The next day, our flight was scheduled for noon.

Since I had already finished the urgent work on my side, I allowed myself to sleep in for once.

When I woke, it was already around nine.

After washing up, I went downstairs.

Alexander wasn’t at the villa.

He had a morning meeting and was likely already at the office.

Maria had prepared breakfast and neatly arranged everything on the dining table.

"Thank you," I said as I walked over.

Only then did I notice Maria still standing nearby, looking as though she wanted to say something.

"Is something on your mind, Maria?" I asked.

She hesitated.

Then, after a moment, she lowered her voice carefully.

"Alicia... has your period been late lately?"

I froze.

She must have noticed that I hadn’t used any of the sanitary products kept in the master bedroom or in the upstairs bathroom for quite some time.

After a brief pause, I nodded.

"Oh, Alicia..."

Maria sighed anxiously.

"Why didn’t you go to the doctor sooner? It could be—"

"I already went," I interrupted gently. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Her eyes widened.

"And what did the doctor say?"

Her face brightened instantly, as though she were hearing news about her own daughter.

"It’s exactly what you think."

For a second, Maria simply stared.

Then joy burst across her face.

"Really?"

"That’s wonderful!"

She clasped her hands together, visibly delighted.

Then she leaned closer, lowering her voice again.

"Does Mr. Alexander know yet?"

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

I shook my head.

"He doesn’t know."

Then I added quietly,

"Maria, you have to keep this a secret for me."

"What?"

She blinked in shock.

"Why?"

"Because things between Alexander and me are still unstable."

I lowered my gaze.

"There’s still a chance we could divorce."

And truthfully—

Even now, I still felt uneasy about where our relationship stood.

Maria frowned immediately.

"But if Mr. Alexander knows you’re pregnant, he definitely won’t want a divorce."

Her tone was certain, almost comforting.

I gave a faint smile.

"It’s not that simple."

Maria clearly didn’t fully understand, but after thinking for a moment, she nodded.

"Alright."

"I’ll help you keep it from him for now."

Then she glanced at my stomach meaningfully.

"But once your belly starts showing..."

"We’ll deal with that when the time comes."

Though even as I said it, I knew that time would arrive sooner than I wanted.

At twelve o’clock, Alexander returned from the office, and we had lunch at home before leaving.

Afterward, Jim drove us to the airport.

The others were already waiting.

For this trip, Alexander had brought five employees.

Aside from Jane, the Executive Assistant to the CEO, there was Sophia and three other senior staff members.

Of everyone present, only Jane knew the true nature of my relationship with Alexander.

When we arrived, the group was standing near the private jet.

Alexander stepped out first, then reached back for me.

I took his hand and followed him down.

The moment we approached, Jane immediately came forward.

"You’re here, CEO Blackwood. Director Alicia."

I nodded politely.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, Boss."

Jim and Jane moved to handle our luggage while the rest of the staff stepped forward one after another to greet us.

"CEO Blackwood."

"Director Alicia."

I acknowledged them calmly.

Then my gaze shifted toward Sophia.

She was standing slightly to the side, her expression frozen the moment she saw me.

Clearly, she hadn’t expected this.

I had never been among the originally approved members of the New York trip.

Yet here I was.

For a second, she simply stared.

Then she quickly recovered and walked forward.

"CEO Blackwood," she greeted first before turning to me.

"Director Alicia... I didn’t know you were part of the trip."

Her tone was polite.

Too polite.

I smiled faintly.

"What a coincidence."

"I didn’t expect you to be replacing Director Simon either."

Her smile stiffened for the briefest moment.

As though she suspected I knew exactly how she had secured her place on this trip.

But she said nothing more.

We boarded the jet one after another.

The cabin was spacious, with individual seats arranged toward the rear and a lounge area in front furnished with wide leather sofas and a low table.

Out of habit, I moved toward the staff seating area.

I was just about to sit down when a firm hand caught my wrist.

I froze and turned.

Alexander stood beside me, his expression calm as though nothing unusual had happened.

"This way," he said simply.

Before I could respond, he led me toward the front lounge.

For a brief second, I was too stunned to react.

Only when we stopped beside the sofa did I glance back.

Everyone else was looking at us.

Their expressions were carefully controlled, but the surprise in their eyes was obvious.

Even Sophia’s face had stiffened.

Alexander, however, seemed completely unaware of the effect he had caused.

Or perhaps—

He simply didn’t care.

He released my wrist only after I sat down.

Then he took the seat next to mine and casually opened a financial magazine.

As if publicly pulling me away from the staff section and seating me beside him meant absolutely nothing.

I lowered my eyes and reached for a magazine of my own.

But inside, my heartbeat had already become unsteady.

‎From the corner of my eye, I felt a sharp gaze burning into me.

‎I turned slightly.

‎Sophia was staring.

‎Her expression was dark, restrained, but impossible to miss.

‎I said nothing.

‎Instead, I opened the magazine in my hand and turned the page leisurely.

‎Moments later, the flight hostess approached and served tea.

‎The cabin remained quiet.

The journey from Velaridge City to New York only took a few hours.

Soon, our private jet landed.

When we stepped out, several black SUVs were already waiting on the tarmac. Secretaries moved efficiently to unload the luggage while representatives from the New York branch greeted us and coordinated the transfer.

Alexander held my hand as he led me toward one of the vehicles, while the others entered separate cars.

As our car pulled away, I noticed the vehicles carrying the rest of the staff gradually turned onto a different route.

I glanced at Alexander and asked hesitantly, "Why did the other cars go another way?"

He turned to me calmly.

"They’re heading to the hotel."

I frowned.

"Aren’t we staying at a hotel too?"

"They are," he said evenly. "We’re not."

I didn’t fully understand what he meant, but I didn’t ask further.

About twenty minutes later, the car slowed and stopped in front of a private villa.

I stepped out and looked up.

The property stood within an exclusive residential estate—quiet, secure, and immaculately maintained. The detached villa was elegant and modern, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, pale stone walls, manicured hedges, and warm golden lights glowing from inside. A marble driveway curved neatly toward the entrance, where a fountain shimmered beneath the evening light.

Luxury without being loud.

Tasteful without trying too hard.

Typical Alexander.

I was genuinely taken aback.

Seeing me stare, Alexander’s lips curved slightly.

"Do you like it?"

"It’s beautiful," I admitted, nodding.

"If you like it, you should come here more often."

"Let’s see about that."

My answer was a little curt.

Alexander raised a brow.

"What? You don’t want to come?"

"No, that’s not it..." I said quietly, before quickly changing the subject. "Does this place belong to you?"

"Yeah. I come here often for business. Staying in hotels wasn’t convenient."

I nodded in understanding, then asked quietly as we walked inside,

"So whenever you come to see Lilian... you stay here too?"

Alexander stiffened.

Then he stepped forward and caught my hand.

"I stay here," he said. "But she’s never been here."

I looked at him.

"Why are you so eager to explain?"

"..."

He said nothing.

Seeing his reaction, I smiled teasingly.

"So when Lilian comes to see you, you don’t let her in?"

Alexander remained silent again before changing the subject.

"Let’s finish unpacking first."

I looked at his expression and let out a soft laugh.

In the past, hearing about him being with Lilian would have broken my heart.

But somewhere along the way—

It had stopped hurting the same way it once did.

Kessy, the young housekeeper, welcomed us warmly and helped bring in the luggage. The villa’s interior was sleek, luxurious, and impeccably clean—but unmistakably masculine, decorated in Alexander’s restrained taste. There was one master bedroom, where our things had been placed, and two guest rooms which were plain with no decorations,kessy said it’s because no one has ever used them .

While Alexander freshened up, Kessy showed me around. Then she smiled shyly.

"Ma’am, you and Mr. Alexander look perfect together."

I frowned slightly. "How do you know there’s something between us?"

"You’re the first woman ever brought here in three years," she whispered.

‎