Chapter 13 Ungrateful
Alexander didn’t look the same as when he had left for the office. His collar was rumpled, his hair messy from running his fingers through it repeatedly, and his body was taut with tension. His eyes burned as they locked onto hers.
Without a word, he reached up, grabbed the glasses perched on his nose, and tossed them onto the desk with a sharp clink. The sound echoed through the office, making the silence heavier. Then he turned fully toward her.
“Do you have something to tell me?” His voice was low, controlled, yet every syllable carried the weight of anger barely contained. The silence that followed his question felt suffocating.
Mia blinked, confusion clouding her eyes. “Tell you what?” she asked softly.
His jaw tightened further, muscles working visibly beneath his skin, and the intensity in his expression deepened. Without another word, he snatched his phone from the desk, pressed a few buttons, and swiveled the screen toward her.
On it was the video—her and James in that cheap club. Mia froze. The dim lights, James beside her—and then herself, trembling as the gun pressed to her temple.
Her entire body went rigid, a shiver running through her spine. Alexander, however, didn’t look away. He stepped closer with every passing second of the video, and by the time the clip ended, he was standing directly in front of her, dark eyes locked onto hers.
Her eyes darted from the screen to meet his, and panic flared. “Mr. Graves… it’s not what it looks like,” she rushed to explain, words tumbling out.
“So… you weren’t kidnapped? With James… your ex-husband?” Alexander’s breath was heavy, each word laced with tension, his dark eyes fixed on hers as he said James’s name.
“I—yes, I was… I mean, I was kidnapped,” Mia admitted, cheeks heating with embarrassment and anxiety.
“But it was… it just happened because I ran into James at the mall. I didn’t ask him to meet me—he didn’t know I was there, at least I don’t think he did.
I didn’t call him. I don't even know how he knew I was at the mall. Maybe his girlfriend told him? It was just… a coincidence.” Her words tumbled out in a rush, hands fidgeting nervously as she tried to make him understand.
“And because you didn’t call him, you were even willing to die for him?” Alexander asked, tilting his head slightly. His gaze was dangerous, burning, and a shiver ran down Mia’s spine as his focus locked on her.
He lifted a hand to her neck, his fingers brushing lightly against her skin, and his voice softened, almost eerily so.
“My Mia… still has so much love in her heart for her ex-husband, doesn’t she?”
Mia flinched, her body tensing immediately. “It’s not love! I promise—it’s not what it looks like!” she stammered, desperation lacing her voice.
Alexander’s jaw tightened, the muscles working visibly as his dangerous eyes darkened further. “Then why didn’t you tell me?” His voice dropped, fierce and sharp, making her flinch at the intensity.
His dark eyes bore into hers as his grip tightened slightly on her neck. “Why would you risk your life for that… that fucking man? Why is my wife putting a gun to her head to protect her ex-husband… and all I can do is watch?”
His grip tightened sharply on her neck, and with a sudden tug, he pulled her against him. Mia collided with his chest, gasping slightly as his body pressed hers against him. His eyes never left hers, dark and dangerous.
“Three days… three whole days have passed since that accident, and my wife didn’t even bother to inform me that she almost got killed… because of her motherfucking ex-husband?” he hissed, the words vibrating with fury.
Mia’s body stiffened with every word. She felt as though she’d committed a grave crime, one punishable only by death at his hands. Her chest tightened, her mind spinning with panic—how could she explain without looking like she still had feelings for James?
Finally, she managed to speak, her voice small and hesitant. “Mr. Graves… is that why you’ve been so angry with me these past two days?”
Alexander said nothing, and the silence confirmed her worst fears—he had known all along. His fury had been simmering quietly, barely restrained.
Her chest tightened. She already knew she was in the wrong.
She hadn’t told him about the incident, afraid he might think she still harbored feelings for James.
Yet now, standing this close, under his burning gaze, she could barely breathe.
It was as if he could rip her apart and put her back together with his eyes alone.
Finally, her lips parted, her voice barely a whisper. “Mr. Graves… at that time I was so scared,” she admitted, her gaze dropping. “I… I got hurt, and I fainted too… it still hurts.”
The moment the words left her lips, Alexander’s expression shifted. The anger in his eyes melted, replaced immediately by a raw, consuming concern.
“You were hurt?” he murmured, moving closer. His hands cupped her face immediately, lifting it so their eyes met. “Show me,” he demanded softly, scanning her features with intense focus.
Mia glanced at him and smiled secretly, tapping her finger against her cheek. “See? He hit me here… and even pulled my hair.”
Though there was no mark on her face, Alexander didn’t seem to care.
His hands lingered gently on her skin, fingers tracing her cheeks with painstaking care, worry etched into every line of his features.
His gaze swept over her face again and again carefully, repeatedly, as though checking every detail.
“Let me see,” he murmured, running his fingers lightly over her face. “You need to go to the hospital. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? It’s still hurting?” His voice cracked slightly with worry as he immediately reached for his phone, pressing a button with a sense of urgency.
A voice came from the other end of the line. “Mr. Graves?”
“Allenn, pull the car around front. We’re going to the hospital—immediately!” Alexander’s voice was tight, controlled, but every word carried the weight of his panic. He bent down instinctively, ready to scoop Mia into his arms.
Before he could finish, Mia snatched the phone from his hand and pressed it to her ear. “Allen, it’s nothing,” she said quickly. “Don’t worry about it.” She hung up and turned to Alexander.
He was standing rigid, every muscle coiled, eyes blazing as if the world itself had shattered around him.
She looked up at him, her own fear mingling with guilt. “It’s… it’s not hurting anymore. I was lying,” she admitted softly.
Alexander’s gaze didn’t waver. His expression was dark for a long, suffocating moment, and then Mia, in a moment of desperation, wrapped her arms around his chest, pressing her head to him.
“Mr. Graves… please don’t be angry anymore,” she whispered.
“I really… I don’t like it when you’re angry with me. ”
The words, fragile and sincere, did what nothing else could—Alexander’s shoulders sagged slightly, the storm in his eyes softening. The rigid tension that had consumed him melted away as he instinctively tightened his arms around her small frame, pulling her closer to his broad chest.
Without warning, he bent and lifted her effortlessly, holding her against his chest as if she weighed nothing at all.
He carried her to the couch, and instead of setting her down beside him, he shifted her carefully onto his lap.
Her legs bent around his sides, her thighs brushing against his as he settled back, anchoring her against him.
He adjusted her slowly, guiding her hips so that she straddled him perfectly, his hands pressing lightly against her waist to keep her in place.
Her chest brushed against his, the heat of their bodies mingling, every subtle movement sending shivers down her spine.
His gaze darkened, intense and possessive.
His hand gripped the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled her closer. He tilted her face upward, forcing her eyes to meet his. “What the fuck is going on, Mia?” His voice was deceptively soft as he asked. “I need an explanation.”
Beneath that softness was a chilling edge, a dangerous undercurrent that made her stomach tighten and her pulse quicken.
She took a deep breath, her fingers curling tightly around the fabric of his shirt on his shoulder. She met his piercing gaze and spoke softly.
“Mr. Graves, I didn’t do it for James because of…
love. I did it because, all these years, I’ve felt indebted to him.
He saved my dad when he had a heart attack, and carried him on his shoulders.
That’s why I married him. That day, I thought…
he was a good man, someone who would love me as much as my parents loved me.
I was young… I didn’t understand. I thought marriage was something everyone had to commit to, and if I found a good man, I shouldn’t lose him.
I thought we could build a love that would last a lifetime. ”
Her voice dropped, almost to a whisper. “I didn’t realize that marriage was just a business arrangement for him. I only found out after the wedding that for all that time, he only thought of it as a business deal, not as a real marriage.”
Mia’s hand slid up to Alexander’s ear, her thumb brushing it gently. His eyes fluttered closed at the soft touch, his body relaxing visibly under her fingers.
“I told you, right?” She continued, her voice soft, “I never experienced love with him. I was never in love with him, and he wasn’t in love with me either.
I tried to be a good wife, but he thought it was all just…
pretending. A trap to get his money. Five years of my life, I hung on, hoping, wishing, maybe he’d love me someday, or I’d feel love for him but it never happened. ”
Alexander’s eyes opened, burning into hers. “So… it was the truth? When you told me you were never in love with him?”