Chapter 17
Xander’s POV
I made breakfast, I heard it’s your favorite
I’ll grab a bite at the office,” I gave her a curt response while heading for the door. But she caught my arm, stopping me.
“I got up early to prepare breakfast for you. I spent two hours in the kitchen all by myself, and you’re not even going to try it?” My mother’s voice echoed with a hint of disappointment.
I shook my hand off her moderate grip before turning to face her. Is it any different from what the chef makes?”
She said nothing, but her face hardened for a moment. I took her silence as a response and started for the door again.
“What are you going to do about Mia?”
Her words brought an abrupt halt to my steps, and 1 handed my briefcase to Hubert, dismissed him, and faced her again.
I have it under control.
“Do you?” She scoffed. “Because you should have gotten her under control by now. Amor Luxe made half a billion dollars at its launch, and the numbers are still rising. It hasn’t even been up to a week yet it poses a great risk to the success of M&S. I also heard that she purchased another building just beside one of ours.”
“M&S is my company, including the other companies under Schaeffer’s group and I will handle them as I always have. Stay out of it.”
“Are you stalling because it’s her? If it was someone else, I’m sure you would’ve gotten rid of them before now. Amor Luxe would not have even seen the break of day, let alone launched a debut collection.
My irritation boiled over and I snapped at her, “I told you I have it under control
She was unfazed, desperation lurking in her eyes. A look I understood too well.
I’d like to know how you plan to control this situation-
I scoffed, “I’m impressed by your concern for the companies, but it’s no surprise, given they fund your luxurious lifestyle – the very reason you came back.”
She averted her gaze, nervously and shamelessly, and then avoided the topic completely like she always does.
“Mia has the Waltons backing her, and I don’t think she’s up to any good. I’m just looking out for you-
“Are you?” I cut her off hysterically. “If you are then you should have been curious about one thing first before plotting means to get rid of Mia. When Mia left, she was pregnant with my baby. Did you forget that or do you not just care?”
A grimace creased her brows, “Schaeffer’s group is at risk. The last thing I care about right now is someone who probably had other men while married to you.”
“I was a part of those other men, so the possibility stands,” I gritted. “And even though you’re so blinded by money and your dislike for her, you know very well that Mia is not that kind of woman.”
“I believe in changes, and Mia is not an exception.”
“I don’t care what you believe in. I will handle things my way so don’t involve yourself acting like you care,” I deadpanned and marched off. I had already reached the door when I stopped and turned to her again.
“Stay away from Mia else you’ll have me to answer to. It’s a warning.
The moment I stepped into my office, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen, it was Kyle.
I answered, but before I could let a word out, Kyle’s voice, ladened with urgency, pierced my ears.
“Is it true? Is Mia really back!”
I pinched my eyes, recalling that I had yet to reveal the news to Kyle. I presumed he would be too distracted to focus if he found out about Mia’s return, but I had forgotten that the Internet exists and news travels very fast.
“Yes, Kyle. She’s back.”
Chapter 17
There was a brief silence and I could vividly picture Kyle’s face, his jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. I let the silence hang, giving him time to process the shock but when it dragged on for too long, I interrupted:
“Kyle?”
“Hold on. I’m booking the next available flight to New York.”
“Kyle, no.” I said firmly. You can’t just drop everything and fly to New York. At least stay until the session is over. I can’t have you repeating another year.”
“But I have to see Mia,” he protested. “What if she runs away again.”
“She won’t. Mia will be here by the time you return,” I uttered with surety. “She will be here for a long time.”
“How do you know that?” Kyle asked, doubtful.
“Because I’m not going to let her leave again. Trust me, Kyle, I have it under control.”
It took half an hour to convince Kyle against flying down to New York, and by the time I was done, Brett was already in my office.
Kyle’s determination did nothing but expose my shortcomings. If I had been half as determined when Mia left, I might have been able to find her before she disappeared into thin air.
Seeing that she abandoned everything and left despite her fear, I thought she would come running back in no time. I thought she was like the rest of them like my mother.
Yes, it took me a year to realize how wrong I was but I wouldn’t be making that mistake twice. I had meant every word when I promised Kyle that I wouldn’t let Mia disappear again. This time, I was prepared to go to any lengths to find her, even to the ends of the earth. I would put my all into it if I had to.
Tve just received information that Amor Luxe “he paused for a moment, shaking his head, “Mia is the one who bought the building next to our winery, the one previously owned by the bakery.”
My mother was right. But how did she know?
“She purchased it under a different name so we couldn’t figure it out until now,” Brett went on. T’m starting to think her actions are deliberate. Shouldn’t we do something to stop her?”
“What do you suggest?” I asked, my tone calm.
“First, we need to confirm if she’s truly Richard Walton’s daughter; that’s the only way we can know how far he’s willing to go to help her, Brett outlined. The only way to verify this is through DNA testing, and we’ll need samples from both of them. It’ll be easy to get some of Richard’s, but Mia’s… I heard she became wary of strangers after the accident. She especially hates physical contact.”
“Good thing I’m not a stranger, I’ll get Mia’s sample to you before nightfall”
“She finally agreed to meet?”
“No,” I said matter–of–factly. “But I got a hold of her schedule and fixed a date for us.”
“Without her approval!” Brett’s brows furrowed. His shock surprised me. Flow could he not have expected me to go to this extent after Mia declined every one of my requests to meet?
“If she hates being touched by everyone else, wouldn’t she hate it most from you, given that she’s here because of you?” Brett questioned.
“Furious? Maybe. Hate? No. Mia does not hate me. I know hate when I see it,” I pointed. “Also, I’m the only one who knows Mia in and
OUL
“You realize she’s not the Mia we all used to know, right?” Brett cautioned.
“How much can a person change?” I shrugged, a smirk forming on my lips. I’m Alexander Schaeffer, I always get what I want.
“Find a reliable doctor; I’ll get the sample to you before the end of today, no matter what.”
Brett was still stunned by my collected demeanor. I bet he was expecting a different reaction but to me. Mia was not like the rest of my rivals. Even though she had gone too far already, I couldn’t find it in me to classify her as one but that didn’t mean that I would sit back and watch her act without doing anything.
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6:22 AM c d
Chapter 17
“By the way, I want you to look into someone for me,” I said, scrolling through my phone for a picture.
“Who?” Brett asked.
“Some ugly dude Mia danced with at her launch party.”
“She danced with a lot of dudes and from what I saw, none of them were ugly”
This one is, I finally found a picture and showed it to Brett. “Him.”
“Lucas Miller?” Brett barely took a glance.
“You know him?”
“Of course, he’s Imogene Miller’s son. Only son,” he emphasized. “His family is one of the top investors of Amor Luxe, and he’s one of the hottest dudes in the city, quite the ladies‘ man. Are you blind or something?” He cooled off the remark with a chuckle but his smile vanished as he caught my glare.
“Do you still like your job. Mr. Rogers? Lasked sternly.
Absolutely, sir. I was only joking-
“Well, quit joking and do as 1 ask. I want every information about him, especially his recent escapades
with Mia”
As I strolled out of my office, I glanced at the message that had popped into my phone with a smile on my lips.
After obtaining a copy of Mia’s schedule, I meticulously tracked her movements, waiting for the ideal moment to fix her in a tight spot, thereby making it impossible for her to dismiss my request to meet, as she had done repeatedly in the past.
And that perfect moment had just presented itself.
AD
