"Serena, say that again!" Alex suddenly stepped toward me, closing the distance between us.


    I met his gaze fearlessly. "I said, whatever was between us is over. Leave. Don''te looking for me again."


    "Fine!" He clenched his jaw, his voice dripping with anger. "Serena, you will regret this!"


    With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out, mming the door behind him.


    That left me, the young woman standing next to me, and Lucas-who was clearly enjoying the drama.


    The young woman seemed startled by Alex''s outburst and was frozen in ce, unsure of what to do. Now that I had a moment, I took a good look at her.


    She was wearing a gray-blue dress, her makeup was wless, and her wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders. She looked elegant-undeniably well-matched with Alex.


    And me? I was dressed in a simple white blouse and ck dress pants, with my hair tied up in a casual ponytail. I looked like nothing more than an ordinary, boring office worker.


    She quicklyposed herself and said with a polite smile, "Hello, Ms. Ashford. I''m Vivian Grayson."


    Grayson? The Grayson family from Atego?


    My heart skipped a beat. I hadn''t expected the woman by Alex''s side to be the daughter of the Grayson family. No wonder she carried herself with such innate arrogance.


    "Hello," I responded politely, though I had no idea why she was suddenly introducing herself.


    What was more confusing was the hint of apology in her eyes. But before I could ask, the door suddenly burst open again.


    Alex had returned, his expression dark and menacing. He strode up to Vivian and grabbed her wrist. "Wait, what are you doing here?" His tone was harsh.


    Startled by his sudden action, Vivian instinctively tried to pull away. "Al, you''re hurting me! Let go!"


    Alex frowned, his sharp gaze flicking between me and Lucas, irritationcing his voice. "Who told you toe here?"


    Vivian looked hurt, her eyes turning slightly red. "My father asked me to..."


    Lucas, ever the instigator, couldn''t resist a snide remark. "Oh? What''s this now, Mr. Hastings? You


    stormed out earlier, only to


    running back again. Could it be that you just can''t bear to leave our dear Serena?"


    His taunting words ignored an instant explosion.


    Alex''s expression darkened even further.


    I groaned internally. Lucas'' love for stirring trouble was truly exhausting. "Lucas,


    shut up." I shot him a warning look.


    Alex ignored him, his eyes still fixed on Vivian. "I''m asking you-why are you here?"


    She hesitated under his re,


    before


    stealing a cautious nce at m ologize to Ms. Ashford mumbling, "Didn''t you


    Apologize? I became more confused.


    me


    I had never met her before. Why would she need to apologize to me? Was it because of Alex?


    I looked at him, but his expression remained unreadable.


    Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and turned to Vivian. "Ms. Grayson, I


    don''t understand. Why are you apologizing to me?"


    She bit her lip, looking


    ufortable. She hesitated, then nced at Alex''s cold expression before finally speaking in a


    soft


    voice.


    "Al told me toe... He said... that I shouldn''t have..." She trailed off, suddenly unsure whether to continue.