Chapter 116 [MIA]
Alex seemed angry. Even though I was shielded behind his back, I could just sense the waves of rage dissipating from him when his eyes flickered from the unexpected guest to Dominic.
âI donât mean any harm,â Xander mused, throwing his hands up as if in defence.
âI doubt you can harm me,â Alex sounded... bored. Disinterested.
âThe gun youâre reaching for might suggest otherwise.â
My breath gets stuck in my throat when I realise Alexâs hand was on the gun tucked into its holder which was wrapped around his trousers like a belt- one that I didnât even know he was carrying.
âItâs a precaution,â Alex says in the same tone, not taking Xanderâs bait. âYouâre uninvited.â
âWeâre both in the inner circle of the Bratva. I merely came for some... bonding time.â The lie slips out of his mouth with a saccharine smile.
âWhat did you want to do? Paint nails and braid hair?â
âNo. I was thinking of something else.â Xanderâs head tilts a considerable amount till his eyes find me. âI didnât know prostitutes were your style.â
1 stiffen. Alex doesnât even move a muscle. âYou donât know me enough to know my style.â
My heart lurches at the fact that Alex didnât deny the accusation, but I decide to keep my head down and keep faith in him.
âSomething we should rectify, donât you think?â He sounded... excited. I shift further behind Alex, getting out of his gaze. âSheâs pretty. You open to sharing?â
A âI donât share.â One sentence. Three words. And my heart leapt. I needed to stop being so hopeless and find myself attracted to Alex in the s* * of times. His world was dangerous. He was dangerous. And so was Xander.
âPossessive for a prostitute, Alex?â
âWhat I am and am not isnât any of your business.â
âYeah yeah. I know. I know.â Xander mused, âI just didnât think you were the mistress kind. You are the Pakhanâs weapon after all, heâs always Alex-this and Alex-that. I thought f**g women, wasting time was... my thing. I didnât know you did anything except plot.â
âXander, you have ten seconds to tell me why youâre here. After that, youâre out. Alive or dead.â
âTch. Tch.â Xander clicks his tongue. âDoes Hannah know about your... habits?â
Alexâs fist clenches.
Hannah.
This was what that man had called me, when there was an attack few weeks ago. He said on the phone he didnât know who I was, but he Chapter 116 presumed I was Hannah.
And then there was that article I had roughly seen on Sofiaâs phone, linking Alex and Hannah.
Who was she?
More importantly, who was she to Alex?
âThis is your last chance to step out of here alive,â Alexâs voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
Xander whistles carelessly.
âAnd your last warning. I will open fire if you show up unannounced again.â
Xander picks his hands up again like he had earlier in the universal sign for defence, and takes steps behind till he could see me again.
âHannahâs prettier, doll.â He winks at me and Alex brings his gun out, and a shot was fired faster than I blinked.
I yelp, but Xander ducks and strides off.
It takes me a moment to recover, my breathing uneven before I step out from behind Alex.
âThat f**r.â Alex grits, turning to Dominic who was just watching the scene. âHow the f**k did he get in?â
âI told you. The manâs unhinged. I tried calling you but you were... occupied.â Dominic eyes reach me in I squirm.
a disapproving manner.
âFire all the guards who couldnât stop him. I want them replaced by tomorrow with ones who will open fire if he ever tries this stunt again.â Alex seethes, âAnd I want men trailing him. I need dirt on Xander, and I need it NOW.â
Alexâs voice booms, and I flinch. This was the first time I had heard him raise his voice. He was always so dangerously calm and collected. âNo fucker comes to my house, does this, and gets out alive.â
Dominic nods. âOn it.â And then he leaves.
Alex breathes, his thumb and index finger pinching his forehead skin before he turns to me, gaze softening. âDo you want to resume-â
I cut him off. âWhoâs Hannah?â
His eyebrows shoot up. âNobody you need to concern yourself with, cupcake.â
I gulp, my heart sinking further when his response wasnât that she was an ex who had passed away in a ditch. âWhoâs Hannah?â
Alex stares at me. âSheâs a business deal.â
âWhat kind of business deal, Alex?â
âA business deal,â he repeats, that eery calm resuming over his features, his eyes dark as if planning a hundred sinister things.
He takes a step towards me, his knuckles caressing the skin of my cheek. âYou make me forego the world, darling.â
His touch burnt, and his words felt nothing but a bandaid taping a growing bullet hole. âWhoâs Hannah, Alex?â I ask again. âWhat kind of 1 14:46 Tue, 2 Jul Chapter 116 business deal?â
He takes his hand off me. âAn engagement of convenience.â
My lips part while I processed his carefully worded sentence. âAn engagement?â My eyes were bulging, âYouâre engaged?â
Alex just blinks.
I gasp, an unknown kind of panic seizing my insides.
âItâs not like that, Mia,â He takes a step towards me, and I take one behind.
44%
+5 âNo! No. 1-You stay away.â I focusing on my breathing. I shouldnât care, every part of me instructed. But I do care. I still s**ly care. âDid you make her wear your ring, Alex?â
E His tongue presses on one of his cheek insides, visible irritation gnawing at him. âListen to me...â
âWas she wearing your ring while you were f**g me?!â
âIt was not important.â He raises his voice. âShe is nothing.â
âNot important?!â I scream. âDo you hear yourself? You made all those promises about me being the only woman who can touch you you were getting engaged?â
âMia,â he takes a careful step towards me. âI didnât make those promises in vain. You are the only woman who-â
I cut him off. âDonât lie, Alex!â Tears fill my eyes, the pain in my chest increasing tenfold. âDonât lie to me!â
âIâm not lying.â He softens his tone.
âYouâre a liar,â I repeat, sniffing, the tears threatening to fall. âAll you do is lie.â
âF**k.â He grits to no one in particular. âIâm going to kill Xander. Iâm going to murder that f**r with my bare hands.â
âWhy? Because he told me the truth you were hiding?â And the tears fall. My facade crumbles. âHow long were you planning to keep it hidden anyway? Or were you planning to get married to her and then dispose me?â
âMia. Shut up.â He takes a step towards me and I take one back reflexively. âYouâre not disposable. And I was never going to get married to her. Iâm still not.â
âYou were f**g me while you were engaged.â My voice breaks. âYou took me on a date when that is some other womanâs right. I am a mistress.â
âYouâre not a f**g mistress.â He grabs me before I could move further away from him. âBreathe. Breathe for me.â
That was when I notice how uneven I was inhaling, and it still didnât feel enough.
I was s**d to think someone like Alex can have morals. That someone like him can actually mean it when he says he belonged to me just as much as I to him.
I try wiggling out of his grip, which only increases. âThis was all a play, wasnât it?â I ask in a whisper. âTo get me to fess up about why I was recording you. You were making me fall for you to know the truth. You were playing me all along.â
14:46 Tue, 2 Jul Chapter 116 44%
A new set of tears arise in my eyes and Alex looked downright raging, like he wanted to punch something with all his strength but kept calm and collected for my sake.
âMia.â He says, firmly. âListen to me. Hannah is a business deal. I will cut all ties with her, and I am not going to marry her. I didnât know that before you, but I knew that the first time I f**d you and every moment since. Nothing I told you was a lie.â
âMore lies.â I shake my head blankly. âYou wanted the truth right? You want to know why I recorded you and Bakshi that day right?â
Something changes in his eyes, an emotion I couldnât read surfacing in them.
âI will tell you everything tomorrow, and then you can decide what to do with me.â I wiggle out, and I knew that is because he let me go, and not because I could somehow defeat his strong grip. âJust let me go to my room for the night, because I canât even look at you right now.â
Saying as much, I basically flee from the place just in case he holds me again, or ropes me to the chair.
He doesnât.
He lets me walk away, and so I do.