CHAAPTER NINE
Mark smiled nervously at the kids who were giving him suspicious looks while Chloe just rolled her eyes.
What was so interesting about the guy that everyone was staring at him?
Mia smiled in his direction and informed the kids, “He’s my friend, Mark.”
Chloe frowned, and a look of displeasure settled on her face. She saw Mark giving her best friend a grateful look, and Mia blinking her eyes in assurance, and she hated every bit of it.
Not because she had even a bit of liking towards the guy or didn’t like them together, but simply because he was already stealing her best friend.
And she would in no way share her with anyone.
Anyway, he already had his best friend, so why was he keen on befriending Mia? She was still frowning at Mark when a tap on her shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts.
She looked at Mia, who was staring at her with raised eyebrows.
Chloe nodded her head and immediately clutched her hand tightly, pulling her closer, and confusing Mia.
She then glared at Mark, who wasn’t even looking their way and was busy with the kids.
“What’s wrong, Chloe? Why do you keep glaring at the poor guy?” Mia questioned, and Chloe’s frown deepened.
“Why do you keep siding with him? Are you his best friend or mine?” she scowled, looking at her, and Mia stared at her, amused. What had gotten into her?
“I hate him!” she snapped, just when Mia opened her mouth to speak, Chloe walked out on her, leaving her surprised.
It was around nine that Mia returned to Alex’s mansion with a smile playing on her lips. She had a good time at her place, with her people, and if not entirely, Mark is getting included in that list.
She realised that Chloe was jealous of Mark because she was getting more comfortable with him, and it made her laugh and love her even more. Because such a best friend was only rare.
She walked towards her room when a voice called her from behind. She stopped but did not turn around because she didn’t want to spoil her mood.
“Were you with Mark?” he asked, staring at her back, and she could feel his eyes on her.
She was for once glad that he didn’t ask her where she was and why she was so late because that would have surely made her lose her mind.
“Yes,” she answered simply and waited for him to speak.
“If you don’t want to be associated with me or be on the news channel first thing in the morning, then I suggest you stop going out with my friend. You can’t be this careless.” His voice was cold, and instead, it riled her up.
She turned around to give him a piece of her mind, but he was already gone.
She gritted her teeth in anger, as she took deep breaths and calmed herself before leaving for her room.
Another week passed, and soon they were called in for the pregnancy test.
Mia was nervous and praying for the results to be positive, whereas he sat unaffected.
“Mrs. Ian,” she was called, and she had a question at the tip of her tongue, but she gulped it down.
A while later, the tests were done, and they waited inside the doctor’s office for the results.
Mia kept fidgeting with her hands and kept glancing at the time now and then.
She would glance at Alex as well, but he was too immersed in his phone.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Ian, Sorry to keep you waiting, but the results are here.” The doctor said with a fake smile and looked at Alex nervously, who was destroying his confidence with his gaze.
He took out the papers and read it before them, masking the disappointment on his face.
The doctor looked at Mia’s hopeful face and, with a sad look, declared the result. “I’m sorry, but the results are negative. She is not pregnant. We’re really sorry, Mr. Ian and Mrs. Ian.”
Finally, it was done, and the doctor felt relieved just because he was going to get rid of Alexander Ian.
Mia went numb for a second as she stared at the doctor, his words kept ringing in her ears.
Negative,
Negative,
Negative,
She was not pregnant.
It felt like a whole bucket of ice was poured over her. She felt her eyes brimming with tears, as she bit her lip to stop the sobs. She heard the distant greetings between the doctor and Alex, but she couldn’t focus on anything.
She really wanted all this to be a dream and wake up on her bed with the kids laughing and shouting in the background. How has her life taken such a big turn? Was she really this unlucky?
“Mia?” He called, and she blinked twice to clear her vision and looked up at him.
He had no disappointment in his eyes. No pain, no remorse, nothing. They were still blank. What was he? Did he not have emotions, or was he so cold that he didn’t want to show them? Didn’t he want a child? Then why is he not sad?
At that moment, he looked like a monster to her.
“Let’s go,” he announced, and the next second, he walked out of there without giving her another glance. She followed behind silently, and they left for the mansion.
After dropping her at the house, Alex left for his office and called Mark as well.
“Make sure that the doctor or anyone from that hospital keeps this information confidential. If so much as even a tiny piece of information, like me visiting the hospital, goes out, you’re dead.” Alex threatened his secretary, and he nodded, sighing to himself.
Another one added to the list now. It was nothing new for him, and even his threats felt usual.
The door opened, and Mark walked in, and his secretary George took his leave.
He sat on the chair and leaned back, relaxing. They stared at each other, not saying anything for almost fifteen minutes.
“You will fall in love with me if you keep staring at me for another second.” Mark snickered, but Alex didn’t stop.
“Okay, now it’s getting creepy. Tell me why you have called me here?” Mark asked suddenly, and Alex looked so suspicious.
“What have you done?” Mark questioned, narrowing his eyes as Alex looked every bit of smug.
“Played a game, and I won,” Alex replied, not explaining further, and Mark realised he was talking about Mia.
He grew worried, thinking about what he must have done because he knew that his best friend wouldn’t even explain it to him even if asked.
Mark stated, “You know, Alex, I wouldn’t have cared about your games had it been anyone else. But this is Mia, and she is every bit naive for you to play these games. So stop before you regret every bit of it.” There were only a few occasions where Mark was serious, and when it would come to the close ones he had ever been.
“Why? You barely know her, and you’re already being protective of her. What’s the catch?” Alex asked, looking uninterested, but Mark could see something in his eyes that he had never seen before.
“I don’t know, but she is unlike other girls out there. She is different and innocent, and I believe she’s even unaware of what kind of devil you are.
And if you are going to taint her, remember, before anyone else, you won’t be able to forgive yourself.” It was the word or a warning in Mark’s eyes, but Alex did not like it even a bit.
In fact, he hated it, and he knew the reason was because of Mia. Just her mere presence is enough to bring a crack in his years of friendship.
Mia sat in her room, lost in her thoughts. There was too much going on inside her head, and she didn’t know how to stop it.
The results came out negative. She is not pregnant, but something was missing. She felt like she was missing out on something.
What? She had no idea, but it was constantly nagging her.
Now that she couldn’t conceive through her method, she knew she would have to abide by his rules and she wasn’t even prepared. Of course, it would be with her consent, but only verbal consent.
She sighed, suddenly exhausted, and dropped herself on the bed.
It was too much for her.
Way too much.
Just as she was about to close her eyes, her phone rang, irritating her. She made an annoying face and saw Alex calling her.
Without any interest, she picked it up and pressed it to her ear.
“Pack your things and get out of my mansion.” He declared coldly, that she could even sense the rage in his voice.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
She sat up on the bed with a jerk, fully awake, and stared at the wall ahead, dumbfounded.
“What?” she whispered, but she heard nothing, which made her doubt the previous statement she heard.
Maybe she was hearing things now, she thought.
“I said, get out of my mansion and don’t show me your face ever again. The contract is terminated, and I’ve got nothing to do with you anymore.” He roars, and her eyes widen.
“Stop playing, Mr. Ian. I don’t trust you even a bit. Who knows, you throw me out of the house now and then file a suit against me the next second for breaching the contract. I’m not that stupid, and I’m not leaving.” She snapped back and held the phone tightly.
“Listen, Mia, don’t test my patience and leave before I come back. Or else you’ll face the consequences.” With that, the line was disconnected, and she was already fuming.
What the hell!
She very well understood what he meant by ‘consequences,’ and if anything, she wasn’t scared this time, but instead, she was ready for it.