There was no way a hotheaded young man in his mid-twenties could know.
There was only one possibility. Either he did a background check on me or someone who knew me well told him about it.
I refused to waste my time dwelling on the matter and cut to the chase. “You have two choices. Tell me the truth, and you can leave this place as soon as possible. Otherwise, prepare to stay the night in the cell.”
Unfazed, Alexander remained on the spot. By taking his time to reply, I knew he was waiting to see if I would carry out my threat and leave without him. He was baiting and provoking me deliberately with his defiance. I saw through his petty tricks instantly and knew what had to be done.
How naïve! Your thoughts are written all over your face.
After meeting his stares for a while, I turned around and headed for the exit.
As expected, he relented. “Fine! I’ll tell you.”
I smiled and halted in my tracks without turning around to look at him.
He blurted, “I’m Emery’s boyfriend.”
Huh?
I thought I heard wrongly and turned around. “What did you say?”
“It’s true. Emery and I knew each other in M Country, and we’ve been dating for a while.” Alexander explained calmly as happiness filled his sapphire eyes.
One could tell if people were acting with love. He said Emery’s name with such care and tenderness, as if a child was showing off his precious toys to the others. He treated her name like a precious treasure. His reaction convinced me that he was truly in love with my friend.
However, I had my doubts about what he said. Emery was at least six years older than him and she had just divorced. How did she get into a relationship so quickly?
“It’s the truth. If you don’t believe it, give Emery a call. She knows who I am,” he said earnestly when he noticed my suspicions.
Well, this is a good idea.
Since there was no point wasting my time with him, I called Emery directly.
She picked up the phone almost immediately and sounded tired, as if she was sleeping. “Hello…”
“Someone wants me to be his lawyer said he knows you. Does the name Alexander ring any bells?”
“What?” Her reaction startled me.
That meant Alexander was indeed telling the truth. I was at a loss for words.
I tilted my head sideways and saw him looking at me with excitement. At that moment, he seemed like a child waiting to see others’ reaction after pulling a prank.
“Where are you guys? I’ll be there immediately.” Emery sounded rather serious as she put on her clothes.
“We’re at the police station in Coldbridge. Drive safely.”
“Got it.”
I looked at the call history of my phone and heaved a deep sigh.
I didn’t want to comment on Emery’s private matters. However, Alexander didn’t seem to be any better than Hunter, so I felt the need to defend her. She is such an outstanding woman. Why are those childish and irresponsible men attracted to her?
It was rather inconvenient to talk with him in the presence of the police officers, so I bailed him out and we waited for Emery in my car.
It was the stupidest decision I had made that day.
Alexander was young and extremely chatty.
“Thank you, Ms. Stovall. Right, can I visit your twins?”
“No.”
“That’s fine. Emery is always talking about you. Maintaining a relationship for so many years is such a rare sight. You and Mr. Fuller must love each other very much.”
“Yeah,” I replied, and fiddled with my phone.
It didn’t stop Alexander with the endless questions. “Do you think Emery will agree to marry me?”
“No.”
“Is that so? That’s alright. I’m young, so I’ll wait for her. She’ll come around one day. You’ll see.”
Mister, I’m afraid you’re being overconfident.
Right when I was about to give him a reality check, I heard a few thuds on the car window.
“Emery!” Alexander unbuckled his seatbelt and got off the car in a flash.
I followed him in disbelief. He was running toward Emery with his arms wide open, probably to give her a hug after a long separation.
