Chapter 383
The other party’s request was simple. Ronan only needed to meet with Alexandra once to receive 350 thousand dollars.
After years of drifting through life, he was sick to death of being poor.
“350 thousand dollars? That’s nowhere near enough for all the hardships I’ve endured over the years,” Ronan scoffed to himself. He craved far more: wealth, glory, and lots of money.
As long as Alexandra still harbored even a shred of affection for him, he could ride her coattails to climb the social ladder and secure endless riches for the rest of his life.
Seeing that Ronan was following the plan obediently, Kendra left him there with confidence.
As for Kendra, she left with her maids, waiting for the opportune moment to return with others and catch Alexandra in the act.
Inside the chamber, only Alexandra and Ronan remained.
Gazing at the dazzling and alluring Alexandra, Ronan’s eyes glinted with greedy desire as he swallowed hard.
Alexandra had hardly changed at all – she was just as stunning as ever.
Her meticulously cared-for face and hands were as delicate and smooth.
Ronan took a cautious step forward and murmured softly, “My lady, it’s me – Ronan.”
For a moment, his words seemed to transport them back to the old days.
He had been her loyal guard while she was that innocent, sheltered young heiress.
In her drug-induced haze, Alexandra saw a man approaching. She recognized him instantly and, mustering what little strength she had left, spat out an icy command: “Get out. Just get out.”
Years in power had given her an effortless authority – she commanded respect without ever needing to raise her voice.
Even Ronan froze in his tracks, startled. But with such a golden opportunity practically at his fingertips, he couldn’t possibly let it slip away.
Summoning his courage, he stepped forward with a smooth smile and said, “My lady, have you forgotten me? Not a single day has passed without thoughts of you.”
At that moment, he inched his way to the edge of the bed. He even had the audacity to reach for Alexandra’s hand.
Alexandra, both shocked and furious, mustered all her strength to roar – yet what emerged was but a feeble whisper: “How dare you…”
Far from deterring him, her weak resistance only made Ronan think, ‘She’s just playing hard to get.’
“My lady,” Ronan pleaded, dropping to his knees before Alexandra and shuffling forward two steps. “I’ve never forgotten you – not for a single day. I swear by heaven and earth, my devotion is true. Please, just let me stay by your side.”
In Alexandra’s eyes, his groveling posture was utterly revolting.
Just as Ronan was about to make his move, the door suddenly burst open, startling him.
Before Ronan could even process what was happening, he was tossed out like a rag doll.
With a thunderous crash, he smashed the tables and chairs to splinters.
A flash of cold steel – before he could react, his neck burned hot as his throat was slit clean through.
Ronan’s eyes bulged lifelessly. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he’d die like this.
Jessa sheathed her sword, eyes filled with contempt. “Despicable scoundrel. You dare to assassinate…?”
Athena hurried to Alexandra. Seeing that her clothes remained undisturbed, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Athena produced a small vial of medicine from her sleeve and held it under Alexandra’s nose, letting her inhale the scent.
Before long, Alexandra breathed a deep sigh of relief and came to her senses.
Alexandra let out a sigh when she saw Athena standing before her. “To think it was you who saved me after all.”
“Mrs. Cavendish, let’s get you up first,” Athena said, helping Alexandra to her feet. But when she caught sight of Ronan’s corpse, her expression darkened instantly. “Where’s Xander?”
Athena replied calmly, “He should be arriving shortly.”
Sure enough, no sooner had she spoken than a commotion erupted outside. Kendra’s anxious voice drifted in, “Xander, slow down – maybe the servants were just mistaken?”
The voice belonged to none other than Kendra.
Fury flashed in Alexandra’s eyes. She clenched her fists tightly, her face twisted with barely contained fury.
Then she straightened her posture with composure, ready to face those about to enter.
The door burst open with a bang.
Leading the charge was Xander, with Issac and Kendra following close behind.
It was obvious from their demeanor that they were here to catch someone red-handed.
But when Xander took in the scene inside, his tense expression relaxed.
Ronan’s eyes were wide open in death, a clean slash across his throat sending blood pooling across the floor.
Kendra, faint-hearted and unaccustomed to such bloody scenes, gasped in horror, instinctively covered her mouth, and hid behind Xander.
But Xander unceremoniously yanked her out and flung her to the ground.
Kendra was thrown right in front of Ronan’s corpse. Frightened out of her wits, she scrambled backward on hands and knees, screaming, “Father, save me!”
She was the mastermind behind all this evil, yet she recoiled from the very sight of her own handiwork. What a sickening irony.
“Now, I’d like to hear exactly what’s going on here,” Xander said coldly, though the scene before him had already made everything clear.
The so-called catching them red-handed was just a sham – the real aim was to threaten Xander.
That entire birthday party was a complete sham. It was clearly a trap set for Alexandra.
‘How dare they scheme against my mother – this is absolutely unforgivable,’ he wondered.
Xander had expected Issac and Kendra to finally realize their mistakes.
To Xander’s shock, Kendra crawled to his feet, desperately clutching at the hem of his robe as she wept, “Xander, I beg you – please save me. I can’t marry into Nortcold. You’re my only hope."
“Xander, as long as you take me as your concubine, I swear not a word of what happened today will ever get out. I will be eternally grateful for your kindness.”
Her shamelessness defied all imagination. Her scheme exposed, she didn’t even think to apologize – how dare she still try to threaten?
Athena strode forward and seized Kendra by the hair. A sharp cry of pain tore from Kendra as agony shot through her scalp.
Before Kendra’s cry could even fully escape her lips, Athena gave her a resounding slap across the face.
The slap landed with such force that Kendra saw stars, her cheek burning with stinging pain.
Driven by paternal fury, Issac pointed at Athena and bellowed, “Even as the Princess Consort, you have no right to strike my daughter without cause.”
Athena ignored him completely and delivered another stinging slap across Kendra’s face.
After being slapped twice in a row, Kendra curled into a ball, clutching her face. Her eyes, fixed on Athena, burned with hatred and terror.
“Don’t think a mere beating is all you deserve today – I could kill you right now and it would be justified.
“If it weren’t for your upcoming political marriage, do you really think the Xander Manor would let you off so easily?” Athena pointed at Ronan’s corpse and hissed, “See how he died? That’s exactly what’s waiting for you.”
The sheer ferocity of Athena’s demeanor struck Kendra and Issac dumb with terror.
Too scared to confront Athena directly, Kendra turned desperately to Alexandra and begged, her voice trembling, “Mrs. Cavendish, please say something. Save me, please.”
Alexandra let out a soft sigh, her face clouded with sorrow. She extended her hand, and her handmaiden hurried to help her to her feet.
Alexandra strode up to Kendra. Kendra looked up at her with hopeful eyes – only to be met with a stinging slap across the face, mirroring Athena’s earlier action.
Alexandra glared furiously and shouted, “You ungrateful wretch! After all the kindness I’ve shown you – treating you differently from others because your mother died so young – is this how you repay me?”
Alexandra put every ounce of her strength into that slap. She now hated Kendra as deeply as she had once loved her.
However, before delivering the slap, Alexandra deliberately removed her ornamental finger guards.
If Kendra’s face were marred, she wouldn’t be eligible to marry into Nortcold.
“From this day forth, the Xander Manor severs all ties with Issac’s household. You are on your own now,” Alexandra declared coldly, shooting Kendra an icy glare before allowing her attendants to escort her from the chamber.
Xander said coldly, “Nortcold is thousands of miles away – you’ll likely never return in this lifetime. The old king may be on his last legs, but all his sons are young and vigorous. Your so-called ‘good fortune’ is only just beginning.”
Nortcold’s custom was special. If a father died, his son could marry his queen. Should that son die, his uncles would be next to claim her.
At the thought of those brutal men, Kendra felt chilled to the bone.
Trembling with fear, she hugged herself tightly, muttering incessantly, “No, I won’t marry into Nortcold. I won’t.”