Chapter 137

Chapter 137

Mia quickly reached out and grabbed David by the arm.

"Don't you run off, David. You already promised me — are you really going to go back on your word? Just take pity on me and help me out this one time."

Mia's eyes were filled with tears as she held onto David's sleeve and refused to let go.

David caught another glimpse of Michael walking toward them out of the corner of his eye. He sucked in a sharp breath and quickly said to Mia, "Stop begging me for a second — oh God, how do you even know someone like this?"

Mia said quietly, "We've known each other for over ten years. He used to be pretty normal, at least not this over-the-top. But these past two years, he's gotten worse and worse."

David glanced over in Michael's direction and said, "The way he is... I can't imagine he actually likes you, does he?"

Mia let out a sigh. "It'd be great if he didn't. I could just grit my teeth and be friends with him. But he didn't come to my place just to talk business this time — he's also here to talk to my father about the two of us."

David looked a little puzzled. "What about your father? What does he think?"

Mia pouted and said under her breath, "What do you think he thinks? He told me to figure it out myself."

While they were still talking, Michael reached the car. He tapped lightly on the window with one finger, then said in a pinched, affected voice, smiling at Mia inside the car, "Mia, what are you and this gentleman still doing sitting in the car? Come on out."

David felt his skin crawl. If Michael hadn't been Mia's acquaintance, he would have jumped out and punched him in the mouth right then and there.

Mia, to her credit, had a much stronger stomach. She turned to look at Michael and said with a half-smile, "Sure, just a second."

Then she shot David another pleading look.

David clenched his fists, pushed down the disgust rising in his chest, pulled himself together, and got out of the car with Mia.

But the moment he stepped out, Michael turned his gaze to David, looked him up and down, and said with a beaming smile, "Mia, who is this gentleman? He's so handsome."

David hit his limit. He turned and started walking away, saying urgently to Mia, "Ms. Wilson, I can't do it. I really can't. I'd rather go get a room with you right now than sit through a meal with him."

What David didn't expect was that before Mia could even say anything, Michael came after him. "Don't go! Ms. Wilson said she wanted you to have a few drinks with me today."

David stopped dead in his tracks. He held up a hand, turned to Mia with a look of disbelief, and said, "Ms. Wilson, are you joking? You want me to drink with him?"

Michael, standing a short distance away, gave David a haughty look and said, "You look down on me, don't you? I knew it — everyone in this world judges by appearances. If you're going to look at me like everyone else does, then just go."

And with that, Michael burst into tears.

David felt like his head was about to explode. He turned in circles where he stood.

Mia quickly moved close to David and lowered her voice. "David, I'm not asking you to drink with him. I just need you to man up and tell him that I like someone like you, not someone like him. You put up with Elizabeth through everything — can't you do me this one small favor?"

David threw up his hands. "It's not that I don't want to help, it's just... you know what, fine. Fine, I'll do it, okay?"

Only then did Mia turn back to Michael and say clearly, word by word, "Michael, I forgot to mention — this is my boyfriend."

Michael looked visibly thrown off. "Boyfriend? A boyfriend like me? Mia, I came to Seabrook this time not just to discuss a business partnership with your father, but mainly to talk to him about a marriage arrangement between our two families."

Mia looked exasperated and said quietly, "Michael, I've told you this more than once — you and I are just not right for each other."

Michael tugged at his own clothes and shot back, "Is it because my clothes aren't nice enough?"

David had thought his willpower was strong enough to handle just about anything. No matter how unbearable this person was, he figured he could tough it out a little longer. But the moment he saw Michael reach up and fuss with his own clothes like that, David felt like if he stood there one more second, he'd need to go to the eye doctor that afternoon to have his eyes washed out.

"Ms. Wilson, if you want to eat, come find me later. You two take your time sorting this out."

This time, David didn't give Mia the chance to stop him. The moment he turned around, he made a beeline for Seattle Grand Bistro at a near-jog.

Mia watched David bolt away and stamped her foot in frustration. "David, you said you'd stay with me — don't run! Even if you go over there now, you'll just be standing in line outside. You really think you're going to get a table?"

David didn't look back.

Watching David disappear into Seattle Grand Bistro, Mia took a deep breath and turned to face Michael with a serious expression. "Mr. Carr, it's not that I look down on you, and it's not that I think you're unattractive. The thing is, you and I are just completely different types of people. You saw the man who just left — that's the type I go for."

Michael jutted out his stubbly chin. "Mia, do you think I'm not strong enough to protect you?"

Mia waved her hand without hesitation. "No, no, not at all. I know you're a trained fighter — fifteen years of martial arts. Protecting me would be no problem."

Michael pressed on. "Then do you think my family doesn't have money?"

Mia shook her head again. "That's not it either. I know the Carr family is one of the most powerful noble families around — top tier."

Michael stared at Mia with a pouty, puppy-dog look. "Then I just don't get it. You know I have the strength to protect you, and you know how powerful the Carr family is — so why do you keep turning me down?"

Mia glanced back once more in the direction David had gone, and once she was sure he wasn't coming back, she said with a somewhat resigned look, "Mr. Carr, I'll be honest with you. I'm already that man's woman. And I'm already carrying his child."