The Spiteful Bride, Marry to Rival's Son-Chapter 102

PLACED ANOTHER KISS ON HER NECK

Stefan stood on the balcony of their hotel room, watching the city lights blink in the distance. A soft breeze brushed past him, but he barely felt it.

Behind him, the suite was quiet... too quiet.

Mia was inside, working on her laptop again, same as she had been for days. They had done everything they came here to do... secured key signatures, built strong alliances, even caught the attention of major investors. On paper, the trip was a huge success.

But something wasn’t right. Something had changed. Mia was distant.

She didn’t laugh as much. Didn’t tease him or smile at him like she used to. Every conversation between them lately was work-related.... short, clipped, professional.

And whenever he tried to go for a kiss, she’ll one way or the other dodge it.

And the worst part? He didn’t know why.

He thought this trip would bring them together, strength their bond. A break from the chaos, a time to focus on each other while still chasing their goals.

And a place they could make babies. He didn’t know how long he could keep on waiting. He wanted to claim her, show her how much he loves her.

But it felt like he was losing her.... piece by piece..... and he didn’t even know what he did.

Earlier that day, she had walked a few steps ahead of him at a meeting. Normally, she’d wait. Match his stride. Brush his arm gently like she do most times. But now, she moved like he wasn’t even there.

She didn’t look at him when they talked. Didn’t laugh when he tried to joke. And whenever he caught her staring off into space, there was something in her eyes.... something heavy.

Did she figure out her feelings? Did she not feel the same way? Maybe she doesn’t have any special feelings for him.

He rubbed a hand over his face. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needs to know what’s going on in that small head of hers. Matteo had advised him to always communicate, and is what he was going to do.

They were leaving the next day. And he couldn’t let them board that jet like this.... cold and disconnected. Like strangers wearing matching rings.

No. He had to talk to her.

He stepped back inside and found her still at the desk. Her brows furrowed, typing something. She didn’t even notice him staring.

"Hey," he said softly.

Mia glanced up briefly. "Yeah?"

"Can we talk?"

She hesitated, then nodded once and closed her laptop slowly.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked carefully, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Mia looked at him, and for a moment, her mask slipped. There was a flicker of hurt in her eyes.... but she blinked it away just as quickly.

"No," she said, her voice quiet.

But Stefan didn’t believe her. Because her smile was tight. Her tone flat. And her heart... he could feel it... it wasn’t open to him anymore.

He reached out and took her hand gently. "Then talk to me..... Please."

She looked at him surprised he just pleaded with her to talk to him. She blinked rapidly before catching herself.

Why was he acting like he did nothing? Maybe because he never expected her to catch him.

She couldn’t stay here and watch him act all innocent. So, she stood up and tried to leave the room.

"Mia," Stefan called, making her step pause.... but she didn’t look at him. He stepped closer, "please, talk to me."

She stood near the door, arms folded tightly across her chest. She shook her head, eyes focused on the floor.

"There’s nothing to talk about Stefan."

"Mia...."

"I said nothing, Stefan." Her voice cracked slightly, but she turned away before he could see the shimmer in her eyes.

She reached for the door.

But he moved fast.... reaching out and grabbing her hand before she could walk away.

"Mia, stop." She tried to pull away, but he held on tighter. Not to hurt her. Just to keep her from running again.

"Talk to me," he begged. "Tell me what I did. Let me fix it."

"You can’t fix this," she said, still refusing to meet his eyes. "You don’t have to. All this was just a contract, remember?" Immediately the word fell from her mouth, her heart broke into pieces.

She raised her head up, masking her emotions and looked at Stefan. But Stefan had studied her too much not to know how she was feeling. He didn’t let go, instead he tightened his grip a little more.

"Let go of me, Stefan." Her body was tense, her jaw clenched, like holding herself together took everything she had.

"No. I’m not letting you go. Never." Her breath caught on her throat. When he says things like this, it only makes her weak.

He pulled her back with a little force. Not much, just enough to bring her crashing on him. She stumbles slightly and her hands landed against his chest.

She pushed him, hard. But he didn’t move. Instead, he reached for her waist and held her gently, yet firmly in place.

Mia’s breath caught. They stood like that.... pressed close, eyes locked. Neither said a word.

Her chest rose and fell, her hands still flat on his chest. His grip on her waist tightened just a little.

"Mia..." he whispered, but even he didn’t know what he was about to say.

Instead, he did something else. He leaned in slowly. She thought he was about to kiss her lips, but to her surprise.... she felt his breath warm against her skin, as he gently pressed a soft, deliberate kiss to the side of her neck.

Her lips parted, her breath stuck in her throat. Her entire body stilled. Her heartbeat stuttered in her chest.

His lips stay for a minute before he pulled away and locked eyes with her. She just stood there staring at him, not being able to form a word.

He leaned down again and placed another kiss on her neck, this time he didn’t stop. He sucked on as if he was trying to leave a mark on her.

"Ste....fan" she wanted to tell him to stop, but to her surprise it came out as a moan.

Stefan let out a groan from his throat, before raising his head, looked at her..... then claimed her lips immediately. He wanted her to see what she was doing to him.

And she did see, the look on Stefan’s face had broken the last resolve she had. He looked at her like she was the sweetest chocolate to ever exist. Like she was a chocolate mixed with strawberry.

When he kissed her, she didn’t hesitate before matching the kiss back with the same intensity.