JamesThe moment their father appeared at the door, James knew for a fact that Eric wasn’t happy. He knew also that, soon, the youngest brother would bring up the subject of their father’s future young bride and demand details. Of course, James had no idea why Eric was so riled up about something this trivial. After all, their father was very popular with the opposite sex, regardless of age, and for him to tie the knot again, with a twenty-five-year-old woman at that, wasn’t all that surprising.Currently, they were drinking, nibbling, and chatting about various topics—social and business. They even talked about Herbert Weston and the Mexican mafia, which didn’t much interest James. To him, what was done was done. Of course, what really interested James was Mia.Fuck! He wanted to kiss her and make passionate love to her, but alas, he obviously couldn’t do that until everyone left.It was around midnight when Eric finally brought up the much-anticipated subject. Of course, James was q
MiaWilliam arrived to pick up Savannah at eleven that morning for their return flight to Vegas.After Savannah and I had hugged tightly, Savannah said, “You have to come to Vegas again soon.”Beside me, Aria was excited. “We can ask Daddy. He did promise to take me there soon.” She turned to her father standing not too far away. “Isn’t that right, Daddy?”James nodded. “Yes, sweetheart.”Once William and Savannah departed, James, Aria, and I went to have lunch with Liam, Scott, and Eric at the main house. Of course, I had no idea this was happening until this morning after breakfast when James happened to just casually mention it. And to be honest, I wasn’t exactly prepared for it. Wasn’t it like my boyfriend taking me to meet his parents for the first time? Which freaked most girls out because they had to give a good first impression. But then again, what was there for me to prepare for? I had already met Liam last night, after all.Aria seemed excited to see her grandfather again,
MiaThe day had been long and exhausting for me, especially after James, Aria, and I had started that lunch with Liam, Scott, Eric, Alice, and Yuki. Then, of course, once we were done with that, Liam had suggested we stay for dinner as well since Alice, Yuki, Aria, and I seemed to get along so well. He had said that the sisters needed company near their ages, someone they felt comfortable with, since America was so new and different to them. Of course, I had fun spending time with the sisters, but I must say both Scott and Eric—well, mostly Eric—had behaved poorly, a side of them I had not seen before.Boy, was I glad we were finally home. After helping Aria bathe and dress, I lay beside her—along with Sammy and Alfie, who were being very nice and obedient, snuggling comfortably near Aria—reading them a bedtime story. When I finished the book, I tucked Aria in.I was about to kiss her good night when Aria asked, “Mia? Do you love Daddy?”That took me by surprise, and I blushed intense
MiaMy hands shook as I picked up the crimson lipstick from the marble benchtop. I wasn’t really partial to such a loud color. The bright, rouge shade made me feel uncomfortable. It made me feel like I was laid bare on stage, the center of attention, people leering at me, which I didn’t like. I was more of a natural color type girl. Nude pink was my favorite, followed by a peachy orange. These colors I would describe as both beautiful and innocent. Yet I was neither beautiful nor innocent.Touching the scarlet color to my lower lip, I gazed at myself as my heart continued to beat too fast for my liking. Within the mirror and staring back at me was a young woman I barely recognized. Slim, oval face with high cheekbones, eyes the color of walnuts with a hint of gold radiating around the rim of the iris, straight but not prominent nose, and lips a little bit on the plump side as the dominating feature, she was plain. Her hair was a rich raven black that sometimes sparkled a hue of blue in
MiaIt was a mistake to let Andy leave Mystic Spring for Los Angeles, and I’d known it the moment he told me he’d be going.“Better job prospects there,” he’d said. “Friends of mine promised to find me a good one.”A good one to Andy meant a job that would offer very good pay and didn’t require any university qualifications since he didn’t have any. I wasn’t one to argue, though, since I didn’t have any either, and working as a kitchen hand in a restaurant at minimum wage wasn’t something both of us planned for the rest of our lives. Andy wanted to study business and, one day, own his own big corporation with hundreds of employees and a very cool office with an outstanding view, high in the building. Me, I wanted to teach.“You won’t have to work those shitty long hours anymore, Mia. We won’t have to worry about money. You can quit that pathetic job and say goodbye to that asshole boss of yours.”“Pathetic job,” I murmured under my breath as I stared out the small window to my right. “
JamesThe moment Whitney and her new boyfriend stepped into the ballroom, James Maxwell wanted to get the fucking hell out of there. His hands fisted tight as anger threatened to erupt to the surface, destroying his calm exterior. Having had years of experience with emotional control, he immediately slammed down the fury inside him with the force of cold logic. Getting pissed with her would bring him nothing but wasted energy on useless emotions.“What the hell is she doing here?” Scott, the second Maxwell brother, hissed. “I thought she was in Rome.” He was staring at James’ ex-wife, who was dressed to the nines.She was still breathtakingly beautiful, James admitted, but that beauty was now tainted in his eyes.“How should I know?” James said calmly. “We’re divorced.”Eric, the youngest Maxwell brother, snorted. “The bitch does know how to turn the party sour.”“You okay, bro?” Scott asked.James nodded. Leaving the party now wouldn’t look good, and everyone would know it was because
JamesA sense of relief swept through him the moment he slid into the black Ferrari. Switching on the engine, the music blared into the confined space. Putting the gear on reverse, he whipped out of the parking area, then exited the Worthington estate.A cool breeze washed against his skin, which was nice. James let his mind drift off, thinking about everything and nothing. About twenty minutes later, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and noted the name flashing at him. A smile crept across his face. He flicked on the loudspeaker, at the same time muting the music.“Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted.“Daddy?” Aria said.“Yes, sweetheart?”“Are you coming home soon?”He laughed. “Yes. Have you finished your piano lesson?”Aria paused, then said, “Yes. But, Daddy, Sammy won’t eat the food I gave him. He’ll starve if he doesn’t eat. I’m worried. He hasn’t been eating properly for days now. Should we take him to the vet?”He frowned. “I’ll be home in a minute, Aria. Daddy will take
MiaThe moment I sighted the humongous gate, my heart missed a beat. I glanced at the number, and sure enough, it was the right property. Or rather estate, because stretching before my eyes were acres of lawn and woods. I hadn’t yet seen the house, but I knew it was going to be big.I stepped over to the intercom and pushed on the button. A buzzing sound came through, and then a male voice said, “Yes?”I nervously cleared my throat. “I… I’m here to see Mr. Maxwell.”“Do you have an appointment with him?” He was harsh and straight to the point.“No, I…”“No appointment, no Mr. Maxwell.”I panicked and knew he was about to end our conversation. “No, please. I mean he sent me an email asking that I come to see him. I mean… Mr. Maxwell sent me an email a couple of weeks ago.”A pause and then, “Your name?”“Mia… Mia Donovan,” I said quickly.“Wait there a minute,” he said, and then the intercom buzzed.I looked around me, taking in the scenery. It was something to do while I waited. But re