[9]

The only thing Miya could do to relieve the pressure on her throat was to bite Damian's lip. She doesn't know how many times her hands hit the man's chest, but there was no reprieve. Instead, Miya's hands were held above her head with a strong choke by Damian. Damian didn't even let her fill her lungs with air. 

"Ah, you like to play rough." Damian paused his kiss for a moment. A thin line of saliva formed between the two lips that had been pressed together. 

"I can't breathe," Miya said, her voice catching. Her eyes were trying to avoid making eye contact with Damian, who had night-dark irises. Miya was squirming restlessly because her hands were still tied by the room owner. "Could you let me out, please?"

Damian gave a little grin. "I don't usually let prisoners go easily."

Miya's eyes were already glazed over and ready to well up at any moment. The urge to kick the guy supporting her was strong, unfortunately... Miya hadn't forgotten about the bandage wrapped around Damian's abdomen. "Please~." Miya said in a suggestive tone, just in case Damian would be merciful.

Being in such close proximity to this man-made Miya's heart race. No matter how hard she tried not to stare at the face of a Greek god, her eyes just wouldn't stop betraying her. Miya thought it was a bit unfair of God to create Damian Sawyer. The man was the epitome of perfection, and the power he exuded was nothing short of remarkable. He was so good-looking that many women were competing for his attention. He ran his business like a pro. Both his friends and his competitors felt that Damian was a role model for success.

Relax, it was her father's spiel when Miya was invited to the meeting that filled the blonde girl in on who Damian Sawyer was. She was sure that Damian wouldn't recognize her. 

"You win today, Baby Girl." Damian let out a soft sigh. He started to move away, no longer near the girl he had asked to be there. She seemed reluctant to let him go. Damian decided to sit back in his oversized chair. There were a few things he really needed to do, but he decided to delay for a moment to say hello to this blonde-haired girl, which wouldn't affect his focus. 

Miya felt a bit strange about the call just now. "Baby Girl?"

Damian only looked up briefly. "You don't like that nickname?"

"Whatever you need. I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"That's just the way things are."

"That's only going to be an issue until the child I'm carrying is born. As I recall, the contract is set up that way."

Damian gave a little smirk, looking at Miya. "You're right. It seems like you've got a good grasp on all the points in the agreement."

Miya was already sitting back down, trying to make herself comfortable. Miya felt a bit uneasy being under Damian's watchful gaze. 

"Unfortunately, I can't get you pregnant right now." Damian supported part of his face with his left hand. From what we've heard, this 22-year-old girl is pretty good at turning people's words around, mainly from what Victor has told us. She was a bit blunt and didn't like to back down. As anyone who's been following the news knows, there was a big shocker a few days ago. "We have plenty of time to get it done. I've got a bit of free time this month. Just prepare yourself because I know no mercy, Miya."

Miya's face turned bright red, and she immediately looked down to hide the heat that ran through her face. "I... I wasn't talking about that, Mr. Sawyer."

"Then what's it you'd like to talk about?"

Miya took a moment to compose herself. Is it just a small request? Damian should have been fine with her asking for a small f*e upfront. Instead of talking, Miya looked down and her mind was suddenly filled with thoughts. She was also afraid of how Damian would react, even though she had never seen him angry. But given how Damian reacted to those two people, Miya knew that if he got angry, even the most intimidating people would back down because they were afraid of him.

"I..." Miya took the plunge. She couldn't really back out of this situation, could she? She wanted to make sure that what she asked for would be to his benefit as well. "Could I ask for payment in advance?"

Damian was still looking at Miya, waiting for her to speak more clearly.

"Not much," Miya quickly added to her earlier remark. "I'm sure you have nothing to lose if what I want comes true. I get that you're forbidding this as a contractual agreement."

"How much are you looking to get out of this?" Damian decided to take a seat in the chair. He didn't think Miya would say that. Ah... aren't women everywhere the same? Was Damian just looking to get paid? That's why Damian felt he had nothing to lose. After all, he did need a child.

Successor. 

"I'd like the news about my and Veronica's case to just disappear. And then there's also… I'm not going to entertain any demands from their side."

"Okay," Damian replied with a casual air. As it happens, he'd done it before Miya asked him to. Who would sensationalize the news to put more pressure on Miya anyway? As he'd already told Victor, Damian wanted her to come to him fully aware. She needed to understand that she was the one who needed Damian's help.

"There's more, Mr. Sawyer."

"Oh, man." Damian shot Miya a disapproving look. "You've got a lot to ask for, don't you?"

Miya forced a smile. "For this one, please grant it. I can't live without my cell phone, Mr. Sawyer. I don't mind if you tap that cell phone while I'm in this house. At least, I'm not violating the agreement regarding communication with outsiders. I just... just can't be completely blind about news."

Miya felt Damian's gaze sharpening and his expression becoming less relaxed, which made her feel completely nervous. She felt a sense of anxiety and fear beginning to creep over her. Never mind, at least she got her point across. She was crossing her fingers that Damian would come up with a solution.

Let's hope that's the case.

"I can make that happen for you."

"Really?" Miya looked up at Damian with a bright, sparkling expression. 

"But there are a few conditions that need to be met."

"I'll do whatever it takes," Miya said without thinking. This made Damian's smile falter. As soon as Miya realized her words could be misinterpreted, she quickly corrected herself. "I'm just trying to figure out what I can do." "I just want to make it clear that I don't want any violence, and I don't want you to put any pressure on me to do anything in return for you, Mr. Sawyer."

"You're negotiating with the wrong person, Miya." The screeching sound of chair wheels hitting the floor made her feel quite uneasy. It wasn't just the sound, but the figure that started to approach her again that made her focus on her surroundings. That includes Miya.

Miya really got the attention of the wolf that was sleeping. "But... I didn't do anything you didn't want me to, right?"

Damian didn't care either way. He moved closer to Miya again, and she started to move towards the corner of the sofa. The eyes that had been sparkling brightly were now filled with fear, and Damian was enjoying the show. He put his hands on Miya to stop her moving around so much and to give her a bit of support. Damian was still aware that he'd just had stitches for a wound he'd received the night before.

So he kept a safe distance in case the girl tried to kick him in any direction.

"If you want to make an advance payment, I'll need to do the same."

Miya's eyes got big. "What do you mean, Mr. Sawyer? You said you couldn't do it, right?

Damian's lips curled up at the edges in a thin smile. "I'm sure you understand what I'm looking for."

Miya felt like she might start crying. 

"Take care of me and sleep with me, Baby Girl. While I'm at home, I need you to stick by my side. No matter what."