Chapter 25
Xander’s POV
I stared down at the enraged man standing next to me, unfazed. “Pardon my manners, I should introduce myself-
“I know who you are,” he cut me off. “What I don’t know is why you are here.
I observed the living room, Mia’s taste when it comes to furnishing hadn’t changed. It was moderately sized and furnished but you could tell that every item was quality. In that regard, we had similar tastes,
“I’m pretty sure 1 answered that already”
“For the umpteenth time, Mia isn’t home. I was clear with it before you barged in,” he said. Okay, why does everyone seem to have a problem with me?
“Do you know that what you have done is punishable by the law?”
“Remind me who you are, I kept a calm tone. I knew before now who he was but I had forgotten the name. The moment I confirmed his relationship with Mia, every other information meant nothing to me.
“I want you out
My house!” He bellowed. “Else 111 have no choice but to invite the cops.
“Now, you’re going too far, I faced him. “I understand my men might have caused you a bit of trouble but like I said earlier, I’m willing to bear the cost. Besides, you invited me in yourself.”
“Because your men tried to kill me!” He snapped.
“And I apologized for that. I warned you that they can be a bit unpredictable yet you chose to take your chance. Regardless, they will be reprimanded for their actions.”
“I don’t want your apology. I want you to leave!”
As if to infuriate him further, I sat on a couch and bounced on it a few times.
“Comfy,” I muttered before turning to him. Tell me Mr Walton, aside from the rivalry between your sister and 1, do you have any personal grudge against me?”
He raised a brow, crossing his arm as he squarely uttered. “I just don’t like you. I hate your guts and I hate how you think the world revolves around you.”
“Right” I nodded once, smirking. I didn’t expect the bluntness but he and I seem to have that in common. “Anyways, I will leave when I see Mia.
“Mia doesn’t want to see you”
Td like to hear that from her.”
my
Ty face.
“I don’t want to see you.” Mia’s voice had me turning my head in her direction at once, and an unforeseen smile formed on
Watching her leave the entrance hall to the living room with a fixed grimace on her face, which I had come to get accustomed to, had me bracing myself for the drama that was about to unfold.
“Tell me, Mr. Schaeffer, do you and your mother have a habit of showing up uninvited at other people’s premises?”
My brows knitted, confused. “What do you mean?”
Mia scoffed. “Don’t act ignorum. Your mother was at my office today, no, your mother barged into my office to threaten me,” she said. “I didn’t know I was in a competition with your family”
By the time she was done, I was already boiling on the inside. My jaw locked but I kept my gaze fixed on her, showing my genuine
reaction
“What?” I couldn’t contain my shock
“Out of respect, I let her leave in one piece but I won’t be responsible for whatever happens to her the next time she does it,” Mia said.
I nodded, “I had no idea, Mia. I’d talk to her and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
JAB
Chapter 25
A brief silence fell between us for half a minute, and Mia’s gaze was scrutinizing as though she was checking for a lie in my words. Then she froze for a split second, stumsed by my calm response.
Perhaps she expected a bit of support from me for the woman who called herself my mother, but what she didn’t know way that we weren’t on the same page. We never were.
If she believed me or not, I wasn’t sure, but she didn’t drag it.
“Well, I hope so,” she finally spoke, avoiding my gaze. “You can tell me why you’re here now
Mia’s words had completely soiled my mood and I didn’t feel like sitting with her at the moment or making jokes and annoying her. I wanted to set things straight and make sure she didn’t have to deal with my mother’s belligerence again, I wished she could look beyond my actions and understand that I was genuinely on her side.
After all, I had vowed to protect her. And what use was it if I couldn’t protect her from my own family?
I held out the invitation card to her. “I was hoping we could talk over tea but it seems like a bad time. So, I’ll just leave instead.”
When she gripped the other end of the card, I took a moment before releasing it. I wished things had gone differently, but I hoped it’d be better next time. Our gaze locked and for the first time, Mia didn’t look away.
The frigid emotions in her eyes started to waver but before she could break, her brother intervened, stepping in between us and instantly breaking our eye contact.
“The door is that way, Mr Schaeffer,” he said, pointing. As I walked out, I glanced at Mia and she was back to avoiding my gaze once again.
I walked into a chaotic scene at home, my workers were anxiously pacing back and forth, all wearing worried looks. Before I could utter a word, my mother rushed over, tears streaming down her face and Irene closely behind her, comforting her.
“Why weren’t you taking your calls? I’ve been calling you all day!” Irene said. “I called the office and Brett said you already signed off. Where were you?”
I glanced briefly at my phone, knowing I had turned it off the minute I left the office.
“What happened?” I asked.”
Irene shrugged, completely worried. “I’ve been trying to find out myself but she’s not saying anything. She has been crying all afternoon.
I stared down at my mother as she gripped my legs, wailing like she was mourning.
“Oh Xander, you won’t believe what she said to me, she finally spoke. “I told you she was up to no good.”
One glance at her face and I saw through her. Through the fake emotions and tear. It wasn’t the first time, but somehow, she always thought she could get me. Ever since I realized the kind of person she is, it became hard to believe anything that came out of her mouth
“Why did y
you go to her office?”
Her whimpering ceased, and her body froze against my legs as my question took her by surprise,
“I–I just wanted to talk to her.
“I told you to stay away from her. Does it gladden you when you inconvenience other people?”
“Is that what matters right now?” Irene asked. “She insulted your mother-
“Only because she invaded her personal space,” I fired at Irene. Do you expect me to defend that?”
Tin your mother! You’ll take sides with your ex–wife over your own mother?”
“Til take sides with whoever I choose to Mia is my business and if you threaten her, then you’d be crossing the line with me.”
Her jaw dropped, every other emotion disappearing from her face. “Xander-
1 lowered myself, facing her squarely.
“I’ve never stopped you from doing whatever you wanted,” I said, my voice tight with anger. Tve provided guards in place for you and I never restrict your spending spree. I let you paint yourself as the perfect mother to your kids and even covered up for your mistakes and
Chapter 25
flaws, pretending they never existed” my voice dropped to a menacing tone. “I do all of this and more and I can take it all away from you with just the snap of my finger”
She recoiled, her brows knitting as tear clouded her demeanor.
“You can keep living your life. Mother. I don’t care what you do, I don’t care how much you spend, and I don’t care about the many women who envy you for being a ‘perfect‘ mother. But I care about Mia. I paused, letting the words sink. “If you cross the line again, be ready to face the consequences for your actions.”
With that, I freed my legs from her grip and strode to my rooms, Irene’s voice accompanying me. The tension in the room had gotten so hot that I felt suffocated so the first thing I did was free my tie.
“Nander,” Irene threw herself into my room. “What was that about?” She bellowed in a hushed tone. “If you cared about her so much, why did you come back to me? Why the hell am I here?”
I kept my back to her, gripping the table before me.
You left her. You kicked her out of your life and now you care about her? What am I supposed to do? What the hell am I supposed to
A vase crashed and Irene’s breathing echoed through the walls of the room.
“Say something. Xander! Tell me what I mean to you. Were your feelings for me a lie? Did I stay with you all these years just to be betrayed like this? Her voice cracked. “Answer=”
“Do you want to get married?” I asked, killing the rest of her words.
My hands actively gripped the table as 1 tilted my head to face her.
“What did you just say?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper,
“Let’s get married. Tell me what type of ring you want, I’ll buy it for you. How about a proposal on your birthday, in front of all your friends and the press! Something headline–worthy.”
She was speechless. “Do you really want to do this?”
The rumors already joined us together. What use is it delaying?”
“You’re doing this because of the rumors!” The excitement in her eyes dwindled.
Tell me if you don’t want to,” I said, walking past her.
Maybe I deserved it. Maybe I didn’t deserve her but I still have to protect her, both from Irene and my mother, I would keep them close if I have to. Maybe someday, my atonement would be over and Mia would see through me.
Receiving Mia’s call the next morning was the highlight of my week and hearing
her voice was just what I needed to take away my gloomy night.
“If you’re available, I’d like us to meet. You can pick a place or I can.”
AD
