Chapter 197

Alexander Perkins didn’t seem the least bit bothered that he was out shopping with his wife during work hours. On the contrary, he walked beside Samantha Quin like he wanted the whole mall to see them together. As if he couldn’t wait to show off. Why was he doing this? Samantha’s sharp eyes flicked toward him. Was he... trying to send some kind of message back to the Perkins estate? If this was all for show—and she was just the convenient “prop” to rile up the old matriarch who loathed her to the bone—then yeah, she made perfect bait. Samantha shot Alexander a long look, full of unspoken meaning. Just then, not far ahead, a little girl around four or five had clearly gotten separated from her mom. She clung to the glass railing, sobbing her heart out. "Mommy... mommy..." Samantha’s brows furrowed sharply. Before she could even say a word, she took off toward the girl. "What’s wrong?" Alexander asked. "That kid—looks like she lost her mom." Even before Samantha finished her sentence, th