The Wife You Buried Is Back from Hell novel Chapter 1049

Danielle needed to grab some materials from her car. As she walked out of the parking garage, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure standing under a nearby streetlight. It was Alexander. He stood there in his dark gray suit, a lit cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling into the night air. His face was half-hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable, but she could tell he was waiting for her. Danielle paused for a fraction of a second before continuing on her way, pretending not to see him. She had drawn a line between them long ago and saw no reason to stop for him now.

"Danielle." His deep voice, tinged with a tension she couldn't quite place, called out from behind her. Her fingers tightened around the files in her hand. She stopped and slowly turned around. The streetlight cast a glow on her face, illuminating her calm, emotionless eyes. She looked at Alexander, waiting for him to speak.

He extinguished the cigarette, tossed it into a nearby trash can, and walked toward her. He stopped a few feet away, his gaze heavy as he delivered an unmistakable warning: "Stay away from Harold." Danielle looked at him as if he'd told a joke, raising an eyebrow. "Alexander," she said, her tone laced with sarcasm, "what right do you have to tell me what to do?"

The air grew still. Alexander's Adam's apple bobbed as he stared at the cold distance in her eyes. The words he'd been about to say caught in his throat, and silence stretched between them. After a few moments, he spoke again, his voice softer but still carrying a lecturing tone. "You know what I'm talking about. There's no need to be difficult. We're both adults; we should act like it. Harold is a calculating man. You don't know what he's really like."

"'Mature'?" Danielle let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "Alexander, have you forgotten that we have nothing to do with each other anymore? Who I see, who I befriend—that's my business. Who are you to lecture me?" She took a step closer, her eyes flashing with anger. "When you chose Millie, when you forced me into a divorce with the silent treatment, did the word 'mature' ever cross your mind? And now you have the audacity to dictate my life? Don't you find that laughable?"

Alexander's face went pale. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but Danielle cut him off. "I don't need you to tell me who to keep my distance from, and I certainly don't need you to lecture me on how to live my life. From now on, stay out of my business." With that, she turned her back on him and walked away. Alexander stood frozen, watching her retreat into the darkness, a sharp, piercing pain spreading through his chest. He didn't know how things had gotten to this point.

Before Danielle could get far, Lorie's sugary voice called out, dripping with deliberate intimacy. "Alex, what are you doing standing out here? I've been looking all over for you." Danielle glanced back to see Lorie, dazzling in a sequined gown and flawless makeup, hurrying toward Alexander. When Lorie saw Danielle, a flicker of hostility crossed her face before it was replaced by a saccharine smile. She reached out and intimately linked her arm with Alexander's, leaning against him in a clear display of possession.

"I was just having a word with Ms. Crawford," Alexander said coolly, instinctively trying to pull his arm away, but Lorie held on tight.

Lorie ignored Alexander's stiffness and turned to Danielle, a smug smile on her face. "Oh, Chief Engineer Crawford, you're still here?"