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
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
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
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 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
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 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 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 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