The Billionaire's Forbidden Longing

Allison was completely unaware of all this; she thought Thalia was defending her because of Cleo's request. In fact, Cleo had sought help from Alexander.

Just as the food arrived, the door to the private room swung open, and in walked someone.

Allison looked up and saw Alexander leading the way, her eyes wide with surprise. "Alexander, you eating here too?"

Alexander gave a slight nod, glanced at Allison, and then took a seat next to Liliana. "Just passing by and thought I'd grab a bite. Didn't expect to see you and Mia here. Can I join you guys?" Liliana was thrilled and quickly ordered more dishes.

James plopped down next to Allison. "Ms. Bennett, what a coincidence!"

Allison gave a polite nod, then turned her attention to Alexander, who was chatting with Liliana. For some reason, she felt a bit uneasy.

Thalia, watching the interaction between Allison and Alexander, frowned slightly.

If she remembered right, Alexander was at least ten years older than Allison. That was quite the age gap!

But she didn't dare pry into Alexander's private life.

When the food came, Allison ate gracefully, not making a sound with her knife and fork while cutting her steak. Liliana watched her, feeling quite pleased.

In the middle of eating, a bowl of soup appeared in front of Allison.

She looked at Alexander in surprise, only to hear him say casually, "This soup's good. If you don't like greasy food, try this."

Alexander clearly knew Allison didn't like greasy food and ate very little meat. She could never finish a steak, but out of politeness, she'd always try.

Seeing this, Liliana was surprised, glancing between Alexander and Allison, her expression shifting.

Though Alexander didn't show much concern for Allison during the meal, he kept placing dishes she liked in front of her, making her feel a bit embarrassed. After the meal, she quickly headed home.novelbin

James was in charge of taking her home. After Allison left, Liliana turned to her brother, Alexander. "Spill it, what's going on with you and Allison?"

Alexander glanced at Thalia and Mia in the room, and Thalia got the hint, pulling Mia outside.

Once they were gone, Liliana asked, "You like Allison?"

Alexander nodded without hesitation. "I like her!"

Liliana almost lost it. "Alexander, are you nuts? Allison's only eighteen! You're an old man lusting after an eighteen-year-old girl. Isn't that too much?" Alexander wasn't thrilled with Liliana's rant. "Age is just a number!"

Seeing Alexander's serious face, it was clear this wasn't a joke. Liliana felt exasperated. "What about Allison? Does she like you?"

Seeing Alexander go silent, Liliana burst into laughter. Alexander didn't feel embarrassed by her gloating. Love always happened unexpectedly. Allison was still young, and he had plenty of time to wait for her to grow up. For Alexander, the age difference didn't really matter.

Since mediation failed, the court trial started soon. It was supposed to be closed, but on the trial day, a bunch of reporters gathered at the courthouse entrance. Thalia sat in the car, looking at Allison with concern. "This must be Ronan's trick. He loves using public opinion to sway the court. Allison, be careful!" Allison nodded. Facing the reporters made her nervous, but she knew being scared wouldn't help. She had to face it head-on.

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience-all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you!

As soon as Allison got out of the car, reporters swarmed her. "Ms. Bennett, we heard you were promiscuous in middle school and even had an abortion. Is that true?"

"Yeah, Ms. Bennett, someone said the feud between you and Ms. Brown is because you seduced her fiancé. Is that true?"

The reporters surged forward, shoving their mics in Allison's face, almost poking her eyes out.

Thalia was fuming and stepped in to block the mics. "Hey, this is a courthouse, not a circus! Show some respect! And just so you know, I'm recording everything. Any defamatory comments, and my client has the right to sue!" The reporters ignored Thalia's warning. "Ms. Fairchild, we heard you have a special relationship with Mr. Carter. Are you his secret lover?"

Even Alexander got dragged into this mess, and Thalia was about to lose it.

When Allison heard the reporter call Thalia Alexander's secret lover, she felt a sharp pang in her heart. She spun around, shoved a few reporters aside, and threw their mics to the ground. "Are you guys even real reporters? Do you know what you're saying? Secret lover? Why don't you ask Mr. Carter that question?"

"Ms. Bennett, you're so worked up. Could it be that you also have some kind of relationship with Mr. Carter?" The reporters were relentless.

Seeing this, Thalia stepped in front of Allison. "Watch your words. If you're not afraid of the Carter Group's legal team suing you, keep fabricating lies! I promise everyone defaming Mr. Carter and Ms. Bennett today will pay the price!" Just then, the bailiff arrived, and Thalia pulled Allison into the courtroom.

Inside, Allison sat with her head down, silent, while Thalia looked at her, feeling a pang of sympathy.

Allison was just eighteen, a girl who should be cherished by her parents, yet here she was, facing a lawsuit alone and being harassed by reporters. Thinking about it, Thalia couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you!

When the court session started, Ronan was aggressive, insisting this was a civil matter, not a criminal case. Thalia, of course, disagreed, and they began their courtroom battle.

Ronan held up a document. "Your Honor, I have a document and some photos here showing Allison hanging out with delinquents and having an abortion at thirteen. This evidence proves Allison has a history, so her claims are invalid!" The evidence was submitted to the judge, who reviewed it and then questioned Allison. "Allison, is this evidence true?"

The photos and documents were placed in front of Allison, reopening old wounds from five years ago.

Allison shook her head. "It's not true. These are all fake!"

As soon as she spoke, Ronan stood up. "Impossible. This evidence came from the Bennett family. It can't be fake!"

Ronan looked at Allison coldly, aiming to expose her scars, break her down, and turn the criminal case into a civil dispute.

Thalia stood up and asked, "Mr. Eve, who in the Bennett family gave you this evidence?"

Ronan smirked. "It was Blair, Allison's biological mother. She wouldn't slander her own daughter, would she?"

It was Blair. Did she really hate Allison so much that she wanted to drag her down to hell? Allison lowered her head and laughed bitterly, then looked towards the audience, spotting Blair herself.

She had never felt so desperate. Though her heart had died five years ago, it still ached.

Ronan continued, "Your Honor, Allison's mother Blair is here. I request she be summoned as a witness!"

Blair had hesitated to testify, but Ronan convinced her that if she didn't teach Allison a lesson now, worse things would happen in the future.

Blair walked over and said, "I can confirm this evidence is true. Although Allison is my daughter, her behavior is poor. What was a small matter, she blew up to the point of sending Ms. Brown to jail. Allison is too wicked!"