My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 28

Alexander’s expression stiffened immediately, his lips pressed tightly together, clearly struggling to hide the displeasure simmering inside him.

I could feel the anger rising in him—he clearly had an issue with Julian, overreacting just because of the slightest connection between us. It was almost laughable.

"Is there something else?" I asked, my patience starting to wear thin.

"What happened last night?" Alexander’s tone was serious, tinged with barely hidden anger.

"I don’t owe you an explanation," I replied coldly.

The words felt familiar—exactly what Alexander had said to me once. Now, I was simply returning them to him, word for word.

Alexander furrowed his brow and rubbed his forehead, his voice thickening. "Vivienne, don’t act impulsively."

Clearly, he thought I’d done something rash, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about his concern. He had long since stopped earning the right to be concerned about me.

"How am I being impulsive?" I asked, keeping my voice steady despite the fury inside.

"I’m just worried about you. Julian may not be the right person for you. I hope you take this seriously and don’t do anything you’ll regret!" His voice was heavy with warning.

"Anything I’ll regret? Are you talking about cheating?" I raised an eyebrow, deliberately making the topic sharper.

Alexander fell silent.

"Until we’re officially divorced, I won’t be sleeping in another man’s bed, so you don’t have to worry. But as for you... I’m sure the ’green hat’ on my head is already hard to ignore, right?" I mocked with a bitter smile before turning to leave.

My grandparents were humble farmers, and my father was an upright journalist. I’d joined the Hawthorne Dynasty at sixteen, but I had long since made my own principles clear.

I believed in being responsible, and I never crossed the line when it came to marriage. Every decision I made was based on my moral compass.

Cheating was something I could never tolerate. Even though Alexander’s family was complicated, even though his status as an illegitimate child had once caused me pain, I had never lowered my standards.

I saw the glass door behind him close slowly. Alexander laughed bitterly. He knew that every word I’d said was laced with venom. And he knew, just as well as I did, that we were cut from the same cloth—neither of us capable of violating our own boundaries.

The phone on his desk rang.

Alexander snapped back to reality, sat up straighter, and picked up the receiver. "What is it?"

"CEO Hawthorne, do you have a moment?" Jane’s voice came through. "Attorney Samuel Hayes would like to confirm a few details with you about the Vanguard Innovations contract."

Alexander glanced at his watch. "Send him in."

"Sure."

A moment later, there was a knock, and Attorney Samuel Hayes entered, holding a folder. "Boss."

"Have a seat." Alexander gestured to the chair across from him and leaned back in his own.

Samuel sat and began discussing the details of the contract, but suddenly his phone buzzed.

He quickly glanced at the screen, his expression shifting. A call from the police station.

Alexander put his pen down. "Answer it."

"Thank you, Sir." Samuel stepped aside and answered the call.

The voice on the other end was from an officer. "Is this Samuel? We’ve reviewed the footage from last night’s dinner, and we saw Miss Vivienne briefly speaking with the suspect, Charlotte, before she fell into the water. Charlotte confessed that she insulted Miss Vivienne during an argument, and in her anger, she pushed her into the pool. Is Miss Vivienne available to come to the station and give a statement? If it’s not convenient, we can send an officer to the hospital."

"Officer, thank you. Vivienne is fine now. I’ll let her know and have her come to the station." Samuel hung up and returned to Alexander’s side.

"Sorry, Sir. Let’s continue," Samuel said, settling back into the conversation.

Alexander lowered his gaze, clearly uninterested in the details. "Forget about that. What happened with Vivienne?"

Samuel briefed him, "Yesterday, Director Vivienne attended a charity dinner, and she was pushed into the pool by a crazy woman. She wasn’t able to go to the hospital last night, so she asked me to handle the police. The suspect has been caught, and they need her statement."

Alexander nodded, pausing briefly before responding. "Go on."

Samuel resumed, "Right, where was I? Oh, here. Article 31..." He continued going over the details of the contract.

Twenty minutes later, Samuel finished up. "Sir, I’ll be heading out now."

"Mm."

Samuel stood and walked toward the door, but just before leaving, Alexander’s voice stopped him. "You don’t need to go to Vivienne. I’ll talk to her."

"Okay, thank you, CEO Hawthorne."

Samuel left the office.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

I was sorting through some documents and didn’t look up. "Come in."

The sound of footsteps came closer, and when I looked up, I saw Alexander standing by my desk, watching me.

I froze. "CEO Hawthorne, what brings you here?"

Alexander’s eyes met mine, his voice steady. "I’m here on Samuel’s behalf to tell you to go to the police station and give your statement."

"Ah, I understand. I’ll go after I finish here. Is there anything else, CEO Hawthorne?" I asked, pursing my lips and keeping my tone neutral.

"Why didn’t you tell me about something like this happening?" He frowned, a note of concern creeping into his voice.

I lifted my gaze slowly, meeting his eyes without flinching. "It’s not a big deal. No need to mention it."

"Vivienne!" His tone grew firmer, a hint of frustration rising.

"What is it?" I replied softly.

Alexander’s frown deepened, and his voice carried more weight now. "Why do you always shut me out when I’m trying to care for you?"

I couldn’t hold back anymore. "Last night, you disappeared with Isabella. You had all night to call me, to let me know, to show some concern. But you didn’t."

"Now that I’m fine, why does your concern even matter?"

I knew that to Alexander, I was nothing more than a pet kept in a gilded cage—something he’d only think about when he was bored.

Suddenly, Charlotte’s question came back to me: Did a man like Alexander spend a lot of money on you?

Now I had the answer. Three years of being kept, twenty million dollars, two villas—none of it meant much to him. Three years, and I’d never have to worry about money again.

Alexander didn’t say a word, and the office grew silent again.

He adjusted his collar and sat down on the sofa.

"I’m sorry," he said, his voice low. "Were you hurt last night, aside from falling into the water?"

I shook my head.

"No."

Alexander seemed to instinctively start explaining, his voice softening. "Yesterday, Isabella suddenly fell ill..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes growing distant.

A thought stirred in my mind. I remembered the medical case I had seen at home. What exactly is Isabella suffering from?

But after checking her Twitter posts yesterday, I hadn’t seen anything unusual.

Alexander seemed to sense my confusion and spoke again, quieter this time.

"Let’s go. I’ll take you to the police station."

"No need," I replied, immediately rejecting the offer. "I can go alone."

"No, I’m going with you," he insisted, his tone firm.

We walked out of the office, heading toward the elevator.

As we passed by, Olivia stepped out of her office and caught sight of us leaving together. A flash of jealousy flickered in her eyes. Since the last public scandal, my relationship with Alexander had returned to something resembling normal, but she could clearly feel the distance he’d placed between them.

She underestimated me.

Olivia quickly hatched a plan and sent a text to Isabella.

Alexander and I reached the underground parking garage and got into the car. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

As the engine started, Alexander’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, hesitated for a moment, then answered.

"Hello, Isabella? What? I understand, I’ll be there right away."

After hanging up, Alexander looked at me apologetically.

"Vivienne, I’m sorry, but I can’t go to the police station with you. Let Jim take you."

"Mm," I responded coldly.

When I heard "Isabella," I already knew how this was going to play out.

Once, I’d tried to stop this, but each time, I only humiliated myself.

I stopped fighting it. Since I couldn’t change Alexander’s mind, it was better to say nothing.

Alexander glanced at me, noticing my calm expression. He bit his lip, an unfamiliar unease creeping into his chest.

But he suppressed the feeling, opened the car door, and stepped out. He drove off in a different car.