Chapter 3
Xander’s POV
“Let me get that for you, Irene winked, taking the buttons from me and undoing them.
“We should have just gone back to my place, instead of booking a guesthouse.”
“And sleep under the same roof with that bitch? Hell no!” Her face twisted in disgust.
Mia,” I corrected, “It’s not right when you keep calling her names.”
“Her name’s
“Well, it wasn’t right when she stole you from me,” she shrugged.
“Mia didn’t steal anything from you, my father separated us. If Mia hadn’t agreed to the contract, I would still be married to her right now. My father would never have approved of us getting a divorce-
“And he’s dead now. You’ve also gotten what you’ve always wanted- the conglomerate and me.”
My expression was stoic, there was nothing to feel. “All thanks to Mia. My father was quite fond of her because of how well she handled the company, he commends her at every chance he gets. I believe that was how she won his heart.”
It was true, in a few years since Mia’s arrival in the headquarter, our profits significantly increased by thirty percent. My father never missed a chance to sing her praises.
Irene sneered. “Your father was such a poor judge of character.
“Not with Mia. She’s spectacular at her job. Thanks to her, we’re about to seal a deal with Walton’s Group after so many years of trying to convince the old man. I hope he doesn’t retract his decision when he finds out that Mia is leaving-
“He won’t; that’s why we’re letting Mia stay in the company until the divorce is finalized. Hopefully, the deal will be sealed before then. Now can we stop talking about your spectacular ex–wife for one freaking minute!” Irene snapped. “She’s your past now, Xander. Don’t tell me you’re considering rehiring her?”
“Of course not,” I held her shoulders, flashing her an assuring smile. I don’t care about her. I never did. You’re all that matters to me, Irene
Her smile returned and she tiptoed, planting a kiss on my lips. Her arms curled around my neck as she deepened the kiss, her fingers moving rapidly to undress me-
“Irene wait…” I stopped her, breaking the kiss. She flashed me a questioning look. “I need to shower first. I gently disconnected her arms from around me.
“Do you want me to join you? She started to undress.
“No,” brushed past her towards the bathroom. “I’ll be quick”
As the warm water cascaded down my body, my gaze drifted to the diamond necklace draped around my neck. Mia’s gift to me on our first wedding anniversary.
With a swift motion, I unlatched and discarded it.
Mia had done her part, I no longer needed her around me. Our marriage had been a convenient arrangement and, at some point, suffocating. She was in love with me, so it was easy to take advantage of her.
Through our marriage, I was able to claim my inheritance and fulfill my father’s dying wish at the same time.
Ordinarily, Mia was not my type and if it wasn’t for my father’s pressure, I wouldn’t have given her a second glance. Now that he was gone it was time to get my life back.
As prepared to step out, my gaze was drawn to the electrifying flash of lightning in the distance. The sky, once bright, had now transformed into a deep unsettling darkness, signifying an incoming storm.
Mia was afraid of thunderstorms. I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking off the feeling of concern desperately.
Why should I care? Mia isn’t my wife anymore and I wasn’t attracted to her enough to care about her.
All my niceness towards her had been to appease my father, none of it was genuine.
I
Chapter 3
I stepped out of the bathroom, ridding my mind of any thoughts
s of Mia.
1 glanced at the bed, Irene was engrossed in her phone. I ignored her, pulling into my clothes. My attention diverted to the window again, the rain had started to pour down in torrents. Impulsively, my eyes shifted to the nightstand where I had left my phone.
Every time it rained, Mia would call. In her tone laced with fear yet calm, she would inquire when I would be coming home.
Her calls and texts in moments like these had become a familiar ritual, one that I had grown used to despite my initial reluctance.
Regardless of my curt responses most of the time, she would remain calm and tell me she was scared. Mia had no friends or family. IE she wasn’t absorbed in her work, she would be trying to get my attention.
I never fully understood the root of her phobia, but over time, after a shocking incident, I learned to respond with compassion.
Working together in the same company made it easier for her to rush to my office during storms. With fear in her eyes, she would plead to stay by my side until the rain was over and although my responses were always cold, I allowed her. Gradually, I even prepared for her coming.
“Where is my phone?” I asked, picking up the phone on the nightstand that wasn’t mine.
JOh, it’s right here.” Irene waved the phone in her hand at me.
“What are you doing with my phone?” My brows creased as 1 frowned.
With her eyes still locked on the screen as she typed, she answered. “Um, I can’t find my phone, so I was going to use yours to call it.”
“But your phone is right here. It was next to mine.
“Oh, silly me.” she laughed awkwardly. “Here”
1 snatched my phone from her and scanned the screen. There was no call or text from Mia. My face hardened as I set it down, regretting why I even bothered.
Mia seemed to have finally accepted her reality, she wasn’t clinging to me as I thought she would, so worrying about her was pointless. Yet, I couldn’t shake off the unease and in no time, I found myself dialing my housekeeper.
“Is Mia home?” I asked the moment the call went through.
“No, sir. She just stepped out”
My brows furrowed. “Where?
“She didn’t say,
Mis left the house in the middle of a thunderstorm? She was terrified by the meresight of it!
Irene : voice interrupted my thoughts, her arms wrapping around my waist.
“Are you still worried about her? Looks like you’re the one who can’t move on, not her.”
“This is not about moving on. Mia is afraid of thunderstorms and now she is out there in the middle of one. How does that make sense?”
Irene laughed, “Oh, Xander,
er, you’re so clueless. Mia must have made it all up to get your attention.”
This isn’t the case, I know this because I had thought so at first. Yes, Mia had done several things just to get my attention but this wasn’t one of them.
“She couldn’t have, I’ve seen her pass out because of it. Mia has a deep fear of downpours”
“That can be made up too, Xander, Irene seemed completely convinced “One thing about lowlifes is that they’ll do anything for attention, especially when it involves a man like you.”
“Hut-
“Stop worrying about her, Xander. You threatened to throw her out if she didn’t leave your house, she must have fled out of fear.”
As much as I tried to brush it off, I couldn’t help but feel that something was off.
“Mia might be in danger,” I attempted to dial her line.
12/3
