[12]

"Miss," Desi calls as she brings Miya a change of clothes. Tonight, she picked a soft dress with a soft blue mini flower print. "Dinner is set on the dining table, and Mr. Sawyer is waiting there.

"Okay." Miya couldn't very well ignore this. Signing the contract with Damian meant she had to stick to what it said. At least the guy was as cold as the North Pole, but he was true to his word and helped her through a difficult time. The news of her getting into trouble with Veronica Lodge had completely disappeared. There was no mention of it whatsoever. Even the news that had made the rounds on several well-known gossip sites was no longer there. The comments section that Miya had filled also disappeared.

So, what could Miya do but follow Damian Sawyer's instructions? The man had the power to silence others.

Not long after, Miya was ready to head to the dining room, which was down the hall from her room. While she was staying in the mansion, Miya's room was on the left side of the building. The facilities Miya received were impressive, to say the least. But then, she shouldn't have been surprised. Damian Sawyer was a young businessman who should be mentioned here. Damian was involved in a lot of big projects. Even so,

"Do businessmen have to resort to violence too?" Miya asked quietly. She was already on her way with Desi, who was never far from her side.

"Did you say something?"

"Oh, no!" Miya let out a little laugh. She felt a bit foolish about what she had just said. If Desi had overheard, it could have caused problems for her. Desi was someone Damian trusted, right? Maybe Damian thought Miya was being too eager to help with his injuries today. Oh, goodness! The only thing that got Miya involved was the deal about her getting pregnant and giving birth to a child for Damian, and him returning all the family assets that were seized by the bailiffs.

That's all there is to it.

That's correct. If Miya just got what she wanted, she'd be free. She'd be released from the businessman who, if you looked at him closely, looked scary. He could look at Miya with eyes that could cut her down in one glance.

One thing Miya still has to do is thank Damian. After cleaning and temporarily closing Damian's wound this afternoon, Miya immediately asked Desi to call Damian's personal doctor. It was clear that the man was in pain from the size of the wound. Miya realized that Desi had a lot of questions about Damian's condition, but she decided to keep quiet.

Maybe this dinner was Miya's chance to thank Damian for making her request so easy. Who knows what will happen when Miya is done with this contract? It's supposed to be a free year, but there's still bad press about her. It was still related to something from the past that bothered her.

"You're five minutes late, Miya."

Miya winced in surprise at the voice. Until Miya felt like she couldn't go any further than what she was doing now. Her eyes immediately landed on a figure that she found quite intimidating. He was sitting on one of the sofas, one leg bent and the other crossed over his knee, tapping lightly on the arm of the sofa with his fingers while he hawk-like gaze locked onto Miya.

"My apologies." That was all Miya could say, but she felt like she was stuck to the floor. The tension in the room made it difficult for Miya to breathe. The blonde-haired girl didn't notice there were other people there until then.

One of them... "Well, well, well. Miya, it's so good to see you again." Victor Wyatt let out a chuckle. "You make her look like a helpless statue, Damian." Victor stood up from his seat with that same annoying laugh. He picked up the coat that was hanging on a hook in the corner of the room. "Well, there's nothing more to discuss. Marcus, you can't stay here too long. You might get asked to leave by the mansion owner."

Marcus Whitley, frowned in surprise and then asked without feeling any guilt. "Is my presence bothering you, Damian?"

Damian clenched his jaw. "Are you planning to go back to Catterpilar Club? You have a lot on your plate, don't you?"

Marcus blinked a few times and gave a little grin. "Hey-hey-hey, did you really kick me out over this girl?" He followed Victor's example. "You're too much. I still have something to discuss with you, Damian."

"Never mind," Victor quickly made his way over to Marcus. "Let's get this over with without Damian getting involved. If Damian hadn't interrupted and given directions, we'd have been able to solve the problem sooner."

Damian's forehead wrinkled in irritation. The relaxed attitude and sharp gaze that had been on display for a while now disappeared. Damian immediately walked up to his two colleagues and gave them a firm slap on the back. “If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have gotten hurt like this. Idiots!”

Even though Victor and Marcus were in pain, the two men who got hit by Damian laughed. They didn't want to linger, so they quickly made their exit. But before they completely disappeared behind the corridor to the vestibule, Victor said, "There'll be a shipment of textbooks for you, Miya Ashton, tomorrow. Just because you're here doesn't mean you can slack off. Just a heads-up: This is your last year as a student."

Miya, who hadn't moved from her spot, suddenly scowled and clucked. "Well, Mr. Victor, for reminding me of my current status for a moment."

Victor's laughter grew louder.

"Let's get dinner on the table. It's already too late to eat tonight."

Desi quickly nodded and the staff got to work, following the mansion owner's instructions. Damian wasn't one to wait around, especially after already wasting five minutes. He just had to wait for the girl who was still standing there, not intending to approach him.

"What are you waiting for, Miya?"

Miya looked up. She was quite tall—around 170 cm—but when faced with a man like Damian, Miya felt like a dwarf. Damian's height made Miya's neck muscles tighten slightly. "I'm waiting for you...maybe?"

"Tck!" Damian walked right past Miya. "Those are words you should have heard from me, Miya. I'm willing to forgive tonight, but if you keep me waiting at dinner, I'll have to take action."

"First, think about your injury. Then, think about my punishment. "The doctor also said you need to take a week off to let your body recover." She followed Damian's example and sat in the chair provided where the dining table was now filled with a variety of appetizing dishes.

"You really took the doctor's advice, didn't you?" Damian looked at Miya, but he didn't want to look away. He found himself wanting to stare at the girl sitting next to him for a while longer. Her blonde hair was in a high ponytail, showing off her flawless white neck. Her hair was a little distracting, but it added to her beauty. Miya's eyes were a captivating golden brown. She's confident and often provocative, and she never hesitates to stare down her opponent. What Damian remembers most is how hard she is to subdue.

"I just want you to remember that clearly," Miya said with a slight glance, while silently hoping that the look wouldn't backfire.

"In that case," Damian was suddenly eager to get the girl to make more noise. "Serve me at dinner."

That remark caught Miya's attention. She noticed the servants standing not far from the dining table. They were all ready to help if needed. But it was Damian's words that made them look away, as if they'd heard something they shouldn't have. They even exchanged glances with each other, as if they were giving a code for them to get out of the dining room right away.

"What do I need to serve?" Miya asked as she took her share of the glass. She took a slow sip of her drink before picking up the grilled shrimp that were not far from her plate. "The food looks really good, Mr. Sawyer. Can I go ahead and eat first?"

"You don't plan to serve me first?"

Miya gave Damian a look that said she was getting tired of this. Her hunger made it difficult for her to think clearly. She needed to make sure she had enough carbohydrates, protein, and nutrition to survive a man like Damian. She also forgot about the intimidating atmosphere Damian had, which made it feel like a lot of pressure just to argue with him.

"What should I do? Could you please let me know when you'll have it ready? I'm already hungry."

Damian pushed his plate away a little and sat back in his chair. He watched the servants in the room file out one by one. They weren't leaving them completely alone, but they were keeping an eye on things in the dining room.

“Feed me.”

Miya's brow furrowed. "From everything I've heard, the trouble is with your stomach. Doctor Cedric has been able to treat it much better. Is it your hand that's hurting, then?"

"Aren't you the one who said I should rest my body, Miya? So the hand is a limb, right?"

Damn, it! Miya cursed under her breath. Her words were met with a resounding thud.

"Let's go. I'm hungry too."

Obeying Damian Sawyer's orders is in the contract, right?

***

Once, the call was ignored.

The call still hadn't been answered twice.

The third time, the middle-aged woman let out a chuckle, her annoyance evident. She sat down, feeling annoyed.

"Your tea, Lady Hera." One of the staff members brought her a cup of chamomile tea. She tried to keep her hands from shaking because the middle-aged woman in front of her looked pretty intimidating.

"Any word from Damian yet, Hudson?" Hera asked, sounding a little impatient. She ignored the waiter who had just served her tea. She looked her assistant in the eye, who was standing not far from where she was sitting.

"Not yet ma'am. I also asked Mr. Victor and Mr. Marcus about Mr. Damian's whereabouts.

As you can imagine, it'll be tough to pin down where their boss is."

"Tsk!" Hera gave her temples a good rub to show her annoyance. "If this keeps up, the Sawyer family's decision could come to fruition, Hudson! "It's not just me who's in a tricky spot. If Damian and all his achievements just vanish, it'll be a real shame!"

The woman started to pound on the table, causing the cup of tea to shift and spill a little on the expensive marble-topped table.

"Take me to Hillarious University. I need to speak with Victor. He's Damian's closest associate. There's no way he doesn't know where Damian is right now."

Hudson nodded and got Hera's driver to get a car ready to take them to their destination as quickly as possible.

"I'm not going to stop until I find out where Damian is." Hera, who was walking in front of Hudson, looked a bit impatient with his quick pace. "Leonard is too much! I had no idea that man could be so greedy."

Leonard Sawyer was Damian's uncle. Hera and Leonard didn't see eye to eye when it came to family matters. Leonard was the son of their father's second wife, Ricardo Sawyer. Leonard shouldn't have put so much pressure on Damian, especially when it came to bloodlines.

"How can the Sawyer group be led by someone who can't have kids? Are you serious? I'm more qualified than Damian, so why did you appoint him instead? Damian is just your grandson, while I'm your son!"

Hera hadn't forgotten what Leonard said two years ago. On top of that, Damian hadn't yet had a child, and his son's wife was in a bad way, so it wasn't going to be easy to have a child right away.

"Oh, come on!" Hera was pretty mad at Leonard for suggesting that Sawyer's offspring could be a good idea. Damian was giving the impression that the man was avoiding the problems that were pressing down on him from all directions.

"I'm sure Mr. Damian is doing just fine, Lady Hera."

Hudson's words made Hera laugh. "I know my son is healthy and doing well. I'm just wondering when he'll be able to get Leonard to back down and take over Sawyer completely. My father built and established this years ago, and my husband, Hudson, has strengthened it. You know that, don't you? I'm not willing to leave what the two of them fought for in the hands of an outsider."

Hera pressed the green icon on her phone screen again. She was hoping that Damian would respond to her brash son's contact.

“Yes, Mom?”

“Insolent boy! Where are you now, huh?!”