After he hung up, Kendra, who was with Lilian, raised an eyebrow. "That was clever. But what if this angers Alicia? What if she exposes the marriage? What will you do then?"
Lilian looked at the darkened screen of her phone, confidence glinting in her eyes.
"She won't," she said calmly. "She's too proud to lower herself like that."
A woman's intuition is often the sharpest weapon of all.
Three years ago, Lilian had already suspected that Alicia had feelings for Alexander. Alicia was good at hiding her emotions, but Lilian could see right through her.
For the sake of Alexander's reputation, Alicia would never dare to make a move or announce their marriage with Alexander.
However, lately, whenever Lilian was with Alexander, she could sense that something had changed. He often seemed distracted and distant. That was not a good sign for her.
Lilian had always believed that Alexander was firmly under her control. She had never imagined losing him to Alicia—especially not now.
It would be better to get them divorced as quickly as possible, before things became even more complicated.
If this matter spread online and caused a scandal, Alexander would have no choice but to rush the divorce in order to protect both his reputation and Lilian's, and that is exactly what she wanted.
Alicia's POV
After the workday ended, I received a message from Alexander.
"Meet me at the garage if you're done."
It wasn't anything unusual. Alexander and I used to go to work together and return home together almost every day. But ever since Lilian returned, our schedules had rarely aligned.
Still, after what had happened in his office today, I hadn't expected him to wait for me.
I picked up my bag and headed straight for the garage. The moment the elevator doors opened, I saw Alexander standing beside the car, his tall figure leaning slightly against the door.
It felt as though he had been waiting for a while.
When he noticed me, he straightened but said nothing.
I walked over quietly, and we both got into the car.
"Nana called earlier," he said after a moment, his voice calm as Jim drove the car out of the garage. "She wants us to have dinner with her tonight."
I remained silent.
After a brief pause, he continued, "If everything goes well… I'll inform her about the divorce."
For some reason, there was a faint hesitation in his voice.
A dull pain spread through my chest.
"Mm," I replied softly, turning my gaze toward the city outside the window.
The evening lights flickered past like scattered stars.
From the corner of my eye, I could feel Alexander glance at me more than once, as if he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he stayed silent.
Nana must have seen the scandal online. That was probably why she called both of us.
Since Alexander was so eager to end things, it was better to tell her as soon as possible.
That way… everything between us could finally come to an end.
Yet for some reason, the atmosphere in the car felt strangely heavy.
We arrived at the mansion, and the housekeeper greeted us at the entrance.
"Matriarch Roseline is in the kitchen," she said politely. "Please make yourselves comfortable."
She then went to pour drinks and placed a plate of fresh fruit on the table for us.
The matriarch of the Blackwood dynasty had come from humble beginnings. Even after years of living in luxury, she still carried herself like the elder of an ordinary family—someone who enjoyed spending time with the younger generation, cooking meals for them, and even knitting scarves in her spare time.
Despite the internal struggles within the Blackwood family, everyone's respect for Grandmother Roseline was unwavering.