Chapter 294
Chapter 294:
Fumbling with urgency, Helena yanked open her bag and dug through its contents, her fingers trembling until they closed around the small velvet case. Leonino had given it to her just the day before. That hearing aid—she had to get it to Alden. No matter what.
Finding it intact, she exhaled in relief, snapped the bag shut, and forced herself upright. Her knee screamed in protest, but she ignored it and took off, sprinting after Eleanino’s speeding sports car.
She chased it until it vanished past the gate, swallowed by traffic. Panic tightening in her chest, she stumbled to the curb, arms flailing as she tried to flag down a cab.
From inside the vehicle, Alden watched it all unfold through the rearview mirror.
There she was—Helena, small, slender, and standing at the curb like someone stranded between two worlds. She looked desperate. Lost. It was as if the world had turned its back on her, and she no longer knew where to go. She was waving so wildly that she failed to notice a car screeching to a stop right beside her.
The driver slammed the brakes, jumped out, and started yelling—an angry blur of arms and curses. But Alden saw only her.
He told himself he did not care. She was just a wife by contract. Nothing more.
Yet, his chest tightened in a way he could not explain.
Before he even realized it, the words were out of his mouth. “Pull over p>
Eleanino’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “But p>
“I said, pull over p>
Alden’s voice crackled through the air—sharp, commanding. It startled Eleanino. She flinched, then obeyed without another word. The car jolted to a stop at the curb.
Alden shoved the door open and stepped out, long legs moving with purpose.
Anxious about what Helena might reveal, Eleanino rushed after him.
Seeing Alden alighting from the car, Helena had no interest in arguing with the angry driver anymore.
She reached into her bag and pulled out some cash, pressing it into the man’s hand with an apologetic glance, then limped toward Alden.
It was the middle of summer. Her short work skirt from the TV station clung to her frame, and blood trickled down her knee—bright red against smooth, pale skin.
Read the rest on.𝓬𝓶
Alden’s gaze drifted to the wound, lingering for a beat too long. His brow drew into a hard line. Only when Helena came to a stop in front of him did he tear his eyes away. A cold chuckle slid past his lips. “Was chasing a front-page scoop worth all this p>
Helena’s chest rose and fell, breathless. “What p>
She stood there, stunned, until the weight of his tone sank in. Then she gave a small, bitter smile. “I was not chasing you for a story,” she said, her voice low. “I was p>
She paused. She had been ready to say it—to tell him she brought the hearing aid—but the moment she spotted Eleanino hovering nearby, she shifted course. “I wanted to talk to you about something personal p>