Chapter 37

"I don't give a damn whose child you're carrying in your womb! Since you dared to show up here, you'll face the consequences. If you think announcing your pregnancy will force the Knight family to accept you, think again!" Alexander spun on his heel and stormed away without another glance.

Alice collapsed to her knees, trembling. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, her vision blurring.

The shrill ring of her phone snapped her back to reality.

Her device was an outdated model from before her imprisonment, its screen cracked beyond repair. That’s why she’d rented a camera—only for it to vanish, leaving Alexander aware of her pregnancy.

She answered the call with a shaky breath. "Hello?"

"Alice, where the hell are you? I told you not to slack off! Every server is here except you. The guests have arrived—get your ass back here and start serving drinks and appetizers!" The head server’s sharp voice pierced through the line.

"I’m coming." Alice hastily wiped her tears and hurried back to the ballroom.

The Knight family had invited elite socialites from Harborview City and Kingsbury tonight, all vying to become Alexander’s chosen bride.

The women glittered in designer gowns, each more dazzling than the last. Yet Alexander, the evening’s centerpiece, stood alone on the third-floor balcony, a glass of red wine in hand, his gaze coldly surveying the crowd below.

He had zero interest in these overdressed heiresses.

Forced into this farce by his grandfather’s pleas, he’d reluctantly agreed to attend—but that didn’t mean he’d play along.

Downstairs, the women exchanged venomous smiles while whispering behind their fans.

"Did you hear? Alexander was caught with a server earlier—right in broad daylight!"

"Kissed her too, apparently."

"That lowborn girl got lucky, didn’t she?"

"Please. She threw herself at him. Pathetic."

"So he just... kissed her back?"

"Exactly. And you know Alexander—he didn’t even look at her afterward. Ice cold."

"Disgusting. How dare that trash think she could climb her way up?"

"She made a scene, and now we’re supposed to compete for his attention like nothing happened? As if we’d lower ourselves!"

"That server needs to be taught a lesson."

"Where is she? Is she still here?"

"Oh, she is. I saw her—some temp hire with a pretty face. Thought she could seduce Alexander with that? She’ll regret it."

A group of socialites stalked toward Alice, their heels clicking ominously.

With Alexander absent, they unleashed their fury on the easiest target.

A sharp tap on her shoulder made Alice turn—just as a wineglass "accidentally" crashed to the floor.

"You clumsy idiot! I just wanted a drink, and now you’ve ruined my shoes!" A jewel-laden woman sneered, thrusting her stained Louboutin forward. "Clean it. Now."

"I—I’m sorry." Alice dropped to her knees, reaching for the woman’s shoe.

Before she could touch it, the woman’s heel slammed down—crushing Alice’s fingers beneath it.