章 24: Chapter 24 Who's The Real Substitude?
Alicia had a restless night at her grandpa's home and was knocked around by Louis again tonight, leaving her too drained to even have bad dreams. The next morning, she opened her eyes to find Louis had already bounced out of bed. She cautiously avoided her injured hand and got dressed before making her way to the bathroom. To her surprise, Louis had even squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush. She smiled and slowly brushed her teeth.
After getting ready, Alicia held onto the railing and went downstairs. Louis had already cooked up a storm and was setting it all up on the table. When he caught sight of her, his chiseled features broke into a warm smile, "Get over here and dig in. I made all your favorite dishes." He seemed to be in high spirits.
He was a handsome devil with a chiseled jawline, sharp brows like swords, and piercing eyes like stars. When he flashed his pearly whites, there was an air of affection and a dash of free-spiritedness that had people spellbound.
Alicia couldn't help but smile back, "Why didn't you holler for me? I could've helped."
Louis shook his head, "Your hand is still on the mend, and it's just a little favor for me."
Alicia took her seat at the table, and Louis passed her a spoon. Breakfast was a feast with scrambled eggs, steak, pan-fried salmon, tiramisu, toasted bread, and a plate of fresh fruit.
Alicia took a swig of her milk and took a bite of the salmon. Just then, she heard Louis say, "Alicia, let's have a kid. If you get pregnant, we won't split up."
Alicia was taken aback. Louis had always insisted on birth control before, and then he had proposed a divorce. She couldn't believe he would suddenly want a baby.
Alicia fell silent for a minute and then looked up at him seriously, "If I agree, can you stay away from Madelyn in the future?"
Louis's eyes flickered for a second, and then after a beat, he said, "She's got severe depression, and it's part of my responsibility. I consulted the doc, and emotional stability is crucial in her condition. If she's upset, she could kill herself. Plus, our two families have business ties and are in the same city, so we'll be running into each other often."
After all that talk, Alicia could read between the lines. "He was saying that he couldn't," she thought to herself.
Alicia forced a smile and lowered her gaze, staring at the scrambled eggs in her bowl, and murmured softly, "I can handle anything except sharing my man with another woman. I'm not as open-minded as you think. I'm sorry."
Louis paused for a beat before saying, "In my eyes, she's no different than Lilith."
Alicia sneered, "Lilith doesn't call you every night and beg you to come over, nor does she hug and cuddle with you."
Louis took a sip of water and spoke calmly, "No marriage is perfect. Most marriages require tolerating each other, being patient with each other, and understanding each other."
Alicia felt like there was more to his words. She thought for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Chuck has been gone for a while, there's no reason for you to put up with anything, and I don't want to put up with Madelyn either."
Louis's lips curved into a cold smile, his eyes deep and meaningful as he gazed at her for a long while, speaking enigmatically, "Is that right?"
Alicia kept quiet and kept her head down, eating her food. She knew that if they kept talking, things would only escalate into a heated argument, and that was the last thing their already fragile marriage needed. Despite everything, she still loved Louis, even though she was slow to warm up to people. When she did, she found it hard to let go.
Once they finished breakfast, Alicia got up to clean the dishes. But Louis wouldn't let her. He grabbed her hand and said, "Don't worry about cleaning up. You can either read at home or go shopping if you like."
Louis pulled out his wallet and handed her a card, "Take my card."
Alicia refused, "I have my own cash."
Louis shoved the card into her pocket and said, "The password is your birthday, 618618. Call the driver when you're ready to roll, and stay safe on the streets."
After Louis split, Alicia went out to purchase a birthday present for her mother-in-law, Paige. Paige was a famous wedding dress designer and the founder of the brand Paige Martinez. Previously, she had focused on her career in Paris, but she moved it back to this country this year.
Alicia didn't have much interaction with Paige, but she knew that she was sophisticated and aloof, and didn't talk a lot.
She headed to the Hermes store to select a bag for Paige. She picked a Birkin bag that cost more than 100 grand and needed to be matched with other items of similar value, like scarves and cushions.
As she was shopping, she heard a flirtatious voice behind her, "Alicia, are you also bagging a bag?"
Alicia's hair stood up, and she turned her head to see Madelyn. She was dressed in all designer clothing and accessories, clutching an expensive crocodile skin platinum bag, and walking with a haughty gait.
Alicia replied with a quiet "Mm-hmm."
Madelyn strolled up, asking the saleswoman beside her, "Which one did Alicia pick?"
The saleswoman picked up the amber-yellow bag that Alicia had selected and said, "This one, Miss Monroe."
Madelyn's eyes twinkled with a trace of sarcasm, gazing at the bag on Alicia's shoulder, which didn't seem to be a well-known brand. She sneered, "Alicia grew up in the boondocks, so she might not know anything about luxury goods."
Alicia's expression turned cold as she replied, "Thank you, but I'm also a regular customer here."
Alicia wasn't fixated on luxury goods. The bag she was carrying was just something she grabbed on her way out, not remembering the brand, but finding it convenient for holding her phone and makeup.
However, when it came to giving gifts during holidays, Alicia would select things that Lilith and Véronique appreciated. Lilith, in particular, loved Hermès bags, and Alicia had given her several.
Madelyn responded with a half-hearted "Oh," sarcastically saying, "You really aren't hesitant to burn Louis's dough, are you?"
Alicia flashed a smile, "He's my man. I'll spend however I want. You don't need to stick your nose in, outsider."
Madelyn snickered, "Louis and I go way back. We've got history. You're the newcomer here. Fun fact, my first Hermès bag was a gift from Louis."
Alicia couldn't be bothered with arguing, so she grabbed a bunch of items, including silk scarves, ashtrays, and blankets, totaling up to over 150 grand. She pulled out her card and handed it over, "Charge it, please."
The saleswoman took the card and headed to the register to ring it up. Alicia had to sign, so she walked over. Madelyn trailed behind, snickering, "That's Louis's card, right? You're only with him for the cash, aren't you?"
Alicia kept her cool and pulled out her phone, showing the message from the bank that confirmed she was the cardholder and after she had pay for all those just now, she still had over $20 million in her account.
Madelyn's face went from red to white, speechless for a hot minute. Alicia smirked, savoring the moment. She wasn't one to boast or compete, but sometimes, it was necessary to put someone in their place.
Most of the money came from the hefty breakup fee Louis had given her not long ago, along with the pocket money he'd sporadically thrown her way during their three-year marriage. Whenever he threw a fit, he compensated her with cash.
Before, Alicia would gripe about him using money to make things right, but now, it was satisfying. Alicia knew that his little gestures of flowers and bags for Madelyn couldn't even come close to what he'd done for her.
Louis never gave Alicia anything less than a hundred grand, be it a check or a gift.
After the receipt came out, Alicia elegantly grabbed the pen from the cashier and signed her name. The cashier handed her the card back.
Alicia pinched the bank card and flaunted it in front of Madelyn, teasingly quipping, "Bet you don't even have two million in your account, Miss Monroe. Don't try to impress me with your ignorance. It's pathetic. And that check you wrote me to ditch Louis? Don't ever try that again. You're making yourself look like a fool."
Madelyn twisted her face in bitterness, spitting out, "Why are you so high and mighty? If my mom hadn't forced me to move overseas three years ago, you wouldn't even have a chance with Louis. You're just a substitute for me to him."
"A substitute?" Alicia's face paled, her fingers clenching into a fist.
It was like a thorn lodged in her heart, a painful reminder.
Suddenly, a chilly voice came from behind her, "Miss Monroe, you should know that you're the substitute here."
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