Chapter 17 You Don’t Like Me?
Alexander was immediately on his feet, striding out of the office with tense precision.
By the time he reached the building’s exit, his car was waiting.
He slid into the backseat while Allen jumped into the driver’s seat, and within moments, the car was speeding through the streets.
It didn’t take long before they arrived at Luxe and entered the lavish, crowded establishment.
Inside, Mia was laughing at something Hazel had said. Sawyer, seated beside her, sipped his drink, watching her with quiet amusement.
‘She looks exactly like my aunt when she was young…’ he thought, staring at Mia’s smiling face. The memory of an old photo of his five-year-old cousin flashed through his mind—the same one his mother still kept on her phone after all these years.
Almost without thinking, Sawyer reached out and affectionately ruffled the top of Mia’s head.
Mia, still giggling, didn’t notice at first. But as she paused to sip her drink and turned her head, her smile froze. Realizing his hand was on her hair, she pulled back and chided, “Don’t do that! You’ll ruin my hair.”
Then, suddenly, a chilling sensation crawled up her spine. She turned instinctively—
Alexander stood there.
His eyes were fixed on her, his expression dark and displeased. Mia’s breath caught. This wasn’t the warm, gentle smile she was used to seeing on his face. His features were hard, almost feral, his stare burning through her like ice and fire combined.
“Mr. Graves!” she called out quickly, her face lighting up with a nervous grin as she shot to her feet and hurried toward him. But the music was deafening, her voice barely cutting through the heavy bass—only Alexander could hear it.
Meanwhile, across the room, Kylie continued her live stream, her smirk widening. ‘Now everyone will see what a big slut you are. Pretending to be such an innocent, loyal wife to James all these years… and now flirting with other men just minutes after running from his house.’
Alexander’s gaze flicked between Mia and Sawyer, his expression dark and deathly calm. The air around him thickened, heavy enough to make breathing feel difficult.
Sawyer, however, didn’t so much as blink. His face stayed perfectly indifferent, his gaze cool and steady as he met Alexander’s eyes head-on. That quiet defiance only made Alexander’s jaw tighten. His fury simmered just beneath the surface, restrained but ready to erupt.
Without a word, Alexander’s hand shot out, his fingers wrapping tightly around Mia’s wrist. Before she could even gasp, he yanked her forward with a force that made her stumble.
Her heart skipped, breath catching in her throat as he turned sharply, cutting through the crowd with determined strides. People parted instinctively, the look on his face enough to silence anyone.
“Hazel, I’ll call you later!” Mia shouted over her shoulder as Alexander pulled her away through the crowd.
His grip stayed firm as he led her out of the pulsing lights of the club and into the cool night air.
Sawyer’s expression darkened, anger flashing in his eyes seeing Alexander pull her away recklessly.
His jaw tightened, and his fingers curled tightly around the glass, the muscles in his forearm flexing.
There was something dangerous in his gaze—anger, laced with something that felt almost personal.
Hazel noticed the sudden change in his demeanor. “What’s your problem?” she asked, one brow arching in confusion.
Sawyer’s eyes snapped toward her. Seeing the suspicious look in her eyes, he immediately shot back, his tone sharp and defensive. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not a creep like him. I’m married!”
Hazel blinked in surprise, then gave a small smile, turning away in relief.
Outside, Alexander didn’t stop until they reached his car. His grip on Mia’s wrist remained firm, almost possessive. She tried to pull free, her breath uneven from trying to keep up with his long strides.
“Mr. Graves,” she said breathlessly, struggling to match his pace. “My things are still at Hazel’s place—”
He didn’t respond. His jaw was set, his expression grim as he snapped his fingers once. Allen, who had been following at a distance, immediately went back inside the club.
Without another word, Alexander opened the car door and guided Mia inside. Then he moved around to the driver’s seat, slammed the door shut, and started the engine.
The moment the car rolled away from Luxe, the air inside grew thick with silence. The city lights flickered past through the tinted windows, reflecting against Alexander’s hardened features. His face was cold, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
***
Meanwhile, in a private room upstairs at Luxe, Gabriel sat beside James. The low hum of music and the soft clinking of glasses filled the dimly lit space. Laughter, conversation, and the faint scent of whiskey lingered in the air.
Gabriel’s phone buzzed with a series of notifications. He lazily picked it up, scrolling through his screen—until his expression suddenly shifted. His brows shot up.
“What the hell…” he muttered. “Kylie’s live streaming?”
He looked around the room, confusion flickering across his face. “She was just sitting here. When did she leave?”
James glanced up from his drink, frowning. “What are you talking about?”
Gabriel turned his phone toward him with a small chuckle. “Kylie. She was drinking with us a few minutes ago, and now she’s live downstairs? When did she even slip out?” He shook his head in disbelief, lifting his glass again.
But before the drink could reach his lips, he froze. His eyes widened as he leaned closer to the screen. “Wait—what the hell—” His voice dropped, sharp with disbelief. “Is that… Mia?”
In an instant, his amusement vanished. He shoved the phone toward James. “Look! Isn’t that Mia?”
James’s hand shot out, snatching the phone.
His grip tightened around it as his gaze locked on the video.
For a fleeting moment, Mia’s face appeared on the screen, smiling faintly, turning her head toward someone before stepping off the couch and moving toward a man. Then, she disappeared from view.
The room fell silent for a heartbeat—then James abruptly stood. His drink toppled over, spilling across the table in a rush of amber liquid.
Gabriel stared at him, stunned. “You’ve been looking for her in every city for days,” he said, his voice rising in disbelief. “How the hell did she manage to hide this well? She’s been here the whole time—in the same damn city?!”
James didn’t reply. His jaw was locked, his expression cold and razor-sharp. He shoved the door open and strode down the hall, his shoes thudding against the floor in a steady, furious rhythm.
As he stepped into the main floor of the club, the air hit him heavily with perfume, sweat, and bass that made the floor vibrate.
Flashing lights pulsed across the crowded room.
People laughed, danced, and shouted over the music, but James didn’t notice any of it.
His eyes swept across the crowd, searching.
When he finally reached the spot from the video, he stopped short. The couch was empty. The people around it were strangers. Mia was gone.
For a moment, he just stood there—silent, frozen, his chest rising and falling sharply. Then his hand curled into a fist, the veins in his arm tightening. His jaw flexed once before he grabbed a glass off a nearby table and hurled it at the floor.
The sharp shatter of glass cracked through the music, turning several heads. Conversations stopped. A few people flinched back.
“Sir, please—” a waiter began nervously, stepping forward, but froze when James turned his glare on him. The man paled and immediately backed away, gesturing for someone to clean up the mess.
James exhaled through his nose, hard and furious. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it with shaking fingers, but the live stream was already gone—ended, vanished like it had never existed. His frustration deepened, the muscle in his jaw ticking again.
He dialed Kylie’s number. It rang several times before she finally answered. “Where are you?” His voice was cold, clipped, controlled only by sheer restraint.
After a beat, her sweet, airy voice floated through the speaker. “James? I’m outside the club. What happened? I was just coming back in.”
“I’m coming to you,” James said shortly, and hung up before she could reply.
He turned and stormed toward the exit, his long strides cutting through the crowd. The bouncers at the door quickly stepped aside when they saw the storm on his face.
Outside, the night air was cooler, but it did nothing to calm him. Kylie stood by the entrance, tucking her phone into her purse when she saw him approach. Her red lips curved into a practiced, sugary smile as she hurried toward him, her heels clicking sharply on the pavement.
“James,” she said softly, brushing her hair back with delicate fingers. “Were you looking for me?”
James’s eyes were cold. “You were live streaming,” he said flatly. “Mia was in it. Did you see her?”
Kylie blinked innocently, tilting her head as if genuinely confused.
“I did see her—but only for a moment,” she said, voice lilting and sweet.
“When I realized she appeared in my live stream, I shut it down right away. I didn’t want her to think I did it on purpose.
You know she might be upset with me… because of all the rumours about you and me?
I hate misunderstandings. You know how I’m terrified of fights. ”
She sighed dramatically, stepping closer until she was standing almost against him. Her perfume—sweet and heavy—wrapped around them as she took his hand and guided it to her waist. “James,” she whispered, her tone shifting to soft and sultry. “Can we go home? I’m so tired. I just want to sleep…”
James’s expression didn’t change. He jerked his hand away as if her touch burned. His patience was gone. Pulling out his phone again, he pressed another number.