Mia’s POVMy mind went blank for a second.When I realized what he was asking of me, I wanted to grab my fork and stab it at his cocky face.“Are you kidding me right now?!” my voice shook violently. “If you think I’ll let you mess with my career like this—”“Lorelei is a well-known model. You should be glad that she is interested in your film. Having her as your female lead will give you huge exposure,” Adrian sneered coldly. “You are a businesswoman. Surely you can think this through.”“Bullshit!” I snapped furiously. “This is you manipulating my life! You are punishing me for quitting my job. You are such an arrogant asshole who can’t stand me making it on my own after our divorce!”“Making it on your own?” he narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t even have enough money to get your project up and running. How did you find the nerve to bark at your moneybag?”“There are tons of other investors waiting in line to invest in me! I will not have you and your dea
Mia’s POVI hurried up the long marble staircase, heading up towards the auction house.A man was waiting for my by the entrance, Adrian’s secretary.“You are 30 minutes late, Luna Mia,” he said to me icily. “Alpha Adrian asked you attend tonight’s auction with him at 7.”“I—I know. But I got caught up in things…”I gasped for breathes and tried to mention the million tasks that piled up in my calendar.The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new business arcade, the hand-shaking event at the local hospital, the interview with the Daily News, the emails that awaited for my reply…I only had 2 hours of sleep in the past 7 days. I hadn’t had any food or water in the last 48 hours.“Alpha Adrian is not pleased.” The secretary said.I gulped nervously. I knew that Adrian didn’t appreciate late-comers, “Let me explain it to him myself…”“Alpha asks you to stay outside. Reflect upon your mistake.”…What?It was 14 degree Fahrenheit outside! Freezing cold.And all I was wearing was a crop-top go
Mia’s POVAdrian’s car drove off without me. I wondered whom he was in a hurry to see. Probably Lorelei.It was the staffs at the auction house who carried me inside, offered me some hot beverages and sent me home eventually.“Luna Mia, are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” the staff asked me in the car, worried.“…No, thank you. I am fine.” I replied weakly in a low voice.Even a complete stranger cared about my wellbeing. Yet my husband didn’t give a damn.The car arrived at the entrance of Andrian’s mansion, which was sitting on the top of a hill, looking over the entire city. The security wouldn’t let the car through the iron gate. So I was forced to get off the car and climbed the hill by myself.The snow continued to fall, developing into a blizzard.I felt so cold. Yet on the contrary, my body was burning.Before I passed out on the path, I finally made it to the mansion’s doorstep.With my last bit of strength, I entered the code to the combination lock.[WRONG C
Mia’s POVThe party surged in chaos, bodies swaying amidst a sea of bottles and deafening music. The air was thick with the scent of alcohol and sweat.It was overwhelming, suffocating even.People looked around at me. Their eyes bright with malicious sparkles.“Mia River?”One guy giggled. He shoved his drunken date aside and advanced on me, “Alpha Adrian’s rejected mate? Hell, she is hotter in reality than TV!”A couple more men came at my way, their eyes hazy and unfocused.I took a shaky step back, but instead bumped into a muscular chest—somebody had blocked my way out from the back.“Stay away from me…” I gritted, my voice quivering. “I don’t fucking know you!”They burst into laughter, “Oh come on. Don’t be a prude. The Alpha left you already. You got nothing else to do anyway. Let us keep you company!”“No—NO!” I shrieked, “I am calling the police!”Yet they didn’t give a fuck about my threat.Someone held my shoulders, a few more grabbed me by my feet. Together they lifted me
Mia’s POVI could ask Jace to pick up all my belongings for me. I also knew that with Lorelei back in town, I would probably run into people I didn’t want to meet with if I went back to Adrian’s house.But it was a fight that I couldn’t ran away from. And I couldn’t bother Jace anymore. He had done enough for me.The next day, I used a full day to prep myself and headed to my battlefield at dusk.The security at the front gate still recognized me. After hearing out my reasons for being here, they let me through.I climbed the hill by feet, through the winding path that led to mansion. The crisp evening air whispered through the trees. As I climbed, I stole glances over my shoulder, watching as the last rays of light kissed the rooftops, bathing them in a soft, golden hue.It was scene worth billions of dollars, exclusive to the Alpha himself. As Adrian’s wife, I had the luxury of enjoying this view everyday while jogging along the path, or riding in the same car with Adrian back to th
Lorelei rounded her eyes slightly. A panicked look flickered across her eyes.Standing by the entrance was Liam, his face full of anger.He looked completely different than his wasted self the other day. He was sober now, piercing eyes freezing cold, giving off an intimidating aura.“…Liam?”Lorelei forced out an awkward smile, “What brought you here?”Liam paced into the foyer with a sneer, “This is my house. I can come back here whenever I want.”He turned to glare at the security guys and snapped, “Did you hear what I just said? Let her go!”The security guys shivered and quickly let go of me. I stood straight and rubbed my wrists, which were bruised under their iron grip.“Liam! She is a thief! Are you covering up for her?” Lorelei gritted sullenly.“Thief? What have she stolen then?” Liam demanded.Mrs. Jones nibbled her lips nervously and replied, “She wasn’t given a chance to make a move. We found her creeping among the maids and digging through the boxes. So we quickly took he
Mia’s POVAdrian’s lawyer contacted me again later that night and asked me to meet at Sinclair Enterprise the next day.I decided to hand in my resignation along with the divorce paper.I had been working as his assistant even after our marriage. Now that our divorce is official, It was time for Andrian to hire another assistant.On the day of our divorce, I woke up early to freshen up.Looking at my pale reflection in the mirror, I decided to put on a little powder and lip gloss. As the one being dumped, I didn’t want to look so pathetic and defeated.Just before I left my apartment, a text popped up in my phone.[Kate: Mia, I know you are meeting with Adrian at the company. Can we talk for a few minutes before you go up?]I stare at my screen for a long moment before texting back.[Of course.]Kate and I met at a café downstairs.She was sitting by the window when I walk in, her chestnut brown hair giving a silky glow under the sunlight and her side profile is impeccable.She didn’t
My mind went blank temporarily.I could not believe what I just heard.…Mental and physical harm?! What the fuck had I done? Lorelei was the one who falsely accused me of stealing and illegally possessing my belongings!I didn’t call the police on her. And now she was going to bully me back?How dared she! And how dared Adrian!With the last bit of reason that I had left, I suppressed my anger and gritted, “Do you have any idea what really happened? I’m the innocent one here! I just went home to get my belongings, but Lorelei accused me of theft and had the guards attack me! I haven’t even had the chance to press charges against her, and now she’s suing me?! Can’t you see how ridiculous this is???”Adrian’s face remained cold and indifferent.“You broke into our house. That is trespassing. I can have you arrested just for that,” he said matter-of-factly.I stared at him. I felt everything so surreal and ridiculous that I suddenly had a strong urge to burst out laughing.He didn’t care
Mia’s POVMy mind went blank for a second.When I realized what he was asking of me, I wanted to grab my fork and stab it at his cocky face.“Are you kidding me right now?!” my voice shook violently. “If you think I’ll let you mess with my career like this—”“Lorelei is a well-known model. You should be glad that she is interested in your film. Having her as your female lead will give you huge exposure,” Adrian sneered coldly. “You are a businesswoman. Surely you can think this through.”“Bullshit!” I snapped furiously. “This is you manipulating my life! You are punishing me for quitting my job. You are such an arrogant asshole who can’t stand me making it on my own after our divorce!”“Making it on your own?” he narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t even have enough money to get your project up and running. How did you find the nerve to bark at your moneybag?”“There are tons of other investors waiting in line to invest in me! I will not have you and your dea
Mia’s POVFor a quick second I felt like a snooping big sister who read her little brother’s diary and got caught.But then I calmed myself down and asked in a light tone, “I saw your paintings inside. Who is this girl?”He blushed suspiciously and avoided my gaze, “…nobody.”“Come on,” I forced a laugh, “Introduce this special someone to me.”He stood there stiffly for a few seconds before letting out a long sigh, “Fine. But promise me not to freak out if I show you…”He led me into the exhibition room and turned on the light.I took in a sharp inhale the next second.Those portraits, some were unfinished sketches, and some were oil paintings…But they were all…ME.My jaw dropped and I couldn’t even get a word out of my mouth. After an eternity long of silence, I finally turned to Liam rigidly.“What the…Why…” I stuttered. Couldn’t get my minds together.There was an even deeper shade of red on his face. He covered his eyes in embarrassment and groaned, “God I feel like such a big pe
Mia’s POV“What did you just say?” I gasped, “Lorelei’s child may not be Adrian’s?”Liam gave me a casual shrug, “I don’t know if she has a child or not. I’m just saying, if she does, we won’t know who the father is.”“But does Adrian know about this?” I asked urgently.Liam paused. He slightly narrowed his eyes at me and studied my reaction closely, “Why do you care about it so much?”“I…I’m just—curious,” I stammered.His jaw tensed. Then he suddenly moved closer to me and held my shoulders forcing me to look straight into his eyes, “Then stop worrying about him and Lorelei. Adrian chose to be with that woman. Who cares if the child is his or not?”After a long eye connection, I finally caved into his intimidating gaze and sighed, “…Fine.”Liam was right.Adrian seemed happy with Lorelei now.No matter how sad I was about this, I should move on and let him bear with his own choice.I spent the rest of that evening filling out the contract and faxed it to Clayton the next morning.A
Mia’s POVI didn’t remember how I walked out of the lady’s room and came back to the lounge.All I was thinking was one thing:…Adrian and Lorelei had a child?!But I never heard Adrian talking about it ever!And if they had a child, why did Lorelei leave him? And why was she coming back to him now?A million questions whizzed across my mind as I dragged my steps going into the lounge.And then I see them sitting in the booth.Lorelei rested her head on Adrian’s shoulders while holding his hand. They looked so intimate and in love.Lorelei was right about one thing.I could never win this battle against her.Pushing down bitterness at heart, I walked over to them and said, “I’d better head home. Thank you for today…Alpha Adrian.”His eyes slightly darkened hearing that I used his title instead of first name.“I will give you a ride home,” his tone was determined.“No, it’s fine!” I didn’t want Lorelei to think that I was still fighting over him.Yet to my surprise, Lorelei stood up wi
It was a little tradition of us to have a drink after a successful business meeting. I couldn’t remember how many times we clung our glasses together in late nights.“Sure!” I answered without hesitation.We took the elevator to the top floor and grabbed a booth in the lounge. Soothing music was playing in the background, and he was sipping his scotch besides me.Everything was like the old time.Except it wasn’t.Maybe it was because of the wine, or because of my sudden nostalgic feeling, I suddenly blurt out:“You knew that Lorelei set me up, right?”His hand froze in midair. Then he looked over to me, his face unreadable.“What are you talking about?” he asked coldly.He was not happy.I shouldn’t sabotage this precious moment by asking things about Lorelei.But I had started already. There was no way of taking it back.And I deserved an answer.“You said you checked the surveillance footage. You knew that I wasn’t a thief! Lorelei hid all my stuffs on purpose trying to get me into
Mia’s POV“Mia!” Clayton snapped when I pushed open the door, “What took you so—”Words froze on his lips as soon as he saw Adrian behind me.“A—Alpha Adrian!” he jumped out of his seat, a panic look on his face, “Wh—What are you doing here?”Adrian walked directly over and sat down across the table, “This club is my property. What? Am I not welcomed?”“O—Of course no…it is my deepest honor…” Clayton stuttered, wiping sweats on his forehead.“Sit,” Adrian nodded drily at him. Clayton carefully took his seat, half of his butt hanging by the chair.He was like a teenager in the schoolmaster’s office. But I got it why he was so afraid. Adrian was not only the Alpha, but also business tycoon. Guys like Clayton might have a chance to meet him in their entire life.Adrian tapped his index finger on the table. A few waiters came in to collect all the glasses and empty bottles away and cleared the table for us.“Your name?”“…Gill Clayton, Alpha.”“Mr. Clayton,” Adrian’s voice was cold, “I do
Mia’s POVMy parents founded this studio.They were talented filmmakers but maybe a bit too idealistic. They made low-budget films and made a blast on a local film festival but couldn’t find more investors to continue their creation.Three years ago, their producer took all the money my parents loaned from the bank and ran abroad, forcing them to shut down this studio.That was why I agreed to Adrian’s contract marriage in the first place.I needed the money to pay back my parent’s debt.With his final 2 million dollars, I was finally out of that debt and became the new CEO of Rivers Film Studio.My studio only had one boss and no employees at the moment but…babe steps.I rolled up my sleeves and started cleaning this place up, dusting the floor, organizing files, taking out trashes.I worked from morning to afternoon, till a knock on the door wake me up from my heavy labor.“Knock, knock.”Liam walked in carrying a beautiful orchid.“Congratulation on your new business,” he handed me
He glared at me, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He was clearly in pain. But his pain was nothing compared to what I was going through.He didn’t love me. But I loved him.His pain might be pure physical. But my pain was a physical and emotional one.“Mia!” Jace held my shoulders, crying urgently. “Are you alright?!”“Get your fucking hands off her!” Adrian snarled.He charged at Jace, raising a fist at Jace’s face, but I quickly came in between them and grabbed Adrian’s wrist stopping him.“Don’t you dare touch him!” I snapped.“Mia—”“I am fucking done with you, you hear me?” I cried in a shaky voice. “Your horrible personality, your cold-shoulder, neglection…You can go and have a wonderful life with Lorelei and I don’t care. Just leave me alone!”He stared at me, his lips trembling. A twisted flash of pain shot across his face.“And go and sue me all you want! But I am not apologizing to that bitch Lorelei for something that I didn’t do!”I grabbed Jace’s arm, using him to su
“DON’T SHOOT IT!”I cried out loud and grabbed Adrian by the arm, “I know him! He is—”“Your admirer?” He snarled. His hard muscle flexed underneath the shirt. His whole body was tensed in rage. “I underestimated you, Mia Rivers. When did you hook up with a royal?”“What the hell are you talking about! He is a friend…”His eyes sparkled with madness and anger, “Whoever that is, I will FUCKING kill him! He should have seen this coming when he seduced my wife!”I glared at him.I wanted to remind him that I was no longer his wife. He divorced me himself!Yet before I do that, the helicopter dived down and hovered outside of our window.A young man emerged from the helicopter. His honey-brown hair fluttered in the strong wind. The golden sunshine depicted his handsome profile.“MIA!”He yelled at me, waving and grinning.“You like my surprise?!”I let out a short cry—That idiot! He shouldn’t have!Adrian’s eyes slightly widened as he stared at that young man, “…Jace Ryder?”His Head of S