Chapter 160The police station was quiet except for the muffled sounds of typing, murmured conversations, and the distant hum of air conditioning. Tommy sat across from the officers, hands slightly trembling as he recounted his version of the incident, his pride bruised and his ego in tatters. He glanced repeatedly toward the door, half expecting Alexander to burst in, but the calm authority of the station felt suffocating.Meanwhile, outside the police station, Selena leaned against the marble wall, unseen. Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of amusement and admiration. She had followed Alexander after the gala, curious about how he would handle the situation. And now, watching him manage it with such calm, quiet authority, she felt a thrill of pride.Alexander had already left the gala behind—no fanfare, no dramatic gestures. Just precision and purpose. He had given the officers all the details, stayed composed while Tommy stuttered and fumbled for words, and ensured that justice was

Chapter 162The moment Alexander and Selena stepped through the door, Mrs. Vega’s entire face lit up. She hurried forward, her hands clasped warmly around Alexander’s.“Welcome, my son,” she said with a softness that surprised even her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”Alexander smiled politely. It still felt strange hearing her call him son, but after their recent reconciliation, it carried a warmth he no longer ran away from.Selena squeezed his hand, proud.But someone else in the foyer wasn’t nearly as pleased.Mrs. Donatoes.She stood slightly behind Mrs. Vega, her painted smile plastered on her face as she watched how warmly Mrs. Vega embraced Alexander. Inside her chest, jealousy twisted like a knife. She had always imagined—quietly and secretly—that one day, their children would marry and unite the Vega and Donatoes families. A perfect elite alliance. A perfect social match.Instead… Selena chose Alexander.A man Mrs. Donatoes once dismissed.She swallowed the bitterness quickly and

Chapter 164Mrs. Vega tightened her grip on her wine glass as she returned to the dining room. She had overheard just enough of Mrs. Donatoes’ cutting words to know that the woman she once considered a casual acquaintance had stepped out of line.The moment her heels clicked onto the marble floor, Mrs. Donatoes straightened her dress and forced a smile, as if she hadn’t just spent the last several minutes undermining Selena’s choices.Selena lifted her head, her frustration still simmering behind her eyes, but she remained silent—waiting for her mother to take the lead.Mrs. Vega reclaimed her seat at the head of the long table.“Shall we continue?”The question wasn’t truly a question. It was an order.Alexander shifted slightly, trying to bury the discomfort bubbling in his chest. Ever since he stepped into this mansion, he’d sensed the tension lurking beneath the polished marble and shimmering crystal lights.And at the center of it all was the uninvited guest—Mrs. Donatoes.The ma

Chapter 166Inside the Vega mansion, the atmosphere was thick with everything left unspoken. As soon as Paxton dragged his mother out, the table fell into silence. Mrs. Vega cleared her throat twice, pretending everything was fine, but Selena could read her mother like a book—she was furious, embarrassed, and worried all at once.Alexander dabbed his lips with a napkin calmly, pretending not to notice the tension. It was how he handled conflict: like a man sharpening a blade silently.Selena excused herself from the table and walked to the living room window. She parted the curtain slightly, watching Paxton and his mother argue outside. She couldn’t hear the words, but the body language… it said everything.Paxton looked tired. Crushed. Like a man trying to carry a storm with his bare hands.Mrs. Donatoes looked like the storm itself—unpredictable, loud, impossible to contain.Selena sighed heavily.“This is becoming worse,” she whispered.Alexander walked up behind her, wrapping his

Chapter 168 The rest of the night passed in uneasy silence.Mr. Donatoes remained downstairs long after his wife had stormed off, the soft hum of the antique clock filling the room as he contemplated the alarming direction her mind had taken. Maria had always been ambitious, socially sharp, and fiercely competitive…but this wasn’t ambition.This was obsession sharpening into something darker.He rubbed his temples, wondering whether he should call Paxton, warn him, or simply pretend none of this was real. But the truth was unmistakable:Something in Mrs Donatoes had snapped.And she wasn’t going to let it go quietly.Upstairs, in the master bedroom, Mrs. Donatoes sat at her vanity, brushing her hair with slow, deliberate strokes. Each drag of the brush soothed her rage, but only enough to clear her thoughts, not enough to change them.Her husband didn’t understand.No one understood.She had invested years—years—into pushing Paxton and Selena together. Her entire social circle expect