Love's Tangled Web (Alex and Ellie)

Chapter 96

Halfway through the banquet, Alex suddenly appeared, causing quite a stir.

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In front of everyone, Alex grabbed two copies of the stock transfer agreement from Evan's hands and glanced over them without much care.

With his gaze slowly shifted to Ellie, he slightly parted his lips, saying, "Don't you feel guilty about taking so much shares?"

Ellie, trying to calm her nerves, bravely spoke up, "They are gifts from Grandpa, Dad and Mom, so I don't feel guilty."

Alex said, "You'd really do anything for money, wouldn't you?"

Alex let out a heavy, mocking snort. "As long as I'm here, don't even think about joining the Warren family with that identity."

With a tearing sound, Alex ripped the documents in his hands in half.

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, he shredded them into pieces.

In the next moment, Alex forcefully tossed the shredded documents into the air.

The tiny scraps of paper floated down like snowflakes over Ellie's head.

Ellie and Alex stood just a step away from each other, locking eyes.

The bold look in Alex's eyes made Ellie anxious. She gripped the hem of her dress tightly at her side, trying hard to control herself. She bit her lower lip and said nothing. The guests in the hall gathered around curiously.

One asked, "What's going on? Why won't Alex agree with the adoption?"

Someone said, "I knew there was more to this adoption than met the eye."

Another said, "They give away so much stock so easily. There must be something shady going on."

The rich families were always involved in so much drama. Everyone had already guessed about the recent share transfer.

Now, Alex suddenly appeared and tore up the documents in public to stop the adoption, giving everyone even more to gossip about.

Seeing Alex tear up the share transfer documents in public, Haley couldn't hide the smug smile on her face.

"Shut up." Todd was the first to stand up and scold Alex.

Instead of backing down, Alex moved a step closer to Ellie.

Seeing Aaron stand up, Alex dared him and said, "Aaron, this is between me and her, so don't interfere."

"You're wrong. She's my sister, and I have every right to get involved in anything about her," Aaron replied with a slight

frown.

Carlos stopped Aaron, pulling him back to his seat. "Aaron, sit down."

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Chapter 96

Aaron respected the elders of the Warren family, so he sat back down after hesitating for a moment.

Alex stood so close to Ellie that if she just tilted her head up, they would almost be breathing the same air.

Ellie instinctively stepped back, but Alex moved closer again.

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Backing into a corner with nowhere else for Ellie to go, Alex fixed his gaze at her. Then, in front of everyone, he said, "Ellie, I'm giving you one last chance. Either go upstairs and behave yourself, or leave here right now." Ellie retorted, "What if I choose neither option?"

As their eyes met, Alex had a mischievous grin on his lips.

With his hands behind his back, Alex leaned closer to Ellie and spoke in a voice only she could hear, "If you're not going to choose either of the two paths, then let's take a third one."

Ellie's heart was racing wildly, but she tried to stay calm. "What exactly do you want to do?"

Alex kept his position, whispering in Ellie's ear, "I just want some clarity. Would a woman who secretly loved me for seven years be okay with being my sister?"

It was like a bolt of lightning struck Ellie. She was left standing there, stunned.

Ellie felt as though all her blood was drained in an instant. Her face turned ghostly pale, and her knees almost buckled beneath her.

She thought, 'How could he know that?'

"Ellie." Lacey rushed forward to support Ellie when she noticed Ellie's face looked terrible.

Barely keeping herself steady with Lacey's help, Ellie was in complete disarray.

The atmosphere was tense and eerie.

The large living room was suddenly crowded with people, all of them talking at once.

"What does Alex mean by this?"

"Did you see how Alex looked at that girl? Their relationship is definitely not simple."

"There must be more to the story, or why else would the Warren family give her so many shares?"

"Adoption isn't a small deal, yet only her brother showed up. Her parents aren't even here."

"She grew up as close friends with Alex. There's no way she'd pass up a chance like this. She must be pregnant."

"Ms. Haley Owens caught Alex and his adopted sister at a hotel in Ameria."

As the murmurs became more cutting, the faces of the Warren family elders grew darker.

Nancy was clearly holding back her emotions as she warned Alex "Are you guys hiding something from me?"

Alex's gaze was locked onto Ellie's face as he deliberately said, "Let her explain."

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After what felt like an eternity, Ellie finally found her voice. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Their eyes met, and Alex's gaze was filled with a frightening emotion. He asked, "Are you sure you don't know?" Ellie claimed, "I don't know."

Alex said, "If you can't understand it when you are here, we'll talk about it in your apartment balcony."

Ellie stumbled back several steps.

She wondered, 'I've been so careful. How did he find it out?'

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Lacey could clearly feel something was wrong with Ellie, so she supported Ellie and snapped at Alex, "Alex, you keep trying to stop this adoption because you're afraid Ellie will take your inheritance, aren't you? If you're a man, just say it openly." Seizing the moment, Haley chimed in. "That's right, Alex. Everyone is watching. If you've got something to say, share it here and let everyone judge fairly."

Ellie looked at Haley, who returned a victorious smirk with her eyes filled with schemes she couldn't even hide.

Ellie turned her gaze back to Alex, meeting his eyes again with a determined expression. "I'm a bit slow with hints, so if you have something to say, just say it straight."

Alex's eyes narrowed, catching in Ellie's brief moment of distraction.

With that same stubborn demeanor, he said, "Then I'll talk right here."

He continued, "In the cabinet on your apartment's balcony, there's something hidden."

"Alex." As Alex had just begun to speak, Carlos suddenly interrupted him.

Ellie was so nervous that her heart beat very fast. She struggled to stay calm.

Carlos slowly stood up and said, "You two follow me to the side room."

As soon as Carlos spoke, Alex began heading to the room beside

Ellie looked over at Aaron, who then came up to Ellie with a flicker in his eyes. Aaron said, "You still have a choice. If you don't want to go, I can take you away right now."

Choices made when there was no way out were always painful but also a source of strength.

Ellie shook her head firmly. "I'm okay, Aaron."

In the side room in the north wing of the main hall of the Warren Manor, Carlos sat on the sofa with Alex's parents beside him. In the middle of the room stood Alex and Ellie, with Aaron next to Ellie. Layton was standing inside the side room, while outside waited the head butler, Evan.

Haley was about to enter but was stopped by Evan.

After Evan finished speaking, he closed the glass door of the side room.

Inside the side room, the atmosphere was tense and heavy..

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Carlos looked at Alex and said with a stern expression and an unquestionable tone, "Now you can tell us, what exactly is hidden in Ellie's balcony cabinet?" Carlos added, "What does it have to do with the adoption?"