Page 70 of Surrendering to the Obsession

His phone rang, breaking the spell. With a barely audible sigh, Alexander lazily picked up, his gaze never leaving the bathroom as Mia rubbed soap from her shoulders. A small, wicked smile tugged at his lips as he imagined having his hands on her again.

“Mr. Graves? You didn’t come to the office today?” came Allen’s voice, tinged with unease.

“Yeah… I was busy. I won’t be coming in today,” Alexander replied flatly, tone lazy, indifferent, his thumb hovering near the hang-up button.

A pause. “Mr. Graves, it’s something important. Maybe I can come to your house to discuss it?”

“No need. Whatever it is, I’m not handling business today,” Alexander said dismissively, already sliding out of the bed, the muscles in his legs tensing as he prepared to enter the bathroom. His eyes followed Mia’s every movement, heart rate quickening under the surface.

“Mr. Graves—it’s about Mrs. Graves!” Allen’s voice cracked, panic slicing through the calm.

Alexander’s thumb froze mid-air, then slowly returned to the receiver. His body stiffened, spine straightening, every nerve alert. “What is it?” he demanded.

Allen answered quietly. “The night before yesterday… Mrs. Graves was kidnapped. She wasn’t alone. James Sinclair was with her. They were taken together… and there was a gun involved.”

Alexander’s eyes widened, chest heaving as a red haze of fury clouded his vision. “Why the fuck wasn’t I informed immediately? Didn’t she go to the mall that day? How the helldid this happen without me knowing?” His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms.

Allen’s voice tightened. “It happened in Max’s parking lot. There were fewer cameras… the kidnappers found a blind spot. That’s why no alert reached us. The kidnapping only lasted a few hours. I only found out a few minutes ago, when I got an alert that Mrs. Sinclair had been admitted to the hospital that night.”

“She was at a fucking hospital?” Alexander’s hand tightened around the phone, nails digging into his palm. The urge to throw the phone, to physically lash out, surged through him. His eyes darted toward the shower, then back to the ceiling, chest rising and falling rapidly as he fought to contain the storm inside him.

“Yes… but don’t worry, Mr. Graves,” Alan said quickly, sensing the storm ready to break. “She wasn’t injured. Just fainted from shock. No physical injuries on her body.”

Alexander’s eyes snapped toward the bathroom, scanning Mia’s form under the shower. His body went stiff and taut, every muscle locking instinctively as his eyes scanned her from head to toe, searching for even the slightest sign of harm. Relief washed over him just slightly when he saw nothing—no bruises, no cuts—but his chest was still tight, his jaw clenched, and his voice low and dangerous. “Tell me everything. Right now. Every detail.”

Allen spoke quickly, words tumbling out as Alexander listened with clenched fists. “It was Mr. Sinclair’s business that got targeted. He offended them over a deal that he backed out of at the last minute. That angered the other party. They hired some underworld men to teach him a lesson. I got news that Mr. Sinclair handled it—beat them up, got arrested briefly for injuring one of them seriously.”

“What did they do to Mia?” Alexander’s voice was a sharp whisper, trembling with barely contained rage. His body remained locked, tense.

Allen hesitated, then continued. “It wasn’t good, that’s why I called. I managed to get a video—thought you’d want to see it. But…” His voice dropped. “It might upset you.”

A notification pinged on Alexander’s phone. Without a word, he opened the video.

Alexander’s thumb hovered over the phone, eyes narrowing. He opened the video, and instantly his blood ran cold.

His chest tightened, heart hammering as he watched Mia, a gun pressed to her temple. Every second felt frozen, his breath caught in his throat. And yet… she remained calm, almost fearless, even in the face of danger.

The phone slipped from his hand as he hung up. His gaze snapped to Mia. Every muscle in his body shook, his fists tightening. He spun on his heels, storming toward her but then halted mid-step.

He stared at her through the glass wall, eyes wild, chest heaving. “Why didn’t you tell me?” The words were barely a whisper, full of anguish and disbelief. His face twisted with hurt and fury. She had been willing to risk everything for that bastard, and she hadn’t uttered a single word to him.

He took a step back, body coiled with tension, staring at her through the fogged glass. Pain shot through him, searing and unbearable. Anger mixed with a burning possessiveness he could hardly control. Only one question echoed in his mind, over and over:

‘Is she still in love with him? Did she lie to me when she said she had no feelings for him?’

Mia stepped out of the shower, water dripping from her hair and shoulders, the bathroom steam clinging to her skin. Her eyes met Alexander’s, and he stood frozen near the bed, expression a mask of stone.

She studied him, hoping for the familiar softness he usually carried—but it wasn’t there. Alexander didn’t speak, didn’t move toward her. He simply walked past, straight into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind him with a deafening bang.

***

Two days later, Anita set the breakfast table in the soft morning light.

Her eyes kept drifting toward Mia, who moved quietly to place bread and butter on the table, her movements careful but distracted. Again and again, Mia’s gaze flicked toward the stairs, as if expecting someone.

Mia picked at her food without really eating, her attention fixed entirely on the staircase.

Anita watched her for a while, concern knitting her brows. Slowly, she stepped closer and bent slightly, her voice gentle but probing.