Chapter 36 - What Do You Think About Mariage?

Leila calmly observed the situation from her office. After the pictures of Alex and Eliott had been posted online and the public had definitely changed their view and opinion of Alex, she couldn't help but congratulate the two girls for handling the scandal so perfectly. She watched Alex's popularity grow minute by minute. Aria was definitely no longer welcome in the world of entertainment, and Alex had managed to turn the tables on her with simple gestures.

Seeing how quickly and deftly Alex had ended the scandal, Leila could not help but think, 'This is why you should not mess with the quiet ones. They are the most horrible.' At first, she was worried about Alex's future as the wife of the CEO of ROYAL CORP. She thought it might be hard for her, and that she might be too soft to stand up to the vultures that would soon circle around her brother as he became more and more of a public figure. But the way she was handling things was very reassuring. Leila felt more at ease knowing that she was not an easy target. 

Back at home, Alex could not help but think about her conversation with Eliott. She was aware that he had certainly done research on her background, so she was not particularly bothered by that fact. What did make her uncomfortable was the fact that he might know why she had this immense fear of men's touch that made her sick. She was not ready to reveal to anyone what had happened to her. That was why, even with her best friend Fidelia, she had hesitated as long as she could before telling her. 

She was in a relationship with Eliott now and felt strongly that she could trust him completely, but she did not know if the relationship would last or not. Besides, it was her first relationship and she did not want to ruin everything because of her past. She was scared, even if she thought it was a stupid thought, she couldn't help but fear that he would not like her if he knew. 

She was desperate to know what exactly Eliott knew about her. She couldn't be at ease not knowing what he exactly knew about her. So she went out onto her terrace, where she happened to come face to face with Eliott, who was also standing on his terrace.

"I knew you would come..." Eliott smiled sweetly and looked up at the stars.

Alex determined to ask him what exactly he knew, could not say anything and settled for a smile...

"I am listening to you! I know you had questions for me..."

"What exactly do you know about me?"

"Not much, some elements of your past and how you have spent your life so far in New Bell, why?" Eliott looked at her with a small smile, a hand on his cheek.

"You don't know anything about the reason for my androphobia?" Alex was careful with this question, she was so nervous she had her hands pressed tightly into her robes.

Eliott could feel how nervous she was, and he already guessed what the reason was, "As I told you before, I am waiting for you to tell me that information yourself..."

Although he already knew what had happened to her, Eliott really hoped that Alex would tell him herself. It would show that she trusted him at some point, because it was certainly one of the most important things that had happened in her life, and one of the most difficult things she had to share with him.

"I see, thank you for giving me this opportunity." Alex was visibly relieved as a small smile appeared on her face.

Eliott could see in her eyes that she was not ready to tell him what had happened. It didn't sadden him, after all, she was his future wife, they had their whole lives ahead of them so she had all the time in the world to open up to him. Eliott remembered the promise of marriage and thought that maybe it would be better if he talked to her about it in person, given their current relationship. 

He didn't know how Alex would take it or if she would even accept it, after all, she had nothing to do with the Porter family anymore; since her mother was no longer alive, she was under no obligation to keep the promise. He began to think a lot about the feasibility of their marriage. To him, she was the one made for him; he could think of no other than her as his wife. Her smile was already everything to him and thinking of marrying someone else was something he wouldn't even want to imagine.

To be sure, and to know how to address the proposal to her, Eliott thought he should quickly learn her position on the subject, so as not to present her with a fait accompli.

"What do you think of marriage?"

Alex was surprised by the question. She could not make the connexion between what they had been talking about the second before and his question. 

"Not much, to me, it's kind of hypocritical. People swear to each other that they will love each other all their lives, for better or worse, but after that, they just betrayed or used each other. They sacrificed the people they swore to love until death and stabbed themselves in the back. I don't believe in marriage vows; I didn't have a good example, as you know... I believe that people can love each other and live their lives without being bound by marriage," she answered, still looking at the stars quietly.

Eliott was not particularly surprised by Alex's answer. With her past and what she had been through because of her parents' marriage, it was not surprising that she didn't have a good opinion of marriage.

"Do you remember our first conversation on this terrace?"

"Yes, of course, we were talking about how you need to find a woman to spend the rest of your life with..." Alex paused halfway through when she realised where the conversation was going.

"I think I found the one I needed and wanted..." Eliott looked deeply at her, his golden eyes shining and sparkling in the dim nightlight.

Alex was a little caught off guard, but she didn't let that stop her from fixing her blue eyes on Eliott, "I..."

Before she could even begin her sentence, the doorbell at Eliott's door began to ring furiously. They were both surprised by the noise. They looked into each other's eyes for a while before Eliott told her that they should have this conversation later.

Alex was a little relieved because she did not know how to answer him. When she told him that she wanted to be with "Eliott" and not Ethan, she had completely forgotten about that conversation. He was looking for a wife and she was afraid of marriage!

Eliott, furious at being interrupted, went to the door and opened it without seeing who it was. Leila entered without any diplomacy, kicked off her shoes whenever she wanted and went straight to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, took the food stored there and put it in the microwave.

Eliott put her shoes in the shoe cabinet behind it and joined his sister in the kitchen.

"What are you doing here so late at night?"

"I was hungry and I know you always have something to eat, besides, it's not like you have a girlfriend or wherever I can catch you in bed with!!!" she grinned at her brother.

"Well, you do not have a life...." Eliott returned the grin, watching with satisfaction as Leila's smile disappeared from her face and was replaced by a pout.