Chapter 4

Alexander Knight had been searching for Alice Carter for an entire month.

Just when he started to think she might not be as terrible as his investigation suggested, she appeared—right in front of him—as a waitress in the private dining room reserved exclusively for him.

He had severely underestimated her.

"Mr. Knight… is there a problem?" The restaurant manager accompanying Alexander trembled under his icy glare.

"How long has she worked here?" Alexander demanded, his voice sharp.

"A—A month," the manager stammered.

A month.

Exactly the time since she had fled the Knight family.

She wasn’t running away—she was just trying to raise her price.

Damn it.

Alice glared at Alexander, her eyes burning with resentment and injustice.

How could the world be so cruel?

"I don’t know what you’re talking about! Let me go, or I’ll call the police!" She struggled violently against his grip, but his hold was unbreakable.

Pain shot through her wrist, and a sheen of sweat formed on her forehead.

The manager, panicked, snapped at her, "Layla Young, you’ve gone too far!"

Alexander smirked darkly. "Layla Young? So you changed your name after getting out of prison?"

At that moment, the supervisor—the same waitress who had forced Alice to take her shift—rushed over but froze in fear.

Alice’s heart sank.

She had only two days left before collecting her paycheck.

Now, everything was ruined.

"Why won’t you just leave me alone? Why?!" Her voice cracked, her eyes red with fury and despair.

Without warning, she twisted her wrist and sank her teeth into Alexander’s arm.

He hissed in pain and instinctively released her.

Seizing the moment, Alice bolted.

She couldn’t fight—she could only run.

By the time Alexander recovered, she had already dashed out of the restaurant and jumped onto a passing bus.

She got off after a few stops, her legs shaking as she stumbled down the sidewalk.

Then, without warning, she broke down.

Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She had spent a month in prison for a crime she didn’t commit.

A stranger had stolen her innocence.

She had finally escaped, only to lose her mother forever.

Hadn’t she suffered enough?

What kind of demon was Alexander Knight? Why was he so determined to destroy her?

Why?!

Was it because she had no one left to protect her?

Alice cried until her stomach twisted violently. She doubled over, retching, but nothing came up except bitter bile—she hadn’t eaten in hours.

A kind woman passing by patted her back gently. "Sweetheart, are you experiencing morning sickness?"

"Morning sickness?" Alice froze.

She had been feeling nauseous lately, but the thought of pregnancy had never crossed her mind.

Now, the realization hit her like a truck.

It had been over a month since that night.

Panicked, she rushed to the nearest hospital, clutching the few crumpled bills in her pocket—barely enough for a test.

The doctor handed her a pregnancy test strip.

Ten minutes later, the verdict came.

"You’re pregnant."

Alice swayed on her feet. "No… that’s impossible."

"You can terminate it," the doctor said coldly before calling, "Next!"

Numb, Alice stumbled out of the room and collapsed onto a bench in the hallway.

She felt utterly lost.

"Don’t cry… wipe tears." A tiny, lisping voice broke through her despair.

Alice looked up to see a toddler in diapers standing in front of her, chubby hands reaching up to clumsily pat her knee.

The little girl’s innocent gesture shattered the last of Alice’s composure.

Her heart melted.

"Sorry, she’s very affectionate," the child’s mother said with an apologetic smile.

"She’s adorable," Alice murmured.

She watched as the mother and daughter walked away, envy twisting in her chest.

Then, hesitantly, she placed a hand over her stomach.

She had no family left.

This baby… was her only flesh and blood.

A sudden warmth filled her—hope, fear, and the overwhelming instinct to protect.

But how?

She couldn’t even afford an abortion.

The next morning, desperate, Alice returned to the prison.

"Please," she begged the guard. "I need to see Margaret Bennett."

Margaret had been her lifeline inside—a kind woman who had protected her. Alice didn’t know her full story, but she knew Margaret had money.

"Margaret Bennett was released over a month ago," the guard said.

"What?" Alice’s heart dropped.

"Wait—you’re Alice Carter, right?"

Alice nodded.

"Margaret left a number for you. That day, you got into a fancy car right after your release. I tried to stop you, but you didn’t hear me."

The guard handed her a slip of paper with a phone number.

"Thank you."

Two hours later, Alice stood in the VIP ward of Harborview’s most exclusive private hospital, facing Margaret.

The older woman lay frail in bed, her silver hair still elegant despite her illness.

She had been beautiful once—Alice could see it—but she didn’t know why a woman like her had been imprisoned.

"Margaret?" Alice called softly.

Margaret’s eyes fluttered open. When she saw Alice, she gasped, then coughed violently before composing herself.

"Alice! Finally! I told that stubborn son of mine to bring you to me, but he kept saying you’d gone back to your hometown. You’re here now—that’s all that matters."

"I just got back," Alice lied.

She understood now—Margaret’s son had pulled strings to get her released early.

They had done enough. They wouldn’t want someone like her—poor, desperate—dragging Margaret down.

"I’ll never forget how you saved me in there," Margaret whispered, tears in her eyes. "Without you, I wouldn’t have lived to see my son again."

Alice shook her head. "I didn’t do it for a reward."

She hesitated, then clenched her fists.

"Margaret… I hate to ask, but I have no choice. Could you… lend me some money?"

Before Margaret could answer, a deep voice spoke from behind her.

"How much do you need?"

Alice spun around—and her blood turned to ice.

It was him.

Alexander Knight.