My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 101

Alexander’s POV

Bella stood up and walked over to the balcony door, seemingly waiting for me to finish my phone call. She took a step forward and said, "Alexander."

I slipped my phone into my pocket. "Aunt, why aren’t you sitting in the living room?"

She glanced toward Vivienne in the living room before responding, "I wanted to ask what your plans are." It was clear she was referring to our marriage.

I looked up and met Vivienne’s gaze from across the room. "Nothing in particular."

Bella seemed surprised. "Hasn’t Isabella Blackwood come back?"

"Yes."

"Then you’re not divorcing Vivienne?"

"Aunt, I have my own plans for that."

"I just don’t want you to suffer. You’re the best in the Hawthorne family, and Vivienne doesn’t deserve you. How could you even show off a wife like that? Your grandfather is ridiculous, bringing all sorts of people into the family and trying to set you two up. It’s absurd!"

"Aunt, I don’t feel wronged. Please don’t bring this up again."

Bella looked at me disapprovingly. "But didn’t you say you’d definitely divorce her?"

"Aunt!" I shot a cautious glance at Vivienne, making sure she hadn’t heard.

"Ugh, you’re growing up and have your own mind now," Bella said as she turned and left the living room.

I sat back down beside Vivienne. "You know how Bella is—she’s been headstrong for decades. Please don’t mind her."

Vivienne smiled. "I know. I hardly see her more than twice a year, so I won’t mind."

Vivienne’s POV

In the evening, Alexander needed to take Bella’s place and pick up Grace from kindergarten.

I didn’t want to be alone with Bella, so I decided to go with him.

On the way, I asked Alexander, "How old is Grace now? What grade is she in?"

"She’s four and still in kindergarten," he replied.

I was a little surprised. "Four?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

I hadn’t expected Bella to adopt such a young girl.

"Yeah, she calls Bella ’Grandma’ and me ’Uncle.’"

The car pulled into the parking lot next to the kindergarten. Alexander stood by the car door, dressed in a sharp suit. His tall frame was perfectly proportioned—broad shoulders, a narrow waist. His hand rested on the roof of the car, and as he moved, the well-fitted suit emphasized his strong build, subtly outlining his muscles.

The allure of a mature man always seemed to appear when you least expected it.

As the school day ended, a line of children streamed out of the kindergarten, rushing toward their parents.

Alexander was scanning the kids carefully when suddenly, a small figure in pink dashed toward him. Grace ran up and hugged his leg, looking up with a bright smile, shouting, "Uncle! You came to see me!"

Alexander bent down and effortlessly scooped Grace up. "Yes, Uncle came to see you. Did you miss me?"

Grace wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Her soft voice replied, "Yes."

Alexander smiled and opened the backseat door. "I’m going to sit in the passenger seat."

"You’re too small. You’ll have to wait until you’re older to sit there."

Grace, her bright dark eyes wide with determination, looked up at him and said earnestly, "Then you have to save the passenger seat for me!"

Alexander chuckled but didn’t respond, gently placing Grace in the backseat.

Once Grace was settled, I turned around from the front passenger seat and smiled at her. "Hello, Grace."

Grace stared at me for a moment, her little lips pursed in confusion. "Who are you? Why are you sitting in Uncle’s passenger seat?"

Her pout was so cute it made me laugh. "I’m your Uncle’s wife."

Grace’s eyes widened in disbelief. "No way! Really? Ask your Uncle!"

She looked at Alexander, who had just settled into the driver’s seat, and pouted. "Uncle, is this woman your wife?"

Alexander buckled his seatbelt, glanced at the rearview mirror, and nodded. "Yes, she’s my wife. You should call her Aunt Vivienne, or just Vivienne."

Grace pulled a sad face, sighed dramatically like an adult, and declared, "Uncle, I don’t like you anymore! I’m not talking to you! Hmph!"

I chuckled, unbuckled my seatbelt, and slid into the back seat. "I’ll sit with Grace in the back."

The little girl, unusually mature for her age, looked at me and said, "You’re my rival!"

I couldn’t help but laugh at her serious little face. "Yep, I’m your rival. Hahahaha."

Just then, Alexander’s phone rang. He put on his Bluetooth headset and answered the call. "...What happened?"

His tone instantly grew serious, and I could see him frowning in the rearview mirror.

The person on the other end said something, and Alexander replied, "Enough! No more excuses, just hold things together. I’ll deal with it when I get there!"

He hung up, removed the Bluetooth headset, and tossed it into the storage compartment.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The employees at our New York branch messed up. I have to go back and take care of it," Alexander said, glancing at me through the rearview mirror.

"How long will you be gone?"

"Two days. What are you planning to do? Want to come with me?"

"No, I think I’ll head back to Virellia City first."

"Alright, I’ll have my secretary pick you up when you get there."

"Thanks."

"Where is Virellia City?" Grace, who had been eavesdropping, asked.

Alexander chuckled. "Grace, aren’t you ignoring me?"

"Hmph," Grace lifted her chin. "I didn’t ask you. I asked Vivienne."

I looked at her sly little face, exchanged a glance with Alexander, and smiled. "Virellia City is your uncle’s hometown. If you ever get the chance, maybe your grandma can take you there to visit."

The little girl nodded seriously. "I’ll definitely go."

Kids can change moods so quickly. Just a moment ago, she’d been ignoring Alexander, but now she was eager to share stories from school with him.

Once I got to know her better, I realized that Grace could talk non-stop.

When we got back to Bella’s house, I lifted Grace out of the car and took her inside.

As we walked, Grace suddenly stopped, looked up at me, and asked, "Why are you so pretty?"

I smiled softly at her compliment. "You’re pretty too, Grace."

She shook her head, sighing with a worried look on her face. "I’m pretty, but you’re older than me. What should I do to steal Uncle from you?"

I couldn’t help but laugh at her adult-like expression. "Uncle will always be your uncle."

"But I want to be his wife."

I knew she was just a child talking innocently, but I still couldn’t help but glance at Alexander’s retreating figure. My gaze felt sharp, like a knife.

It seemed this irritating man’s charm was so strong, it even attracted children.

Not long after, Grace leaned closer and whispered, "I think my grandma doesn’t want you to be my aunt."

I was surprised by how perceptive a four-year-old could be. "How did you figure that out?"

Grace pursed her lips. "When Uncle Alexander came over during the summer, he seemed to be meeting another aunt. I wanted to go with him, but he didn’t let me."

She looked around like a little thief, speaking in a sweet, childish voice. "My grandma really likes that aunt."

"Thank you for telling me, Grace. You’re very smart. But this is an adult matter, and we’ll handle it."

"Ugh, handsome men are all heartless. My uncle’s no exception." Grace looked troubled.

I smiled and gently patted her forehead.

The "other aunt" she mentioned was probably Isabella.

I had known about this for a while—during a business trip in July, Alexander had gone to meet Isabella. Hearing Grace mention it now didn’t stir much emotion in me.