“Are you out of your mind?!” she screamed, ripping the yellow rubber gloves off her hands and hurling them onto the imported Italian marble floor. Alexander wiped his mouth, his heart hammering against his ribs, as his mother stared at them both in absolute, horrified silence.
Chapter 1: The Chandelier Incident
The grand foyer of the Montgomery estate was usually a place of quiet, echoing prestige. But this Friday afternoon, the silence had been shattered by the sharp, authoritative click of Eleanor Montgomery’s designer heels.
She hadn’t knocked. She never knocked.
Alexander Montgomery sat on the sprawling leather sofa, a pen resting in his hand as he reviewed a merger contract that would secure Montgomery Tech for the next decade. He slowly looked up, feeling the familiar, tightening knot in his jaw.
“Everything is set, Alexander,” Eleanor announced, dropping her Hermès bag onto an armchair. “The dinner is Friday night, and the engagement will be officially announced to the press.”
Alexander stared at her like she had just suggested they set the curtains on fire. “What engagement?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Yours, obviously,” Eleanor snapped, crossing her arms. “With Victoria. It is past time for you to grow up and stop rejecting anything that involves the word marriage. Victoria already had the dress made. You two look good together. She is presentable, she understands our world, and—”
“I never agreed to that engagement,” Alexander interrupted, his voice dropping an octave. “I’ve said that already. I am not marrying Victoria Sterling.”
“Alexander, please,” Eleanor sighed, rubbing her temples as if he were a petulant toddler. “You are twenty-eight years old, and you have an empire to protect. Marrying Victoria is the smartest strategic move to unite both families.”
Alexander tossed his pen onto the glass table. The heavy clack echoed through the room. “I have an empire to protect, yes. Which is exactly why I’m not handing half of it over in a loveless corporate merger masquerading as a wedding.”
Eleanor stepped closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You don’t have a choice. The board expects stability.”
Alexander’s mind raced. He needed a wall. He needed an out. “I already have a girlfriend,” he blurted out.
Eleanor’s expression shifted instantly, contorting as if her son had just announced he was opening a discount crochet shop on a pirate ship. “What did you just say?”
“That’s right,” Alexander lied smoothly, his pulse skyrocketing. “I’m in a relationship. We’ve been together for a while now, and it’s serious.”
“And who is she?” Eleanor challenged, lifting her chin. “Show her to me. Right now.”
Alexander looked around the massive, empty living room, panic finally clawing at his throat. He looked toward the hallway. And that’s when he saw her.
Mia Gonzalez.
She was standing on a small step ladder, wiping down the crystals of the hallway chandelier. She wore baggy uniform pants, a faded t-shirt, and a cloth tied around her dark hair. A pair of bright yellow rubber gloves covered her hands, and white earbuds hung around her neck. She was humming off-key to a pop song, completely oblivious to the boardroom war happening fifty feet away.
“Her,” Alexander said, pointing a steady finger straight at the ladder.
Eleanor turned slowly. Her jaw practically unhinged. “The… the maid?”
“She’s my girlfriend,” Alexander repeated. He didn’t think. He just moved.
“Alexander, don’t you dare—” Eleanor warned, stepping forward.
Too late. Alexander marched down the hallway.
Mia turned around just as he reached the ladder. She barely had time to blink, let alone ask what the CEO of the company was doing marching toward her like a man on a mission.
Before she could form a syllable, Alexander grabbed her waist, pulled her down the final step, and crashed his lips onto hers.
For the first three seconds, Mia’s brain flatlined. The kiss tasted like expensive mint and pure, unadulterated panic. By the fourth second, she vaguely wondered if she had fallen off the ladder and was currently hallucinating in an ambulance.
On the fifth second, survival instincts kicked in. She shoved her hands against his chest and pushed with the force of a freight train. Alexander stumbled backward, tripping over his own expensive loafers.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Mia shouted, ripping off her yellow gloves and throwing them directly at his chest.
“Mia, I can explain—”
“No, you can’t!” she fired back, her chest heaving, eyes blazing with fury. “You just kissed me! In front of your mother! And I haven’t even finished the bottom row of the chandelier!”
Eleanor stood frozen in the archway, her face drained of all color. “This… this is a bad joke,” she whispered, clutching her pearls. “Alexander Montgomery, you have completely lost your mind. A cleaning lady?”
Alexander straightened his suit jacket, fighting the urge to rub the back of his neck. “An amazing woman, actually,” he corrected, his voice trembling only slightly.
“A woman with a rag on her head!” Eleanor shrieked.
“It’s called real life, Mother. Ever heard of it?”
Eleanor didn’t say another word. She turned on her heel, grabbed her designer purse with the icy elegance of an offended queen, and stormed out the front doors. Her heels clicked violently against the marble like gavels handing down a guilty sentence. The heavy oak door slammed shut, rattling the glass in the windows.
Mia crossed her arms, tapping her worn sneaker against the floor. “Are you going to tell me what just happened, or should I start guessing?”
“I needed a way out,” Alexander said, suddenly feeling very stupid. “My mother is trying to force me to marry Victoria Sterling. I snapped. I told her I was already dating someone, and… you were right there.”
Mia’s mouth fell open. “Oh, of course. I was just hanging like a bat from your expensive lighting fixture, so why not make me your fake girlfriend? Do you hear yourself?!”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing!”
“A spur-of-the-moment thing?” Mia stepped closer, jabbing a finger into his chest. “If you suddenly felt like starting a new tech company, fine! That’s an impulse! But grabbing my face out of nowhere? That’s invading my personal space, Mr. Montgomery!”
“Look, I’m sorry,” Alexander pleaded, rubbing his face. “Really. I… I’ll pay you a bonus for the trouble.”
“A bonus.” Mia’s voice dropped to a deadly calm. She slowly reached into her supply bucket, pulled out a damp, soapy microfiber rag, and threw it directly into his face.
“Shove your bonus where the sun doesn’t shine, Mr. Silver Tie.”
She spun around, grabbed her bucket, and stormed off toward the service wing, leaving the billionaire standing alone in his foyer, a wet rag slowly sliding off his Armani shoulder.
At this exact moment, most people would have feared losing their job and apologized to the boss. Mia threw a wet rag at his face. What would you have done in her shoes? Let us know in the comments!
