I’m All Yours, Mr. Prescott

New Beginning, Old Struggles.

Mia's POV

Life as a single mother isn't what I imagined it to be. I always thought I would have it all figured out, get a career in the town I moved down to that would allow me to provide for my child, then my mum, and also find some happiness for myself.

But reality has been a different beast. For the past five years of opening a new chapter of my life, each day has been a battle, a struggle to stay afloat in the world that seemed so determined to pull me down.

Today, like so many others, began with me dragging myself out of bed before the sun peeps out. Chloe was still asleep, her little face peaceful and undisturbed by the world outside our tiny apartment.

I kissed her forehead softly as if to remind myself that all of this- the worries, the exhaustion, the sleepless night- was for her. My pursuit of the day was the usual, wanting to find myself a stable job for our survival.

I spent the morning trudging from one place to another, filling out application forms, handing over resumes, and smiling through the rejections. It’s been the same everywhere, it is either I am overqualified for the job, unqualified, or just plainly unlucky.

By the time it was noon, and the sun was out in its full ray, pouring mercilessly down on me, my feet started aching, and my energy had drained away completely.

After checking in at a few places I had dropped my application weeks ago and getting no positive reply, I decided to head back home.

On my way back, I stopped by the grocery store to pick out a few things. I stared at the shelves for what felt like hours, calculating and recalculating what I could afford to be sure I didn't spend past my limit as I couldn't afford to run at a loss, not when my savings were already drying out with no job in view.

Every penny was useful, but even with the strict supervision of the funds I let out, it never seemed to be enough. I picked up a loaf of bread, some milk, and a mini box of pasta- bare essentials that we would have to stretch through the week.

As I handed the cash over at the counter, I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt because Chloe had been asking me for chocolate bars for some time now, and I couldn't afford to waste any cash on such luxury at the moment.

When I finally got home, the once welcoming apartment now felt like a trap, suffocating me in its smallness. I went straight to the kitchen to drop the grocery bag on the counter, and the sight of the linoleum peeling paint made my chest tighten. I also had plans on fixing that.

“Mia,” my mum called out from the living room. There was something in her tone that I couldn't quite place.

I walked into the living room to find her sitting on the edge of the couch, her hands clutched tightly to a piece of paper trembling slightly. Her eyes were flush red, and her usually strong face looked pale and drawn.

“Mum, what’s wrong?” I asked, my heart starting to race on seeing her sullen look.

She looked up at me, her expression a mix of fear and worry, and handed me the paper she was holding without a word. I stared at it, unable to comprehend it at first. Then the words jumped out at me like a slap to the face.

Notice Of Eviction!

I immediately sank into the couch beside her, my legs suddenly unable to hold me up. “This can't be real” I whispered, but the paper was solid in my hand, making it undeniable.

“We have Seven days Mia,” my mother said, her voice barely above a whisper, “Seven days to find somewhere else to live in.”

“Who gives out eviction notices with just a short period to figure things out?” I asked rhetorically and my mother shrugged.

Panic surged through me, hot and blinding. Seven days? I could barely afford to keep food on the table, and now we are losing the roof over our heads too?

I started feeling tears pricking at the corners of my eyes, but I forced them back inside. I couldn't afford to break down, not now, not when I knew everyone was depending on me.

“I’ll figure something out,” I said more to myself than to my mother, “I’ll figure it out.”

As the hours ticked by, and the reality of what was before us settling in, my hopes began to crumble. I sat at the kitchen table long after everyone had gone to bed, staring at the eviction notice and the small golden card my friend, Katrina, had handed me a few days ago.

It was an invitation to an exclusive party for the elite, the kind of party where the billionaires played games with the beautiful and desperate. She’d told me that if I played my card right, I could catch the eye of a wealthy raccoon who might take care of all my problems least for a night.

A pet for the evening, she had called it, but the implications were clear. If I was lucky, he would give me anything I wanted after all.

Pushing the eviction notice and the card aside, I sighed loudly before allowing my face to drop softly on the table.

The next morning, desperate for a break from the suffocating tension that hung thickly in the air at home, I decided to take Chloe to the pack. It was a small escape to watch Chloe running around and forget about the world for a little while.

Watching her laugh as she chased the pigeons, I tried to push the eviction notice to the back of my mind. But it clung to me like it was my shadow. It was at this point of rolling my eyes in a frustrated manner around the park that I caught sight of him.

Nathan Prescott, standing by the fountain, his gaze locked on Chloe as she played. My heart nearly stopped as I never thought I would see him again, not in a park, after five years.

What is he doing here?

Before I could think, he started walking towards us, the long strides he took eating up the distance.

“Mia,” he called, his voice smooth and commanding, just like I remembered. My stomach twisted into knots on hearing his voice.

He didn't waste time on pleasantries. His eyes, cold and calculating, darted from me to Chloe and back again. “Is she mine?”

His question hit me like a freight train, I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. From the expression on his face, I could see the gears turning in his mind, the way he was already drawing his conclusions.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nathan's voice was low, but it carried a weight that pressed down on me like a physical force.

“Answer me!” he barked, staring at me. I could feel the intensity of his gaze, the accusation that was burning in those dark eyes of his.

“I…I didn’t know,” I stammered, “I wasn't sure about it and I only had the best interest for her in mind.”

Nathan's expression hardened as he clenched his jaws, “Having the best interest for her and you decided that keeping her away from her father was the best?”

“You wouldn't blame me for that, I was trying to protect her,” I retorted, my voice rising with desperation. “And myself! You don't know what it was like for me, Nathan. I was scared and alone, and I didn't think you’d…”

“Didn't think I’d what?” He snapped loudly, cutting me off. “Didn't know I would care? Didn't think I had a right to know?”

“Or maybe she isn't yours!” I shot back, my voice dripping with annoyance, “By the way, Why should I have told you, Nathan? It was all a mistake and you were always so busy with your empire, your business. Did you want a child to complicate things?”

Nathan’s expression darkened, his jaw clenched tight as he took a step towards me, closing the gap between us.

“You’re being ridiculous, Mia!” his voice thundered, loud enough that heads began to turn in the park, and eyes locking on us as our argument was becoming heated. “I had the right to know because I am her father, you don't get to make decisions as serious as this on your own!”

I could feel the weight of people staring, but I didn't care. “I don't owe you anything Nathan,” I shot back, my voice rising to match his. “Were you expecting me to bow down to you, lick your legs, and ask for help? Newsflash Nathan, I did just fine on my own.”

Nathan's eyes flash with anger, his voice lowering into a dangerous growl. “Fine? You call this fine? Living in some rundown apartment with barely enough to get by? And you thought it was better to keep me out of her life because you couldn't swallow your pride and ask for help?”

“What?” I asked quietly, in shock, “How did you…”

“How I knew is not the important thing here,” He retorted.

I glare hard at him, with my bloodshot eyes, my anger boiling red hot. “You know what, Nathan? I’m content and happy with my poor life, at least I didn't get my hands dirty unlike you who built your wealth on people’s tears and deceit, pretending to be a smart businessman while scamming others. I’m better off struggling honestly, than living with the filth of your success.”

“What did you just say?”

Before I could respond to his question, Nathan’s hand came down hard across my cheek, the sharp crack echoing through the park.

I gasped, stumbling back in shock, my hand flying to my stinging face. The world around us seemed to freeze, the murmurs of the onlookers that gathered around us fading into the distance as I stood there, my heart pounding in my chest. I rapidly blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall, not from the pain, but from the sheer humiliation.

“How dare you?” I whispered, my voice trembling with disbelief.

Nathan stood, frozen to a spot, his eyes shifted from me to Chloe who was now by my side crying profusely, then to the crowd that surrounded us with their phone up and then back to me.

He stared at me for a little longer with a blank expression on his face before walking away with the same long stride he initially approached us with.