LOVE WE NEVER PLANNED

The silence that followed Mia's innocent proposal was deafening. Amelia Hart felt her entire face catch fire. She could not look at Liam Stone. She could not look at the nurses who were now pretending to be very busy with their charts and daily routine duties. Liam cleared his throat. His voice was not only low but also rough, but Amelia could hear the shock in it. "Mia, that's not how we ask for things." But his grey eyes were not on his little sister. They were locked on Amelia. And for the first time, Amelia saw something other than arrogance in them. He looked flustered, his jaw tight, and his gaze dropped to her lips for half a second before he looked away quickly. That half-second made Amelia's heart slam against her ribs. Mia pouted in her pink leg brace, her little hands clutching her teddy bear. "But I want her. I want Dr. Hart to be my real doctor forever." Those words made Amelia's chest ache. This eight-year-old girl had a severe bone infection in her leg. If it wasn't treated properly and fast, she might never run or dance again. And she was looking at Amelia like she was a superhero. Liam carefully placed Mia back on the hospital bed, his big hands so gentle with her tiny frame. He pulled the blanket over her leg. "Rest, little monster. Let me talk to your superhero." He turned to Amelia. " Can I have a word with you outside, Dr. Hart? Privately? Please." In the quiet hallway, the air between them was charged. He smelled like expensive cologne, rain, and something purely male. He was so close that Amelia could see the tiny flecks of silver in his grey eyes. "About what she said—" Amelia started, hugging her clipboard like a shield. Her voice was shaking. "My sister is... imaginative," Liam cut in, but his voice had lost its edge. He ran a hand through his dark, perfectly styled hair — a nervous habit that made him look surprisingly human and young. "Forget the marriage part. I apologize on her behalf." Amelia's stomach flipped. "I... I will. It's fine. She's just a child and it is healthy for her to give her opinion childishly." He stepped closer. Too close. Amelia's back hit the cold wall of the hallway. "Her leg, Dr. Hart," he said quietly, his eyes dark with fear he was trying to hide. "Tell me the truth. The other doctors have been sugarcoating it. I need the bare truth from you." Amelia took a deep breath. This was the part she hated. This was the moment that would change everything. "Liam... the infection has eaten into her bone," she whispered honestly, her eyes filled with tears for Mia. "Her case is worse than the scans show. Even with surgery... I doubt if she will walk again normally. At least, not without a miracle and months of therapy." Liam's face went pale. For a second, his billionaire mask cracked completely. He looked broken. "You doubt it?" he repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "I am a doctor, not God," Amelia said softly, her hand moving without thinking to touch his arm. His skin was hot under his expensive shirt. "But I will give her that miracle. If you let me. If we work together." He stared at her hand on his arm, then at her face. Something hot and intense flashed between them. "Anything," he said instantly. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a black card, pressing it into her palm. Their fingers brushed and a sharp, electric spark shot through Amelia's entire body. She gasped. "Money, machines, doctors from Germany... I mean everything... Whatever it takes.Additionally, I own the medical wing here. I donated it after my parents died. Just tell me what you need and it's yours. Save her. Please." That was his work in the hospital. He was not a doctor. He was the power that kept its lights on. Amelia looked at the card, then at his face. His jaw was tight with worry for Mia, but his eyes were begging her. "You would do all that for her?" she asked softly, her thumb still on his wrist. "She is my world," he said, his voice raw. "Her mother has worked for my family for fifteen years. Mia is like my own little sister. I can't bear the pain of losing her." Their eyes met again. Longer this time. The hallway noises faded. Just then, both their phones buzzed at the exact same second. Building Manager: Critical reminder to Penthouse A & B: Please respect quiet hours on the shared roof terrace. No loud parties. Amelia frowned down at her phone. "Penthouse A? That's the big one next to mine." Liam let out a short, humorless laugh. "We share a roof, Dr. Hart. I moved into Penthouse A last week. You're in B, the staff house." Amelia's mouth dropped. "You are my neighbor?" "You are the one who sings off-key in the shower at 6 a.m?" he shot back, but there was a teasing smile now that made him devastatingly handsome. "So we share the same roof," he said, his smile slow and dangerous. "And now we share the same patient. You have the hands to save her, Amelia. I have the means. Let's work together to save Mia. Together. You and me." Amelia's heart hammered so loud she was sure he could hear it. She should have been annoyed at his arrogance. Instead, all she could feel was the heat coming off his body and the desperate hope in his eyes. "Okay," she breathed, looking up at him. "Together. But in my operating room, I am the boss. Not your money. Not your name. Me. I'm I clear, Mr. Stone?" "In your operating room, you are the boss, Doctor," he whispered, his voice dropping lower, his eyes dropping to her mouth. "But on our roof at midnight when Mia is asleep? We will see who is the boss." Inside, Mia shouted with her little bossy voice, "Dr. Hart! Is my grumpy brother bothering you again? Tell him to stop flirting and come back!" They both jumped apart like teenagers caught doing something forbidden. "No!" they said in unison, then looked at each other and laughed. And as Amelia walked back to her little patient, she could feel Liam Stone's grey eyes burning into her back. Hot, intense and possessive. She knew her quiet, boring life in Penthouse B was completely, irrevocably over. Deep inside her heart, Amelia felt a dangerous flutter she had never felt before. It was like being a little rabbit trapped under the gaze of a powerful, handsome wolf. She knew she should run for her own safety and peace because she he knew a man like Liam Stone was pure trouble. No peace at all. But she had no choice but to stay. Not because of the shared roof terrace. Not because he was her new grumpy neighbor. But because of the little innocent girl_ Mia. Mia grabbed both their hands and forced them together over her blanket. She really enjoyed seeing these people together. "There," Mia said proudly and confidently linking their fingers. "Now you have to work together. No fighting. You promised, and mark that promise is a debt." Their hands were locked. His was large, masculine,warm, and rough. Hers was small, soft, sexy and trembling. Neither of them pulled away. They silently stared at each other innocently. They did not want to trigger emotions of affection in the presence of a minor. And in that moment, with an eight-year-old girl holding their hands together, Amelia knew she was already falling for the billionaire next door — and there was no surgery that could save her from that.