"I can't believe you agreed to do such a thing, Mia!" I exclaimed before she could run away from me.

Her hand was already on the doorknob, but I wouldn't let her leave my room that easily. I pushed my wheelchair forward and blocked her exit by stomping one of the front wheels on the door.

"Something had to be done!" she shouted back at me with a high-pitched voice and spoke fast, almost panting, in panic mode as if the world was at an end. "And he said you don't have that much money. Besides, why would I let you spend your savings on me? I'm just a middle-class resident doctor from another colony, and you're noble!"

My eyes were shot wide open. She had just said that last bit as if she was worthless compared to me. I was flabbergasted.

"For crying out loud!" she went on in the same fashion, averting her eyes from mine. "Of course, your father will never lend or give you such an insanely large amount of money to save my arse! I would never allow it, anyway. I hate owing people favours or money, so I swear I'll pay you back as soon as I can. Oh, and one more thing–"

I let a large intake of air reach my lungs, puffing my chest outwards, as I patiently waited for the bomb to drop. She obviously had saved the worst for last.

"It's gonna be all for nothing, and we both know it," she added in a low voice full of determination.

"Why?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Because the Federal Governor is coming in less than a fortnight, remember?" Her eyes went open wide, and she clenched her fists. Her exasperation was as transparent as glass by then.

"Okay, the Federal Governor is coming. So what? I'll help you keep a low profile," I replied in a calm voice, hoping to reassure her.

She sighed in frustration and pressed her lips into a thin line, until she said, "My presence here cannot be kept a secret for long. Some photos of me in lingerie can buy me some time, but not much. So, I'll do it. But I'm aware that my freedom has a short expiration date because of him."

"He and his friends will never know you're here. I promise," I insisted.

She glared at me. "Here's the thing... That's not what I want."

Oh, no. Don't tell me... "Mia..." I said in a warning tone.

"I want to boycott their conference," she went on with wild eyes, aflame with passion. "I'll make them regret they had the bright idea to market their stupid suits here, in this colony. Keeping a low profile isn't my thing, anyway. The Governor's doing this because he hates your father and his laws. It's a ruse to fool your father and the laws he's passed against suits here so far, don't you see? The Federal Governor is using this conference as an excuse to come here and do some wild marketing while shoving his pride into your father's face. I plan to put a stop to this... and his stupid suits for good."

I sighed and massaged my temples. She should focus on finding a cure, not sabotaging the Federal Governor's plans.

"Worse still, I think your father already knows this is what's gonna happen," she added. "And he plans on staying put while the Federal Governor laughs at him in the face. Don't tell him I plan to stop the Governor, please," she begged suddenly in an amusing coy tone.

To be honest, I had had similar thoughts. My father and the Federal Governor used to be friends, but that was a long time ago, before I was born, I think. Nobody knew exactly what had transpired between them—or nobody was willing to tell me if they did.

"James?" Her eyes were searing mine.

I opened my mouth, but was hesitant to do as she said.

"Fine, I won't tell him, but–"

"No buts," she said, wasting no time.

Her plans would surely backfire, or worse, get her in serious trouble. And I wanted her alive to save my legs, for Christ's sake!

And not just for that. I... I really liked her.

Boycotting the conference could cost her her life. It would be too dangerous. I loved her determination to do right by her ethics and her profession, but... was it worth it? Suit Robotics was too big, too powerful. Should I tell Sir Khan instead? I needed advice.

"Good. Now, I'm gonna go meet Rosa, alone," she said before I could even start to voice my concerns. "I think she can help me with this photo... thing. In the meantime, why don't you examine the files the hacker has sent you so far?"

"I'm your bodyguard. I can't leave you alone!" I complained.

"Do you really wanna be present when Rosa and I... do the photoshoot?" She fanned her eyelashes at me as she waited for a reply that would never come.

We shared a moment of awkward silence. Blushing wildly, our gazes locked and the urge to pull my eyes from my sockets became very real.

I should stop her. The photos were a bad idea, but I didn't dare to. Fear and shame blocked me.

"You'll be the death of me," I whispered as I slammed a hand on my thigh. I made a fist with the other and leaned my cheek on it.

She nodded as I stared at her with incredulity.

"Be back here in an hour," I said in a begging tone. "Please. Don't make me worry. And... here." 

I handed her my phone with a serious stare. 

"Since you have no phone, have mine in case you need to make a call or something. My PIN is 6590. Any sign of trouble, flee and call me." Her delicate fingers touched mine as she took my phone. "Take the photos only with the camera on this phone, not any other device. We need to make sure no more accidents happen. When you're done, send the photos to the last number that called via the Whosupp app. Understood?"

I examined the first batch of files that the hacker had sent me.

My computer screen was loaded with lots and lots of data. Many IP addresses were from New Paris, some were from Purple Rock, and only a handful were from Two Dawns. I guessed that the lack of love for social media in an obsessive way had played a great part in those low numbers.

Mia's story went viral elsewhere, driving all attention away from here, which was good. No IP addresses were from First Landing, the capital and the tax address of Suit Robotics.

I let go a sigh of relief, but as I bit my lower lip, I toyed with the possibility that not all employers and people of interest within that company lived only in the capital. What if some of them travelled often, for example?

That could be a problem. I needed to check the names and IDs of all these people, and cross-reference them with the most prominent business sharks at Suit Robotics. I hoped no match would come up.

A few minutes later, I left the computer running matches. The task would take more than an hour, so I wheeled my way back and massaged my face with my eyes closed. My tired eyes were beginning to suffer the strain of so much reading on the screen with some itchiness and mildly blurry vision.

As I went to the bathroom to get my eye drops, my mind wandered to Mia... and what she was surely doing at that moment with Rosa.

A photoshoot in lingerie.

My imagination was running wild—and a bloody idiot would enjoy those photos, if I let it happen. A blush blossomed on my cheeks and, from there, it ignited the rest of my body as if I was no longer in control of it.

As I stared at myself in the bathroom's full-body mirror, a warmth spread through me at the mere thought of her, her radiant smile etched in my mind like a beacon of light in the darkness. Yet, intertwined with that warmth was a pang of shame and insecurity, a gnawing doubt that whispered of my unworthiness.

I shifted uncomfortably in my wheelchair, the weight of my own inadequacies pressing down on me like a heavy burden. How could someone as wonderful as Mia ever see past my limitations, past the confines of this chair that held me captive?

Sure. If the surgery she had suggested worked, I would be free to walk again—if it worked. But I'd still be a worthless bastard for the rest of my life.

She called me a noble. I couldn't deny that, because I had noble blood in me. But she didn't understand the full scope of the mess I was in. I could not claim to be one despite my blood and my lineage. She was actually in a better station than I was.

The way she had phrased that difference between us, that she was only a middle-class girl while I was noble, broke my heart. That sad tone and hurried cadence—those were the threads that weaved the tapestry of a voice in a symphony of distance and lack of worth.

I knew that melody too well. It was sickening. A rotten seed taking roots in the heart.

A flush crept up my cheeks as I recalled the moments we had shared so far, her kindness a balm to my wounded soul, and the fantasies I had entertained about her and Purple Rock, a place that didn't pigeonhole people like me into a stereotype to be shamed and bullied for life.

And yet, with each passing moment, the fear lingered—fear that I would never be enough, fear that my status quo would forever be a barrier between us.

Maybe it was because I had grown up to think like those who bullied me.

I closed my eyes, willing the doubts and insecurities to fade into the darkness, but they clung to me like shadows, refusing to be banished. And in that moment of vulnerability, I couldn't help but feel a sense of shame—a shame that I wasn't whole, that I couldn't offer Mia the future she deserved.

I would never be enough for her.

Especially if I let that swine, that horny hacker, have photos of her in lingerie, I wouldn't be worth her love, that was for sure.

But despite the doubts that plagued me, one thing remained steadfast—the undeniable truth of my feelings for her. Even though we had spent only a couple of days together, I had to admit I was smitten.

Head over heels in love with her.

She pulled me to her in a way Vanessa never had.

And as I sat alone in the silence of my bathroom, I made a silent vow to myself—I would do whatever it took to prove my worth.

To her.

To those around me.

But mostly... to myself.

I deserved to be happy—and one day, I would be.

Hello, my sugar cubes!

James swears. James is bitter. James can be cynical and rough, defiant and cold, but... he can also smile. But he's had a rough upbringing and a terrible accident. But things can turn out to be good for him, if he plays his cards well.
Does he deserve to be happy?

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar