Chapter four: A proposal, not a request
954 Words
Days went uneventful following Loren's visit...she wondered why she hadn't seen any other family member except those she had already met.
Dinner was quiet as always.
But it felt too quiet now being in the midst of grandpa Beck and Loren.
Mia sat at the long mahogany dining table beneath a chandelier dripping with crystals, the golden light above casting flickering shadows on her porcelain face. Her posture was relaxed, elegant even—but there was a weight in the air that pressed down on the room.
Loren Beck sat across from her, his fork idle, untouched steak cooling on his plate. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—those sharp, steel-gray eyes—rarely left her face. Mr. Beck sat at the head of the table, regal and composed, sipping red wine with the air of someone planning the future.
The silence stretched.
“I’ve arranged for you to meet a few of our board members next week,” Mr. Beck finally said, turning toward Mia with a polite nod. “They’ve heard about your bravery and your recovery. I think they’d be interested in your story.”
Mia smiled faintly. “That’s very thoughtful of you, sir.”
“Not at all,” he said. “You saved my life. That’s not something easily forgotten—or repaid.”
Loren shifted in his seat, barely perceptible, but Mia noticed. She noticed everything.
From the moment she met him, she felt his caution, his quiet disapproval. He didn’t trust her. Perhaps he even thought she was playing some long con. After all, what poor girl gets plucked from the street and brought into the Beck household unless she wanted something?
She didn’t blame him for doubting her. But she wasn’t here to seek comfort. She had a purpose.
And the name “Lilac Mack” came with fewer enemies.
Mr. Beck set down his glass and folded his hands on the table.
“Which brings me to something more personal,” he said, tone gentle but firm. “Loren, I’ve made a decision.”
Loren looked up.
“I want you to marry Lilac.”
Mia paused only slightly, her fork suspended in the air. Her heartbeat didn’t even falter.
But across the table, Loren stiffened. His brows pulled together and for the first time that evening, he spoke.
“I’m sorry… what?”
Mr. Beck’s tone didn’t waver. “I’m not asking, Loren. I’m telling you.”
Loren set down his utensils with a clink. “With all due respect, Grandfather, this is absurd. I can’t marry someone I don’t even know.”
“You’ll come to know her,” Mr. Beck said. “This isn’t about love. It’s about loyalty, legacy—and honor.”
Mia remained silent, eyes on her plate, hands steady. Inside, her thoughts swirled.
Marriage?
To Loren Beck?
It wasn’t something she’d planned for. But it wasn’t something she feared either.
She had nothing to lose. No family, no wealth, no power. And if a union with the most powerful man in the country’s most powerful family could give her the tools to destroy the people who murdered her… so be it.
Loren’s eyes burned into her. “And what does Miss Mack think of all this?”
Mia raised her gaze, calm and clear.
“I’ll do whatever Mr. Beck thinks is best.”
A flicker of something—shock, maybe even betrayal—passed across Loren’s face. He looked back at his grandfather. “You see? This—this is calculated. She’s manipulating you.”
“I’m not a fool, Loren,” Mr. Beck said, his voice suddenly sharp. “You weren’t there when she dragged my bleeding body out of the road. You didn’t see her willing to risk her life for a stranger. Whatever you think she’s done, I know who she is. And I owe her.”
Mia met Loren’s gaze again, holding it this time. “I’m not asking for your hand, Mr. Beck. I don’t need your approval.”
He rose from the table, scoffing softly. “Of course you don’t. You’ve already got everything you need—my grandfather’s gratitude, his house… and now me.”
He walked away, leaving the heavy echo of his boots trailing behind him.
Mia slowly set down her fork.
Mr. Beck let out a long sigh and stood. “I apologize for springing it on him like that. Loren has always been… stubborn.”
“I understand,” Mia said softly.
He looked at her, his expression gentler now. “I won’t force you, Lilac. If you don’t want this—”
“I don’t mind,” she interrupted, her voice calm but resolute. “I don’t have anything left. But I do want to protect what you value. If that means marrying Loren, then I’ll do it.”
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “You’re stronger than you look.”
He left her alone, and Mia remained at the table long after the candles began to flicker out.
Alone again.
But not weak.
She rose and walked slowly toward the tall windows. The moonlight cast a glow across the marble floor, and outside, the Beck estate looked peaceful, quiet, still, untouchable.
She touched the glass.
She didn’t expect love.
She didn’t even want it.
But power? Access? Resources?
Yes. She wanted all of that.
Because her step-sister and ex-fiancé were still out there, living freely, believing they’d erased her.
Let them think that.
Let them believe she was weak, lost, forgotten.
She turned from the window, her ocean-blue eyes glittering coldly in the dark.
Because soon…
She’d remind them that Mia Romanoff never stayed buried for long.
- Writer
