in shame that he caught me lying. His hand reaches over to cup my cheek softly, gently pulling me to lay flat on my back so that he ends up hovering over me.

"If you had told me yesterday that you were going to go out," He speaks gently, leaning over my body to wipe away my tears with his hand that is on my cheek as he presses his forehead on mine. "I wouldn't have gotten so mad when I saw these pictures at breakfast and lost my self-control. Yes, I do keep certain things from you as you had asked me last night but I have never lied to you."

"I'm sorry..." I say quietly, trying to keep my gathering tears at bay. "Can you forgive me?"

"If you can forgive me for being forceful with you then we'll call it quits. Just so you know, I believe everything you've told me up to your answer about Anton calling you Alastora," He comments as he leans away from me. "I'm in no rush to know everything about you and you lying to me has just made me even more curious as to what you're hiding from me."

His lips spread out in a wide boyish grin spreading a sense of confusion throughout my body, not knowing what he's grinning about considering the contents of our conversation. Getting off of the bed, he pads over to the other side of the room to slightly dim the overhead lights before climbing into his side of the bed, flipping over the covers and getting in. It takes a while for me to realise that he's not joking and when I get it, my cheeks burn in embarrassment for being slow on the uptake.

This conversation is being tabled, for now.