Chapter five: The unexpected meeting

Mia woke up abruptly without any disturbance and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. 

For a moment, fear gripped her heart, not knowing where she was. Slowly, she remembered how she entered the contract and landed here in Alex's mansion. She sighed and got up, moving towards the bathroom to freshen up. Even the bathroom was spacious, and she could just gawk at it after entering inside.

"God, what have I gotten myself into?" she muttered to herself.

After freshening up, she decided to go into the living room and explore the mansion. As soon as she entered the room, she found Alex there along with an unknown man.

"Hellooo, sister-in-law. I'm so glad to finally meet the woman who can make Alexander Ian work according to her," the man said dramatically. Mia was taken aback. She glanced at Alex and found him giving a hard stare to the overexcited man.

"Mark," Alex's tone held a warning, but it seemed like Mark was not bothered. He came forward and made her sit on the couch.

"So, let's ignore this person and focus on me," Mark exclaimed. Beside him, Alex took out his phone, clearly uninterested in his nonsense talks.

"So, let me ask you the one thing that I have been dying to ask: are you really ready to do this?" he asked seriously. Mia shifted uncomfortably.

Alex's head snapped in Mark's direction, his jaw clenched. "She has to be, because if not, I can sue her for breaching the contract," he spoke in a hard tone, somewhat glaring at Mark for making her rethink her decision.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ian, I won't back out now that you have fulfilled your part of the deal," she spoke for the first time, and Alex looked at her.

Mark sighed, rubbing his nape. Alex stood up all of a sudden, startling them both.

"You both can chat all you want, but some other time. Mark, you should leave," he said curtly. Mia gave him a disbelieving look.

"What if I don't?" Mark challenged daringly, but Alex paid no heed. Mia was a silent spectator to all the drama.

"Then I will throw you out," Alex said, standing up and walking in front of Mark.

"You," Mark poked a finger at Alex, "throw me out?" His lower lip wobbled, and Mia couldn't control it any longer as she burst out laughing.

Both men stared at her, one with a soft smile on his face while the other with a cold expression. Feeling their gazes, she stopped and composed herself.

After Mark left, performing his small drama, Alex left for his room without another word. Mia decided to do what she had come for: exploring the mansion. She roamed around for more than forty-five minutes, but the exploration was still incomplete.

Exhausted, she decided to eat something first, but the way to the kitchen was unknown. She came back to the living room and looked around for a maid.

"Ms. Mia," she turned around with a jerk, and found Alex standing there in his casual wear, freshly showered. She couldn't help but stare at his torso, clearly visible through his t-shirt. She wondered if he was a fan of the colour black because he was always wearing black.

"Shall we discuss some important aspects of this arrangement?" He raised his eyebrows, and she made a face because she was hungry.

"No, we shall not. I'm hungry, I need to feed my stomach," she declared hungrily and tried to walk past him, but he held her hand a bit tightly to stop her.

"I won't tolerate disobedience in my house," his voice was edgy.

"And I can't tolerate my stomach being empty," she retorted, tilting her head to glare at him. He stared at her long and hard, making her squirm in his hold.

"Peter," he called, not looking away. She could feel her heart beating fast. A man came running into the room the next second and bowed in front of them. "Make something healthy and bring it to my study in fifteen minutes," he ordered. Without waiting for a reply, he dragged Mia to his study, leaving her surprised.

Only when the door was shut did she realise they had reached his study room and he had already released her hand. She looked around at the black walls and his desk, somewhat similar to his office at the company.

"Stare at it later; you're going to be here for a long time. Right now, come and sit here," he ordered. She glared at him, not moving an inch.

"Stop ordering me. I'm not your servant or your employee. In fact, we are two equal persons in this contract," she snapped. She could see his jaw clenching, but he said nothing.

"You are given a separate room only for now, even though it wasn't necessary. But once you get pregnant, you'll be staying with me in my room," he started. She crossed her arms, staring at him.

"I hope you know that for having a baby, we are supposed to have sexual intercourse, and I am expecting that you are ready for that because honestly, I wouldn't want to waste any of my time," he said, looking at her expressions, which gave away nothing. He continued, "You need not worry because once you are pregnant, I won't touch you in that way."

He said it coldly, but she was fuming inside. She knew they were supposed to have sex, and although she wasn't ready, she was trying to prepare herself. This jerk was talking in such a monotone that it felt like a robot was speaking.

"Are you done listing your essential points?" she asked. He gave her a cold stare which she ignored, learning from Mark.

"First of all, I know we need to have sex. Let me inform you that I am a virgin. So, if you don't like that, tell me right now because there are other ways to get me pregnant," she shrugged, indicating the IVF solution.

"And secondly, I'm least bothered about having any kind of relationship with you, so I don't expect anything from you," she stated.

Alex got up from his chair and stalked towards her. "That's good for you. Virgin or not, I don't care because I'm not going for the IVF treatment," he whispered huskily in her ear, making her shiver involuntarily.

There was a knock on the door, and the food trolley was brought in. Mia was staring at the food when she felt him lean close to her, his hot breath fanning her neck.

"Have your meal because you'll need a lot of energy for tonight," he whispered. She was already breathing heavily. After he left the study, her eyes widened as she recalled his words.

"Tonight?" she echoed, her heart pounding with anxiety and anticipation.