Chapter 9：Mia

The moment I sighted the humongous gate, my heart missed a beat. I glanced at the number, and sure enough, it was the right property. Or rather estate, because stretching before my eyes were acres of lawn and woods. I hadn't yet seen the house, but I knew it was going to be big.

I stepped over to the intercom and pushed on the button. A buzzing sound came through, and then a male voice said, "Yes?"

I nervously cleared my throat. "I… I'm here to see Mr. Maxwell."

"Do you have an appointment with him?" He was harsh and straight to the point.

"Err, no, I…"

"No appointment, no Mr. Maxwell."

I panicked and knew he was about to end our conversation. "No, please. I mean he sent me an e-mail asking that I come to see him. I mean… Mr. Maxwell sent me an e-mail a couple of weeks ago."

A pause and then, "Your name?"

"Mia… Mia Donovan," I said quickly.

"Wait there a minute," he said, and then the intercom buzzed out.

I blinked and then looked around me, taking in the scenery. It was something to do while I waited. But really, I was so worried the exquisite scenery didn't interest me long.

It was five minutes later when the buzz came again. "Come in. Just follow the path. You won't miss it."

"Thanks," I said as the gate screeched open. I did that little hop to pull my backpack up my shoulders and then headed through the opened gate.

I followed the path, and it wasn't long when I came to view the most breathtaking scenery of the city below. The buildings sparkled like jewels under the evening sunlight. For a moment I was lost. For a moment I felt free of all the worries and burdens that rested heavily on my small shoulders.

If only there was no two million dollars. If only my parents didn't die that summer in a car accident. If only Aunt Miley hadn't hated us so much, and if only Uncle Herbert hadn't done all those horrible things to us. If only… Yeah right.

I pulled myself back from the fantasy world and turned on my heel, continuing up the path.

I was hiking. I was literally hiking up the private driveway, and it took me another ten minutes before I came to the house. No. It wasn't a house. It was a mansion, built of white stone and three stories high. It was the type of mansion I'd seen in magazines, worth millions, and it literally took my breath away.

I stood there for a moment, lost. Usually, I would have been in awe at the sight of such an amazing structure. What I felt today, however, was pure terror, for the sight of that building served only to remind me once again of the power wielded by the man I was about to meet.

A lump formed in my throat, and my stomach kept flipping with dread. I took a deep breath and told myself it was too late to run now. It had been too late since I'd opened that e-mail, in fact.

A loud, angry bark caught my attention, jolting me from my thoughts of trepidation. I looked around in confusion. To my left, I saw a big white dog sprinting toward me, growling and barking aggressively. Panic seized me, and I staggered back. The moment I knew that beast of a canine wasn't going to stop, because man, it was charging at me like a raging bull, I turned and took off, my heart pumping like mad.

I hurried down the lawn, legs sprinting like never before. I headed straight for the woods. Somehow I thought I would be safe there.

I was just about to reach my destination, my safe haven, when I tripped on something and fell. A puff escaped my lips as my body unwelcomingly met the ground, followed by a big splash of brown water against my face. Some got into my mouth, tasting like dirt and salt. Spitting the unsavory substance back out, I blinked, wondering what had just happened. Heaving with exertion, I sat up and found that my jeans and shirt were covered in filth. Across from me, the dog had stopped, though it was still barking at me aggressively.

"Stop it!" a tiny voice shouted from the distance.

I lifted my head to see a child running toward the dog and me. A moment later, she came to a stop in front of me. She was heaving with exertion as she looked at me with interest. Then she gave me the loveliest grin I'd ever seen. I felt like someone had just snatched the oxygen from my lungs, because the child was indeed beautiful. Dark hair, flawless skin, and Prussian-blue eyes. Prussian-blue eyes? Just like that gorgeous man back at the road.

I couldn't help myself, of course, and gave the little girl one of my lovely smiles as well, despite my fear of the dog, which looked like it wanted to bite my head off.

The girl turned to glare at the fluffy canine, her small hands on her hips. "Stop it, Sammy! You're being a very naughty dog. Now be quiet and be nice."

The dog immediately halted its barking and nuzzled its head against her legs, informing its master it was sorry. It didn't take the girl long to stop being mad with her beloved pet though. She laughed and patted the dog's head, exempting it from punishment.

"That's a good boy," she said. Then she turned to me. "You're full of mud." She giggled.

I sighed. "Yes, I am."

Excited? Those barks were excitement? I begged to differ. The dog looked like it wanted to chase me down and do some horrible, unmentionable things to me.

"What's your name?"

I gathered myself up, unsuccessfully brushing off the wet, dirty, thick brown goo from my clothes.

"Mia," I said, eyeing her. "What's yours?"

"Aria," she replied, giving me a toothy grin. "And this is Sammy. There's Alfie as well, but he's back in the house."

By house she meant mansion, of course. Then I wondered how the heck I was going to get myself cleaned up before going up to see the billionaire Mr. J. Maxwell.