Still Mia’s POV
“We are not kids, Mia. For fucks sake, you are my wife, and I wish to announce it to the whole world. Why would you want it to be a secret?
Am I not qualified to be your husband, are you ashamed to be seen with me in public?” he voiced out in pain. It is obvious that he is furious. The veins on his forehead popped out and he kept grinding his tooth as he voiced out his anger and displeasure.
I’m such a selfish bitch!
How on earth did I come up with such a demand?
Just a few minutes ago, we were cool with each other and we were just about to make passionate love with each other.
Now I’m ruining it!
“Please Drake, I just need some time to get used to my new life. In a few months, our company will kick off, and soon, I’ll get back to our office building, then everything can go back to normal. It won’t be long, I promise.” I tried pleading with him once more.
“How do I protect you when you are out there on your own?
You are my responsibility, Mia, and I want to keep you safe, I want to o be by your side always. I thought we’ve gone past all this, why are you pushing me away?” he sighed in frustration.
“I’m not pushing you away, I promise. I just want to do this by myself, I am capable of handling my business without assistance. I want you to trust that I can take care of myself. I don’t need any distractions, I don’t want to cause any more Rivalry between you and Riley. If you love me as you claim, you would grant me this one request. Please, Drake,” I pleaded, offering my best puppy look. He seems pissed, and I’m hoping he falls for it because I want us to keep our personal life separated from anything that happens at work.
“Oh, come on Mia!
Don’t give me that look. You know I have a soft spot for you, I can never say no to you when you’re making that pretty face.” He complained. I giggled childishly when I saw that I was getting to him.
“So, is that a yes?” I asked excitedly. I stood on tiptoe and put my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his. He let out a throaty groan as he pulled me closer to him.
“You are such a naughty wife, Mia. You are going to be the end of me.” He confessed in a hoarse tone that is laced with lust. He brushed my lips with his, his hands wrapped around my hips, hugging me tighter.
“Ehen… Ehen… Ehen…
If you two are done smooching and cuddling, Drake. We need to leave already,” the other guy let out teasingly. I don’t know who he is, but he seems to be close to Drake and I kind of envy their friendship.
“Screw me, Liam!” he swore at his friend, giving him the middle finger.
“Fine, I’ll agree to this request on one condition. I’ll be assigning a personal bodyguard to you and a driver. They would follow you everywhere you go and make sure you are safe.”
“No, Wait… that’s not a good idea, I want…”
“That is not debatable Mia!” he warned me sternly.
“This is not a suggestion, it’s an order. I have done everything you’ve asked of me so far, the least you can do is to let me keep you safe. I do not want to be strict with you, Mia. Trust me, you don’t want to see me that way. The driver and guard will be waiting for you by the car. Try not to make the job harder for them, okay?” he let out sternly. I folded my arms on my chest, feigning anger.
“Come on, my love, I’m just trying to keep you safe. Be a good girl and let me treat you like a Princess.” He added, trying to cheer me up. I refused to pay attention to him, I just turned around and walked back to the sitting room to pick up my coat and my bag. I heard him chuckling as I stomped away, but I didn’t pay any attention to him. I picked up my things and turned around to head out of the house, but he stood in front of me, blocking my path, smiling like a fucking idiot.
“Hey, cheer up already. You look like a grumpy old man. Carl and William are just there to keep you safe. If you are not satisfied with their performance today, I’ll have them replaced.” He affirmed.
I didn’t respond to him, I don’t even know what to say to him. He thinks I don’t like the guys he assigned to me, but that is not the case. I just don’t want to be seen with some broad-chested bodyguards that look like bouncers. I’m trying to stay hidden and not the other way around. I don’t want to draw attention to myself, but Drake doesn’t seem to understand. I guess I’ll have to figure out a way to evade these guys by myself.
We left the house in different cars, I was heading to the office, while Drake went the other way with the other guy who he introduced to me as his personal assistant and best friend. The ride to the office was both boring and frustrating. I keep racking my brains, trying to come up with an excuse or a trick to ditch the guys. I couldn’t find any, so I decided to go with the truth.
We arrived at the 56-story building that has OSBOURN inscribed boldly at the top of the building. I directed William to park at the far corner, where I wouldn’t be seen getting down from this car. Drake had insisted I go with the family’s Rolls Royce because it is bulletproof and comfy. The guys asked me why I chose this spot, and I used this opportunity to explain the situation on ground to them and I pleaded to Carl to let me go in alone because I don’t want to be seen with bodyguards in the building.
“I understand your point, ma’am, but we have our orders as well. Mr. Osborne will have my head if anything happens to you. I can’t let you go in alone, but I’ll try to stay out of your way. I’ll keep a safe distance and keep watch over you from a distance. I thank that works for both of us,” he offered.
“That would be perfect, Carl. Thank you so much.” I let out excitedly as I stepped down from the car. I didn’t think of this earlier, but I think this is a perfect solution to my problem. He won’t get in trouble for not doing his job, and neither will I. As I walked into the building, I sighted them a few miles away from me, and they acted like visitors as they walked into the building.
I was smiling in satisfaction as it seems like everything is going my way. I took the elevator to the 10th floor. I have a beautiful office, with a large window that gives a good view of the city. A few of our staffers work from home since we lost our office building, but a few of them work here with me. The Osborne had given us a section on the tenth floor and I converted it into a comfy workspace for my team.
The murmurs started when I stepped out of the elevator. I knew this was going to happen, I was prepared for it. So I kept mute and continued walking with my head held high. I would have faltered in my steps, but I had so much confidence because I have two guys coming behind me, keeping watch over me. I guess I owe Drake some thanks for insisting I go with them.
“The whore is here,”
“I’m glad he dumped her, she was never good enough for him,”
“I heard she is now married to a street pauper!”
“I heard he got her pregnant on the night of her wedding,”
“Yeah, I heard that too. She would have pinned the pregnancy on the boss, but he outsmarted her.”
“I wonder what he saw in her, she is so proud and ugly.”
These are a few of their hurtful remarks. I caught a glimpse of the guys from a huge glass door, they looked like they wanted to hit someone. I couldn’t help chuckling within me, if only they know that they could all lose their jobs for saying such hurtful words to me. Although it’s not their fault, I name it all on Riley and Loretta. They made a mockery of me and my family when they decided to fool around behind me and even went ahead to spread that terrible news about me. Well, the jokes are on them because I ended up with someone way better than Riley.
The whispers and murmurs died down when I got to our section of the tenth floor, but I started getting strange looks from my staffers. They could not say horrible things about me to my face, but they gave me strange looks that made me a little nervous. I’ve never enjoyed working in a hostile environment, and I don’t intend to. I am not going to entertain such sidewalks, and I planned on setting the record straight and scolding every one of them before the end of the day. But when I stepped into my office, I met my PA Tracy, looking nervous and surprised to see me in the office, and she flew into a rage Immediately,
“Oh, no…
What the hell are you doing here, didn’t you get my calls and messages, why did you come here, do you want to get thrown out, do you want to put me in trouble?
You need to leave now before Mr. Riley Osborne and his fiancee come back in here and meet you.” She asserted firmly. I kept looking at her in shock, I have no idea what is going on here, but I have to admit that she looks like a fucking clown as she kept making silly hand gestures, urging me to leave.
“Is everything okay, ma’am?” Carl peeked in and asked me. I nodded in his direction and I assured him that I can handle it, then he walked away and shut the door behind him. I turned to Tracy in anger and I yelled out in her face,
“What the hell is wrong with everyone in this company today?
Why are you acting like a lunatic and why the hell are you packing my stuff in a box?” I asked in confusion.
“Mr. Riley was here this morning, ma’am. He appointed a new COO, and she chose this office as her new office. So we are being moved to a different floor. We have not been given a new location, so I sent a message to you and told you to sit this one out so I can handle it myself, considering the issues between you and the boss. I was going to inform you after setting up our new office today.
Besides, the new chief operating officer hates you with a passion, and she has made it clear that she doesn’t want to see you around this office. She instructed the security personnel to throw you out forcefully if you refuse to leave this office. You need to leave now, Mia. I can handle this, I promise.” She said assuringly, but I didn’t move because I still don’t understand what is going on.
“What the fuck are you talking about, this is my office!” I yelled out in frustration.
“Not anymore, Mia. It is my office now. Get out, or get thrown out.”
I recognized that voice. I would recognize that voice anywhere. I turned around and saw her standing by the door, smirking at me,
“Loretta?” I asked in disdain.