Chapter 134

My father befriended a man, Xmax, when he was forty-nine. Xmax was a high-end barber, and it says something about my father that this man, who didn't trust people easily, became his friend. My circle of friends is selective. His only other friend was someone named Yearach Davis.

When Ausra, my sister, wanted to learn business from someone other than my father, neither he nor I were happy. She craved exposure and experience, not to be treated like the legacy princess she was at Whitlock.

Right now, I didn't like the way Xmax was looking at my sister. They were consenting adults, but he was too old for her—seventy years old.

My eyes kept darting toward my wife, Mia, as we talked, and she seemed…off. I couldn't see her face clearly, but her posture looked scared.

"Excuse me," I interrupted Lea, without taking my eyes off Mia. I glanced at Stephen, who was sitting at a table wearing a cap and hoodie, pretending to drink coffee. I'd never leave Mia without backup, not after what happened last time I left her with Dominic. That fucker had stirred from his coma the previous evening, then fallen back into it an hour later. Lazy fucker.

I approached Mia cautiously. She looked tense, frozen. She was hyperventilating, on the verge of a panic attack.

"Mia?" I said softly. My eyes flickered from her to the ginger-haired man at the counter, who looked clueless and terrified when I glared at him.

"Mia?" I tried again.

She seemed dissociated, reliving a nightmare.

"Baby?"

She didn't respond. Her beautiful gray eyes were filled with unshed tears; she wouldn't blink.

I gently took her hand. She pushed me away with surprising force, making me stumble back.

"Oh," she breathed, her breathing ragged. "Oh. It's you. Sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Mia…" I began carefully, but she ran off, seemingly without knowing where she was going. I followed.

She jogged out of the cafeteria, turned left, and ran down the street. I would have lost her if I hadn't grabbed her hand and forced her to look at me. Tears streamed down her face; she looked panicked and breathless.

(The following section is largely unintelligible and requires significant context to be corrected. Please provide clarification.)

Chapter 134 (continued)

"He was a blonde."

"You've seen blonde-haired men. One of your doctors was blonde. Why did his ginger hair trigger you, and not the blonde ones?"

Mia blinked. For a moment, I thought she'd tell the truth; she seemed to consider it before deciding against it.

She shrugged. "I don't know," she lied.

"Okay," I said, pulling her close. "Let's go."

"What about the bagels?" Her voice was small.

"I'll make them for you at home."

"You will?" she asked, surprised.

"I've lived alone for a long time. My skills aren't limited to the bedroom, Mrs…"

She half-blushed, half-laughed, and let me keep my hand on her shoulder as we walked back. She leaned on me, finding comfort in me again. It was more than enough.

: Sneak peek into Aurora’s story. P.S.: I have started writing Aurora and Luca’s story, and dare I say it's the best plot ever written? The flow of their story is just…chef's kiss. P.S.S.: Luca’s character has an Italian accent. What else is there to say? :* CHEF'S KISS.

Alex and Mia's book will have 50 chapters and an epilogue.