Surrendering to the Obsession (Possessive Billionaires, Precious Sweethearts #5)

Chapter 1 Janet

Janet, have you lost your mind?”

Camila was already on her feet the moment Janet’s palm struck Mia’s face. At the same time, Alexander moved—fast.

He reached Janet in two long strides. Before Janet could even take another breath, his hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her around and roughly shoving her back. “Have you lost your damn mind?” he roared, his voice shaking with fury. “How dare you hit her?!”

Janet stumbled backward, losing balance and falling to the ground with a hard thud. Pain shot through her spine, and she winced as she pressed a trembling hand to her lower back.

But Alexander didn’t even glance at her. His focus was entirely on Mia. He reached her in quick strides.

His eyes scanned her face in panic, his brows furrowed tightly as he stepped closer, his hand sliding to her shoulder and pulling her into him protectively. His other hand brushed across her cheek, his thumb tracing the faint red mark. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped along it.

“Mia…” he breathed with worry in his eyes.

Janet slowly lifted her head. Her lips parted in disbelief when she saw how Alexander hovered over Mia, his voice softening for her in a way Janet had never seen before.

‘He never cared when others got hurt,’ she thought bitterly, her eyes narrowing. ‘But for just one slap on her face, he’s furious like this?’

Her gaze hardened with suspicion as she pushed herself up, brushing the dust off her clothes, her movements stiff but quiet.

Mia, on the other hand, was struck with the shock of her life. Her heart pounded so violently in her chest that it drowned out every other sound—she could hear nothing but the frantic thud echoing in her ears.

However, when he called out her name, she finally blinked, the sound of his voice snapping her back to her senses. Her heartbeat turned erratic, thundering unevenly in her chest as reality rushed in. That was when she truly felt herself again, saw Alexander standing before her, and then Janet.

She caught Alexander’s arm, her voice sharp and trembling. “Who is she?” she demanded. “Is she telling the truth? That she’s your wife?”

His hand froze on her cheek, then dropped to his side. He turned toward Janet. The warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced by an icy, dangerous calm.

“Explain yourself,” he ordered in a low, seething tone. “Didn’t you hear what she asked?”

Janet blinked at him, taken aback by the shift in his voice. Then, slowly, she straightened her back. A smirk tugged at her lips, arrogance replacing her earlier shock.

“Don’t forget, you’re the one who went around calling me your girlfriend, Alexander. Don’t act like you don’t remember that.”

His eyes darkened. “You and I had a contract! You were supposed to act as my girlfriend so I wouldn’t have to deal with women throwing themselves at me all the time. That’s all it was—just an act!”

Mia’s eyes widened, her breath catching as she stared at him.

Janet laughed bitterly. “An act? Really?” she spat, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Keep pretending, Alexander. You and I both know how crazy you’ve always been about me.”

Alexander stared at her as if she’d gone insane. His expression turned cold with disgust. “That was a contract, Janet. Just a fucking deal. Nothing more. What wife? What girlfriend? Have you completely lost your mind?”

Camila sank back down on the couch, her face pale and drawn. The tension in the room was suffocating. Her hands trembled as she pressed them to her forehead.

“Thomas,” she whispered weakly, turning toward the butler who stood rigid nearby, “take me to my room. I can’t take any more of this.”

Thomas immediately stepped forward and helped her up carefully. Camila leaned on him for support as they left the living room, the silence that followed was thick with tension.

As soon as Camila disappeared down the hall, Janet surged forward, eyes blazing. She reached for Alexander, but he moved faster.

In a single, brutal motion, Alexander twisted toward her, his face stormy, and clamped his hand around Janet’s throat. His fingers dug in; his gaze seared her with a silent threat.

He held her there, voice low and cold as ice. “Don’t you ever dare come in front of me again,” he growled. “The deal was over the day I married my wife. The contract is already void! If you ever spout nonsense in front of my wife—or my mother—again, I will fucking kill you.”

Janet trembled violently, choking and wide-eyed, a ragged breath escaping her.

Alexander released her with the same clinical brutality he’d used to grab her; she slumped to the floor, rubbing her throat, fury mixing with fear.

He turned to Mia, his hand seizing her arm. “Let’s go,” he said, and Mia let him pull her away.

They slipped out of the room together, leaving Janet standing there—face screwed up in rage, teeth bared.

“Pretend all you want,” she spat after them.

“But I know how madly you’re in love with me, Alexander Graves.

You’ll be back in two days. I know you very well.

” She scoffed angrily and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Alexander led Mia to the back of the house. The private courtyard opened up into a polished pool framed by lounge chairs; the water caught the pale late-afternoon light.

He dragged two chairs together and pushed Mia down into one, then sat in the other, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. For a moment they both simply breathed—just the two of them in the hush after the storm.

Mia leaned forward, voice small and a little wry. “Maybe we should get a divor—”

“Don’t even think about it!” He said it in a flash, his voice cold enough to freeze the air.

Mia fell back, a sheepish, guilty half-smile flickering across her face. He watched her for a long beat, then spoke more calmly, each word sharp and measured.

“People kept coming at me at every damn party because I was single. They tried to set me up with their daughters, their sisters—hell, even their fucking wives. Everyone wanted a piece of me, everyone trying to get in my bed, and I’d had enough.

So I signed a contract with Janet to act as my girlfriend at those business parties.

She was blunt, crass, completely uninterested in me—the perfect wall to shut down all the noise.

It was just a contract. A cover, nothing more, so people would finally leave me the hell alone. ”

He paused, his gaze flicking to the mark on Mia’s cheek, lingering a moment too long.

“It worked for years,” he said, each word tight, controlled, but laced with simmering anger.

“The day we got married, that contract ended. She had no right to come here, no right to call herself anything, to pretend there was a relationship. I never gave her illusions of marriage—only a deal. She was never supposed to contact me again.”

His jaw clenched, his eyes flashing fire. “She was never supposed to show up at my house. I don’t know why she dared to call herself my wife. I never gave her a single reason to think we were anything more than a contract.”

Mia sat up straighter in her chair, her hands gripping the edges lightly. “Mr. Graves… she looked like she wanted to kill me. She looked really upset.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. “I’ll make sure she gets her head straightened out.”

His gaze flicked to the bruise on Mia’s cheek and something darker passed over his face. “I should have cut her fucking hand off!”

Mia shook her head, her fingers unconsciously brushing her reddened cheek. “It’s not a big deal, Mr. Graves. I slapped her back. In fact, I slapped her harder. I didn’t go easy on her.”

Alexander’s expression didn’t soften, but the storm behind his eyes steadied.

“Wait here.” He stood, his posture tall and controlled, and walked into the house. The sound of his footsteps faded, and then returned.

He sat back beside her, an ice pack in hand. Without a word, he pressed it gently to her cheek, slow, careful, as if she might break.

Mia took it from him to hold it herself. “I can do it,” she murmured.

Alexander’s gaze sharpened at her reaction. His voice lowered. “Are you angry with me?”

Mia blinked, looking up at him. His face was unreadable — except for something unspoken buried deep.

“No, Mr. Graves. You’re so nice. How could I be angry with you?” she said with a small smile.

That earned the faintest curve of his mouth. “Mr. Graves? That’s not my name.”

Heat climbed her neck. “I’ll keep it in mind. I’m sorry.”

Before she could even finish her apology, Alexander’s hand shot out and gripped her wrist. In one fluid motion, he lifted her from the chair and eased her down into his lap.

Her breath caught. His arm immediately circled her waist, drawing her flush against him.

Every inch of her pressed to him, held firmly yet possessively, exactly where he wanted her.

“That’s alright,” he murmured against her ear, voice low enough to vibrate through her. “I’ll give you time to get used to it. At least in bed you moan my name so damn lovingly.”

Mia’s face went scarlet. Her heart pounded. She shifted, trying to scoot back and froze when something solid pressed against her from beneath.

Confused, she furrowed her brows. Her hand lifted as she hesitated before pointing downward. “Mr. Graves… I think… you’re poking me with something.”

Alexander blinked.

His sharp eyes widened for a heartbeat, processing her words, and then the realization hit him like a lightning bolt.

‘How… can just her sitting on my lap make me this damn hard?’

Heat roared through him. His jaw tightened, fists clenching briefly at his sides before he forced himself to breathe. Every part of him betrayed the way she affected him, the same way she always had.

‘She still gets to me… just like when I was a foolish, love-struck teenager. Nothing’s changed.’