THE BILLIONAIRE'S BARGAIN

CHAPTER 25

LOS ANGELES

Carmilla slowly opens her eyes, groggily taking in her surroundings. She was in her apartment, and the warm sunlight streaming through the window indicated it was already morning. She stretched her arms, feeling a dull ache in her muscles. It had been a few days since the incident, and she was still recovering.

As she sat up in bed, she noticed Mia sitting on the couch, watching her with concern. "Hey, are you okay?" Mia asked, setting aside her book.

Carmilla nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

Mia got up and walked over to Carmilla's bed. "Do you want some coffee? I made some earlier."

Carmilla smiled weakly. "That sounds great, thanks."

As Mia handed her a steaming cup of coffee, Carmilla took a sip and felt a slight boost of energy. "Thanks, Mia. You're a lifesaver."

Mia smiled and sat down beside Carmilla on the bed. "So, are you not going to work today?" she asked, eyeing Carmilla's worn-out expression.

Carmilla shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm not feeling strong enough to go to the office. I'll just work from here for now."

Mia nodded understandingly. "That's probably for the best. You need to take care of yourself. You've been working your ass since you got here”.

Carmilla took another sip of her coffee, feeling a bit more alert. "So, what about you? Do you have work today?"

Mia grinned mischievously. "Actually, I have the whole month to myself. My director gave me a break, considering everything that's been going on."

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. "A whole month off? You're one lucky person."

Mia chuckled. "I know, right? I'm planning to use this time to catch up on some reading and maybe even start writing again."

Carmilla smiled, happy to see Mia so carefree. "That sounds like a great plan. You deserve a break."

As they chatted, Carmilla's body felt unease, but she couldn't pin where this was coming from.

Mia seemed to sense her unease and placed a gentle hand on Carmilla's arm. "Hey, are you sure you're okay? You seem a bit... distracted."

Carmilla forced a smile, not wanting to worry Mia. "I'm fine, really. Just a bit tired, like I said."

Mia looked unconvinced but didn't push the issue. Instead, she changed the subject, asking Carmilla about her work and what she planned to do for the day.

As they talked, Carmilla found herself feeling a bit more at ease. Maybe it was the comfort of having Mia by her side, or maybe it was the warmth of the coffee spreading through her veins. Whatever it was, she felt a sense of gratitude toward Mia for being there for her.

As the morning wore on, Carmilla decided to take Mia's advice and focus on her work. She set up her laptop on the coffee table and began to tackle the tasks she had been putting off.

Mia settles in beside her, reading a book and occasionally asking Carmilla questions or making comments about her own writing.

The atmosphere in the apartment was peaceful, with the only sound being the occasional rustle of pages or the clinking of coffee cups. Mia felt she had to let out what was troubling her.

“ Hey, Cam. Why are you really pushing so many launching of product in your company? I mean isn't that going to cause your team to be exhausted and also everyone in charge of it”.

Carmilla felt surprise about her sudden question, it can actually take only someone really close to know what she is up to.

“ I don't know what I'm doing to, but I'm trying to see if I can buy my family's company back”.

“ What! Seriously, but it already agreed right. How could you possibly buy it back, infact by now they should be merging the company right. That will cost you a fortune”, said Mia, her eyes full of surprise by what her friend had uttered.

“No wonder she came back to LA, I was also wondering why she will come here when her PA could handle it for the mean time”, Mia told herself.

“ Does your dad know about this?”, ask Mia to Carmilla.

“ No he doesn't. Like I said I want to try, if it impossible then I'll stop. There is no need to drag them into this”, Carmilla responded, as she just focuses on her work.

“ I'm not going to tell you to back out from your plan, but what is the use of buying it back when you are already married to their son?”, Mia ask out of curiosity.

“ At least that will give me a free will to do what I want . I don't want them to just see me as some deal, especially my mother-in-law”, Carmilla said, staring at Mia. Her eyes seems a bit determine for this one.