Chapter 542

Elizabeth shot a look of pure disdain at the two guys, sidestepped them, and headed straight for the bus stop. Back in the day, she would’ve jumped at the chance to go with Alexander. Or maybe, just to mess with him, she’d have gone with Ivan. But now, Elizabeth had grown up.

“Elizabeth, are you dodging this?” Ivan suddenly blurted out. “Remember what you said in the car?” She had told him there was no chance with Alexander. So why was she ducking out now when Ivan asked her to choose?

“I’m not dodging anything; I just don’t want to deal with either of you,” Elizabeth snapped at Ivan. ‘Seriously, Ivan, quit being a pain,’ she thought.

Just then, the bus pulled up, and Elizabeth hopped on without a second thought. She glanced out the window. Alexander was just standing there, staring at her, saying nothing. And Ivan? His smug face screamed mockery.

Elizabeth could tell Ivan was testing the waters, trying to see if there was still a spark between her and Alexander. She didn’t want to be anyone’s spectacle.

The bus rolled away. Ivan let out a sigh. Alexander turned to get in his car, but Ivan called out, “Alexander.”

Alexander shot him a cold look, clearly annoyed.

“I was testing for you. Elizabeth really doesn’t have feelings for you anymore,” Ivan said, acting like he was doing Alexander a favor.

Alexander couldn’t care less. “Mind your own business,” he snapped.

Ivan pressed on, “Can’t you see I’m trying to help?”

“You?” Alexander gave him a once-over and smirked. Ivan’s intentions were anything but good.

As Alexander’s car passed Ivan, he honked the horn, making Ivan’s ears ring. Ivan cursed, “You just don’t get it!”

Alexander glanced in the rearview mirror and smirked. He knew exactly what was up. Ivan wanted Elizabeth for himself but didn’t want to mess up their friendship, so he kept testing the waters—seeing if Elizabeth still had feelings for Alexander, and vice versa. At least Ivan had some decency and wasn’t making a direct move.

Suddenly, Alexander’s phone rang. It was Nolan.

“Mr. Tudor, where are you?” Nolan asked. ‘Why have you been disappearing without a word lately, coming to work late and leaving early?’ Nolan wondered. This wasn’t like Alexander.

Alexander frowned and replied calmly, “The research institute.”

Nolan got the hint and said, “Alright. Mr. Tudor, we got an invite to a jewelry exhibition. It’s hosted by the Shawn Group, probably Ivan, so you need to go.”

Alexander responded coolly and hung up. Ivan had always been into jewelry, but he couldn’t design, so he just admired it. He had a jewelry brand under his name with some top designers. It had been quiet for years, just waiting for the right moment. Looked like Ivan was finally launching his brand.

Since it was Ivan’s event, Alexander had to show up. Even though Ivan had been chasing Elizabeth, they weren’t enemies, and their friendship was still intact. But for some reason, Alexander found himself driving to the gate of Percy Villa.

Elizabeth’s room light was on. He rolled down the car window and stared at her window, feeling a pang of sadness. A chilly breeze blew in, making him shiver. Alexander leaned back in his seat, instinctively pulling out his phone to text Elizabeth.