Chapter 6: The Terrace Confession
When Mia returned to the grand ballroom, Alexander immediately sensed the shift in her energy. Her spine was rigid, and her eyes were dark.
“Everything okay?” he whispered, touching her lower back.
“Perfectly,” she lied, taking a large gulp of champagne. “But actually, no, it wasn’t.”
For the next hour, Alexander noticed the way the other guests looked at Mia. He saw the whispered insults behind manicured hands. He saw how the socialites deliberately turned their backs when she approached.
The breaking point finally came when a heavily intoxicated tech CEO stumbled over to their high-top table.
“Montgomery!” the man slurred loudly, attracting the attention of a dozen nearby guests. He looked Mia up and down with absolute disgust. “So, this is the famous new girlfriend. Gotta admit, Alex, it’s a massive shift going from old-money socialites to sleeping with the help.”
The silence that instantly swallowed the surrounding area was deafening.
Alexander slowly set his crystal glass down on the table. The look on his face was one of pure, unadulterated murder. Mia had never seen him look so terrifyingly cold.
“What did you just say?” Alexander asked, his voice deadly quiet.
“Oh, come on, Alex,” the drunk man chuckled, oblivious to his impending doom. “Everyone here knows who she is. No need to pretend.”
Alexander took a slow step forward. “You are going to apologize to my girlfriend right now. Or I swear to God, I will buy your company by morning and liquidate it before dessert.”
The man’s arrogant smile vanished instantly. He paled, realizing he had just crossed an unforgivable line. “Man, I… I was just joking.”
“Apologize or leave. Your choice.”
“I’m sorry,” the man mumbled quickly to Mia, before practically running toward the exit.
Mia’s hands were shaking. She placed her glass on the table. “I need to get some air,” she whispered, turning and hurrying toward the outdoor terrace.
Alexander followed her immediately. The Chicago night air was crisp, the city lights glowing like crushed diamonds in the distance. Mia leaned heavily against the stone railing, taking deep, shuddering breaths.
“Thank you,” she said softly as Alexander stepped up beside her. “For standing up for me in there.”
“No need to thank me, Mia. That guy was completely out of line.”
“He was,” she agreed, refusing to look at him. “But he wasn’t entirely wrong, Alexander.”
Alexander frowned. “What do you mean?”
Mia spun around, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Alexander, let’s be honest for one second! I do not belong in this world. I never will! Your mother knows it, Victoria knows it, and everyone in that room knows it!”
“That doesn’t give them the right to treat you like garbage!” he shouted back, frustration bleeding into his voice.
“No, it doesn’t! But it doesn’t mean the reality is going to magically change either!”
They stood in heavy, loaded silence, the muffled sound of the orchestra playing inside.
“Why did you do it?” Mia finally asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Why did you defend me like that?”
Alexander hesitated. His heart was hammering against his ribs. “Because… because they were wrong. And you didn’t deserve it.” He looked at her, his dark eyes searching her face. “No. That’s not the only reason.”
“Then what is it?”
Alexander ran a hand through his hair, stepping closer until he was mere inches away. “I don’t know how to explain it, Mia. You came into my life and you turned absolutely everything upside down. In a good way. In a terrifying way. I’m completely confused.”
Mia swallowed hard, her breath hitching as he stepped even closer. “Confused how?”
“Confused like… why do you make me want to laugh and punch a wall at the exact same time?”
They were so close now. Alexander could smell the subtle vanilla of her perfume. He could see the tiny, beautiful freckles on the bridge of her nose that the makeup hadn’t fully hidden.
“Mia,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to her lips.
“Alexander,” she breathed back.
For a terrifying, electrifying moment, the entire world stopped spinning. They leaned in toward each other. Mia closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his breath against her cheek.
“There you are!”
The sharp, grating voice of Eleanor Montgomery sliced through the romantic tension like a rusty knife. Alexander and Mia jumped apart instantly, both of them breathing heavily.
“The event is ending,” Eleanor announced, glaring at Mia. “It is time to go.”
Alexander let out a ragged sigh of pure frustration. “Let’s go,” he muttered, offering his arm to Mia.
In the back of the town car on the way home, the silence between them was thick, heavy, and loaded with unspoken words. They both knew something monumental had almost happened on that terrace. And they both knew that sooner or later, the fake contract was going to burn to ash.
