Alexander & E


    Alexander


    This was E’s doing. Liam had said so himself.


    She had told Liam everything, just to spite me, and now he was going to inform the press of our contract, potentially ruining my election before it had even begun.


    I needed to speak with her.


    I found E lounging in the srium at the back of the house, a cup of tea bnced between her fingers and a book sitting open in herp. She was smiling-smiling-as if she hadn’t just betrayed me in the worst way possible.


    “Why did you tell him?” I barked. “He’s going to the press now. Are you happy?”


    E jumped, tea sloshing out of her cup and onto her book. “What?” she breathed, carefully setting aside the soaked book and standing to dust off her dress.


    “Don’t y stupid with me, E,” I growled, jabbing my finger toward her. “You told Liam about the contract, and for what? To hasten the end of our marriage? Do you really want a divorce so badly that you’d betray me like that, less than three days. after you just willingly signed a contract?”


    E stared mutely, her gaze shifting between me and Gabriel, who was standing beside me.


    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally said.


    “Enough.” I turned, too angry to even look her in the face when she was lying right in front of me. “I can’t believe you, E. Until you have an apology prepared, I don’t want to hear it.”


    And with that, I stormed out, Gabriel on my heels. The door mming shut behind us sounded like a gunshot going off in the quiet house.


    E


    Alexander and Gabriel stormed off, the door mming shut behind them. I just stared for a long moment,pletely confused.


    They thought I told Liam about the contract…?


    Curious, I hurried out of the srium and upstairs, toward Liam’s room. The door was cracked open when I approached, and without thinking, I pushed it open.


    Liam was packing his things on the bed.


    “What happened?” I asked by way of greeting. “Alexander said I told you about something… personal.”


    Liam turned to face me. When he saw me standing there, he dropped the shirt he was folding and rushed over, taking my


    hands in his.


    “E, I’m sorry, but I had to do my own digging,” he said. “I heard Alexander forced you to sign a contract—”


    I pulled my hands away. “That was private, Liam. And I did it of my own ord.”


    “Whatever he said to coerce you—”


    “I said, that was my decision.” Anger began to simmer beneath the surface of my skin at the vition of trust. “Whatever you heard, you should havee to me first. And now Alexander is saying you’re going to the press with the information when you didn’t even talk to me about it.”


    Liam’s face crumpled. “I didn’t know if you would be in your right mind,” he insisted. “If he has been ying mind games with you, making you think you want this when you really don’t.”


    “Is that what you think of me? That I’m so easily manipted?”


    Liam’s mouth opened, then closed again. That was all the answer I needed.


    I pulled my shoulders back. “Whatever you might think, I made a conscious decision to sign that contract. I made a decision. No one else. And you won’t make this decision for me now.”


    “E—” Liam reached for me, but I took a step back.


    “No,” I said, shaking my head. “Something hase over you, Liam, and I don’t like it. I don’t like this new side of you. What happened to the sweet boy who used to be my best friend? When did you be so stubborn? So controlling?”


    “Controlling? E, I—”


    “The Liam I knew never would have gone behind my back like that. He never would have been so dismissive of my wishes. This isn’t you, Liam. I don’t know what happened to you at that camp, but I think I can safely say now that I preferred you before.”


    Liam stood there, frozen, for a long moment. His eyes shed between hurt, guilt, and finally… realization.


    “You’re right,” he said, slowly sinking onto the bed. He dragged both hands through his hair and hung his head. “This isn’t me. I’m sorry, E. I just… I worry about you, that’s all. I look at you, and I see the pain in your eyes, and all I want to do is protect you. I me myself for not being there to protect you these past ten years.”


    Some of the anger began to fade away. “I missed you, Liam. I really did. But I don’t need a protector-I just need a friend.”


    Liam sniffled. When he looked up, his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. The sight broke my heart, but I held my ground.


    Finally, he nodded. “I promise I won’t go to the press. Here. Take this.” He pulled out the all-too-familiar folder containing the contract and handed it to me, then extended his left pinky. “Tell Alexander he doesn’t need to worry. Your secret is safe


    with me.”


    I took the folder with one shaking hand, then wrapped my other pinky around his. “Thank you,” I whispered.


    Leaving Liam in his room, I hurried downstairs to Alexander’s office. I didn’t knock-just burst in, the same way he had burst in on me earlier. I threw the folder on his desk.


    “He’s not going to the press,” I ground out. “And for the record, I told you I didn’t tell anyone about the contract and I fucking meant it. If you think so little of me that you’d believe I would betray you like that, then why enter into a contract with me at all?”


    Alexander and Gabriel stared at the contract. Slowly, Alexander looked back up at me. Remorse shone in his eyes.


    “I’m sorry, E.” He stood. “I should have listened to you.”


    “If you didn’t tell Liam about the contract, then who did?” Gabriel suddenly asked.


    I didn’t have an answer to that. In my haste to clear the air with Alexander, I hadn’t thought to ask.


    Just as I was about to speak, the phone rang. Gabriel answered it, his face darkening with each passing second. “Yes… I understand… Thank you for letting us know…”


    My heart pounded as Alexander and I stared at the Beta. Finally, he hung up the phone with trembling fingers. When he turned to Alexander, his face was grave.


    “The news has been leaked. It’s all over already.”


    The room fell silent. Alexander’s body went rigid, his hands curling around the edge of his desk until his knuckles turned white.


    Suddenly, the door burst open again. Liam, breathless, ran into the room with his phone in his hand. I couldn’t quite make out the news headline that was stered across the screen, but I was certain it was about us.


    Alexander’s face ckened. “Liam, you fucking—”


    “It wasn’t me,” Liam insisted, holding his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t leak it. I swear to you that it wasn’t me.”


    Alexander growled low in his chest and took a step toward Liam, but I put myself in his path. “He didn’t do it,” I said firmly, lifting my chin.


    There was a long, tense silence as Alexander stared me down, but I held my ground. I knew Liam didn’t do this; he had made a pinky promise. And despite what had happened to my friend over the years, I knew one thing for certain.


    “Best friends keep pinky promises,” a nine-year-old Liam had said all those years ago, wrapping his little finger around mine. “No matter what.”


    Some things simply couldn’t change.


    Finally, Alexander rxed somewhat.


    “If it wasn’t you,” he said, looking at Liam now, “then who leaked the information?”