Chapter 247
Chapter 247
Alex was sitting in the little bar in his room.
His hand moved slowly, swirling the drink in his glass.
His thoughts were all over the place, pulling him in different directions.
For years that feels like a lifetime he had believed one thing.
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That Mia had left him to hurt him. To pay him back for every cruel word, every reckless action, every scar he had left on her heart.
And God, he had given her plenty of reasons to do just that.
Because yes… he was horrible to her. He could not even pretend otherwise.
He closed his eyes, his jaw tightening. Memories came back like sharp knives.
The way she used to look at him like he was more than what he was, and the way he ruined that again and again.
Mia had taught him things he never thought he was capable of learning. She had taught him about emotions he never cared to understand, about feelings he once thought were useless.
She taught him how to recognize the faint voice of his conscience, the one he used to drown out with noise, sex, money, and power.
She taught him that there was a line between being strong and being cruel.
But the Alex before Mia… the Alex she first met… was different. That Alex didn’t care who he hurt.
That Alex didn’t even notice when someone bled because of him. That Alex only cared about control, about keeping his world tight in his fist.
That Alex was a monster.
A perfect replica of Charles Blackwell.
The thought made him grit his teeth, a deep bitterness rising in his chest.
He hated the man. He hated the shadow that always seemed to follow him, no matter how far he tried to run.
But if he was honest…..like brutally honest….he had walked in that man’s footsteps for too long.
He let out a heavy sigh and stood up, restless. His legs carried him to the wide window overlooking the city.
He lifted the glass to his lips, taking a long sip. The burn of the wine spread through his chest.
Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The screen lit up, and for a moment he just
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Chapter 247
stood there, staring at it.
His chest tightened when his eyes landed on the number his mom had sent to him.
His fingers hovered over the screen, but he didn’t press it, not yet, he just stared at it.
His heart was pounding harder than it should for something so simple.
Except it wasn’t exactly simple.
It wasn’t simple. Not at all.
He stared at the number for what felt like hours.
His thumb hovered above it, but he couldn’t bring himself to press it.
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The man who had faced ruthless billionaires, men who played dirty with power and money, the kind of men who would crush anyone without blinking, was now standing in his own room scared of calling his ex.
He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head at himself. It was ridiculous.
He brought the wine glass to his lips, taking another sip.
He laughed again, bitterly this time, and stared at the number. “Get it over with,” he muttered under his breath. Then, before he could talk himself out of it, he pressed dial.
The line rang.
His heart jumped to his throat instantly, beating louder with every second. He gripped the phone tighter, ignoring the way his hand trembled slightly.
If someone had told him this morning that he would be calling Mia’s number today, he would have laughed in their face. No, worse–he would have had them locked in an asylum. Because that was how impossible it
felt.
Yet here he was.
The ringing went on, each second stretching longer than it should, each one making his chest pound harder.
He thought she wasn’t going to pick, and maybe a part of him hoped she wouldn’t.
And then-
“Hello.”
Alex froze.
And for a wild second he considered dropping the call. His finger even twitched like it was ready to end it.
“Hello?” her voice came again.
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Chapter 246
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Her throat tightened. She wanted to believe that, wanted to hold on to the idea that she had done the best she could for her son.
She nodded again but didn’t trust her voice enough to respond.
The silence stretched for a moment before she sighed, pushing herself up from the sofa. She wrapped her arms around herself, pacing slowly across the living room.
“How do I even do this?” she muttered, more to herself than to Ethan. “Do I call him?” She stopped in her tracks, shaking her head. “I don’t even have his number.”
Her lips press together “I can’t do this in his company”
Ethan leaned back against the cushions, his gaze steady on her. “What about his mother? You have her number, right?”
Mia paused, her eyes flicking toward him. After a moment, she gave a small nod.
“She can arrange for you to meet Alex,” Ethan said softly.
Mia’s arms tightened around herself. Her body felt cold despite the warmth of the room. “I have to meet him first,” she whispered. “Be sure he wants to meet Aiden before I… before I let him.”
“He wants to meet him, Mia,” Ethan said firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
But Mia shook her head. “I still have to talk to them first. I need to know how this is going to go before I throw him in the middle of it.” Her voice cracked slightly at the end.
“Fair enough,” he said gently.
Mia ran her hand over her hair, tugging lightly at the strands as though that would calm her racing thoughts. Then, after a pause, she takes in a breath and forces a small smile onto her face.
“I’ll call her tomorrow,” she said finally. “I’ll talk to her, and then… then we’ll see.”
Ethan nodded, but his eyes didn’t leave her. There was something searching in his gaze.
“What?” she asked, her voice defensive as she caught his strange look.
Ethan tilted his head, studying her carefully, then gave a faint smile. “You’re doing the right thing,” he said.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out at first. Finally, she turned her gaze to her brother, her arms hugging herself tighter.
“I hope so,” she whispered.
