The Billionaire's Forbidden Longing

When the doorbell rang, Alexander was the one who answered it.

Xavier had come by to drop off the food himself.

Seeing Alexander, he grinned and handed over the food containers. "Mr. Carter, you're here too. Awesome. These are all dishes Ms. Bennett loves. There's plenty, so dig in."

Alexander nodded, took the containers, and pulled out a card from his pocket to give to Xavier.

"Mr. Carter, no need for that. The Ellis family restaurants are owned by Ms. Bennett. We can't take your money," Xavier said.

"This is from Hunter," Alexander explained. "Ever since he started learning from Kismet, he's been wanting to show his gratitude, but Kismet wouldn't accept it. This is a token of his appreciation from the Shaw family. Please take it."

The Shaw family's restaurant chain was a big deal in the food industry, so keeping good relations with them was smart. That was one reason Kismet agreed to teach Hunter.

But the main reason was Hunter's dedication and passion for cooking. His meticulous approach really impressed Kismet.

"But my mom always said she didn't take students for the money," Xavier insisted.

Alexander smiled and slipped the card into Xavier's pocket. "I know. The restaurant used all your family's savings and borrowed money. This should be enough to pay off all the loans. You can talk to Kismet about whether to issue an IOU or give Hunter some shares."

This time, Xavier didn't refuse. He nodded and smiled. "Mr. Carter, you're thorough. With you by Ms. Bennett's side, we can relax."

Xavier looked at Alexander with relief before heading out.

Allison, noticing Alexander hadn't come back from the door, ran over. "What's going on? Did Xavier leave?"

Alexander nodded, bringing the food containers inside and setting them on the table, arranging the tableware neatly.

"Hunter knew Xavier and Kismet borrowed money to open the restaurant. He wanted to help but was worried about being refused, so he asked me to handle it. I gave the money to Xavier. Whether they write an IOU or give Hunter shares is up to them."

Allison hadn't expected Alexander to slip Xavier some money. "Alexander, do you think I'm broke now?"

Alexander laughed. "Do you want me to give you some cards too? Have you checked your account recently? You might find a surprise."

Check her account? Allison hadn't bothered to look because it was usually just a string of numbers plenty before, now probably just a few hundred dollars.

When she did check, she was stunned. "Where did all this money come from, Alexander? Are you crazy?"

Alexander pulled her down to sit on the couch. "Since we went public with our relationship, my dad transferred two hundred million dollars to your account. He was afraid you'd run away, and I wouldn't be able to get married, so he paid a deposit!" Allison burst out laughing. Who knew such a thing as a marriage deposit existed? "My dad wants us to have an engagement party this weekend. What do you think?" Alexander asked.

"So soon?" Allison thought about it and nodded. "Okay."

Alexander visibly relaxed, having feared she might say no.

Carl, sitting at the dining table, looked at the dishes with surprise. "These dishes are pretty good."

He picked up a fork and tasted them slowly. "The flavor is excellent."

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Alexander watched him, feeling an urge to punch him.

Allison and Cleo, used to Carl's behavior, just laughed.

"These are Kismet's dishes. She's a top-notch chef. Consider this meal a farewell gift," Alexander said.

Cleo felt something was off, but Alexander's smirk told her Carl was finally leaving.

Carl, fork in hand, couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "So you knew I was leaving?" Allison nodded. "You never stay in one place for more than a week. Today is the sixth day."

It was indeed Carl's habit, but now he didn't want to leave, though he knew he had to.

Carl said, "I reviewed the blueprints you drew. I'll finish them tonight. Tomorrow, the construction team will start. The funds will be transferred to the Bennett Group's account. Use them well."

Allison sighed. Did she look like someone who would misuse money?

Carl's efficiency meant that when he said work would start, it would start. Allison admired this about him.

Cleo, seeing Allison not asking too many questions, felt relieved. However, the handling of the funds still worried her.

Alexander informed his family about the engagement, keeping Jessa and Liliana busy.

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"Alexander never plans ahead. He's so annoying!" Liliana complained.

Jessa laughed. "He probably decided on the spur of the moment, also because Teddy is home."

Liliana nodded, then whispered, "Teddy hasn't left his room for two days. Do you think he still has feelings for Allison?"

Jessa sighed. "Allison is wonderful. Teddy just wasn't lucky enough. That fool spends all his time on research and doesn't understand these things. Otherwise, Allison would be my daughter-in-law. How great would that be?"

The more Jessa thought about it, the more she regretted it.

Liliana smiled. "Maybe it's Allison's destiny with the Carter family. It's wonderful."

News of Alexander's engagement spread quickly, but Allison was too busy with her third meeting with Benjamin to care.

Alexander didn't disturb her, working on similar tasks in the apartment. Cleo admired his composure.noveldrama

"Mr. Carter, how do you manage to stay so calm?" Cleo asked.

As someone in the know, Cleo was impressed by Alexander's patience.

"Allison trusts me. She didn't avoid me when doing this, which means she never intended to hide it from me. That's an honor for me. As for what I do, it doesn't matter if she knows or not," Alexander replied.

The more Cleo interacted with Alexander, the more she realized that he truly adored Allison, despite his cold exterior.

"Allison is devoted. Once she chose you, she won't waver. I've heard men here like to keep mistresses. Mr. Carter, if you ever do anything to hurt Allison, we won't let you off," Cleo said fiercely.

Alexander chuckled, handing her a piece of paper. "Transfer the funds to this account. I'll move them to the Bennett Group's account. Since it's for Allison, make sure every penny is well spent. From now on, I'll cover all her expenses."