Chapter 7 A Plan #2
Mia blinked, surprised. “I don’t really think so.
I chose to marry him, and I chose to leave.
He didn’t love me, and I never fell in love with him either,” she said quietly.
“He never gave me a single reason to. If there’s one thing I truly resent, it’s how he disrespected even my parents.
” Her voice trembled slightly before she drew a breath.
“He’s done more damage to me than I can ever put into words. ”
Her jaw tightened as she lifted her gaze to Alexander, determination flickering in her eyes. “I want him to feel as bad as I did when I lived with him. Do you have any idea how I can get my revenge?”
Alexander folded his hands behind his back, thoughtful, his eyes flicking to the TV. “Making him learn a lesson for disrespecting you isn’t difficult. But if you want it done right, you have to be ruthless.” He turned back to her, his intense gaze locking on hers. “Right?”
He scanned her eyes for the tiniest flicker of hesitation, some leftover feeling for James. The idea alone seared him—she could feel anything for that man, even pity—and it made his blood boil.
However, Mia nodded firmly. “You’re right. Absolutely correct.”
A small, approving smile appeared on Alexander’s lips. He pointed first at the gold card, then at the TV screen. “Your revenge is already in your hands. Why don’t you use this card to make your first purchase that will help me sustain my fortune?”
Mia’s eyes darted between him and the screen. Slowly, realization dawned. “You mean… the land James is trying to buy?”
“Yes,” Alexander said, his voice calm but with an almost imperceptible edge of satisfaction. “He’s purchasing the land behind my mall. It’s a small piece—it won’t affect my business at all. But opening those petty little shops there could lower the value of my property.”
Mia’s eyes widened at his words. James was wealthy, a luxury real estate mogul, but in comparison to Alexander, his empire was negligible.
A small laugh escaped her lips. “Mr. Graves… you might be the only man ever who would call his properties ‘petty little shops.’”
Alexander grinned at her words. “I’m glad you think so.”
She continued, smiling lightly. “You’re really funny, Mr. Graves.”
He leaned slightly closer, eyes intense but gentle. “So, Miss Bennett… are you going to buy this land or not?”
Mia looked at the TV, studying James’s smug, unaffected expression, and replied immediately, “I will buy it.”
Allen, who had been standing quietly nearby, immediately stepped away and dialed a number.
Minutes later, as the live broadcast went on, a man approached James and spoke loud enough for those nearby to hear. “Mr. Sinclair, we’ve just received information that the land you were about to acquire has already been purchased by the Empire Group.”
The people on the set fell silent. The interviewer blinked, the cameramen exchanged puzzled looks, and a ripple of whispered confusion ran through the studio. “Mr. Sinclair,” the interviewer said, surprised, “wasn’t that land already contracted to you?”
James’s composure faltered for a fraction of a second. He turned toward William, who immediately straightened and hurried off to check the phones. Moments later, he returned breathless, whispered into James’s ear, then turned toward the director who had just informed James about the situation.
William quickly explained, “We’re planning to acquire the land. You need to confirm that we’re already in the process. I just spoke to your boss, and he agreed that you’re not allowed to question Mr. Sinclair right now.”
“What does he know?” The director immediately snapped, then turned to James, his voice cold and tight.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sinclair, but we cannot offend the Empire Group by lying for you.
My boss does not know that the Empire Group informed us about it directly.
We can’t broadcast anything that contradicts them. ”
Murmurs rippled through the crew. The whispers in the room grew louder. “So the land’s gone,” someone said. “He bragged before it was even his.”
Heat flared in James’s face. Humiliation hit him like a physical blow; for the first time he looked shaken, exposed.
He shoved back from the table and stormed off the set, furious.
Cameras followed as he burst into the bright parking lot, jockeying flashes of light and crew voices trailing behind him.
By his Mercedes, James slammed his fist onto the hood so hard the metal rang.
“What the hell is going on?” he roared at William, who had rushed to his side.
“Who bought that land? We already had a contract! There’s a cancellation penalty worth millions.
Where the hell did the Empire Group come from? ”
William’s face tightened. “The Empire Group swooped in while you were on air and bought the land, Mr. Sinclair. We’re already digging into who arranged it, but… it doesn’t look like a regular business move.”
“Find out,” James growled, fury cutting every word. “Find out now!”
Across town, Mia watched James storming away on the live feed.
She couldn’t help the small, incredulous laugh that slipped out.
‘I have never seen him like that,’ she thought, eyes bright with a wry mix of shock and amusement.
He always wore that proud, cold mask. Seeing it crack made something inside her slacken.
She turned to Alexander with playful admiration. “Mr. Graves, you are terrifyingly powerful… and a little evil.”
Alexander’s smile was amused, a crease at the corner of his mouth. “Didn’t you call me a good person minutes ago?” he teased lightly.
Mia smiled back, then her broken phone began to ring on the coffee table. James’s name flashed across the cracked screen. Alexander’s expression shifted subtly—an almost imperceptible tightening, a flash of something like jealousy—and his eyes flicked to the display.
He cocked his head, his voice low and deceptively casual. “Your ex-husband’s calling. Are you going to pick it up?”
Mia didn’t sense the danger hidden behind his gentle tone. Beneath that softness, she failed to recognize the threat.
Mia’s teeth clenched. She looked down at the screen, then decisively slid it away. “No.”
Alexander’s smirk widened, a pleased, possessive curl. He picked up the broken phone and examined it briefly. “I’ll have this replaced, and get you a new number. You won’t be bothered by unimportant people again.”
Mia looked up, grateful and nodded. Relief fluttered through her.
Alexander’s hand rested briefly on her shoulder; he stepped closer, gaze intense. “I heard you signed the divorce papers. Is that true?”
Mia met his eyes. “Yes. By the way, how did you find out about it already?”
“News travels fast in our world,” Alexander said with a nonchalant shrug. “We watch our competitors.” He studied her, then his expression sharpened. “Are you going to back out?”
Mia’s answer was immediate and resolute. “Of course not! I left his house already. I will never go back.”
Alexander’s expression shifted into careful calculation. He let his hands fall behind his back, then spoke in a coaxing, measured tone. “There’s an easier, faster way to get James out of your life.”
At the corner of the room, Anita — one of the maids who’d known Alexander since childhood — watched him closely and leaned toward Allen.
A tiny, familiar smile flickered at her lips.
She’d seen this look a thousand times. Under her breath, she murmured to Allen, “Finally… the tiger shows his claws.”
Allen glanced her way, masking a snicker.
Mia’s eyes lit up. “Please tell me,” she said, eager. “What’s your plan, Mr. Graves?”
Her thoughts raced. ‘Mr. Graves handles such massive business empires and deals on his own. For someone like him, speeding up a divorce must be a two-second task.’
Just then, the dangerous glint in Alexander’s eyes deepened, his expression darkened with an intensity that made her stomach tighten. A rush of satisfaction stirred in his chest as he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “Get married to me.”