Chapter 3

Looking at the young girl in front of him, Alexander was having an internal meltdown. Should he take her or not? "Hey, you're really good-looking," Vivian strolled up to him like she had no clue he was planning to kidnap her. Alexander: "…" Good-looking? She thought he looked good? So… was there a chance she'd fall for him for once? He'd allow that. Maybe that way, he could resist the urge to lock her up again. He stared at her, his gaze deep and intense, laced with a bizarre obsession he couldn’t hide. Vivian tilted her head, giving him a look, then turned to the younger guy next to him. "Is he quiet by nature, or can’t he talk?" That guy was Ethan Pierce, Alexander’s right-hand man. "...” Ethan broke into a nervous sweat. This girl’s guts were unreal. Did she just imply their boss was mute? But hey, this was the same girl their boss planned to snatch today. He’d seen the photos. He figured the real question was how long she could survive under Alexander’s intense attention... "Neither of you can talk?" Vivian scrunched her nose, not hiding her disappointment. "I was actually thinking about picking someone to fake being my boyfriend." All of a sudden, Alexander yanked her toward him. "Fake boyfriend?" His deep voice cut through the air as his eyes held hers. In that moment, Vivian nearly lost her balance. In her past life, Alexander always had this way of grabbing her waist and staring at her like she was the only person left on Earth. Every time she looked up at him, he’d lower his voice and coax, "Vivian, kiss me." He liked it when she took the lead. And when she tilted up and kissed him first, he'd instantly take over, flipping the vibe hard, deepening the kiss aggressively like he was never going to stop. Later, she'd found out from his diary that when she initiated, it made him feel like maybe—just maybe—he had a place in her heart. That was how he tested whether she had feelings for him. As Vivian stared blankly at him, lost in thought, Alexander felt a sudden pressure in his chest. Then, he… smiled. A deep, clean laugh slipped out from his throat, vibrating slightly as he chuckled. Ethan: "…" Bodyguards: "…" What the hell was going on?! The boss just… laughed?! Like, out loud?! They could swear on their lives—365 days a year, this man never smiled. Not even a forced one. He had a reputation for being as expressive as a brick wall. Cold, distant… borderline robotic. And now, a random 18-year-old girl managed to crack his ice wall? Was this real life? Compared to their total freak-out, Vivian was cool as ice. She’d been with him for three whole years. She’d seen him smile too many times to count. She was used to it. "Sorry, my bad. But with a face like yours, how could I not get distracted?" Vivian, knowing Alexander was happy she’d zoned out staring at him, just fessed up with zero shame. Was it really her fault she was crushing on someone this good-looking? Wasn’t this on him? Ethan couldn’t stop himself from throwing a low-key eye roll. "I’ll allow it," Alexander said, surprisingly pleased. "For real?" Vivian raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, stare all you want," he replied smoothly. "You’re too sweet," she beamed, her eyes lighting up. Ethan and the crew were shook again. Was the old boss a lie? Was this some undercover imposter? "You just said you’re looking for a boyfriend?" Alexander, of course, completely ignored the word "fake."