Chapter 291

"Where is the line between right and wrong? Is it achieving success or having a perfect family? No one can judge whether a choice was right or wrong until the very end."

Alexander Hamilton wore a faint smile. "Dr. Wilson, you speak as if you've lived through it yourself. Did you also have someone who made your heart race in your youth?"

"Of course."

A trace of mockery crept into Alexander's smile. "Then doesn't your earlier 'philosophy on youth' contradict itself? At our age, everyone has a past. Since we're all starting from the same place, why play favorites?"

Gregory Wilson crossed his arms, his gaze steady. "I do have a past. But how do you know the person from my past isn't the same as the one in my present?"

Alexander's expression darkened instantly. He turned sharply toward Evelyn. "You knew each other before?!"

"Did you forget we're both doctors?"

"Vincent said you were abroad all this time. And Evelyn—" His voice tightened. "She never studied overseas."

"Education isn't imprisonment. Visiting family during holidays, academic exchanges, occasional trips back—what's so strange about that?"

Alexander's eyes grew colder. "You decided she was the one after just a few meetings? Without even knowing her background? Isn't that reckless?"

"We're different, Alexander. You had a childhood sweetheart. I had to believe in love at first sight."

Alexander scoffed. "That's not a very convincing story, Dr. Wilson. Love at first sight? Such things are rare."

Gregory met his gaze, his voice soft but firm. "Youth knows neither love nor hate—yet it's when the heart beats the hardest."

"Ah—!"

Annabelle's startled cry finally broke the tension between them.

The billiards table had become a battlefield.

What was once a clear path to victory had turned into an expertly crafted snooker. The eight-ball was completely blocked by the colored balls, ruining what should have been an easy win.

Already frustrated, Alexander's anger flared. "Did you do this on purpose?"

Annabelle's eyes reddened. "I—"

"I should've let Yvonne take you with her earlier."

"I just wanted to give you two more time together!" Annabelle cried, her voice trembling. "She won't even talk to you now. I was just... trying to help..."

Alexander froze, his frown deepening. "Annabelle, you destroyed the trust between us yourself. I heard every word Yvonne said earlier."

"That was years ago! I've changed now! My parents talked to me after they came back..." She took a shaky breath. "They went to see Dr. Carter..."

Alexander stiffened. "Why would they go to her?!"

"Don't panic," Annabelle said, her voice unsteady. "What if I told you they went to bring you two back together? Would you believe me?"

Alexander laughed coldly. "Do you think I would?"

"I know you don't. But it's the truth. They discussed it for a long time. I owe you, but you don’t care about my family’s business... They wanted to make it up to you."

Alexander's gaze turned sharp as a blade. "Compensation? Or begging me not to kick you out?"

"...Both."

"So hiring that actress to cause a scene at my company—that was your parents' idea too?"