Chapter 115: Coaxing Mia
After Robert "saw off" Amelia, he returned to the thirty-second floor.
This was work he'd been doing for years. Although he'd been away for over a month, he quickly got back into the swing of things.
Working with extreme efficiency, he organized today's schedule, then got up to knock on James's office door.
"Come in."
Robert pushed the door open and walked over to report on work matters.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of an open file on James's desk.
The page was still on the same one from when he'd "seen off" Amelia.
More than half an hour had passed, and it hadn't been turned at all.
Having worked with James for so long, this was the first time Robert had seen him show such poor work efficiency.
James was clearly not focused on work.
Robert suddenly stopped his schedule report and looked at James, who hadn't even noticed.
Robert's mind was going through an intense internal struggle.
In the end, reason was still influenced by emotion.
His attitude toward Mia over these four years made him want to try to make amends. "Mr. Smith."
"What is it?"
James didn't look up, just responded.
His voice was full of exhaustion.
He hadn't felt this tired in a long time—physically and mentally drained.
The joy he'd felt at the marriage registration office from the unexpected surprise of the one-month divorce cooling-off period had slowly faded after leaving the office and seeing Mia's attitude hadn't changed one bit.
Sure, he now had a month to keep Mia from divorcing him.
She was still his wife.
But how could he make her remain his wife forever?
He still felt terrible.
Sitting in his office, he couldn't figure out what to do. Faced with Mia's rejection, what could he possibly do?
It wasn't that he didn't want to talk properly with Mia and apologize to her, but Mia simply didn't want to talk to him.
Let alone let him get close.
He didn't dare be forceful either, afraid of upsetting her and hurting the baby in her belly.
Things had reached a point where he felt trapped in a vicious cycle.
No matter which way he turned, it was a dead end.
At a complete loss.
"Mr. James Smith, is Mrs. Mia Smith mad at you? Don't you know how to make it up to her?"
Having followed James for so many years, he knew exactly what kind of person James was.
He'd turned his life into a routine task.
Asking James to coax someone—at most he'd go along with things halfheartedly. But actual action? James simply wouldn't do it.
James looked up at these words.
Robert saw he wasn't angry and felt relieved.
"Mr. Smith, I have a small suggestion that might not be very mature..."
A few minutes later, there was a glimmer of light in James's eyes again.
It was the light of hope.
He handed the remaining work over to Robert, grabbed his coat, and strode out of the company.
More than two years had passed. When James went looking, the clay sculpture shop where Mia used to make sculptures had already moved.
He asked around, taking twists and turns, searching for a long time before finally finding it.
He parked the car, got out, and walked in.
...
Luxe Haven
After Mia got home, the first thing she did was remove her makeup. She worried that cosmetics staying on too long might affect the baby.
Ever since she'd nearly had a threatened miscarriage last time, she'd been a bit overly anxious.
But she couldn't control herself.
She was just so afraid that her emotions might affect the baby's healthy development.
Now, standing at the sink, she once again felt her lower abdomen was slightly uncomfortable.
She touched her belly, unable to tell if the frequent discomfort was because her emotions had been fluctuating too much these past few days, or if she was just too nervous.
Standing there, she waited it out, and the discomfort disappeared.
Only then did Mia turn and go upstairs into the study.
She opened her computer and first resubmitted her job applications. While waiting, she started browsing online for apartments.
She didn't want to see James, didn't want to talk to him.
Didn't want to give him any opportunity that might make her soften.
She'd loved too deeply. Even though she was trying so hard to dig this man out of her heart, there were still times when she couldn't control herself.
She didn't want to torture herself anymore.
She really didn't want to resist James's influence over her by repeatedly tearing open her bleeding wounds.
She needed to find a place to live and move out quickly. She couldn't stay under the same roof with him anymore.
With a clear goal, Mia carefully screened her options until a servant came to knock on the door and call her for dinner.
After eating, Mia went back into the study.
Time passed minute by minute. Looking at the rental prices, Mia's brow furrowed slightly.
Was leaving James really this difficult at every step?
She quickly suppressed the negative emotions.
But that slight emotional fluctuation still caused obvious discomfort in her lower abdomen.
Sitting in the chair, Mia hesitated for a while, still feeling uneasy.
She went downstairs, told the servants, and took a car to the hospital.
"Dr. Jade, is my baby okay?"
After finishing her examination, Mia looked at the doctor with a nervous expression.
Gabriella was the doctor who'd scolded James during her first hospital stay. She'd patiently instructed her on pregnancy precautions—clearly very responsible.
Mia had a good impression of this doctor.
She'd originally wanted to see her, but the hospital had said Gabriella was on extended leave, back in her hometown for a while.
Last month when she came to the hospital, she saw Gabriella had returned, so she switched to her.
"Don't be nervous, there's no major problem."
Gabriella looked at the test results.
"Just watch your emotions."
"Okay."
Mia nodded.
"Don't be too anxious either. Staying relaxed during pregnancy is very important."
"Next time your stomach feels uncomfortable, try adjusting your emotions first and it should return to normal."
"Okay, I understand."
Mia felt a bit embarrassed.
Gabriella hadn't said it directly, but she understood.
She really was making a big deal out of nothing.
After being discharged and resting at home before, because of her nervousness, she'd been running to the hospital for checkups every few days.
Now she was doing it again.
After saying goodbye to the doctor, Mia walked out of the hospital.
She gently stroked her belly, her face tender.
"Baby, I promise you I'll be fine. You have to promise me too—stay healthy in my belly and grow well."
Leaving the hospital, it was past four in the afternoon. She took the subway directly back to Luxe Haven.
Planning to get back before James got off work and avoid him.
But she didn't expect that as soon as she opened the door, she'd see James standing in the entryway waiting for her.
As soon as he saw her, James immediately held up the ceramic piece he'd remade from memory. "Mia, look—"
This was the first time he'd personally prepared a gift for Mia.
At the clay sculpture shop, he'd endured the discomfort and spent four hours trying to recreate it as accurately as possible.
It was almost identical to the one Mia had made before.
It represented his complete sincerity.
And carried his hope.
He didn't expect this to make Mia forgive him. He only hoped she might soften just a little and give him a chance.
But before James could finish speaking, Mia had already raised her hand and swept it aside.
The movement was so fast that James couldn't avoid it even if he'd tried.
The ceramic piece was knocked from his hands and fell.