Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Mia stood in the cramped employee restroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror as she dabbed a little lipstick on her lips. Her hands were trembling, though she tried to steady them. It was just a date-except it wasn’t.
A Blackwell didn’t ask a girl like her out on a date. Not a real one, anyway.
She had slipped into her plain black dress and let her hair fall loosely over her shoulders. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was clean, and it fit her well enough. She figured it would be fine.
Just as she was finishing up, the door swung open, and Emily stepped inside. Her coworker froze, her eyes narrowing as she took in Mia’s unusual appearance.
“What’s going on?” Emily asked, her voice sharp with curiosity.
Mia turned to her with a forced smile, holding onto whatever nerves were left in her chest. “Date.”
Emily crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. “Date with who?”
“Stop being nosy and go back to work, Emily,” Mia said quickly, trying to brush her off.
Emily opened her mouth to protest, but Mia’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She fished it out and saw the text from Alexander: I’m outside.
Her heart skipped a beat. She didn’t even say goodbye properly to Emily, just rushed past her and out the back door of the lounge.
Mia spotted Alexander immediately. He was leaning casually against his sleek black car. He looks like he just walked out of a vogue cover. Alex has to be the most gorgeous and sexy man alive.
Alexander looked exactly as always-calm, expensive, and untouchable. But as she got closer, she noticed something off. There was a small cut on his cheek and a faint bruise darkening along his jawline.
Her lips parted to ask what had happened, but the words got stuck in her throat. His piercing gaze locked on hers, and she froze.
Alexander’s eyes scanned her outfit, and she knew instantly he didn’t like what he saw. He didn’t say anything at first, just shook his head slightly, pinching the bridge of his nose as if she had already exasperated him.
“Let’s go. Get in the car,” he said, his tone as casual as if he were giving her directions to a stranger.
Mia blinked at him, feeling a pang of embarrassment creep up her spine. “So unromantic,” she mumbled under her breath, barely audible.
She slid into the car, it smelled good. The interior was impossibly sleek, as though it had been plucked straight from a luxury ad.
Mia kept her hands folded tightly in her lap, trying not to fidget. Alexander didn’t speak as he drove, the silence between them thick with tension.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, studying the sharp angles of his profile. Even with the bruise, he looked perfect, like someone carved from marble.
It didn’t take long for her to realize they weren’t heading to a restaurant. When he pulled up to an upscale mall, her stomach twisted.
“Where are we?” she asked, her voice cautious.
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Chapter 8
“You’ll see,” Alexander replied, stepping out of the car and waiting for her to follow.
Mia hurried after him, feeling more out of place with every step. Her worn dress and scuffed shoes stood out against the sleek marble floors and glittering displays. She was very aware of how the shoppers glanced at her before their eyes flicked to Alexander and lingered in recognition.
They stopped in front of a boutique that looked like it belonged in a different world. The mannequins wore dresses that seemed more like art than clothing, and the prices in the windows were enough to make her head spin..
She turned to Alexander, confused. “What’s going on?”
“You need something to wear,” he said simply. “You can’t follow me around in those rags.”
Mia froze, her chest tightening. “They may be rags to you,” she said slowly, “but they’re my clothes. I don’t understand why you have to be so rude about it.”
Alexander turned to her, his expression unreadable. “Telling you the truth is being rude now?”
Mia clenched her fists at her sides, anger bubbling beneath the surface. She’d dealt with his bluntness before-he was always sharp-tongued and cold when she served him at Casa Lounge-but tonight, of all nights, she’d hoped for something different.
Then again, this wasn’t a date because he liked her. She knew that. Whatever Alexander wanted from her, it wasn’t romance.
“Fine,” she said tightly. “Let’s just get this over with.”
A saleswoman appeared seemingly out of nowhere, introducing herself with a polished smile. “Right this way, miss. We’ll find something perfect for you.”
Mia glanced at Alexander, who was staring at her intently. Her stomach flipped, and she quickly looked away, following the woman into the store.
God, those eyes.
The saleswoman led her to a rack of dresses, each one more extravagant than the last. Mia flipped through them, her fingers brushing over silk and lace, but the price tags made her heart race.
What the hell?
She turned to the saleswoman, forcing a smile. “Um, can I just get one? Just for tonight?”
The woman raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. Mia could practically feel Alexander’s gaze burning into her back from across the store.
She swallowed hard, picking out a simple yet elegant dress and holding it close. She wouldn’t let him intimidate her, but the weight of his presence lingered, making her hyper-aware of every movement she made.
When she turned to look at him, Alexander’s eyes were still on her. His expression was unreadable, but something about the intensity of his stare made her breath hitch.
He wasn’t just watching her. He was studying her, like he was trying to unravel her piece by piece.
Mia tore her gaze away, focusing on the dress in her hands.
She takes in a deep breath
She wasn’t going to let him get under her skin-not tonight.
Not ever…..
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