Let's make a deal

Once changed, Mia exits the fitting room and looks back at the fitting room on the left, whose door is securely closed.

- It looks good on you.

The saleswoman has good taste. In fact, by looking at a customer, she can choose the dress that suits her. Mia is wearing a long light blue dress that brings out the clarity of her skin. The lacing around the waist highlights her slim waist. She is a little too thin, but has a delicate face.

Seeing that the dress fits her well, George goes to pay. At that moment, he realizes that this dress costs more than three thousand euros. But thinking that she is going to meet the Cosey family, he grits his teeth and pays it anyway. He says coldly:

- Let's go.

Mia already knew his hardness, but this coldness still tightens her heart.

She follows him into the car, her head down.

The car stops shortly in front of the gate of the Lambert family villa.

The driver opens the door to George. He bends down to get out of the car, followed by Mia.

Standing in front of the villa, she is lost in her thoughts for a few seconds. While she and her mother were living a life worse than death because of her brother's autism, her father and his mistress were living happily in this beautiful villa and enjoying life.

She can't help but shake her hands.

- What are you planting there?

Realizing that she is not following him, George glances back and sees her frozen in front of the gate.

Mia hurries to follow him. Having learned from the family maid that the Coseys have not yet arrived, George asks Mia to wait in the living room.

In the living room, in front of the French window, there is a Seiler piano. Made in Germany and very expensive, it was bought by her mother for her fifth birthday.

Mia has loved this instrument since she was a child. She began learning the piano at the age of four and a half, but has not touched it since.

She can't help but put her hand on it. It's familiar and exciting.

She places her index finger on a key and gently pushes it. Suddenly, a nice, clear sound is heard. Her fingers have become much stiffer because she hasn't played in a while.

- It's mine, who allowed you to touch it?

A clear voice, tinged with anger, echoes behind her.

Hers?

Mia turns around and sees Judith Lambert behind her, furious. She remembers that the latter is a year younger than her. Judith is seventeen this year. She is pretty, inheriting the physique of Morgane.

But at the moment, Judith looks a bit aggressive, with clenched teeth and an annoyed look.

- Yours?

Morgane and Judith broke up Jeanne's marriage and used her money. Now even Jeanne's gift for Mia is Judith's?

Mia slowly clenches her fists, repeatedly telling herself not to be impulsive and not to get angry. Right now, she is not in a position to take back what is hers.

She has to take it!

She is no longer the little girl who was sent away by her father eight years ago and only cried. Now she's a grown-up!

- You. You are Mia?

Judith finally understands the situation. Today is the day the Coseys visit. Her father has brought Mia and her mother home.

Judith remembers the pitiful way Mia fell to her knees and squeezed George's leg. When he sent them away, she begged him not to send her away.

- You're very happy to have been brought back by Dad, aren't you?

Judith looks at her contemptuously, arms folded.

- Don't be arrogant. He got you back to marry Mr. Cosey. I heard that man...

Then Judith sneers, covering her mouth.

She can't help but gloat at the thought of Mia marrying a man who is impotent and unable to walk.

Marriage is a major event. If she marries such a man, her life will be completely ruined.

Mia frowns.

At that moment, the maid arrives.

- The Coseys are there.

George greets them personally at the door.

Mia turns around and sees a man in a wheelchair arrive. He is very handsome with a well-defined face. Even in his wheelchair, he doesn't let anyone make fun of him.

This man? Isn't he the man she saw flirting with a woman in the dressing room?

He is in fact the young master of the Cosey family!

But in the fitting room, she clearly saw him able to stand with his arm around the woman. And his legs were completely normal.

What's going on?

She didn't understand why this man was pretending to be a cripple. At that moment, George calls her.

- Mia, come here, it's Mr. Cosey.

George shrugs his shoulders. In a flattering way, he bends his back and smiles.

- Mr. Cosey, this is Mia.

George laments that the young master of the Cosey family, for all his beauty, has become disabled.

Joseph sets his gaze on Mia, who looks young, too skinny and a little malnourished. He frowns.

It is a marriage arranged by his mother. And since she is dead, he, as her son, cannot break the engagement. That's why, after being bitten by a poisonous snake in an accident abroad, he announced that he wasn't cured, that he was disabled, and that he couldn't fulfill his marital duty, just so the Lambert family could break this engagement.

He didn't expect that the Lambert family wouldn't do it.

Joseph said nothing and took on a somber look. George, thinking that he is not happy, explains to him very quickly:

- She is still very young. She has just turned eighteen. She'll be a beauty when she's older.

Joseph sneers. He does not see the beauty, but feels something strange: George wants to marry his daughter to him despite his "handicap".

He has a cold look in his eyes and a smirk on his face.

- When I went abroad on business, I was injured by accident. Because of my injured legs, I can no longer walk and fulfill the marital duty...

- I don't mind, Mia replies immediately.

George promised her to return her mother's dowry after her marriage to Mr. Cosey. Even if she enters the Cosey family one day and divorces him the next, she must now say yes.

In the meantime, Mia understood everything that was going on. Obviously, he can stand on his own two feet. But when he arrived at the Lambert's, he came in a wheelchair. It was probably because of this woman that he didn't want to keep his promise and wanted the Lambert family to break the engagement. So he pretended to be disabled.

But he didn't wait for George to be willing to sacrifice her, his unloved daughter, to keep the promise.

Joseph stares at her, his eyes squinting.

Mia gets chills down her spine from that look. Her heart is in her throat. How could she have wanted to marry Mr. Cosey?

But if she hadn't accepted, how could she go back to her country? And how could she get back what she

lost?

She curls her lips into a smile. No one understands her pain.

- We got engaged when we were children. Whatever happens, I should marry you.

Joseph's eyes turn darker. This woman is really good at talking.

George doesn't see anything wrong either and asks shyly:

- The date of the wedding...

Joseph's face suddenly changes expression, but he calms down immediately.

- As agreed, of course. It is a long-standing agreement between the two families. How can we break it?

Mia looks down and hides her emotions, not daring to look at him. Obviously, he is not happy with this marriage either.

He accepts now only because of the promise.

- That's fine.

George is very happy. Indeed, it's a good deal to bond with the Cosey family by sacrificing a mediocre daughter.

The Lamberts are rich. But compared to the Coseys, they are modest, even negligible.

It is impossible to compare with them!

George leans over and speaks in a low voice:

- I asked them to prepare dinner. Stay here and enjoy it before you leave.

Joseph frowns. Such a flattering attitude disgusts him.

- No, thanks. I have things to do, Joseph refuses.

Paul pushes him towards the exit. As he passes Mia, Joseph raises his hand, letting Paul to stop and saying:

- Miss Lambert, are you available?

Although it is a question, he does not allow Mia to refuse him.

She nods her head. He seems to have something to say to her.

And she also wants to talk to him.

George gives Mia a warning look.

- Be careful.

He is afraid that Mia will offend Joseph before marrying him. Joseph looks distant, probably because he is not happy with Mia. But it is always good for the Lambert family to have the Cosey family on their side. This union would also help their business.

He doesn't want Mia to ruin the marriage.

Mia ignores him and follows Paul out the door.

She knows exactly what George has in mind. Why is he sure she'll help him when she gets into the Cosey family?

Just because he's her father?

But has he treated her like a daughter? Does he know how she has spent the last eight years?

Lost in her thoughts, Mia bumps against a broad chest. She recovers and lifts her head. Then she sees a perfect face, close to her. He is looking her up and down.

Indeed, he is able to stand up.

In other words, she is right.

His glance gives shivers to Mia, who raises her eyes towards him with a forced calm.

- You pretend to be a cripple, don't you?

Joseph squints his eyes. Disgruntled at having been unmasked, he takes a tone that is neither too high nor too low, but loud enough to intimidate her.

- Why do you want to marry me despite my "handicap"? What do you want from me? The money? To be a rich man's wife?

Because of his look, Mia feels a shiver run down her spine. Her heart clenched and her breath caught, she pretends to be calm.

- I was two years old when I got engaged to you. Did I already know the advantages of having money and being a rich woman at the age of two? Did I force our mothers to choose you for me?

She pauses for a moment to soften her tone.

- When I was two, you were ten, eight years older than me. Did I resent your old age?

Joseph sneers. This woman is really eloquent!

She is very good at talking!

Him, old?

Tension reigns between them.

Their eyes meet. Both angry, they refuse to give in.

Mia clenches her fists. The only purpose of her marriage to the Cosey family is to get back the dowry that George promised to give back to her mother.

So as not to make an enemy of this man, she softens her tone and changes her attitude.

- Mr. Cosey, I know you don't want to marry me. Why not?

She pauses to see Joseph's face. Even if his change of expression is very subtle, she perceives it anyway.

- Mr. Cosey, let's make a deal.

Mia speaks up. She doesn't really want to enter the Cosey family. She only agreed to it to come back from abroad and get what belongs to her and her mother.

- Bah.

Joseph laughed, finding her ridiculous. It's absurd. She wants to negotiate a deal with him?

Mia swallows her saliva. Very nervous, she has cold sweat on her back. Joseph is so tall that she has to look up to see him.

- I know you are pretending to be a cripple so that the Lambert family will break off the engagement. I agreed, because I have my reasons.

That interests Joseph.

- What do you want? Since it's a deal, we need conditions.

- One month. After one month of marriage, I'll divorce you.

One month would be enough. Once her mother's dowry is obtained, she will divorce.

Joseph frowns.

- Is that the deal you want to negotiate with me?

- Yes. We have to get married, because it's an agreement between our two mothers. Neither of us can break it, as a sign of respect for them. But after the marriage, we can easily divorce under the pretext of having trouble getting along. In this way, there will be no breaking of the engagement. At the same time, you won't have to live with someone you don't love for the rest of your life.

Then Mia softens her tone.

- I guess you have someone you love. That's why you're trying to get the Lambert family to break off the engagement, isn't it?

Joseph immediately takes on a somber look. Very quickly, he becomes furious.

- I didn't know that you are actually very intelligent.

Indeed, he wants to give Leila a place in his home, because he has been touched by her purity and sacrifice.

Joseph puts his gaze on Mia's face, who pretends to be calm.

- And you, what is it going to serve you, this one month marriage?

Joseph doesn't think she is doing it only for him.

Mia is nervous. She can't say it's for her mother's dowry.

But if she doesn't give him a reason, he won't believe her.

- My mother takes engagement very seriously. She's not well, so I don't want to disappoint her.

As she talks, she avoids Joseph's gaze, because she lied. Her mother doesn't want to marry her to Mr. Cosey at all.

As if reading her mind, Joseph says in a strange and intimidating tone:

- Is it true?

Mia feels a chill down her spine. His gaze is so piercing that he seems to be able to read her heart. And just when she doesn't know what to do, Joseph's phone rings in his pocket.

Joseph glances at her and pulls out his phone. Seeing the name on the screen, he puts on a tender face and turns to answer the phone. But then he seems to remember something and turns around and says:

- Since this marriage only lasts a month, there is no need for a ceremony.

Mia has no choice but to accept it.

- I agree.

On August 12, Paul comes to pick up Mia.

No ceremony, she just receives a marriage certificate.

Mia doesn't feel much emotion, because she knows that this is only a beneficial exchange for both parties.

If they had not been engaged since their childhood, they would never have crossed paths.

Soon, the car stops in front of a villa.

The sun shines on the extremely large and beautiful stone building.

- Enter.

Paul makes a gesture of invitation.

Neither warm nor flattering to her, he is just polite. He probably knows that this marriage between her and Joseph is simply to keep the promise.

So she is not really the wife of the young master of the Cosey family.

The house is big, but Mia doesn't see many people. She finds only one servant. Paul, without introducing her, takes her into the house and leaves.

Mia is a little uncomfortable.

- This is Mr. Cosey's house. I am Chloe and I take care of him. You can call me that too.

Chloe guides her to her room.

- If you need anything, you can tell me.

A month is not a long time. Besides, Mia brought her own stuff. Even though she probably won't bother her, she replies:

- Okay.

Chloe opens the door and turns to look at her. She wants to say something to her, but ends up letting out a sigh.

- Mr. Cosey might not be back tonight. It's Miss Fadel's birthday.

Although there is no ceremony, Mia is at least his legal wife. It's their first day of marriage, but he's out with another woman. Chloe feels sorry for Mia, who has just become his wife and is already treated so badly by Joseph.

Wouldn't it be worse in the future?