The Billionaire's Forbidden Longing

Jessa laughed, "Not bad, Victor. Looks like you finally get it! I've heard about Liliana. A lot of what happened to her is on you. You can't keep letting her take the fall for you. A real man doesn't let his woman get hurt!"

Victor stayed quiet. He knew she was right, which is why he had a long talk with Aiden.

At dinner, the whole family was together for once. Allison brought out a small bottle of homemade medicinal wine for Aiden. "I made this myself. It's not very strong, so you can have a little now and then."

Aiden was thrilled. He had a small glass and was completely satisfied. Teddy, on the other hand, kept his distance from the alcohol, remembering the last time he got in trouble for drinking.

After dinner, Allison went upstairs to change clothes. When she came back down, Alexander quickly followed her. "Where are you going?"

Allison replied, "I want to check on Kismet. I'm worried about her."

Alexander didn't say anything. He grabbed a coat and went out with Allison, making sure she was bundled up in a down jacket. "It's cold and snowy. You can't catch a cold."

Allison let Alexander wrap her up and they held hands as they left. Alexander didn't drive; the Carter family had a chauffeur. So, he sat in the backseat with Allison, holding her close. "Xavier's been doing well. He shouldn't be in prison for too long. I got him a good lawyer to try and reduce his sentence. His son-in-law and eldest son have been handling things on the outside, but those two..."

Allison squeezed Alexander's hand and stayed silent the whole way.

Soon they arrived at Serenity Manor. Hunter had taken over the private dining club and run it smoothly. There was no sign of the Ellis family anymore. Allison headed to the backyard. In Kismet's room, the TV was on, but Kismet was staring blankly at the screen. Even though the TV was making noise, her eyes were unfocused.

"Kismet, I'm here!" Allison knelt in front of Kismet. Kismet looked at her and started hitting her on the back with her fists. "Why did you take so long? Why now?"

Kismet's punches weren't strong, but each one landed on Allison's back. Alexander's eyes reddened with worry and he moved to intervene, but Allison stopped him with a look.

Frustrated, Alexander left the room. Allison leaned into Kismet's embrace and whispered, "Kismet, I'm sorry."

Kismet broke down in tears. Most of her family was in prison, and though Edith had tried to cause trouble, she had been kept away. But Kismet could still hear the hurtful things she said.

Kismet said, "Why are you apologizing? It's me who should be sorry. Who could have guessed Max would be so calculating? Xavier got dragged into this mess. I can't face you, or Valencia."

Allison wiped Kismet's tears, her eyes full of sympathy.noveldrama

"Don't think like that, Kismet. You still have me. Don't take the blame for others' mistakes. Xavier was deceived. He'll come back; it just takes time. Trust me, okay?"

Kismet nodded through her tears. At over eighty years old, the crying took a toll on her health. Allison helped her to bed, gave her some medicine, and massaged her until she felt better.

The Shaw family was taking care of Kismet. Allison went to see Hunter in the front.

"Where's Xavier's wife?" Allison asked.

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Hunter pointed across the street. "She used to live here, but she kept causing trouble, so we kicked her out. Now she lives over there and comes by every day to yell at us. We called the cops, but she hasn't stopped."

Allison glanced across the street and then at Alexander. "Handle it. Make sure she leaves Skycrest and never comes back. From now on, only Xavier can visit Kismet."

Alexander nodded, his eyes never leaving Allison's face. "Are you okay?"

Allison smiled, about to say she was fine, but then she coughed up blood. Hunter was shocked. "Ms. Bennett, you..."

Allison said, "I'm fine. Just need some medicine."

Alexander didn't say a word. He picked Allison up and took her to the hospital. Henry, seeing Allison brought in again, glared at Alexander. "Alexander, just because you invested in this hospital doesn't mean you can treat it like your home. She just got better and now she's back. Are you abusing her?"

Alexander shot Henry a fierce look. Henry sighed and examined Allison. "Her wound reopened from the impact. It's not serious. Bed rest for three days and take your meds."

Allison's special medicine worked better than an IV, so after a quick treatment, they went home.

Alexander carried Allison upstairs. Jessa heard them and came over. "Alexander, why are you back so late?"

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find the next chapter anywhere else. Happy reading! Alexander explained, "Allison went to see Kismet."

Jessa knew what had happened with Kismet and had even stayed with her in Suncrest City for a while. "Allison must be really upset. Take good care of her."

Alexander hurriedly took Allison upstairs. She was already asleep from exhaustion. He gently wiped her face and hands with a warm towel and changed her clothes. So much had happened recently that they hadn't had time to talk. Alexander sighed, took a shower, and lay down next to Allison.

That night, Allison didn't sleep well. In her dreams, she was back to when Valencia passed away. It was just as cold, and Serenity Manor had no heating.

Allison lay in bed, tightly holding Valencia's hand, listening to her final words. "Don't go home. Stay here. With Kismet around, you won't go hungry. Allison, the Bennett family are bad people. Don't trust them. You have to live well. I believe you can make a life for yourself."

Valencia continued, "I left you some money. It's not much, but it's in the bank. The password is your birthday, and the key is the gem I gave you. Allison, I'm entrusting the Bishop family to you. You're still young, and the Bennett family will try to take everything from you. Remember, you're the Bishop family heir. Even if you die, don't let our legacy fall into others' hands. Understand?"

Valencia added, "Don't trust that deceitful man. He lied to me my whole life, but I don't regret it because I met you, my child. My happiness is in you. Live well, live better than anyone else, and be happy."

In her sleep, Allison cried loudly. Alexander woke up and held her close. "Allison, you still have me. I'm here. Don't cry, it's okay."

Allison murmured, "Valencia, don't leave me!"

Alexander's heart ached. He gently patted her back, feeling his own pain. "It's okay. I'm here. No one will leave you. Don't cry, sweetheart."