Ch 387 - Heidi

Art continued to shout, "We must ensure that nothing like this every happens to our family again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir, we know."

"Well, it's lucky for the Clifton family that they have someone like Alex on their side. With him, they can crush our family whenever they feel like it. Our only hope is to build a good relationship with them so that we can keep our reputation and status in society," Art muttered to himself. Then he closed his eyes and was quiet.

Art suspected that somehow the Clifton family were responsible for Chris's death. However, he was a pragmatist. Since Alex beat Tyson at the Hudson River, he realized that his family could never beat the Cliftons.

**

In the Clifton mansion, Rufus approached Jessop's office with some trepidation. "Is Alex here?" he asked from the door in a low voice.

"You should be calling him 'sir'," Jessop replied coldly.

When they entered the conference hall, they saw Alex sitting at the far end of the table. Jessop was aghast and wondered who had been thoughtless enough to place someone so important in such a lowly position.

"Alex, you must sit on the head of the table," he said quickly.

"What? It doesn't matter where I sit. It doesn't mean anything." Alex didn't care at all about such trivial things. All he cared about was Debbie who was there with him. He had started to feel that the mansion was his home, but he remained very polite to Debbie's grandfather.

Jessop came straight to the point. "Today we're discussing whether we should make Debbie the new head of the Clifton family. I have thought for a long time that I should retire."

"Grandfather, I can't run the family," Debbie blurted out in shock. How could she be the head of a family? She had no idea how to take on such a responsibility.

Rufus stepped in and said sincerely, "Debbie, please don't refuse. You are our only hope of the saving the family. I've spent a long time discussing it with my father and we both agree. As long as you're in charge of the family, no one will dare to trouble us. The Clifton family will be safe, but we have to be able to rely on your support."

Everyone agreed enthusiastically. Of course, they all knew that Debbie would have Alex backing her up. As long as the family had Debbie in charge, Alex would protect them.

"I can't do it," Debbie said adamantly.

Then she turned to Alex and requested, "Alex, will you please go for a walk with me?" She really didn't want to get involved in family affairs. She just wanted to spend time with Alex without any more drama or problems.

"Yes, let's go," Alex agreed immediately. Holding each other's hands, they walked out of the room leaving the rest of the family behind.

Close to the Clifton mansion, there was a livery yard where racehorses were stabled. Even in the winter, the grass was carefully managed and the beautiful green of the grass attracted the two lovers toward it. 

"Debbie, you've been through such a horrible time and suffered so much. It's all my fault for not protecting you better," Alex said miserably.

Debbie looked at him affectionately with her beautiful eyes and said, "It's not your fault, Alex. I feel terrible for all the trouble I've given you." 

"I—" Alex started to reply, but they heard someone in the distance calling, "Hello, hey, over here."

It was a girl's voice, and it attracted their attention.

"Are you calling me?" Alex turned his head slightly and saw a slim girl with a delicate face walking toward them. She looked at him with beautiful eyes.

"Yes," the girl replied and she ran up to Alex. She smiled and said, "Hello, Alex, my name is Heidi Reels."

Heidi continued, "I heard that you beat the world-class martial arts master, Tyson Slade, at the Hudson River. Everyone's talking about it."

Alex was very suspicious of the girl. What does she want? He didn't like the overly friendly way she spoke to him. He felt that he needed to protect Debbie. If a strange man had walked up to them like this, he would have challenged him to a fight right away.

"Go away please, we're leaving," Alex told her. He didn't care what she had to say. All he wanted was to go somewhere quiet to be alone with Debbie. He didn't want to talk anymore about the fight with Tyson.

But Heidi continued to smile at them warmly and Alex started to relax. As she walked alongside them, she said to Debbie, "Would you mind if I borrow your husband? It's nothing to worry about."

Debbie blushed. It was the first time that anyone had called Alex her husband. She loved the sound of it.

"Of course I don't mind, but make sure that you return him to me later." Debbie felt very happy. The girl looked very young, really just a child. Surely, she was no threat to them. And her beautiful smile was very infectious. Also, she loved that the girl called Alex her husband. She agreed happily.

Then she smiled and pushed Alex toward the girl saying, "Heidi wants you to go with her. I'm happy for you to go but remember you have a wife." She giggled, thinking the girl was so young that she probably didn't even understand the love between a husband and a wife.

Alex said curiously to Debbie, "You're happy for me to go, but you don't even know what the child wants me for."

"What child? Don't call me that." Heidi was angry that he had called her a child. "What you don't realize is that I am a martial arts master." As she spoke, she pouted and tried to make herself appear older than she was. 

"What are you planning to do with me? Are you going to tell me, or is your plan to abduct and sell me?" Alex asked solemnly.

"I want you to help me. I want to go horseback riding to cheer myself up but I daren't go alone. I want you to teach me to ride," she told him.

"Oh, that's fine, I'll go with you," Alex replied. He thought for a moment, and then asked, "How old are you? Are your legs long enough to reach the stirrups?"

"I'm twenty years old. How old do you think I am?" Heidi demanded as she stretched out her long legs. Her figure was sublime.

Alex and Debbie looked at each other. Neither of them could believe that the girl was twenty. She looked like a porcelain doll.

Alex decided not to question her further. Since Debbie had said that she was happy for him to go, he would accompany Heidi. He and Debbie loved and trusted each other implicitly.

He followed Heidi over to a big horse that was tied to a tree nearby. Heidi climbed up onto the horse and Alex climbed up behind her and sat on the horse's rump. When she realized what he had done, she blushed bright crimson.

"What are you doing?" she asked him in a whisper.

"Teaching you to ride a horse. What's the matter?" Alex didn't understand why she was complaining.

"Oh, no, of course," Heidi agreed quickly.

Soon Heidi, had, the horse cantering across the field. Debbie watched them happily and thought, That little Heidi is quite brave. She's asked Alex to teach her to ride a horse, I wonder what else she'll ask him to teach her.

The horse was very responsive and Heidi turned out to be a gifted rider. After only ten minutes of teaching, she took control of the horse and was galloping skillfully.

When they stopped, she turned to Alex and asked, "Why do you think I'm so young? Don't you believe that I'm twenty?"

Alex couldn't work out why the girl was so upset about her age. He thought, Most women want to be told that they look young. I wonder why Heidi seems to get so upset by it.