#Chapter 35: An Answer

Alexander's POV I stared at the phone in my hand, Lauren’s name still glowing on the screen. Her voice echoed in my mind, steady but brimming with restrained fury. “Owen needs to stay here for a while. He’s shaken, Alexander. And frankly, so am I.” Her tone had been calm on the surface, but I knew her better than that. Beneath her measured words was a storm. She was furious—at Sophia, at me, and maybe even at herself for being dragged into this mess again. But more than anything, she was protective. That fierce, unrelenting shield she put up for the people she loved. And now, somehow, Owen was behind it. “Fine,” I had said after a long pause, my voice clipped. “Let him stay. I’ll handle Sophia.” Lauren’s sharp inhale had sliced through the line like a blade. “You need to do more than ‘handle’ her, Alexander. She threatened a child. This isn’t some game.” “I never said it was,” I shot back, my tone sharp. “He’s my son—” “Then act like it,” she snapped, her words landing