Ugh ... Alaric really loved his privacy, he is just as paranoid as my dad, Aleksis complained in her head.

She would not be able to find this mansion on her own, because last night when she came here on Alaric's motorbike, it was very dark and she could not pay attention to her surroundings. This afternoon, too, they came out in a special car with dark tinted windows.

They did not talk to each other along the way. Aleksis thought Alaric would have preferred if Aleksis didn't talk to him in front of his men, so she chose to be quiet and only stroked her dog's back.

She calculated that it would take them about 15 minutes to arrive at the Continental Hotel. Hmm, she should be able to investigate Alaric's mansion's location by checking the places within a 15-min drive radius from the hotel.

Or ... she could also ask for a tracker from Carl or Sascha. She would then leave the tracker in this car and trace its location later.

With that thought in mind, Aleksis got out of the car and said goodbye to Alaric, "I'll go upstairs to pack my things. It will take a while though, do you want to wait in the lobby or come upstairs with me?"

If Alaric chose to go with her upstairs, Aleksis would have to think of an excuse on why she was staying in such a luxurious Continental Hotel penthouse ...

"There's no need. I'll go to my office and do something. You can meet me there later," Alaric said as he climbed out of the car.

"Okay..."

The two of them walked toward the elevator and entered together. Aleksis had to press the 50th-floor button when Alaric pressed the button corresponding to the 39th-floor. Aleksis couldn't let Alaric know that she was going to the highest floor.

Since the man kept his mansion's location a secret, Aleksis then would not tell him that she was actually staying in the penthouse.

"See you later ..." Alaric smiled sweetly. He then walked out of the elevator and headed to his office. Aleksis nodded. She exited on the 50th floor, in the hotel reception lobby, then re-entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 100th floor.

Three minutes later, she busied herself with stuffing some clothes, swimsuits, snorkel gear and books into her bag.

For a moment she was stunned, remembering that 8 years ago she also did the same, packing things like this to sail with Alaric. A smile slowly adorned her lips as she remembered their experience at that time. It was a very pleasant memory.

She unconsciously blushed, recalling that their first kiss was actually when Aleksis pretended to be drowning and Alaric had to give her a CPR.

So many things had happened during the past eight years, she thought. Alaric did many terrible things for his revenge, while Aleksis grew up trying to find him ...

The girl bit her lip and tried to think of how she could touch Alaric's heart and change his mind.

No matter what, she must succeed. Once she succeeded in convincing Alaric to correct his ways, then she would take him home and have him meet her family.

Aleksis knew she might have to work very hard, but given how she had looked for Alaric for years, she would not give up without a try. She would do her best to change his heart.

***

Alaric was sitting at his desk facing the stack of papers in front of him. Before him was Pavel with his arms folded across his chest while delivering his report.

"Ms. Aleksis is enrolled at St. Mary University and she'll be attending there starting this month. She is a transfer student. From the information I received, she was able to enter in the middle of the semester due to Kurt Van Der Ven's influence. That person is the CEO of the Schneider Group. She was referred to as Kurt Van Der Ven's niece, his sister's daughter, but because I cannot find information about this so-called sister, I suspect that she is actually his illegitimate daughter..."

"Hmm.. Kurt Van Der Ven's illegitimate child?" Alaric asked, so quietly, as if he was speaking to himself. He remembered Aleksis saying her father was working for the Schneider Group. Maybe she was really the daughter of Schneider Group's CEO.

This would explain why Aleksis could stay at the Continental Hotel despite her shabby appearance. She was probably really an illegitimate child and she was hidden by the family, so she was not used to looking rich.

Now he could guess why Aleksis had two fathers. Maybe her biological father was Van Der Ven, and because Aleksis was born out of wedlock, she was taken care of by others.? This must be why she was calling her Uncle Rory her godfather.

Hmm ... Aleksis unexpectedly have a complicated life, he thought.

Alaric doesn't care if Aleksis was an illegitimate daughter, or if her taste in fashion was bad. He liked the girl for her intelligence and very open nature. He also liked her because she accepted him as he was ...

Alaric remembered that Aleksis went to her hotel room to get clothes ... Ah, wouldn't that be a futile act considering how her clothes were all shabby and ugly?

It would be better if Alaric brought her to shop for clothes. He could provide insights to the girl and with that, her bad taste in fashion should improve a little...

He was about to ask Pavel to contact a famous boutique to close down their shop so he could bring Aleksis there when a sudden knock rang from the door to his office.

Aleksis opened the door and entered while carrying a luxurious duffel bag filled with her belongings. Alaric was surprised to see the girl walking in gracefully. She was wearing a very fashionable and expensive outfit, looking glamorous from head to toe.

Is this really Aleksis? He was astonished.

The girl looked very happy upon seeing Alaric's reaction. She deliberately wore a short dress that accentuated her figure. The pair of fancy sandals on her feet that had precious stones on them was one of the only 3 pairs ever produced in the world. She did not want to look old-fashioned and shabby in front of this man who had stolen her heart.

Her blue-green eyes seemed to glow with joy and her beautiful face was now framed by her beautiful honey-colored hair. Aleksis was truly the most beautiful woman Alaric had ever seen in his entire (long) life.

Aleksis' sweet smile enchanted Alaric. The girl intentionally looked her best today. She wanted to make sure Alaric would not glance at other girls again after seeing her in her beautiful, stunning, original appearance.

"You ... you're so beautiful ..." Alaric murmured in a deep voice. He swallowed hard and tried to keep his cool.

Initially, he really thought Aleksis had a bad taste in fashion ... But now he was starting to suspect that she was hiding her beauty for some reason.

He could not help the turmoil in his chest which immediately felt tight because he was fascinated by his woman's breathtaking beauty.