Chapter six: Bonding as Friends

It was past eight-thirty already, and they had their dinner in their respective rooms. Mia was now sitting at the window, trying to read a book to distract herself. She was nervous without a doubt. She had never had time for relationships or love all her life until now; she had only concentrated on her kids and had no time for herself.

"Chloe was always irritated and fed up, making me understand to take out some time for myself, but I never listened," Mia thought aloud with a chuckle, remembering Chloe's angry face.

She looked out of the window, her thoughts drifting to her kids. She had no idea how they were doing, and even if she wanted to know, she controlled herself. Talking to them would make it impossible for her to stay away.

She hadn't even informed them about her departure, asking Chloe to make up some story about her absence. It was just too difficult for her.

"Are you done dreaming with your eyes open?" Alex's voice startled her. She found him standing at the door, his presence imposing.

He came inside and shut the door, making her shift nervously, looking here and there. "Why is he so eager to do this today? Couldn't he wait? And why is it necessary to have sex?" she wondered.

He hadn't mentioned something like that in the contract. He hadn't mentioned that they would be having sex before they had a baby.

She stood up then, confidently staring at him. He just raised an eyebrow in return at her nonchalant behaviour. 

"I'm not having sex with you," she declared, waiting for him to burst, but when he didn’t, she looked at him. He was waiting for her to speak further. What more?

"You have nowhere mentioned in the contract that the baby will be conceived by having sex, so if I don't want to do it that way, you cannot force me," she stated proudly, mentally patting herself on the back for coming up with this solution.

"You do realise that you have signed a contract with me, right?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, I do, and if you want to sue me, you can, but it won't be called breach of contract because there are other options to conceive a baby like IVF. But even after trying all the other options, if I don't get pregnant and then you ask for having sex and I refuse, then that will be considered a breach of your contract, Mr. Ian," she explained. He was already looking at her with his jaw clenched and a dangerous glint in his eyes.

He was annoyed because this was the second time she had found a loophole in his contract, and he hated every bit of it.

"What is the problem with having sex? It is the natural way to conceive, and if you are so scared to have sex, then you shouldn't have signed the contract," he snapped. She narrowed her eyes. This man infuriated her to no end.

"Well, if you are so desperate to have sex, then you can do it with someone else. I am absolutely not interested," she said arrogantly. He stepped closer, making her nervous.

He pinned her to the wall without touching her, and she pressed herself more into the wall. Raising his hand, he traced her cheek with his forefinger, and she closed her eyes tight.

"You are playing with fire, so don't complain later when you get burnt," he whispered dangerously. She opened her eyes to stare into his.

She never understood why his eyes were so blank, so cold, and so guarded. He never let anyone even peer into him, not even his friend. Why was he so mysterious?

"I don't mind being burnt, Mr. Ian, but I do mind losing my self-respect," she muttered sternly yet softly. He stared at her for a few seconds before moving back and leaving the room.

She sighed in relief and closed her eyes. He had this power to drain her mentally.

The next morning came quickly, much to her disappointment. She found herself roaming in the mansion again. Alex was nowhere to be found, and she assumed he left for work. She was busy exploring when a maid came to her and handed her something.

"Sir has ordered me to give this to you," she said, and before Mia could ask anything, she left.

Mia looked at the box with confusion and opened it, only to gasp in shock. It was a phone, very expensive if she might add, but why the hell was he giving her this?

As if he heard her question, the phone rang the next second, making her jump. She answered it and pressed it to her ear.

"So, you got the phone. Now get ready fast and wait in the living room until my driver comes to pick you up," Alex's voice instructed before the line went dead.

She glared at the phone, but nevertheless, she got ready and waited in the living room as instructed. A few minutes later, she was in the car, going to God knows where.

She tried asking the driver, but he just apologised, saying he wasn't supposed to talk to her. She groaned at Alex's stupid orders and cursed him in her mind.

Finally, the car came to a stop, and she looked outside only to find herself in front of a hospital. 

"Why is this man so desperate and impatient to get a baby?" she wondered, shaking her head. She knew she was here for the IVF treatment and walked inside the hospital.

Alex was already present inside, and as soon as his eyes fell on her, he walked towards her. "Let's go," he said plainly and turned to leave, but she held his hand.

"Why did you give me this phone?" she asked angrily, showing the phone. He glanced at the phone and then at her.

"This is not for your personal use. I have given it to you so that only I can contact you through it, and it's only temporary. Take it before you leave," he said coldly, indicating that he never did anything out of feelings. It was pure business for him and nothing else.

As they walked towards their destination, she looked at him curiously, but his face was as usual blank, devoid of any emotion.

"How did you agree so easily to this option?" she asked the question that had been bugging her the most.

"I may be a monster and a devil, but I don't force myself on anyone. I can't do that," he said, looking at her. She couldn't look away. His words confused her.

Soon they reached the doctor's cabin and entered inside. The doctor smiled and welcomed them, and Mia reciprocated. As expected, Alex stayed unaffected.

"Have a seat, Mr. and Mrs...?" the doctor trailed off, and Mia shifted uncomfortably.

Alex sat down straight away, leaving Mia stunned. "Doctor, we are here for the IVF treatment," he said without beating around the bush. Mia palmed her face mentally.

"Okay, I believe you aren't able to conceive by sexual intercourse," the doctor nodded to himself. Alex looked at Mia, who just looked away.

"She is a virgin," Alex stated bluntly. Mia's eyes widened, and the doctor looked stunned.

"Oh, well, okay," the doctor said, confused but didn't question further. Mia glared at Alex for being this insensitive, but he cared less.

"Okay, so IVF is a process where we'll collect your eggs and his sperm and combine them in our lab until they form an embryo or embryos. After that, we'll place the embryos in her uterus, and after two or three weeks, she'll have to take a pregnancy test."

"Now, this procedure that I have explained was in short so that you understand what it is. Also, the chances of getting pregnant from this treatment depend on your age as well as where you get this done. I can assure you that we'll provide you with the best service," the doctor smiled. Mia looked at Alex.

"How much time does this treatment take? Are you sure she can take this treatment, considering the fact that she is a virgin?" Alex asked without looking at her.

"That is not a problem. We have had cases of such type as well. Also, this process might take a little time," the doctor informed, and Alex nodded while Mia looked nervous.

"Do you want to ask something, Mrs...?" the doctor turned to her and sensed her nervousness.

"There is a specific time when females produce eggs, right?" She ignored Alex and looked straight at the doctor.

"Yes, you are right. If you are not in that period of producing eggs, then we'll inject you with hormones after which you'll start producing eggs. Only after they are fully developed, we will retrieve them to combine with his sperm," he answered. She nodded, lost in her thoughts.

"You don't need to worry; we'll take care of everything," he assured, and Mia smiled nervously.

After they were done with the questions, Mia waited outside while Alex paid for the treatment. So, this was it. She was going to get pregnant through this treatment, and her life would change entirely after it. She just hoped the results would come positive in the end.