#Chapter 103: Family Matters

Ella POV The silence that followed was so pronounced it felt heavy. Alexander didn’t respond, and the seconds dragged on long enough that I glanced at my phone to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. "Alexander?" I said softly. "Did I say something wrong?" "No, not at all," he answered quickly, though there was a slight edge to his voice. "You’re right, of course. You should have met my family by now. It’s an oversight on my part that you haven’t." “I don’t want to pry,” I said uncertainly. “No, of course not,” Alexander said, his tone steadying. “You’re not prying at all. I’ll speak to my mother and make arrangements.” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “All right,” I said softly. But something about Alexander’s tone left me uneasy. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Alexander had never struck me as embarrassed by his family. He’d spoken of them before—briefly—but I hadn’t gotten the sense he was hidi