Chapter <b>113 </b>


    Chapter <b>113 </b>


    288 Maurya


    Ben seemed to have a taste for embarrassment because he smiled and gestured to the girl. “E,e here.” She moved to him with trembling lips. He grabbed her arm and started leading her back towards Alexander.


    J


    I watched in awe. This man was truly determined in forcing this on my boss. Maybe he thought he would finally wear him down and


    Alexander would just ept her. But if he did, then he’d be falling into Ben’s trap.


    Ben, however, wasn’t one to ept defeat so easily. “Come now, Alexander. There’s plenty of room on that couch if you just shift over a bit.”


    Alexander’s jaw tightened. He didn’t say anything, but from the subtle shift in his eyes, I knew his wolf was growling in protest.


    Ben didn’t pick up on this, or he just didn’t care. He started to walk, hand moving to E’s elbow and guiding her forward.


    She moved like she had no choice, shoulders–hunched, eyes downcast. “Please, I don’t want to be any trouble.”


    Alexander’s eyes flickered toward Ben in warning. Any sensible person would have ceased all movement. But Ben had never been sensible. He pressed on, maneuvering E onto the far edge of the couch cushions, where she perched like a bird ready to take flight.


    E didn’t even open her mouth. She stared straight ahead, folding herps tightly in herp.


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    11:29


    “You know…” Ben beamed as he studied the sight of the two of them next to each other. “E’s had quite a difficult timetely. Haven’t you, sweetheart”


    E nodded obediently.


    “Her father died justst year. Car ident. Terrible thing. Left the family in quite a bind, financially speaking. And her mother, poor woman is in the hospital right now. Cancer, you know. The doctors say she needs surgery, but…” He spread his hands sympathetically. “Two hundred thousand dors. Where’s a young woman like E supposed to find that kind of money?”


    I listened intently, wondering where exactly Ben was going with this.


    “She’s been working multiple jobs just to pay for her mother’s treatments. Had to drop out of college, can you believe it? And her brother…” He shook his head in disgust. “Worthless. Probably spending whatever money he gets on drugs or gambling. So it’s all on E’s shoulders.”


    I resisted the urge to snort. This story was obviously fabricated. Poor E even looked shocked. The story was such a cliche, and I had a strong suspicion I knew who helped Ben whip this tale together.


    It had to be Aleena. From how she’d ‘supported‘ E all evening, I was


    certain she was in on this.


    I turned to look at Alexander. His expression had barely shifted. The earlier warning signs were gone, leaving a stoic expression behind.


    Alexander suddenly let out a breath and leaned back in his chair. He drummed his fingers against the armrest to his left, studying Ben.


    “You know, Ben, I can’t help but notice we just finished a bottle of Romanée–Conti from 1945. Fascinating vintage, really. Do you have


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    11:290


    239 WEDDING


    any idea what something like that costs?”


    Ben’s smile quickly faded. “Well, I…”


    “Three million dors.” Alexander shrugged. “Give or take. Which means we just consumed enough money to save E’s family not once, but fifteen times over.” He paused for effect. “Funny how tragedy bes so much more manageable when you put it in perspective, don’t you think?”


    You could cut the tension with a knife. E looked like she didn’t know whether to run or stay put. And as for Aleena, she was suddenly very fascinated by her nails.


    But Alexander wasn’t finished. He turned his attention to E, who had gone rigid beside him, her face as white as paper. “Tell me, E, are you worried about your father’s spirit? Because honestly, if I were a dead man watching someone exploit my daughter’s grief for entertainment… Well, I might be inclined to pay a visit. Perhaps Ben should invest in an exorcist instead of matchmaking services.”


    That did it. Aleena let out a snort ofughter that she quickly tried to cover with her hand. The other didn’t even try to hide their amusement. The entire room erupted in a fit ofughter, all to Ben’s obvious chagrin.


    E’s head dropped so low her chin nearly touched her chest, causing her hair to hide the shame on her face.


    “You think this is funny?”


    Theughter stopped abruptly. We all turned to face Ben who was shaking in anger.


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