"Mia, why haven’t I seen you going out with Felix recently," as Evelyn Bailey watched a couple in a movie on TV, she couldn’t help but complain, "You two are engaged, but Felix doesn’t take any initiative. It’s been half a month since he last saw his fiancée."
"Mom, Felix is busy, his company is launching a new project." Mia Foster hugged a pillow, shifting a bit, justifying for Felix, and maybe for herself too—all this time she couldn’t shake off the feeling that Felix was deliberately neglecting her after their engagement.
"No matter how busy he is, couldn’t he find even a little time to eat together?" Evelyn Bailey retorted disapprovingly, "Who dates like that? After getting engaged, just leaving you alone at home."
"Mom, didn’t we go out together last Saturday!" Mia complained about how her mother had kept grumbling that Felix hadn’t been asking her daughter out for a long time. Left with no choice, Mia had to lie that Felix had called her before she wandered alone to an art exhibit, luckily running into Titus Zane, which gave her some company.
However, thinking about Titus Zane, Mia couldn’t understand it—if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would never believe that such a foolish woman existed in this world.
"But it’s been another week now, and tomorrow is another day off, is Felix working overtime again?"
Evelyn Bailey looked at her daughter displeasingly, "Making excuses for him now will only lead you to suffer later!"
Mia couldn’t stand her mother’s nagging and immediately surrendered, "Mom, please don’t be angry, I’ll call him right now to see if he’s free tomorrow, to have him come over for dinner, OK?"
"That’s more like it!" Evelyn Bailey smiled satisfactorily, watching her daughter walk to the corner of the living room with her phone and couldn’t help muttering, "This kid, too reserved, not knowing how to take initiative at all."
Mia Foster called Felix Shaw, who was playing cards with some buddies. After chatting for a bit, Mia went back to her room to change clothes and left the house.
Playing cards on behalf of Felix earned them quite a bit, and seeing his joyful behavior like a child, Mia’s mood also brightened. It was the first time she met Nicholas Croft’s younger girlfriend, who had a striking outfit but was very charming, and even invited them to a nightclub.
The three women sipped their drinks while enjoying the music, having a pleasant time until that jerk interrupted what could have been a much livelier outing.
...
In the police station, Sophie Foster refused to leave, and so Mia had no choice but to call Felix for help. Four men stormed into the station, and in a protective stance, Felix pulled Mia into his embrace. Seeing the firm arm on her shoulder, Mia realized for the first time that being protected by a man felt so blissful.
As they left the police station, she proposed, "Felix, I’m a bit tired, let’s find a hotel nearby."
Felix Shaw agreed while driving, "Alright."
Then there was silence throughout the trip, and Mia discovered that aside from work-related topics, they seemed to lack common topics to discuss. She knew Felix was talkative. Among his brothers, Nicholas was calm, Nathan Moore was not only stoic but also reticent. But whenever he was with Evander Lancaster, the atmosphere would never be dull, as the two always talked incessantly.
Not wanting the atmosphere to be too heavy, Mia brought up a topic proactively, "Felix, has the tender document for the project been finalized?"
"It’s been finalized, Grandeur Construction, reasonable offer, and also good reputation," he replied.
Mia unconsciously smiled because they had found a common topic once more.