“I would like to raise a toast to Mia Anderson, the best lawyer in Newyork.” The crowd cheered as Christopher Sterling raised the toast in her honor. There was no need for such exaggerations, but Christopher was the type of person who likes to flaunt his achievements. This party is also an obvious message to his rivals, his drumroll of victory. A very effective and fun way to stir jealousy among his rivals.
“The dress is beautiful, thank you for gifting it to me.” Mia thanked him for the red dress that fit her, it was a beautiful knee-length gown that made her feel as beautiful as she looked, and she had gotten tons of compliments already.
“My wife chooses it for you. I knew she has great taste,” he bragged, staring at his wife, who was talking to someone from a distance. A big smile appeared on his face as he saw someone behind me. “Ethan! Where were you?” he asked the newcomer.
“Sorry I am late,” a somewhat familiar voice called from behind Mia. Mia tried to place where she had heard this voice, but her mind blanked.
“Mia, meet Ethan Parker.” Mia turned to greet the newcomer with a warm smile on her face, but as she took in the newcomer her smile vanished, surprise rendered her speechless. “He is someone who helped me a lot.” Christopher’s voice sounded in the back, but she was not paying any attention to him. She was busy staring at the guy she thought she would never meet again. She thought she was hallucinating at first, but it was true. He was real. She knew that her imagination could not conjure such a sharp image of him and not to mention he looked 1000 times better than he looked this morning.
The black suit fit him, accentuating his broad shoulders and the sleeves clung to his biceps. She did not doubt that he must have six packs under his dress shirt. Mia shook her head, shocked by her improper thoughts. He did not look like a crook now.
“Ethan, this is Mia Anderson. She is a criminal lawyer and the person this party is for.” Christopher introduced Mia to Ethan. “Mia, this is Ethan parker a police officer,”
A Police officer? A wave of embarrassment washed over her. Had she called a police officer a thief? Not only that, I called the cops on him. Mia turned away from him to hide the blush that was rising to her cheeks. No wonder he was laughing at her.
“Hello, Mia,” Ethan called, as she turned to him again. She schooled her expression a little. He extended his arm towards Mia with a teasing smile on his face. Mia shook his hand, saying nothing or meeting his gaze. She wanted to retract her hand, but he held her hand until she raised her eyes to glare at him. With a smirk, he released her hand, making her roll her eyes.
“Have you guys met before?” Christopher asked, eyeing our interaction.
“Have we?” Ethan asked, raising a brow and staring at me in a challenge.
“I think not, or maybe I forgot, as you have a very unremarkable appearance.” Mia lied through her teeth. He looked quite remarkable, but hell if she let him know that. And she was not going to accept her mistake in a room full of people. It will be a big stain on her reputation. “Besides, what gave you a reason to believe you may have met me?”
“Hmmm... I guess it was someone else that I met.”
“Who could you mistake Mia for? Look at her. She is one of a kind,” Christopher added, slightly offended on my behalf.
“you are right, she does look remarkable,” Ethan replied, his gaze roaming over her form apprehensively, making her shiver. “You won’t believe when I tell you this. She thought I was a crook.”
“What? How could anyone presume such a thing of you?” Christopher asked astonished, totally invested in the story. “This lady could only be blind if she made such a mistake after looking at your handsome face.”
“What do you think, miss Anderson? Do you think the lady was right to assume such a thing?” Ethan asked, making her bristle with anger. He was teasing her intentionally.
“He might be handsome, Christopher.” Mia started fully ready to beat him at his game. “but let’s not forget that he might not be the lady’s type of guy. Or maybe she has seen many handsome crooks to assume him to be one, too.”
“I’ll let you guys talk.” Christopher wisely excused himself, sensing something brewing between them.
“I am everyone’s type,” Ethan said to Mia, not taking his eyes off her.
“such arrogance,” Mia tsked in disappointment.
“It’s my confidence,” he countered, “and from the way you were checking me out, I would say I am right to be confident.
Mia scoffed at his wild accusations. “In your dreams.” ready to make her escape, Mia turned away from him, letting him know she had no desire to chat with him.
“Wait,” Mia halted when she felt a hand holding her arm. Surprised by his boldness, Mia stared at Ethan. “Dance with me.”
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As soon as Ethan arrived at the party, his eyes caught sight of a beautiful woman in a red dress. He had been trying to see who it was. He could not look away from the way she had been gracefully moving in the party. He noticed that she was the center of attention. When he saw the mystery woman with Christofer, Ethan knew it was the right moment to make his move. Imagine his surprise when he found that she was the same woman whom he met that evening.
The slow music and the lights made her look like a beautiful princess.
He could not let her leave. Not when he had the chance. He didn’t know what prompted him to be so bold, but before he could fully comprehend what he was doing, he was holding her arm and asking her to dance.
His heart beat uneven waiting for her response.
"Consider this dance to be the apology you owe me for accusing me of being a thief," Ethan suggested smoothly extending his hand toward Mia. Ethan could see the gears turning in her head considering the option and eyeing Ethan with mistrust at the sweet offer he presented her, after the face-off they had with words. “Consider this a truce between us.” Ethan added so that she could agree. “i do not want to be your rival miss Anderson, in fact I like the way you think and your confidence.” “Fine,” she said, no matter the reason she agreed to this dance Ethan was glad that she agreed. They moved to the dance floor hand in hand as the new song started playing. The dim glow of the dance floor cast a warm ambiance bathing Mia in the soft glow and making her look divine. They swayed to the rhythm matching each other's moves with ease. There was a certain gentleness in the way Ethan held Mia as if afraid to scare her away from him. “What you did this evening rushing in a dangerous situ
Mia was inside the police station. Fortunately, she was not there to be arrested but to look for Officer Parker. The jacket in her hand is the reason she was here, or more specifically, her mother. She made her return the jacket personally. She didn’t let me eat peacefully, nagging until I gave in.She was right. He had brought me home while I was drunk, so I should at least thank him. Though the secretive smile my mother wore all morning has warned her to look out for me. Mia knows that look. She is well aware of her mother’s tactics, and it looks like she is brewing some sort of master plan. Mia prayed that it didn’t involve her and made a swift escape.She had been waiting for Ethan to return to his desk for 10 minutes now. She had acquired quite some stares from his colleagues, and some even started gossiping. She should have known something was up when the girl at reception was shocked to find that she was Ethan Parker’s acquaintance. Mia ignored the stares she was well versed in
Mia’s mom tells her to get ready for dinner with friends, providing a dress (specifying dress code). Nevertheless, Mia feels something fishy behind her mom’s enthusiasm and asks why the dinner is suddenly. Her mother answers, just for friends. Do not pretend that you have not even had a dinner party at home for your friends.” unwilling to yield to the argument Mia says “Okay” and returns to prepare herself.Ethan and his parents reach Mia’s house and upon seeing their destination, he asks a question to his parents regarding their purpose of visiting. His father shoots back, “I told you that we were having dinner with friends and for a second, would you stop asking me questions?”The door opens just then, revealing Mrs. Anderson. She greets them cheerfully, and Mrs. Anderson says “Ethan, it’s nice to see you again,” and he smiles and says, “Same here, Mrs. Anderson,” and they all settle themselves on the couch; Ethan’s eyes are searching in the room for something are for someone.At th
In the dim light of the living room, Mia took a couple of seconds to gather her courage before she started to talk about the subject that she could not get off her head. “Ethan,” she started to say, her voice noticeably trembling, “I’ve been thinking... our situation. I think now it’s time for us to end this charade.”Ethan, engrossed in his book, looked up and their eyes met. “End what, Mia?” he inquired, his tone soft yet curious.“Our marriage, Ethan,” Mia said, as if the words she spoke were leaden. “It has been over a year since our marriage Ethan and it’s not real, and we both know it. We’re both living a lie and I can’t keep pretending anymore.”He has a serious expression. His nerves heightened and a visible shock pulled him through as he heard what she said. His chest tightened and an unknown feeling grabbed his heart.The gravity of the disclosure was evident, and despite feeling appalled, Ethan couldn’t deny that Mia’s honesty had also begun to awaken subtle strings of emot
Mia gazed into Ethan's eyes, in the hope of somehow being able to find some tiny spark of light. "You really think that they will listen to us, Ethan? They have been so sure that this marriage is the right way for us. How can we make them believe our truth?"Ethan, with an unfaltering look, said, "We may not succeed, Mia. It is not going to be easy. But consider, we owe it to ourselves to try. We'll make them see and, most probably, understand by being real, by baring our souls. Through it, we’ll find the understanding we have been seeking."There was a sparkle in Mia's eyes when she subtly tried to convince him. "Ethan, look at it as our cheerful little twist to the story. Plotline that keeps our families intrigued while we sneakily craft our way out. It's the kind of mind blowing plot twist that makes the story more fascinating, like an excellent novel, which we both love so much."Ethan's well-composed anger was brewing, and there was a pain in his heart. Mia's words hit home so de
Mia gives a soft laugh with her eyes twinkling mischievously. “What do you mean, Ethan? Are you saying that you, the great detective, are not up for a little undercover job of the heart? I thought that apprehending criminals was nothing compared to a quest to find a beautiful mistress who would sweep you off your feet.”Ethan finds it almost impossible not to look at Mia’s husky giggle and return a smile to her. “Got it, Mia. However, we have to agree that this is new to both of us. We have found ourselves in the unknown territory of romantic intrigue, wild stuff, and definitely not your typical police duty.”“Why waste precious time and energy on regulations and bureaucracy when you have a spark and charisma to fall back on? And besides, if anyone is able to do a courageous, romantic scheme, it’s certainly you. I have full confidence in your ability to charm the socks off anyone we encounter.” Saying Mia smiles.Ethan’s smile fades, replaced by a serious expression. “Well, Mia, it se
Mrs. Parker’s eyes widened in full shock. "Wait a minute, that's totally unacceptable! Playing a mistress role in real life? How… scandalous," she blurts out her words, the disruption clearly spreading onto her face. "I find it quite upsetting to witness the state of our world now, where people can just do what they want without being afraid of family or society's disapproval." Anger was evident in her words.Sarah's smile awkwardly turned down at the sight of the disapproving look on Mrs. Parker's facial expression. "I fully understand your worries, Ms. Parker. This is a pretty hard time, but as our life goes on, we might find ourselves in difficult situations, but we cope with them as that is the only way to move on.""Challenging circumstances? More like glorifying immorality! Frankly speaking, I can't possibly condone such a manifestation, Sarah.It's disgraceful." Mrs. Parker fires back, her voice showing uncharacteristic sharpness."I respect your opinion, Mrs. Parker, but I can
Feeling the weight of Mia’s words, Ethan realises that even though he is right, Mia also has a valid point: he can’t hold on to a broken marriage. His frustration begins to fade away, replaced by a sense of determination. He meets Mia’s eyes, finding reassurance in them.“You are correct, Mia,” his voice sounds firmer compared to what it was before. “We can’t take back what’s done, but we can direct our paths from here onwards. We work on a strategy that not only spares our families but also minimizes the clusters?” He said.Mia’s face lights up with a beaming smile as Ethan nods in agreement and all her worries vanish, as if she has been granted a precious cure for a disease she had been suffering from until that moment. “Thank you, Ethan,” she replies, giving his hand a warm squeeze. “As a team, we will face this storm together and come out to the better end.”“You know, Mia, you always manage to see things from a different perspective,” a hint of admiration in his tone. “I apprecia