?Chapter 323:


    Alexander strode past him, his face devoid of expression. Without saying a word, he grabbed a ss, filled it with wine, and drank deeply.


    Keith’s eyes widened in rm.


    “Hold on! That’s wine worth tens of thousands of dors, and you’re drinking it like it’s water.”


    Alexander didn’t acknowledge thement. His gaze dropped to his ss, watching the wine swirlzily inside. Without meaning to, his thoughts drifted back to Dani. Herrge, expressive eyes. The graceful curve of her nose. She had always been reserved, speaking only when necessary. When she smiled, faint dimples appeared at the edges of her lips, softening her usually serious demeanor.


    Had she truly loved him for a decade?


    The world oftenbeled him as cold, distant, even heartless.


    But was that really who he was?


    Only he knew the answer to that.


    He remembered a time when he had tried to take their rtionship to a deeper level—both emotionally and physically.


    In truth, he had wanted to have sex with her. But he hadn’t been direct with her.


    Their dynamic had always ced him in the position of being pursued. She was the one who chased, and he was the one who stood untouchable on his pedestal.


    When he finally broached the subject, it wasced with pride and an air of superiority.


    The ce for great stories: g?lnσν???s


    Her response, however, was not what he had anticipated. She didn’t seem to understand him at first—or perhaps she chose not to. Either way, her face reflected shock and confusion.


    It was almost as if the idea of physical intimacy had never even urred to her. It seemed as though the thought of them being that close had never once crossed her mind.


    The next day, she had handed him an expensive watch.


    “What’s this supposed to mean?” he asked, already knowing the answer.


    The gift wasn’t just a gift. It was her unspoken attempt atpensation—for turning him down.


    Yet Dani couldn’t bring herself to exin. She had stood by the doorway, deliberately keeping her distance. In that moment, Alexander noticed something he hadn’t seen before.


    She had gone to great lengths for him. Her delicate, piano-trained hands had mastered racing cars just to impress him. But those same hands had never reached for his.


    She would drink well past her limits to match his reckless energy. She had risked her life speeding through dangerous tracks at night just to share his world.


    Yet she never stepped closer. Never gave him even the slightest hint of affection beyond her actions.


    She would show up at dawn to drive him home after his nights of heavy drinking, when he could barely stand. But she had never once tried to be intimate with him while he was drunk.


    Never crossed that unspoken boundary between them.


    To everyone else, Dani’s love for him seemed undeniable.


    It was something people said over and over.


    Everyone believed it.


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