MISHELL'S POV…
I should have known I was in trouble the moment I signed Jax's contract. Lydia had been extremely excited about it ever since, like my signature had somehow unlocked a whole new level of chaos in her brain that she couldn't contain.
Lydia is noise, movement, unnecessary excitement, and dramatic reactions to things that do not require drama. So when the room suddenly felt still like the air was holding its breath—I already felt that familiar tension creep up my spine.
Then came the knock.
Not Lydia's usual aggressive banging that made the door feel personally attacked, and not Corelia's soft, respectful tap either. This one was measured, controlled and polite in a way that felt almost suspicious.
Lydia got to it first, of course.
She opened the door without hesitation, like caution was a foreign concept to her, and I watched from the bed as she froze almost immediately.
There was a man standing there. He wore a dark suit that looked too expensive to be casually standing in front of our dorm room, his tie perfectly aligned, shoes polished to a mirror finish, expression completely unreadable. He looked like the kind of person who had never once experienced confusion in his life, which already made me dislike him slightly.
"Yes?" Lydia asked, squinting at him.
"Delivery for Miss Mishell," he said calmly.
I didn't even turn fully. I just shifted my gaze slightly, already unimpressed.
"I didn't order anything."
He didn't react at all. No confusion, no apology, nothing human.
"Sent by Mr. Jax," He added.
That got my attention in the worst way possible.
Lydia turned slowly toward me, her face already transforming into something between excitement and disbelief, like she had just witnessed a plot twist in real time.
"He sent you things," she whispered.
"Don't touch it," I said immediately, sitting up just slightly.
Her hand froze mid-air above the first box. "…You're no fun," she muttered.
Corelia, who had been sitting quietly the entire time like she was observing a scientific experiment rather than our lives, stood up and walked over with calm curiosity. She took one of the boxes from the man and studied it for a moment before opening it.
"He's persistent," She said.
"That's one way to describe someone who refuses to respect personal space," I replied.
The man handed over the remaining packages, all neatly arranged, all different sizes, all clearly intentional. There was nothing random about any of it. That was the part I didn't like.
"Please confirm receipt," He said.
I waved a hand lazily without looking at him properly.
"Received. Unfortunately."
He nodded once and left without another word.
The door clicked shut, and Lydia immediately exploded.
She grabbed the nearest box like it had personally insulted her and ripped it open.
Inside was a phone. New, Sleek and Expensive enough to be annoying.
"Oh my God," She breathed. "He got you a new phone."
"I don't need a phone," I said flatly.
"This is not 'a phone,'" she said, holding it up like it was some sacred artifact. "This is a statement."
Corelia opened another box next to her, and for the first time, she paused.
"A dress," She said softly.
Lydia dropped the phone instantly and rushed over.
Corelia held it up properly this time, and even I had to glance at it longer than I intended to. It was dark, elegant, flowing in a way that made it look like it was designed for movement rather than decoration. It wasn't loud or flashy. It was worse than that. It was intentional.
"…That's illegal," Lydia whispered.
"What is?" I asked.
"You looking like that in it."
I crossed my arms. "It's just a dress."
"It's a weapon," She insisted.
More boxes were opened after that. Shoes. Accessories. Minimal jewelry that looked simple at first glance but clearly wasn't cheap. Everything matched too well, too perfectly, like someone had planned the entire image of me in advance.
"This is not a date anymore," Lydia said slowly, stepping back. "This is a production."
Before I could respond, my new phone rang. We all froze at the same time.
Lydia reacted first, practically throwing it at me.
"Why Is It ringing? No one has that line yet right?".
"How would I know". I answered.
"Answer it."
"I don't want to."
"Answer it."
I sighed and accepted the call.
"…Who are you?" I asked..
There was a short pause on the other end, then his voice came through, calm and annoyingly certain.
"You sound excited to hear from me."
I closed my eyes briefly. "You again".
" I mean I enjoy talking to you too darling, why grumpy?".
"Why? You sent someone to my room with half a boutique. What reaction were you expecting?"
"That you'd be ready by seven."
I leaned back slightly against the wall. "Ready for what exactly?"
"The date."
"You mean the contract obligation."
"I mean the date."
That made my jaw tighten slightly.
"You really don't give up, do you?"
"No," He replied immediately.
"You were here yesterday and now the date is today?".
"Yeah, I'm a busy person I gat no time to waste"
There was no hesitation in his voice. That was the problem.
"I'll pick you up by seven," He added, then ended the call.
I stared at the phone for a moment.
"…He hung up on me."
Lydia clapped once like this was the highlight of her life.
"WE ARE GETTING YOU READY."
"No," I said immediately.
"Yes," she said louder.
What followed was the most unnecessary hour of my life. Lydia turned into a completely different species, pacing, adjusting, forcing outfits, stepping back, stepping forward, muttering about angles and presentation and "you cannot go on a public date looking like you don't care about existence itself."
Corelia, meanwhile, sat on the bed watching everything unfold with quiet amusement, smiling like this was the most entertaining performance she had ever seen.
"You're enjoying this," I said.
"A little," she admitted.
When I finally changed into the dress, I stepped out expecting irritation, but Lydia actually went silent.
That was worse.
"…Oh," she said finally.
Corelia looked up and nodded once. " Wow....That suits you."
"It's fine," I said immediately, because anything more than that felt unnecessary.
Lydia looked personally offended by my reaction. "Fine? Mishell, this is not fine. This is dangerous, you look beautiful, no man would take their eyes off you."
"They better".
" God you are so lucky".
"You really do look amazing, the dress fits perfectly and easy for you to fight back In case you are being attacked". Corelia teasingly said.
Before I could respond, there was another knock.
This time, I knew who it was without even thinking. Lydia practically sprinted to the door and opened it.
And then froze again.
Jax stood there without disguise this time, no hoodie, no attempt to blend in, just fully visible and completely unbothered by the fact that his presence alone caused chaos wherever he went.
But the moment his eyes landed on me, everything about him paused...
Not a small pause, a full stop.
Like someone had suddenly taken the air out of his lungs and forgotten to give it back. I walked towards him maintaining eyes contact.
"…You're blocking the doorway," I said.
He blinked once, then stepped aside quickly.
"Sorry."
Lydia leaned slightly toward Corelia. "He forgot how to function."
"I noticed," Corelia replied.
"Are we going or are you planning to stand there all night?" I asked, already annoyed by the silence.
He gestured for me to go first.
"After you."
Of course.
The moment we stepped outside, the world immediately erupted.
Cameras. Flashing lights. Voices overlapping each other. People calling his name, shouting questions, pushing forward just to get a better angle.
I didn't react.
I didn't flinch.
I didn't care.
But Jax leaned slightly closer as we walked.
"Try to smile and not make It look like an actual contract" He said under his breath.
"Try to be less annoying," I replied without looking at him.
"Forgive me".
Before I could respond, he pulled me by the waist, holding me so tight to his body.
I could smell his expensive perfume and the mint in his breath, we stared at each other for a while and that practically made It hard for me to breath. Cameras flashed everywhere and soon after, he let go of me and opened the backseat for me to get In