Chapter 4: Your Husband
Mira could not even say she had ever seen such a beautiful face, and up close at that.
It wasn’t just that he was handsome, it was that he was devastating.
He had a face that looked like it was carved from stone and ice, a sharp jawline, lips that were a cruel perfect slash, and eyes so dark they seemed to have swallowed the light.
He was without doubt the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
But the way he was looking at her, Mira could not quite describe it.
It was as if he wanted to set her on fire. But then, why would he be saving her at the moment if that was his intention?
Mira had lost count of how many times the camera flashes went off. It was almost blinding her if not for the figure shielding her.
Several voices kept screaming, shouting, and accusing, it was so thick that she could barely move.
And then the man finally moved. And then he smiled, but it was a smile that did not quite reach his eyes because his eyes remained cold.
Mira could swear that they were the coldest and deadest of eyes she had ever seen in her life.
It didn’t quite hit her like a ’nice to meet you’ smile in any way. And it unsettled Mira in ways she could not explain.
And then the paparazzi lost their minds.
"Who is he?"
"New boy toy, Lorena?"
"Sugar daddy alert!"
A particularly loud one, who held a camera with a lens the size of a telescope, yelled right in their faces.
The man shielding Lorena didn’t flinch. Instead, he calmly adjusted his cufflinks still facing Mira with his back to the mob.
"One more flash in her face," he said, almost pleasantly, "and I will personally ensure that your companies are used for toilet paper. So choose wisely."
The crowd hesitated and the flashing slowed down.
Mira’s jaw almost dropped. Was that all it took to shut them up?
But then Mr. Telescope Lens laughed.
"Why would we be scared of a nobody like you? You won’t even show your face, and you want us to believe you can shut down our companies? If you want to be her sugar daddy, at least be proud of it!"
Mira flinched.
The man beside her didn’t move. Not a twitch.
But someone else did.
The mountain of muscle in a suit moved so fast Mira almost missed it. Without a shout, without a warning, he snatched the massive camera from Telescope Guy like he was stealing candy from a toddler, then smashed it against the pavement.
Plastic and glass flew everywhere, and that seemed to show everyone else that this man was serious as they started backing away.
The mountain man then leaned in close to the stunned photographer.
"Say that again," he growled, low and animalistic. "I dare you."
While the chaos was being handled, the man in front of Mira finally peeled off his disgusting, egg-splattered jacket and dropped it on the ground like trash.
Then his hand locked around Mira’s wrist as he started to drag her in the opposite direction of the mob.
"Hey! Let go! What do you think you’re doing?" she yelped, but he was already moving, dragging her behind him like a misbehaving puppy.
Her feet scrambled on the smooth pavement but his power was more than hers so she moved without will.
A sleek, black, gleaming car waited at the curb.
A Maybach.
Mira recognized it instantly. She had never touched luxury, but she had spent countless nights scrolling through pictures of it, imagining herself inside.
And now...
The man yanked open the back door and practically tossed her inside.
He slid in right after her, his broad frame making the spacious car feel suddenly claustrophobic. Then he hit the locks.
And what greeted them afterwards was nothing but silence.
It was instant and almost deafening. The crazy outside world seemed to vanish and get muted like they were behind military-grade windows.
The only sounds Mira could hear were her ragged, panicked breathing and the soft, expensive hum of the air conditioning.
Mira pushed herself upright and scooted as far into the corner as she could. Her hand found a seatbelt and started fondling it like it was a lifeline.
Her senses had been heightened. The car smelled insane. Like rich leather, a clean spicy cologne that was probably worth more than her entire old life, and yes, still a little bit of rotten egg as well.
She didn’t know where to start or what to say. Her head was spinning.
One minute she was standing in front of a truck, the next minute she was getting mobbed, and now she had been kidnapped by a supermodel-looking mob boss in a terrifying silent luxury car. Her world could honestly not get any weirder.
After a while, the same mountain man from before soon approached them, and the man beside Mira had to roll down his window a tiny crack.
"Clear them all," he said, his voice flat. "I want this entire hospital and street empty of them all. Now."
The mountain man nodded and got on his phone as he started barking and pointing out orders.
In a twinkle of an eye, cops and security guards suddenly arrived and snapped to attention. They started moving the crowd back forcefully. Paparazzi, who usually didn’t care about anything and always stood their ground, were actually backing off nervously.
Mira’s eyes widened at what she was seeing outside the car as she thought, ’Who the actual hell is this guy? The mayor?’
And she was confused as to why he continued to sit still in silence like he did not need to introduce himself to her or anything.
She didn’t want to risk exposing herself by asking questions that would make her seem like she’s not Lorena.
But then the silence was starting to get on her last nerves.
Say something, damn it!
She couldn’t take it anymore so the words stumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"Uh, thanks. For that."
He finally turned his head in her direction
, at last!
His eyes met hers and Mira felt like she was plunged into ice water.
He looked her up and down, a quick dismissive glance that made Mira feel like she was just two inches tall. Then, without a single word in response, he turned back to the window.
Again.
Mira felt embarrassed.
’What’s his deal?’ she thought, irritated.
Not knowing what else to say and knowing she could not get out of the car yet either, she turned back to her side of the window and watched as the police lights painted everywhere in glasses of blue and red.
The hospital and street was almost clear and Mira could not wait for it all to be done because the car was already suffocating her.
The space had started to feel smaller and hotter and she could already feel the heat radiating from him.
The mix of expensive smell and the gross egg smell was making her nauseous. But then she couldn’t tell if it was just that or if fear was also a factor.
Her heart was doing a tap dance against her ribs and she knew she had to say something else again. Anything to break this terrifying silence.
"Why..." she started, her voice a squeak. She cleared her throat, trying to sound less like a scared mouse. "Why did you do that? Why did you help me?"
The man turned his head. Slowly.
So slowly that Mira felt like it was basically uncalled for.
His dark eyes locked onto hers and she felt trapped in them again, absolutely pinned.
And he did not say anything, yet again.
Now she was pissed.
"Why won’t you reply anything I say? If I hadn’t heard you speak already, I would assume you’re mute and deaf. Who are you?" she snapped.
A flicker of something, amusement, contempt perhaps, passed through his cold eyes, and then a smirk followed. A slow, dangerous, heart-stopping smirk that didn’t reach his eyes.
He then leaned in, causing Mira to freeze at the suddenness.
He moved into her space until he was all she could see and all she could smell. Mira could even feel his breath across her face.
Then he spoke, his voice low and a quiet rumble that vibrated through her.
"Your husband."
The two words seemed to hang in the air as Mira’s brain suddenly short-circuited.
All she could manage was a silent internal scream, "HUSBAND?!"