Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 66: Chapter 66

When I saw Alex walk into the room, I froze for a moment. But the next second, I quickly regained my composure.
I rubbed my eyes, my expression lazy as I asked, "What's up?"
Alex didn't answer my question. He just walked straight in, slammed the door shut behind him, and sat down heavily on the couch.
A sinking feeling crept into my chest, and a sense of unease spread from my heart to my whole body.
What the hell was this old fox up to?
I hadn't even gotten angry yet—what was he so upset about?
When Alex saw the check on the table, his eyes flickered with a trace of mockery, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he coldly sat down and fixed me with a penetrating stare. After what felt like an eternity, he slowly unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. That's when I noticed two faint marks on his pale neck.
I froze, instinctively hiding my hands behind my back.
So that's why my nails had broken last night... What the hell happened?
For a moment, I even wondered if I had been drugged.
It must have been the alcohol... that's the only explanation for what happened.
I suddenly remembered the look in Samantha's eyes when she scolded me earlier. She must have noticed the marks on Alex's neck, which is why she was so angry.
I took a deep breath, glancing at the man sitting on the couch. His deep-set eyes held a faint, knowing smile, but there was an unmistakable coldness radiating from him.
"Did Samantha give you this money?" Alex's voice was low and languid.
I pursed my lips, noncommittal.
There was no need to ask. I already guessed that Samantha had shared everything I said with Alex.
She'd probably cherry-picked some choice bits to tell him.
Otherwise, Alex wouldn't be standing here.
I feigned indifference and sat down on the armchair across from him. Casually, I took out my phone and asked, "What do you want me to say?"
"What do you think?" Alex's eyes sparkled with a mischievous gleam.
He was always dodging direct answers, and yet there was something oddly unpredictable about him.
Just as I was about to speak, he shifted his gaze away from me and, in a low tone, asked, "Why aren't you wearing your bracelet?"
I glanced at my wrist and answered nonchalantly, "It's too much of a hindrance. If it breaks, I might end up getting sold out."
Samantha, so scheming, had missed the most crucial detail—and it was the key to everything: the bracelet I wore.
She probably thought it was a three-bird-one-stone strategy.
One, she could show me that in Alex's eyes, she was the most important person. Two, she could make me ruin the bracelet. Three, she could then frame me as jealous of her.
She was ruthless, even willing to fall into the water herself just to drag me down.
Honestly, she didn't need to go that far. Given her status, if she had said I was the one who pushed her into the water, I doubt anyone would have questioned it.
But the thing she overlooked was this: someone like me, poor as I am, would rather sell the bracelet than destroy it.
"It seems you really love money," Alex said after a brief pause, then continued, "How much do you want?"
"Whatever. You can give me as much as you want," I smiled gently.
Even though divorce wasn't what I'd wanted, I couldn't stand in the way of someone else's happiness.
I stood up, retrieved the bracelet from the drawer next to the bed, and placed it in front of Alex.
After a moment's hesitation, I spoke again, "Please don't tell my mom about this, not for now."
Alex nodded slightly, "Definitely not."
Less than a minute later, my phone buzzed with a transfer notification.
"Isn't this a little low?" I frowned, displeased.
Alex cleared his throat and said, "I know I was wrong for not saving you."
I paused, surprised.
"This bracelet—if it breaks, it's on me. But if you lose it, that's on you."
Before I could react, Alex took the bracelet and placed it back on my wrist. He paused and then added, "From now on, don't meet with Samantha alone."
At that, I furrowed my brows. "What's the 300 thousand dollars for?"
Alex's face remained unchanged as he explained, "I'm not good at apologizing. Samantha said you're with me for money. If that's the case, I figured the simplest apology would be just giving you the money."
I nodded slowly, my anger toward Alex melting away.
So this is what he meant by "apology."
I hadn't expected him to be so generous.
I smiled at him, "You didn't need to come all the way here. As long as the money's right, I'm fine."
"You're here for the money, aren't you? Shouldn't I be angry?" Alex raised an eyebrow, his voice laced with sarcasm. "How much do you think I'm worth to you?"
"I don't have money," I quickly replied.
Unlike Samantha, I wasn't the kind of person who could casually throw around 4 million dollars and tell someone to get lost.
Alex smirked, a hint of disdain in his eyes, "So in your eyes, I'm not worth anything?"
"As long as I'm worth something in someone else's eyes, that's all that matters," I said bluntly. "But I didn't expect Samantha to only offer 4 million dollars."
"It used to be 1.5 million," he said coolly.
"Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow, surprised. But the instant I met Alex's icy gaze, I quickly closed my mouth.
"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Alex's handsome face curved into a subtle smile. His bright eyes glittered with mischief as he spoke. "Just play yourself."
With that, he slowly walked toward me, bent down, and whispered into my ear, "My role is to be the man who's secretly been in love with you for years, with ulterior motives. And you, you just have to be yourself."
His warm breath against my ear made my body tense, and my heartbeat quickened.
I took a deep breath and turned slightly to look at him. Under his long, thick lashes, his eyes were dark and intense, threatening to shatter my composure.
"Isn't your engagement with Samantha next week?" I asked, trying to steady my voice. "If you want me to act for you, shouldn't you be paying more?"
Alex narrowed his eyes. "I'll need to see if it's worth it."
As I met his gaze, it was as if I could hear my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.
"Did you forget something important?" I asked, suddenly unsure of Alex's intentions.
He sighed softly, staring at me for a long time before he finally spoke. "We're already married. If I marry anyone else, that's bigamy."
"So, you married me to avoid the Harvey family's marriage arrangement?" I asked, trying to make sense of this all.
Alex didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out his phone, staring at it for a few seconds, his eyes bloodshot.