"This is... just Mr. Hastings'' way of showing concern for you." Oliver nodded firmly.


    "You''re lying again." I red at him, furious at his hesitant, evasive manner. He seemed dead set on being Alex''s aplice. "You two are putting on a show together. Do you really take me for a fool?"


    Oliver instantly fell silent. After a long pause, he scratched his head. "I can''t tell you anything. If I do, Mr. Hastings will have me kicked out of Hastings Group."


    That was as good as indirectly admitting that I would have to ask Alex if I wanted answers. Oliver wouldn''t tell me a single word of truth.


    But I had no interest in dealing with Alex for now, so all I could do was lie in bed. I was tossing and turning as I tried to piece things together.


    "Maybe I should call L," I thought. But when I checked my phone, it was already 11:00 pm.


    Forget it—I didn''t want to disturb her rest. I didn''t expect that just as I was about to put my phone down, her call came through.


    "L." My voice was soft and warm. "You really know me too well. I was just about to call you, and here you are."


    "You''re still awake?" L chuckled. "I was afraid I''d disturb you."


    "You called because of what happened today, didn''t you?" I sat up, leaning against the headboard. "Let me guess-it''s about those guys from earlier."


    "Yeah." She nodded. "Serena, I think they were targeting you specifically." I had the same feeling. "And I''m sure Alex knows something about it."


    But there was something else that felt off. "Who sent those men?"


    My thoughts were a tangled mess, but only one answer made sense.


    "Xena!" L and I called out in unison.


    "Alex must have known someone was going toe after you. That''s why he sent Oliver to keep an eye on you."


    "But he''s about to get engaged to Xena. If she wants to harm me and he''s secretly protecting me, what does that mean?"


    "Xena knows your identity and how


    much you mean to Alex, so she wants to eliminate you. That much is obvious," L babbled. "But why wouldn''t he just confront he


    directly? That''s not his style at all."


    I frowned. This kind of subtle behind-the-scenes protection wasn''t like him at all.


    The Alex I knew had an arrogance that could rival a king.


    "Because... Hastings Group is currently under Schneider Group''s control." I voiced my suspicion in a low voice.


    L fell silent for a long time before finally agreeing. "It''s unlikely, but what you''re saying does make sense."


    "If Hastings Group is under the control of Schneider Group, Alex can''t openly go against them. But at the same time, he still wants to keep you safe." There was a hint of amusement in her voice. "Looking at it this way, you actually matter quite a bit to him."


    But all I felt was helplessness.


    "If Alex is in trouble, he could just tell me. I might be unable to fix everything for him, but I''d still do whatever I could to help. At the very least... I wouldn''t cause him more trouble."


    "He wants to shield you from all of


    this and keep you from being


    is


    dragged into it," she mused. "This straight out of a drama-the male lead going through hell and back just to protect the female lead''s C innocence."


    I sighed. "So, in Alex''s eyes, am I just some delicate, sheltered flower? Someone


    too fragile to endure hardships and too weak to stand by his side and fight?"