Jax's Little Obsession

Chapter 6

Maya’s Pov

The pen feels heavy in my hand, like it weighs a hundred pounds. My fingers shake as I look down at the papers on the dark wooden table. Every word on those pages feels like a trap.

But I do not have a choice. If I do not sign this contract, my mother will not get the medicine she needs. Her breathing is too weak, and her cough sounds too scary. I have to save her, even if it means selling my freedom to a monster.

I look up at Jax. He is sitting across from me, looking way too calm. He wears a dark suit, and a small, annoying smile plays on his lips. He thinks he has already won. He thinks he owns me now.

"I am signing this," I say, and my voice sounds hard, even though my heart is beating like a wild bird trapped in a cage. "Listen to me very carefully, Jax. I am signing the papers so my mom gets help. But do not think for one second that this means I belong to you. Not in my heart. Not in my head. Never."

Jax tilts his head. The smile on his face does not go away. Instead, his dark eyes narrow just a little bit, locking onto mine. For a second, his gaze stays on my face. It lingers there, longer than it should, tracking the way my jaw tightens and the way my hair falls over my shoulder. It makes my skin feel hot, and not in a good way. It is an uncomfortable heat.

"Is that so?" Jax asks, his voice low and smooth. "You are very brave for someone who just walked into a lion's den, Maya."

"I am not brave, I am desperate," I snap back, pointing my finger at the contract. "And if you want my signature, you have to add my rules to this paper right now."

He raises an eyebrow, looking amused. "You are in no position to bargain."

"Try me," I say, my chin coming up. Fear is still there in my stomach, but anger is burning right next to it, making it easy to stand tall. "If my mother does not get a doctor tonight, I will rip this paper to pieces. These are my conditions: she gets immediate medical treatment, she gets all her guaranteed medication without any delays, and nobody touches anything inside my late father’s workshop. Everything stays right where it is until I decide what to do with it. Every tool, every old notebook. Do you understand?"

I wait for him to yell. I wait for him to slam his fist on the table and tell me I have no say in anything.

Instead, a quiet chuckle escapes his lips. He actually looks impressed. He leans back in his large leather chair, watching me with that strange fascination again. He likes how fast I bounce back from being scared. I can see it in his eyes. One minute I was cornered, and the next minute I am biting back like a cornered wolf.

"You drive a very hard bargain, little bird," Jax says softly. He reaches across the desk, picking up a golden pen, and writes down my demands on the bottom of the page without a second thought. "Done. All of it. The doctor, the medicine, and your father's old workshop. Nobody goes near it."

I blink, surprised. I thought he would fight me on every single word. "Why are you agreeing so easily?"

"Because," Jax says, his eyes dark and shining with something I cannot quite read, "I like a girl with a spine. It makes things much more interesting."

Then, his smile turns sharp. "But we are not finished. I have one condition of my own."

My whole body goes stiff. "What condition?"

"You will attend my university starting next week," Jax says smoothly. "And you will live in the student apartment that I have already arranged for you."

"No!" I shout, standing up so fast my chair scrapes loudly against the floor. "I am not going to your school! I am not living in your building! That is too much!"

"It is non-negotiable," Jax says, his voice dropping the playful tone and turning cold and hard like steel. He stands up too, towering over me. "You want to protect your mother? You want her bills paid and her treatment secured? Then you play by my rules. You go to school, and you stay where I can keep my eyes on you."

My hands curl into tight fists at my sides. "Why?" I demand, my voice shaking with pure frustration. "Why do you care so much about watching me? Am I just a new toy for you to play with?"

Jax takes a step closer to me. The air between us suddenly feels heavy, thick with tension. His gaze drops to my face again, lingering on my lips for a fraction of a second before meeting my eyes. A strange, heavy pull hangs in the air, a weird kind of attraction that makes no sense at all when we hate each other so much.

"You are many things, Maya," Jax whispers, his voice dropping so low I barely hear it. "A toy? No. But you are definitely entertaining."

I hate the smug confidence in his voice. I want to wipe that look right off his face. But I cannot do anything. I am trapped in the web he built.

"You have forty-eight hours to pack your bags and prepare for university," Jax tells me, turning his back to look out the big glass window of his office. "A car will pick you up on Saturday morning."

I do not say goodbye. I grab my copy of the signed contract, turn around, and storm out of the room, slamming the heavy wooden door behind me. My heart is pounding a million miles an hour. I feel angry, trapped, and completely overwhelmed.

When I finally get back home to our small, quiet apartment, the sun is setting. My mother is in her bed, coughing weakly, looking so pale and tired that it brings tears to my eyes. I sit beside her, holding her cold hand, feeling completely helpless.

Then, the doorbell rings.

I open the door, expecting bad news or more of Jax's men. Instead, a kind-looking man with gray hair and a medical bag stands in the doorway. He introduces himself as a specialist. He tells me Jax sent him.

The doctor moves quickly. He checks my mother's breathing, listens to her chest, and opens a large metal case. He pulls out bottles of expensive medicine, giving her a shot that immediately eases the terrible rattle in her chest. Within twenty minutes, my mother's breathing slows down. The pain lines on her face smooth out, and she falls into a deep, peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks.

I stand by the bedroom door, watching the doctor pack up his things. A massive wave of relief washes over me, so strong that my knees feel weak and I have to grab the wall to steady myself.

For the first time since my father died, my mother is going to be okay.

And Jax actually did it. He kept his word. He sent the doctor, brought the medicine, and saved her life just like he promised he would.

I stare down at the contract in my hand.

That does not mean I trust him. It does not mean I forgive him for stealing my freedom or forcing me into his world.

It just makes him so much more confusing.