Chapter 9

The car ride back home was silent and the tension was palpable. Mia’s palms were still sweaty as she recalled everything that had happened earlier. She was trembling slightly as she remembered the look of absolute betrayal on Ethan’s face when she walked in and held Ezra. 

She never thought he would one day look at her like that, especially since he was the one who’d betrayed her in the first place. She didn’t do anything wrong. They were already broken up and she was free to do whatever she wanted. 

Slowly, she turned to glance at Ezra only to find that he was already staring at her. Ezra made no move to hide his staring, or the look on his face as he studied the slightly guilty expression on hers.

“Did you know?” Mia asked quietly.

“Know what?” Ezra asked, impatiently.

She wrung her hands a bit. “That Ethan and I have… history.”

“And so what if I knew,” Ezra responded simply.

Mia was slightly surprised, she wondered why he went ahead to ask her to marry him when he knew.

“Then why did you…?”

Ezra gave her a look. “Why wouldn’t I?” her silence and the way she was staring at him, provoked his emotions. “Do I look like the kind of man who would let something as stupid as sentiment stand in the way of my plans?”

Mia shook her head slightly. “I guess not.” She turned her head to face the road. Sentiment. That was all it was to Ezra. That was all it should be to her too. She sighed. This was one of those absurd situations you never thought you'd find yourself in until you did. 

At her meek expression, Ezra did a little exasperated outtake of breath, then turned away. If he had to look at that face for a second longer, he would be tempted to call her out on it.

As he went through work documents on his phone, a call from his grandmother came in. “Grandmother.”

“How did it go?”  She asked.

“Well,” he replied.

“Just ‘well’?” She demanded. “What were Olivia’s and Ethan’s reactions like?”

Ezra sighed.  “I’m busy. If you want a play-by-play, watch the camera footage from the meeting.”

She made a noise of disapproval. “I don’t understand why you’re never in a good mood. What about my granddaughter-in-law? Is she there?”

“She’s here.”

“Are you taking her to the house?”

Ezra frowned. “What house?”

There was silence on the line for a second. Then, “Where do you expect her to live?”

Ezra almost set the phone down and ended the call. “What do you mean by that? She has a home, doesn’t she?”

“Don’t tell me you’re taking her back to wherever she lives? Are you going to live with her then?” His grandmother asked.

Ezra gritted his teeth. “What are you getting at?”

“What are you getting at?” She returned. “What part of ‘settle down’ did you not understand? Your father didn’t intend for you to marry a woman and dump her somewhere out of sight, and you know that. Suspicious eyes will be on you both from now on, do you really want to mess up your chances simply because you’re being stubborn?”

“I am not being stubborn.”

“Great. Then she’ll move in with you.”

His grip on his phone tightened. “Grandmother.”

“Don’t take that tone with me. I’m hanging up. Visit me soon, and bring your wife with you.” She hung up before he could say any other thing.

A muscle in Ezra’s jaw ticked. “Change of plans,” he announced to Jason. “Drop her to pick up her things, then bring her to the old house later.”

Mia turned to him, stunned. “Why?” She didn't understand the sudden change.

Ezra’s assistant was driving her back to her apartment, and after that, she would head to the hospital to see her mom.

“Why else? You’re now my wife, so you're moving in with me.”  

Mia blinked and bit her lower lips. She wanted to argue, but he was right. They were officially married and it was proper to live with him. 

A feeling of unease settled in her stomach. Everything was just moving so fast. She had forgotten the fact that married couples live together. 

Jason had just pulled up to her apartment building and parked the car. Mia took a deep breath as she prepared to get down.

Ezra suddenly turned sharply and glared at her. “Do you get tired of the act?” 

He didn't understand, but for some reason he had been angry since the board meeting.

“What act?” She frowned, genuinely confused.

“Pretending to be weak and naive. Having no apparent thoughts of your own.”

Mia blinked. His words were surprising. She’d noticed his impatience towards her, but felt he was that way towards everybody else. She had no idea it was because he thought she was fake.

She shook her head slightly. They barely knew each other, so there was no way she could convince him she wasn’t acting. Besides, she didn’t really have the energy to. She just wanted to see her mother.

“I’m leaving now,” she said softly, then opened the car door and slid out.

Just before she closed it, he called her name. “Mia.” She paused. “There’re many kinds of people I detest. Among them are those who pretend to be weak and naive, even at their own expense. If your objective is to appear pitiful to try to make me stand up for you, you’d be better off doing that yourself. I don’t fall for such petty tricks.”

Mia nodded, smiling stiffly. “I understand, Mr Grey. But past our agreement, I don’t need you to protect me.”

Ezra's jaw locked. Her response was what he expected to hear, but why did it make him more angry?

He turned his gaze away from her. “As long as we’re clear on that.”

Mia shut the door, stood there until Jason drove off, then walked into her apartment.

 

Meanwhile, at the Grey Mansion…

Ethan slammed the door with a bang as he and Olivia stormed into the house, startling Leo and Zara who were playing a game in the living room.

“How dare she,” Ethan seethed. “After everything I did for her, she turned around and did this!”

“I always knew she was a slut!” Olivia shrieked. “I told you, but you wouldn’t listen!”

“How was I supposed to know this would happen?” He yelled. ”Who the fuck gets with their fiance’s uncle just because of a minor fight?!”

Olivia snorted. "Obviously Mia."

“I already apologized to her! What more did she want?!”

“I’m sure she’s just doing this to get back at you,” Olivia said. “And Ezra. I wasn’t expecting him to go this far, but it’s typical of him. He’ll use any means to get what he wants.”

“With a child that’s not even his?” Ethan ranted. “And a fake marriage obviously?”

Zara stood and approached them. “Fake marriage? What’s this about?” She noticed Ethan’s expression and tried to lay a hand on his arm to calm him down. “What’s the matter?”

Ethan evaded her touch irritably and walked away from her. “Leave me alone, this is your fault. If you’d done as I asked and stayed away, this wouldn’t be happening.”

Zara looked hurt and confused. She turned to Olivia. “Mother, did something happen?”

“Don’t mind him, he’s just stressed,”  she replied, going after Ethan. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Ethan!” She hissed his name when they were out of earshot. “What is wrong with you? Fix that attitude before you lose your only other chance to get things back on track!”

Ethan looked unimpressed. “Who, Zara? I told you I’m not marrying her. Mia is the one I want.”

“Well, Mia is currently playing house with your uncle, trying to get back at you,” she snapped. “Even though we know the marriage is fake, we have to keep our options open. If Mia is willing to go this far, there’s no telling if she’ll come back to you.”

Anger flashed in his eyes. “She’s carrying my child. There’s no way I’m letting her get away from me.”

Olivia sighed. “I’m just letting you know. Until we get evidence to present to the board that your uncle's marriage is fake, treat Zara well. We still need her. You don’t want to lose both your chances.”

Ethan stormed out. “Whatever. I'm not letting my uncle steal what's mine.”