Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 223: His woman

Chapter 223: His woman

"Mr. Galverra, is it true that you are in a secret relationship with Annalise Martinez, the supermodel?"

"Are you in a relationship with anyone now? Because we heard you’d be picking a Cinderella tonight from among all the lovely women in the hall!"

The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived, Neil thought. For the first time since he stepped onto the stage, he allowed himself a smile. The guests, at first, misunderstood his smile, thinking he agreed on choosing a Cinderella tonight, but that wasn’t what was on Neil’s mind. He looked up at the flashing cameras and addressed his guests.

"About my relationship," Neil began, his voice steady and clear, "I am indeed in a relationship with the most wonderful woman in the world, who means everything to me. In fact, she is carrying my child, and very soon, everyone will be invited to our wedding once we decide to have one."

He was the kind to keep his personal life private, but he knew if the world didn’t know of his relationship with Mia, they wouldn’t stop dragging her name to the mud.

Neil’s words made disappointment wash over the eager female guests. Some looked on in curiousity as to which woman he was speaking of, while others cried internally as they knew they’d lost. However, the elderly women in the hall didn’t miss the note of pride and love as he talked about his woman. One of the reporters quickly regained his senses and asked, "Who is this woman you speak of? Is she among the guests in the hall?"

Neil’s grey eyes shimmered at that question, and he replied with a simple, "Yes." He then turned to his right side and stretched out his arm, gesturing for Mia, who was standing backstage to come forward.

The guests in the hall watched as a slender hand emerged from the curtains and grasped Neil’s outstretched hand. They watched in astonishment as the woman stepped out completely from behind the curtain. Though many had begun to suspect it to be Mia Harrison when Neil mentioned his woman was pregnant, they hadn’t dwelled on it as they’d heard she was pregnant by one of her online customers. But now, seeing her confirmed their suspicions, everyone was stunned and speechless.

Mia was dressed in a black dress that hugged her body and showed the little bump in her lower abdomen. Despite the fact that she was pregnant, she still looked as beautiful as ever, with those mesmerizing dimples on her cheeks when she smiled. The last time she had been in public had been when she was humiliated on the floor of a banquet hall, but now she glowed like the Cinderella of the ball, causing everyone to stare at her in astonishment.

Neil’s voice broke the silence again. He looked at the guests with his arm protectively wrapped around Mia’s waist. "Meet the woman who has given me the strength to overcome many challenges. She was with me when I escaped prison. She showed me love when the world turned its back on me. Her arms were open when I needed someone to run to, and her presence in my life has taught me that there is more joy in having a woman in your life than having fame and wealth."

Mia felt her eyes burn with tears as she turned to glance at Neil. Her heart swelled with warmth when she realized he had been gazing at her while he spoke. He tightened his hold around her waist, as if to tell her he’d forever stand with her, and he smiled down at her, silently encouraging her to allow her tears of joy. She smiled through her tears, and he raised his hand to wipe them away from her cheeks while stroking her baby bump with his other hand.

Every single affectionate gesture between them was captured on camera by the paparazzi and reporters.

Mixed emotions swept through the crowd as they witnessed the subtle affectionate gestures between the couple. Some guests looked at Mia with envy, others with open disdain. The whispers grew louder, filled with incredulity and gossip. The elderly women nodded approvingly, recognizing the sincerity in Neil’s words and actions while the younger, jealous women thought otherwise.

"Neil must be blind to pick a whore like Mia!" someone among the guests sneered. "How does he know she’s carrying his child when she’s whored around with countless men?"

"She’s a whore! A two faced bitch!"

Neil noticed and heard the loud whispers. As he took his gaze away from Mia, his expression hardened. The aloof and stern demeanor that settled on his face made the guests shut up at once. This time, when he spoke into the mic, there was a lace of threat in his voice.

"Recently, a lot of people have taken it upon themselves to punish my woman for a crime she didn’t commit, and some have gone as far as to frame her," Neil said, his voice cold and unyielding. "I have overlooked a lot of bullshit lately, but I won’t anymore. From now on, anybody who dares to say or do anything against Mia Harrison will face the consequences of my wrath."

He looked directly into the camera, emphasizing his words for those watching from home, including Kelvin Rodrigo. "Hurting Mia is like hurting me, and you won’t like the side of me you see when you cross that line."

Everyone in the hall got his message loud and clear. They knew the aftermath of crossing someone like Neil, especially now that they knew he was Xavier Galverra. The room fell into a tense silence as guests held their tongues. After his warning, he looked back at the guests and said, "Enjoy the rest of the evening." Then he led Mia carefully down the platform.

At the back of the hall, Owen hurled his wine glass onto the marble floor, causing the people standing around him to jump. The music drowned out the sound of breaking glass for most, but the anger on Owen’s face was unmistakable. Veins throbbed on his forehead as he struggled to contain his rage. He couldn’t believe Mia was pregnant with Neil’s child, and even worse, that Neil was Xavier Galverra.

His blue eyes turned murderous as he realized he had lost this time. There was no way Neil would help his company now, and there was no way he’d sit still while the woman he loved birthed a child of his enemy. He couldn’t accept defeat so easily. Wayner had purposely invited him with the VIP invitation card to rub his revelation on his face and embarrass the shit outta him. The man sure is clever, but Owen would show him what clever was. Son of a bitch had looked straight at him when he said anyone who hurt Mia would have to face him. Did the fucker think he would hurt the woman he loved the most in the world?

He’d never hurt Mia. She was the love of his life and the reason he wanted to have all the wealth. She was the reason he’d watched Elizabeth Harrison die that night, and she was the reason he wanted to build an empire. He’d never hurt her. Never. But Neil Wayner...that son of a bitch would regret what he did tonight! He’d find a way to destroy Neil and take back what he believed was rightfully his, no matter the cost.

Meanwhile, at the back of the hall, the masked woman sat still on her chair, her grip tightening around the glass as she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard and seen. That was supposed to be her, she was supposed to be in that position Mia was right now. He’d promised to marry her and not her sister...

For twenty years, she had looked forward to the day she would come back to Mirage Mesa and meet him again. The dreams she had harbored were now crumbling in the face of undeniable reality. Just like Mia had taken their mother’s attention and love twenty years ago, she had taken Xavier’s love as well.

It was supposed to be her. She was the one he had promised to have this life with, not Mia. Her grip tightened on the glass until it made a cracking sound as she stared at Mia’s smiling face while Neil introduced her to some of his business partners in the hall.

"You can’t have it all, sister..."

Mia, who was being introduced to Neil’s business partners, smiled as she shook their hands. However, she felt the hairs on her neck rising as if someone were staring at her. The feeling was so intense she turned to see who it was, but was surprised to find the place empty, with only a woman clad in a black dress walking away. Mia stared at the woman’s back as she made her way out of the hall. For some reason, she felt a sense of familiarity with the woman, even though she didn’t see her face, just her retreating back. Was she the one staring at her a moment ago?

A lot of people had been staring at her since she had walked down the platform with Neil, but this one felt different.

"What’s wrong?" Neil’s voice fell right at the shell of her ear, making her look away from the door the woman had walked through and turn back to him. It seemed he had noticed her staring in that direction, as his gaze was there as well, trying to see what she was looking at.

"Nothing," she smiled at him when he turned back to look down at her face. She then looked away shyly when he gave her one of those intoxicating looks of his, as if to gauge her expression. She looked around the hall and noticed most of the young women were staring at Neil and following him around with their gazes. It was like they were all looking for an opportunity to approach him and start their act of seduction like those two women in the hotel hallway had said; they didn’t care if he was married or not.

"It seems my boyfriend is too beautiful, so nobody is eating their food or mingling anymore; they’re just staring at him," she murmured in a voice barely above a whisper as she looked at the women. Among them, she caught sight of Elena Fanning, who looked nothing like her arrogant self from a week ago. She was standing away from the rest, her skin looked dull, and the dress she wore didn’t seem like something an arrogant person like her would wear to such an event.

Their eyes met for a moment, and in that moment, Mia saw a glimpse of shame in her expression as Elena quickly lowered her gaze and turned away to leave. But she was stopped by two men in suits, one standing on each side of her. From the looks of it, one of the men was scolding her about something, and the other dragged her by the arm and pulled her away.

"What happened to her?" she murmured to no one in particular as she watched the men drag her into the serving room that was in the hall.

Neil, who noticed she was looking at a nobody like Elena Fanning who had humiliated her in the banquet hall of the Wallaces and was now paying for it, firmly took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned her face up to his, forcing her to look into his teasing gray eyes. "If I’m so beautiful, why won’t you look at me like everyone else then?" he teased, trying to distract her from someone as insignificant as Miss Fanning.

"That was a silly thing for me to say," Mia said, blushing at the fact that he’d heard her murmured words a while ago, "and..."

"It was definitely a gross exaggeration," he smiled, taking his hand away from her chin, "but I liked it. And, in case you’re interested," he added, his voice turning husky, "no one has ever called me beautiful before."

Neil glanced up as someone called his name, then pretended he hadn’t heard. Putting his hand beneath her elbow, he steered her toward one of the tables where waiters were serving hot and cold hors d’oeuvres. "Let’s get something for you to eat and drink. You haven’t eaten or taken your medications for the night."

In the ensuing five minutes, ten other people called his name. The next time it happened, he said irritably, "As much as I’d like to spend the evening alone with you, we’re going to have to socialize. I can’t keep pretending I’m blind and deaf much longer."

"I understand," Mia said sympathetically as she sipped her juice. "Most of them attended the banquet to talk business with you and not to celebrate."

"Well, I didn’t throw the damned banquet to talk business with anyone but to..." He stopped short as he realized he was about to give himself away about the surprise he had for Mia tonight. Not wanting to raise her suspicions, he said, "I’m not in the mood to talk business with any of them."

"If you really don’t want to talk to anyone about business, there’s no reason why you have to do it." She said, patting his shoulder.

"When people have come thousands of miles to talk to you, they can be damned persistent," he responded, glancing at the other guests again. "And unless I miss my guess, there are at least dozens other men who won’t give up until they’d bored me out with their business plans."

"Just leave them to me," Mia said with a bewitching smile. "I’ll hold them off."

"You will?" He grinned. "And just how will you do that, querida?"

Beneath her luxuriant russet lashes, her brown eyes were twinkling as she said,"The moment anyone starts talking to you about business, I’ll interrupt and pretend to distract you."

Neil’s gaze dropped to her lips. "That shouldn’t be difficult—you always distract me anyway."