Chapter 18 Do You Hate Me? #2
His fist tightened at his side, his heartbeat growing heavy as memories of the morning replayed in his mind—Mia jerking away from his touch, the shock in her eyes, her panic, the way she had pushed him as if burned.
‘Why did she react like that?’ His brows furrowed deeply. A tense, uncomfortable feeling crawled through him. ‘Did she see something? What made her so distant? Did she misunderstand something?’
His eyes widened a fraction. A sudden jolt went through him.
Without another word, he turned sharply on his heel and took the stairs two at a time, tension coiling through his body. He walked straight into his bedroom, his movements stiff, controlled, but edged with panic.
He went straight to the display shelf.
The compartment of expensive race car models stood exactly where it always had… but the glass pane looked slightly off. The album behind it was now shifted, placed upside down.
A cold dread washed over him.
None of the servants were allowed to touch his things or clean his room unless Allen was present. And Allen had too many years of experience to ever make mistakes like touching his forbidden belongings.
The only person who had ever been free to do anything in his room was… Mia.
She was the only one he hadn’t set any boundaries for.
Everything in this house was open to her. She was not bound by the rules. She could touch anything she wanted, take anything she wanted—from the clothes in his closet to the gold in his locker. He never set any rules for her. She was not restricted from touching anything in the house or his office.
Everything he had was hers anyway. He had never told her to keep away from his belongings.
But now… the album was clearly shifted. It had been touched. And after remembering her reaction earlier—the fear, the panic in her eyes—the truth hit him.
There was only one possibility.
His jaw clenched. His chest tightened painfully.
“She saw the photos,” he muttered under his breath, his voice low and strained.
His body went rigid.
Then, without wasting a second, Alexander spun around and rushed out of the room, storming down the stairs with long, urgent strides.
The moment he reached the base of the stairs, his voice was sharp:
“Allen. Find out where Mia is. Immediately.”
“Yes, Mr. Graves.” Allen nodded sharply and hurried away, phone already pressed to his ear as he made the call.
The five minutes that passed felt like hours.
Finally, Allen returned, approaching Alexander with a tablet in his hands. “Mr. Graves, I have found where Mrs. Graves is.” He extended his tablet toward him.
Alexander snatched the tablet, eyes narrowing as he looked at the screen.
Allen continued, “Mrs. Graves is at the Stark Mansion.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened, eyes darkening as he stared at the video of Mia entering Sawyer’s car.
***
Mia stepped inside the Sawery’s house with him walking beside her. Before she even reached the living room, a woman rushed toward her—a woman who looked so strikingly similar to Mia’s mother that Mia froze on the spot.
Mia froze completely. Her steps halted, her arms stiff at her sides.
She didn’t hug back—she couldn’t. She was too stunned to even breathe properly.
When the woman finally pulled back, Mia saw tears shining in her eyes. Sawyer gently placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder before looking at Mia.
“This is my mom, Mia,” he said softly. “Liana Stark.”
Liana’s voice trembled as she whispered, “Sawyer already told me he was bringing you home… I still can’t believe it.”
The woman was impeccably dressed—her skin glowing, her short shoulder-length hair styled cleanly in a business cut. She looked elegant, feminine, polished… like a model effortlessly advertising the very clothes she wore.
Mia’s confused eyes shifted from Liana to Sawyer.
“Mr. Stark… are you sure I’m your family?” she asked, voice soft and unsure. “My mom never mentioned she had any siblings.”
Sawyer looked at his mother, then back at Mia. “My mom will explain everything to you. Come with me.”
He shot his mother a look and added, “Mom, are you going to keep staring at her the whole time while leaving her standing at the entrance? At least offer her a glass of water or a seat.”
Liana seemed reluctant to even take her eyes off Mia. She took Mia’s hand and guided her inside the house toward the couch in the living room.
Mia followed her silently and took a seat beside her.
Liana then turned toward Mia and asked softly, “It has been so long since I saw your mom. Where is Leah?”
Mia’s fingers tightened inside Liana’s hand. Seeing the expectant look in her eyes, Mia answered quietly, “My mom and dad… passed away in a car accident a few months ago.”
Liana froze. It was as if her heart stopped beating. Tears spilled from her eyes within seconds.
A soft gasp escaped her mouth. She covered her face and turned away from Mia, her shoulders shaking.
A servant arrived with glasses of water on a tray. Sawyer picked up a glass and offered one to Mia before walking to his mother. He handed her the other glass, rubbing her back gently in comfort.
Liana’s head fell against Sawyer’s stomach. Her body trembled lightly as tears kept falling in a constant stream.
Mia turned her head away. She couldn’t bear to watch Liana cry for her mother because it made it harder to hold back her own tears.
Every time she spoke about the accident, the pain clawed back into her chest. Their death was so sudden…
so cruel. She never saw it coming. And facing it alone had been the most painful day of her entire life.
When Ileana finally calmed a little, she wiped her tears, straightened her back, and tried to compose herself. Then she reached out and placed her hand on Mia’s head, touching her gently, her fingertips soft and trembling.
After several minutes, Liana finally stopped crying. She wiped her tears with her hands, straightened her posture, and looked at Mia again. Then she reached out, gently cupping Mia’s cheek and stroking it with soft fingertips.
Mia looked back at the woman in surprise. For a brief moment, she saw her own mother reflected in Liana. The resemblance—the warmth—made it easy to believe she truly was her mother’s sister.
“You look so much like Leah,” Liana whispered in a soft voice. “Like an exact copy.”
“Do I really?” Mia asked, surprise shining in her eyes.
Liana nodded with a small smile. “How else do you think Sawyer recognized you?”
Mia looked at Sawyer in shock.
Sawyer spoke quietly, “The last time I saw you, you felt strangely familiar. I knew my mom had a sister she lost contact with years ago, and I’d seen a few old pictures.
But I never imagined I’d meet her daughter like this.
When I looked at you, the resemblance was there…
and your parents’ names matched what my mom used to mention.
Still, I wasn’t completely sure—so I did a DNA test to confirm it. ”
Mia’s voice trembled slightly as she turned to Liana. “My mom never told me about you…”
“When your mom and dad got together… my father didn’t approve of Ericson.
He didn’t want Leah to marry him. At that time, your dad didn’t have much.
He had just finished college, and so had Leah.
Our family was doing well, running businesses, while your dad came from a middle-class home.
But to my father, that was no different from being poor.
He didn’t want my sister to ‘step down,’ even though it wasn’t poverty at all. ”
Mia listened quietly, her chest tightening.
“Your mom left home one day to be with your father,” Liana continued softly.
“She never came back. She never contacted us again. And after so many years, I had almost given up. So when Sawyer told me about you—how much you look like my sister, and your parents’ names—I wanted to believe it.
But I couldn’t. It had been decades since I last saw Leah. ”
Liana’s lips trembled into a weak smile as tears filled her eyes again.
“But I’m so glad we found you,” she whispered. “Even if it’s too late… I just wish I had met you sooner. I wish I had seen Leah one more time.”
A servant suddenly rushed into the house, breathless and pale. His steps were frantic, his eyes wide as he hurried toward the living room.
“Madam… the house—” he stammered, looking at Liana and Sawyer. “The house has been surrounded by some men. They even broke the main door… they’ve entered inside.”
Sawyer shot to his feet instantly. Liana and Mia gasped, rising in shock. Sawyer’s face tightened as he glared at the servant.
“The house is filled with security,” he said, his voice sharp. “How did—”
Before he could finish, the echo of fast, heavy footsteps thundered through the hall.
All eyes turned toward the sound.
A moment later, Alexander appeared, marching inside—tall, well-dressed, his expression set in a deep, icy anger. Several large, intimidating men followed right behind him, moving like a shadowy wall at his back.
Sawyer immediately stiffened. “Alexander Graves…?” he muttered under his breath.
Liana gasped quietly, eyes widening as she heard Sawyer’s quiet murmur. “He’s Alexander Graves? From the Empire Group? What is he doing here?”
But Alexander wasn’t looking at any of them. His eyes were locked straight on Mia.
He walked toward her with a cold, controlled intensity that made the air tighten. When his gaze finally shifted to Sawyer, it cut with sudden frost—icy, sharp, and unmistakably displeased. It was obvious he hated the sight in front of him.
The moment Mia took an instinctive step back, Alexander’s steps quickened, moving toward Mia, but before he could reach her—
Sawyer stepped in front of Mia.
He stood tall, blocking her completely, his jaw clenched, his eyes hard with protective focus. He glanced over his shoulder at her and said, in a steady voice, “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
Alexander stopped—only a breath away.
At Sawyer’s words, a muscle in Alexander’s jaw twitched violently. Fury flashed across his face, dark and unmistakable. Mia could clearly see that he had already lost control.
His eyes burned through Sawyer with a fury that felt almost violent.
He took one step toward Sawyer.
Mia’s breath caught. She quickly reached out, grabbing Sawyer’s arm before things exploded. She gently pushed it down and stepped in front of him.
Alexander’s steps halted. His eyes never left her.
Mia came forward, placing herself between the two men. She looked at Sawyer and softly said, “Don’t worry, I will take care of it. I know him. I’ll talk to him and come back soon.”
Sawyer hesitated, but seeing her determined expression, he stepped back.
Mia turned to Alexander, lifted her hand slightly—wordlessly telling him to follow—and walked toward the exit.
Alexander’s eyes lingered on Sawyer one last time, ice-cold and warning. Then, forcing himself to look away, he followed Mia out of the house.
Outside, they stopped in a quiet corner of the garden. The afternoon light was dim, the sky cloudy, a cool breeze brushing against Mia’s hair. But her face was distant—tight, unsettled—nothing like the gentle expressions Alexander was used to seeing.
The unfamiliar coldness in her eyes made something sharp twist inside him.
He stepped closer… then closer again… until not even an inch remained between them.
His voice was low and strained.
“Why did you leave the house without telling me this morning?” he asked.
A long pause. His eyes searched her face carefully.
“You saw the album… didn’t you?”
Mia’s throat tightened. She looked away, her fingers fidgeting nervously.
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered.
Alexander’s gaze sharpened. His eyes grew darker, more intense, watching every small tremble in her expression.
His hand lifted, his rough fingers brushing her cheek, slow and gentle against her soft skin. “My Mia has learned to lie?” he murmured, his voice low and steady. “You’ve never been this distant with me before.”
Mia swallowed hard. Her hands trembled at her sides. She looked restless, panicked—her eyes filled with fear and anxiety.
Alexander stayed silent, but his entire body was tense. His heart had been pounding since the moment he realized she had walked out. He finally looked at her and asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer:
“Mia… do you hate me?”