Chapter 466

A flicker of disappointment crossed Lydia Laurent's eyes, but she quickly forced a smile. She had always been obedient to Alexander Hamilton. If he said so, there must be a reason.

"Alexander, I'll go with Dr. Wilson first. You and Evelyn can talk."

Alexander gave a faint nod.

Gregory Wilson considerately led Lydia away, offering her a few comforting words before they left.

Once the door closed, only Evelyn Carter and Alexander remained in the room.

The seafood takeout had been ordered, but delivery would take time.

Evelyn knew Gregory had intentionally taken Lydia away to give her and Alexander privacy. But right now, she had no desire to face this explosive man.

Alexander suddenly stood and silently returned to the sofa. A sharp pain pulsed in his stomach—he hadn't noticed it during their argument, but now, in the quiet, it grew more pronounced.

Evelyn pulled a chair from the dining table, deliberately keeping her distance.

Silence stretched between them.

"Why didn't you come to me?" Alexander finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "About your family needing money for the house."

Evelyn scoffed. "You deliberately withdrew from the demolition project and handed it to another company just to cut ties with me. Besides, you're engaged now. What would it look like if I borrowed money from my ex-husband? If my father hadn't been tricked by Peter Harrison into taking out a loan, I wouldn’t have even called you last night."

"I wanted to make things difficult for you," Alexander admitted. "But Evelyn, I don’t understand. I’ve tried so hard to make amends. Why does none of it matter to you?"

"Just consider me heartless." Evelyn turned her face away. "What you want—I can’t give it."

Alexander let out a bitter laugh. "Someone who risked her life to save a pregnant woman during a typhoon, someone who sacrificed everything for her family—how could she be heartless? Or is it just me you’re cold toward?"

"Maybe."

"Last night..." Alexander suddenly asked, "When you couldn’t reach me, you called Gregory instead?"

"Dr. Wilson called to ask for White Coat’s vaccination records and mentioned it in passing."

"White Coat?"

"The little white dog I adopted in the UK."

"You named it?"

"...Dr. Wilson helped."

Alexander snorted.

"After returning, I’ve been too busy, so Dr. Wilson has been taking care of White Coat. When my house was broken into, it injured its right leg, and he took it to the vet." Evelyn’s voice softened. "Honestly, he’s more like its owner now."

Noticing her expression, Alexander’s tone gentled. "Do you like dogs?"

"I didn’t used to. But after... losing the baby, I’ve grown fond of animals."

"If this one has already bonded with him, then it wasn’t meant to be." Alexander suggested, "I’ll take you to pick out a new one someday."

"No need. After taking over Anderson Group, I’ll be even busier. No time to care for one."

"I could keep it for you."

"Hamilton Group is busier than Anderson."

"We could hire someone."

Evelyn shook her head. "Then what’s the point? Pets need companionship."

After a pause, Alexander sighed. "We’ll talk when you have time."

"There are plenty of pet shops. I can get one whenever I want."

Alexander hunched slightly, elbows resting on his knees. "Last night, I was in a video conference and missed your call. It ended at six in the morning. I didn’t want to wake you, so I decided to ask in person."

"No wonder your stomach’s acting up—your schedule’s packed."

Since Lydia’s birthday party, everyone in their circle assumed Banyan Group and Hamilton Group would deepen their collaboration.

"Alexander, I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Is working with Banyan because of Lydia, or is it purely business? Your partnership with the Dempseys was solid before..."

Alexander’s expression turned serious. "Mrs. Dempsey’s health is failing, and Mr. Dempsey is stretched thin. Dempsey Industries’ product quality has declined these past two years, with defect rates over 15%. No amount of investment can save that."

Evelyn fell into thought.

"You don’t understand," Alexander continued. "Vivian is their only child, spoiled rotten. When her father retires, she’ll either run the company into the ground or hand it to some man to manage. Who’s to say he won’t be another Simon Stapleton or Peter Harrison?"

"......"

"She helped you a lot." Alexander’s voice lowered. "Especially... right after your miscarriage. I haven’t forgotten. Vivian needs to grow up fast, or she’ll have no choices left."

"So cutting off Dempsey’s funding is to force her to mature?"

"Not exactly." Alexander shook his head. "Sophia Winston’s investment bank is about to bring in a new CEO. The entire structure will be overhauled. Promises made now might not hold later. Better to find alternatives early."

Evelyn frowned. "Vivian might not know yet."

Alexander smirked. "Of course she doesn’t. The news is still under wraps. I only found out a few days ago."

"Thank you. I’ll tell her."

"Doesn’t matter." Alexander laughed at himself. "Her hatred for me is already set in stone."

"Vivian is very... decisive in her feelings."

Alexander didn’t respond.

His phone buzzed. Glancing at it, his lips curved slightly.

"Good news?"

"Tell Vivian to head to the airport first thing tomorrow."

"Why?"

"My private jet is coming back. The one I lent out."