"You're wearing the blue tie?" I asked, holding up the silver silk one.
"What's wrong with the blue?" Jax asked, staring at his phone screen. His thumbs moved rapidly across the keyboard.
"The investors from Tokyo prefer muted colors. Silver projects stability. Blue is too aggressive for tonight."
He snatched the silver tie from my hands. "Fine."
"I also packed your stomach medication in your left pocket. Don't drink on an empty stomach."
"I know, Mia."
"And your speech notes are—"
"I said I know!" He slammed his phone onto the dresser. "Stop micromanaging me."
"I'm trying to help you."
"You're nagging." He looped the tie around his neck, struggling with the knot in his haste.
I stepped forward, my fingers automatically reaching to fix it. He let me, but his jaw was clenched tight. I could feel the tension radiating off him. It was a familiar wall, one he had been building between us for the better part of a year.
"I just want tonight to go well for you," I said softly.
"Then stop treating me like a child."
I stepped back, dropping my hands to my sides. "Okay. I'll meet you at the venue."
"Don't bother."
"What?"
"Stay home. It's a business crowd. You'll just sit in the corner looking bored."
"I know half those investors, Jax. I helped you pitch to them two years ago."
"Two years ago was a different time. Just stay here."
"I'm your partner. I belong by your side tonight."
"You belong where I tell you to be," he shot back, grabbing his jacket. "And tonight, that's here."
The front door slammed, rattling the picture frames on the wall.
I stood in the quiet bedroom, staring at the empty space he left behind. The whole city knew me as Jax's shadow. The devoted, loyal woman who had carried him through his darkest days. But lately, I felt less like a shadow and more like a ghost.
I walked into the living room and saw it. The black leather folder sitting on the dining table. The supplementary contracts. The exact documents he needed to close the merger tonight.
He had forgotten them.
I didn't stay home. I grabbed my coat and hailed a cab to the Starlight Room.
The ballroom was a sea of tailored suits and evening gowns. I navigated through the crowd, ignoring the curious stares. Everyone knew who I was, but no one offered a greeting. I was just an extension of Jax, useful only when he needed something.
"You actually came," Jax said, spotting me near the entrance. He didn't look pleased.
I handed him the black folder. "You forgot these."
He took them without a word of thanks. "You should have given them to my driver."
"Your driver was already gone."
"Then call a courier."
"Jax, why are you so angry that I'm here?"
"Because you don't listen."
"Jax, there you are." Vanessa Thorne slipped through the crowd. She wore a backless crimson gown that screamed confidence. She was a venture capitalist who had attached herself to Jax's hip over the last six months.
"Vanessa." Jax’s tone softened instantly. The hard lines around his mouth relaxed.
"I was looking all over for you. The Reynolds twins are asking about the equity split." Vanessa glanced at me, her smile tight. "Oh. Mia. You made it."
"I brought his files," I said.
"How domestic." Vanessa chuckled. "Jax, you really need to hire a proper assistant so your girlfriend doesn't have to play delivery boy."
"She's not playing delivery boy," Jax said.
I felt a brief flare of hope. He was actually defending me.
"She just has boundary issues," he finished.
The hope shattered, leaving a cold hollow in my chest.
"Jax," I whispered.
He ignored me. "Vanessa, did you review the revised terms?"
"I did. But we should discuss them in private before we talk to the twins." Vanessa reached out, resting a hand on Jax's forearm. Her manicured nails stood out against his dark suit. "If Mia doesn't mind, of course."
"She doesn't," Jax said, answering for me.
"Actually," I spoke up, my voice trembling slightly. "I do."
Both of them stopped. Jax turned his head, his brow furrowed.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"I mind," I said, forcing my shoulders back. "You've barely spoken to me all week. You shut me out at home, and now you're humiliating me in public."
"Keep your voice down," Jax hissed, glancing around. "You're making a scene."
"I'm answering a question."
Vanessa sighed dramatically. "Mia, this is exactly why Jax didn't want you here. You get so emotional over business matters. It’s exhausting for him."
"This isn't about business, Vanessa. This is about respect." I glared at her. "Something you clearly lack."
Vanessa's eyes widened in mock offense. "Jax, I don't think I need to stand here and be insulted."
"Mia, apologize to her," Jax demanded.
My jaw dropped. "What?"
"Apologize. Vanessa is a key player in this merger. You are out of line."
"I'm out of line? She just called me an assistant and a delivery boy!"
"Because you're acting like one!" Jax snapped. "You hover. You fuss. You smother me. I don't need a mother, Mia. I need peace."
I took a step back, the soles of my shoes sinking slightly into the thick carpet. The noise of the ballroom faded into a dull roar.
Everyone in this city knew I loved him. They watched me cancel my own plans, drain my savings, and swallow my pride, all to keep Jax afloat when his first startup went under.
Now he was standing at the peak, and I was just the dirt on his shoes.
"Is that really how you see me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Jax rubbed his temples. "I'm not doing this tonight. Go home, Mia."
"No."
"Don't push me."
Vanessa leaned in close to him. "Let me handle the twins. Take a minute to sort out your... domestic situation." She gave me a pitying look before walking away.
Jax rounded on me. "Are you happy now? You're jeopardizing the biggest night of my career."
"I brought you the files that will save your career tonight!" I yelled, finally losing my grip on my temper.
A few heads turned in our direction.
Jax grabbed my elbow, his fingers digging in hard. He pulled me toward a secluded alcove behind a velvet curtain.
"Take your hands off me," I said, yanking my arm free once we were out of sight.
"What is wrong with you?" he demanded. "Do you want to ruin me?"
"I want you to look at me, Jax! Really look at me! When was the last time you asked how my day was? When was the last time you said thank you?"
"I provide for us!"
"I don't care about the money! I care about you. But you treat me like a nuisance."
"Because you act like one," he repeated, his tone icy. "You wrap your entire existence around me and then get angry when I have no room to breathe."
"I wrapped my existence around you because you begged me to stay when you had nothing!"
"And I paid you back!"
The words slapped me harder than a physical blow.
"Paid me back?" I echoed.
"I bought you the car. I pay the rent on the penthouse. You don't have to work. You have everything you could possibly want."
"Except a partner."
Jax rolled his eyes. "This is exactly what Vanessa meant. You're too emotional."
"Don't quote her to me. She's been trying to get into your bed for six months."
"She's a professional! Stop projecting your own insecurities onto my colleagues."
"I'm not blind, Jax."
"No, just crazy." He adjusted his jacket, smoothing out the wrinkles I had supposedly caused. "I'm going back out there. If you have any dignity left, you'll leave before you embarrass yourself further."
He turned his back on me and pushed through the curtain.
I stood in the dim alcove, my hands shaking.
Years of memories flashed through my mind. Making him soup at three in the morning. Proofreading his pitch decks until my eyes burned. Defending him to my parents who said he was too selfish for me.
He didn't just take me for granted. He despised me for loving him.
I walked out from behind the curtain. The ballroom was dazzling, filled with laughter and clinking glasses.
Across the room, Jax stood next to Vanessa. She whispered something in his ear, and he threw his head back and laughed. A real, genuine laugh. One I hadn't heard in years.
Vanessa caught my eye over his shoulder. She didn't smile this time. She just raised her champagne glass in a silent, mocking toast.
My phone vibrated in my clutch.
I pulled it out. A text from an unknown number.
*He's not just laughing with her, Mia. Look at the file folder you just handed him. The last page.*
