Determination

"Alex," she said after a while, her voice hesitant.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you come after me?"

"I had a feeling you might need help," he admitted.

Selena frowned, her brow furrowing. "Why would you think that?"

"Call it intuition," he said, shrugging lightly. "You're headstrong, Selena. You don't back down, even when you probably should. I just... Had a feeling Nicholas wouldn't make things easy for you."

His words struck a chord within her, and she fell silent, unsure how to respond.

"Thank you," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alex glanced at her, his brows furrowing slightly. "For what?"

"For... Coming to get me," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't expect you to, but I'm glad you did."

Alex's expression softened a hint of warmth in his eyes. "You don't have to thank me, I couldn't afford to lose my partner. Do you know how hard it is to find a noblewoman crazy enough to hire me?"