Chapter 46: Just Like Love
If the situation wasn't so inappropriate right now, Louis really wanted to pull out his phone and capture this moment.
So he could take it out and watch it whenever he got the chance.
The moment it involved Mia, James lost all his usual composure.
Look at him like this—Louis couldn't bear to watch.
Was this still the James he knew?
If this wasn't love—
Louis sighed inwardly.
Who knew when James would finally figure it out.
In his view, James's feelings for Amelia were just a childhood obsession, nothing more.
And he was someone who got too deeply obsessed.
What you can't have haunts you forever.
He'd trapped himself in this so-called love.
Everyone said he loved Amelia because there was no comparison.
Before Mia, Amelia was the only person who could get close to James.
And James was someone with clear-cut feelings about people.
Those who were good to him, he'd repay double.
So Amelia's childhood kindness to him, he'd always kept in his heart.
In Louis's view, that really wasn't love.
Though he'd never been in love himself, wasn't the most basic thing about loving someone the desire to possess them?
If you truly love someone, you want to have them, make them yours.
If he loved Amelia, when she wanted to go abroad back then, why didn't James try to stop her?
When Amelia said she was leaving, he just let her go.
Even more telling—not long after Amelia went abroad, he got together with Mia.
He'd never seen it with his own eyes before, and James never talked about it.
Their group of friends could only speculate based on rumors.
He really thought James had found a replacement, and later married her because of the child.
After all, James grew up in a broken family—what he lacked most was family warmth.
He wouldn't follow Victor's path.
Similarly, he wouldn't let his own child walk his path, growing up in a loveless environment.
But after seeing it with his own eyes, Louis was absolutely certain.
In James's heart, Mia was definitely far more important than Amelia.
Back then, he could easily let Amelia leave.
But now—
The way James refused to divorce no matter what.
His unwillingness to let Mia leave—didn't that look exactly like love?
……
Night deepened.
Before bed, Mia resisted James coming near.
Her reaction was strong.
So James cooperatively moved to the side, keeping his distance from her.
After he left, only then did Mia close her eyes.
She knew that for the baby's sake, she had to follow doctor's orders and get good sleep.
Worried she wouldn't sleep well, she asked the doctor to add sleep-inducing medication to her IV.
She thought last night's good rest was purely due to the sleep medication.
The medication took effect, and Mia quickly fell asleep.
But still, her sleep wasn't deep.
When awake, she didn't realize it.
But once asleep, habits already ingrained in her bones became muscle memory.
A few short days—how could that possibly break a four-year habit?
Without James's scent surrounding her, even with medication she could fall asleep, but couldn't sleep deeply.
Not long after falling asleep, her brows furrowed slightly.
……
James, sitting to the side handling work, kept some of his attention on the hospital bed. Seeing Mia becoming restless, he immediately stood up and walked over.
Looking down at Mia, who wasn't sleeping soundly.
Instead of going back to continue with his piled-up work, he sat down by the bed, reached his hand under the blanket, and gently took her hand.
The effect was obvious. Before long, Mia's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
Her breathing became more even—she was sleeping peacefully.
James's eyes were deep and thoughtful.
Mia depended on him this much.
Without him, could she even survive?
……
While he was lost in thought, the phone screen beside him suddenly lit up.
James turned to glance at it.
It was Louis.
He reached over and opened it.
It was the surveillance video from Luxe Hideaway that he'd asked Louis to get for him.
Louis had thoughtfully edited it for him.
It was clipped surveillance footage.
The content showed Mia from when she entered the restroom to when she left the hallway on the day of Amelia's gathering.
Not long after Mia went in, two other women walked in side by side.
Before entering, the two women exchanged a glance.
There was no surveillance inside, so Louis had cut that part, jumping directly to when the two came out.
James looked at the timestamp—from when they entered to when they came out was over ten minutes.
During that time, no one else went in or out.
Clearly, the "they" Mia mentioned that day were these two.
They were the ones talking nonsense in front of Mia.
James hadn't planned to be ruthless over this matter, just wanted to teach them a lesson.
But when the final frame of the video froze on Mabel looking back inside as she left the restroom.
Her face full of resentment, her eyes filled with contempt and provocation.
Was this woman called Mabel looking down on Mia?
What was she to dare look down on Mia?
James thought about Mia's reactions after coming out of the restroom that day.
His expression darkened, his face full of gloom.
His treasured Mia—how dare she?
His long fingers swiped, exiting WhatsApp and opening messages.
Usually when he had instructions, he'd just make a direct phone call.
But to avoid disturbing Mia, James chose to send a text.
His movements were unpracticed, typing at an extremely slow pace.
Under his lowered eyelids, his eyes were filled with bone-chilling coldness.
……
Two minutes later—
To make up for the one and only unforgivable mistake he'd made while working for James.
Robert, who was diligently working overtime at the office, felt his phone vibrate.
A new message came in.
He frowned as he reached for his phone.
Looking impatient, he opened it.
Wanting to see who was so tactless, contacting him at this time—weren't they asking for a scolding?
To avoid being sent to some remote location, he had to perform well while James was focused on taking care of Mia.
Personal matters would only hold back his active performance.
His eyes, full of impatience, swept toward the phone screen, and seeing it was James.
Robert sprang up from his seat.
In his excitement, his office chair was pushed back by his leg, hitting the bookshelf behind with a loud crash.
Even though James couldn't possibly see him through the phone.
Robert stood ramrod straight, holding his phone with both hands in trepidation, his face reverent and respectful as he swiped it open.
【Make Apex Global Enterprises disappear from Imperial City.】
【Yes!】
Eager to prove himself, Robert replied quickly.
After replying, he waited quietly for a moment. Seeing James had no new instructions, he put his phone aside.
Apex Global Enterprises?
Robert quickly searched through his database-like brain.
Found nothing.
His long legs hooked back the office chair, his hands rapidly typing on the keyboard.
Soon, all information about Apex Global Enterprises appeared before him.
A small company too insignificant to even catch James's eye.
Where had they offended James?
……
After giving his instructions, James put away his phone and set it aside.
His gaze returned to Mia's sleeping face.
The coldness in his eyes completely dissipated, leaving only a bone-deep tenderness he himself hadn't even noticed.