Chapter 355

"Honestly, I'm perfectly fine," Evelyn insisted with an exasperated sigh. "Would you like me to get up and do a twirl to prove it?"

She made to throw off the covers when Alexander's firm hand pressed her back against the mattress. His voice held a warning edge. "Don't test me, Evelyn."

The reprimand sounded more suited for a misbehaving child than his wife.

Evelyn gave a small nod. "There's really no need to worry. I'm completely unharmed, though you don't seem convinced."

"I was calm until you started downplaying everything," Alexander countered, his jaw tightening. "Now tell me - how exactly did you manage to provoke them?"

Evelyn bit her lip in thought. "I didn't recognize any of them at first. It wasn't until Lucien showed up that I realized this was all his doing."

"Lucien..." Alexander's brow furrowed. "That name rings a bell."

Though they'd never met, Evelyn had mentioned the French perfumer in passing before. Alexander had dismissed him as insignificant at the time, but hearing the name again stirred an uneasy familiarity.

"Vanessa and Dominic brought him in as a consultant once," Evelyn explained. "He wasn't officially with DR Holdings, so I never learned their exact connection. But one thing's certain - Lucien has some unhealthy obsession with me."

"Let me guess," Alexander's voice turned dangerously quiet. "This traces back to Dominic Reeves again?"

Evelyn saw the storm brewing in his eyes and reached up to cradle his face. Her thumbs brushed along his sharp cheekbones as she shook her head. "Not necessarily. This could be Vanessa's scheme, or purely Lucien's doing. He's...expressed inappropriate interest before."

Alexander's eyes darkened at her words. "What exactly do you mean by 'inappropriate interest'? And why am I only hearing about this now?"

"It wasn't worth mentioning," Evelyn said with a dismissive wave. "Lucien made an advance once and got thoroughly humiliated for it. I have no idea if today connects to that incident or the perfume competition finals."

She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Vanessa made it to finals too. For all we know, they could be lovers - I've heard rumors they're involved."

These were just theories, of course. The deranged Frenchman had been too busy screaming obscenities to provide any useful answers before the police arrived.

Evelyn almost laughed at the irony. In movies, cops always showed up after the drama concluded. Today, they'd been annoyingly punctual.

"Reasons don't matter," Alexander growled, his entire body radiating lethal energy. Like a predator scenting blood, every muscle coiled with restrained violence. "He won't live to see another sunrise."

Evelyn shivered - not from fear, but from the fierce protectiveness radiating from her husband. His rage was a tangible testament to how deeply he cared.

"The police already have Lucien," she reminded him, lacing their fingers together. "Kidnapping, conspiracy with international criminals, drug possession - he'll rot in prison. He's not worth your attention, Alex."

Alexander's elegant hands - with their deceptive delicacy masking raw power - had shaped empires. They shouldn't be sullied by trash like Lucien Dubois.

"Drugs?" Alexander's head snapped up, startled. "What about them?"

"What would you like to know?" Evelyn met his gaze steadily.