Page 49 of Claimed By my Frenemy

“Has one of my contractors disrespected the property line again? You just tell me what’s going on, and I’ll fix it.”

Mia crosses her arms and stares me down, her eyes blazing. “Don’t play dumb with me, Theo. Your business partner just showed up at my house with a ‘final offer’ for the property. He basically threatened me.”

Steve did what? My surprise quickly turns to anger as I try to process what she’s saying. Steve left an hour ago, and I haven’t seen him since. Has he been at her house harassing her ever since then? “Steve did what?”

Her voice is sharp, and it’s clear that she’s not calming down any time soon. “Don’t pretend you didn’t know. I can’t believe you would send him to do your dirty work. If you think I’m going to sell my grandmother’s house because you’re trying to intimidate me, you’re wrong. Very wrong.”

I glance around the lobby and see two contractors carrying buckets of light fixtures toward the stairs. They turn and look at us and then try to pretend they didn’t see anything.

“Mia, come in my office. Let’s talk about this.”

“No!” she practically shouts. “I’m not going in your office. I’m not going to be calmed down. I’m furious! This is low, Theo, and after… I thought you actually cared about me. I thought we might have something like…a future. But you?—”

“Mia, I had no idea he was going to do that. I told him I would take care of it.”

“Take care of it? So, now I’m an ‘it’ that needs careful handling?”

This conversation isn’t helping anything. Mia isn’t calming down, and I don’t know how to handle things. I try to carefully think through my words before speaking again. “I just told him I needed a week to figure things out. He said he would give me that. It hasn’t even been a week yet.”

“And what was your grand plan when you hit a week? Come over and woo me again, then tell me when we’re naked and sweaty that you’ve got a higher offer?” Mia snorts.

I glance around, desperately trying to see if anyone is listening. It’s not that I’m ashamed of having a relationship with Mia, not at all. But I don’t need my contractors imagining me naked with her.

“Mia, can we talk in my office?” I ask again.

Mia lets out a long breath. “It doesn’t matter if we talk in there or out here. The result is still the same. You went behind my back, and that’s unforgivable.”

“Steve went behind my back. I told him?—”

“Well, he didn’t listen. And now I’m wondering if I can trust you at all.”

I run a hand through my hair, genuinely upset by the turn of events. “I swear, Mia, I didn’t know. I told Steve I’m not pushing you to sell anymore. We’ve been trying to find another way to make this work. At least, I thought that was what we were doing.”

She crosses her arms, but I can tell there’s some doubt behind her anger now, like she might be starting to believe the truth. “Then why did he come to my house with an offer?”

“Steve is…persistent. He thinks he’s helping, but clearly, he’s overstepped. I’ll talk to him. I don’t want you to feel threatened or pressured. I’ve dropped the idea completely of getting your property. I know how much it means to you, and Steve clearly hasn’t let go of it yet.”

“Clearly.”

I step closer, testing the waters to see if Mia is about to shove me or what. “I’m sorry, Mia. I never wanted this to happen. I want to make this right.”

She looks up at me, her resolve wavering. “You really didn’t know? You promise 100%?”

“I didn’t know. And I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. You have my word. Steve is… He’ll… This won’t happen again.”

“You better, Theo. Because if this happens again, I won’t just be angry. I’ll take legal action. At that point, it’s harassment, and I won’t be harassed for revamping my own house and refusing to sell it.”

I nod, my expression serious. “Understood. I’ll handle it.”

For a moment, we just stand there. My shoulders are tense as I wait for Mia to say something else,

“Maybe I… I shouldn’t have come over here like this.” Mia glances around the open lobby for the first time, like she’s just realized that everyone could overhear us. “I’m not trying to embarrass you or anything. It’s just that I really felt like you had said one thing to me then changed your mind immediately.”

I reach out and gently take her hand. “No, I wouldn’t do that. I wish Steve had said something to me, but I guess he decided to go rogue. And I promise, I’ll do whatever it takes to respect your property and your space. I’ll…deal with Steve somehow.”

I don’t have any idea how I’m going to do that. We’re equally invest in this project. We stand to make a good amount of profits once the place has been up and running for a year. But of course, more buildings and more land means more profits. I understand why Steve is persistent, but he doesn’t know Mia like I do.

Mia finally squeezes my hand back. “Yes, deal with him. And…keep me updated. No more surprises.”

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