Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Little sister
The knock on the suite door came sooner than Christopher expected. Tyler’s voice followed, calm as ever.
"Mr. Malek. Your guest has arrived."
Christopher’s pulse jumped. He set his phone aside and rose, bracing himself. When the door opened, Mia slipped in, her dark hair tucked under a knit cap, her coat draped over one arm, still dressed in the Fitzgeralt uniform from her shift.
For a heartbeat she just stood there, scanning the room the way she always did, taking in the polished floors, the sea through the terrace doors, and the untouched breakfast tray. Then her gaze found Chris. Her mouth trembled between a smile and a grimace.
"Chris." She crossed the distance quickly and wrapped her free arm around him before he could decide whether to hug her or not. "You look..." She stopped herself, pulled back just enough to study his face. "You look tired."
Chris let out a short, brittle laugh. "Understatement of the year," he muttered, but he didn’t pull away. "You didn’t have to come."
"Like I’d stay away?" Mia said, shaking her head. She glanced over her shoulder at Tyler still standing at the door. "Is it okay if we...?"
"Of course," Tyler said smoothly. "You have privacy. Staff will be right outside if you need anything." He closed the door with a soft click, leaving them alone.
Mia dropped her coat over the back of a chair and turned back to Chris, voice lowering. "All right. Tell me everything before I start guessing."
Chris sat back down on the edge of the armchair, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "You’re not going to like it."
"When do I ever?" Mia said brightly, perching on the arm of the sofa like a cat. "Spill."
Chris stared at his hands for a moment, then began. "Last night at the wedding I was covering your section. The King’s table. I saw a server bring him a glass of wine. There was a shimmer in it; I’ve done enough site work with chemicals to know what I was looking at. Poison."
Mia blinked. "Poison? At the Fitzgeralt wedding?" She grinned for a half-second, the expression half disbelief, half mischief. "Of course. You always pick the fun shifts."
"I didn’t pick anything," Chris muttered. "I stopped the server that wanted to serve it and it went from there."
"’From there’ being...?" she prompted.
He gave her a look. "Him figuring me out in about three seconds flat. Dominant omega, suppressants, the whole file. He already had his eyes on me, Mia. I don’t know how, but he did. By the end of the night I was in this villa."
Mia’s mouth dropped open. "You’re telling me you saved the King of Saha from being poisoned, he clocked you as a secret dominant omega, and now you’re holed up in his seaside lair?"
Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. "I knew you’d make it sound insane."
"It is insane," Mia said cheerfully. "You’re like a walking drama magnet. You couldn’t just be a beta engineer forever, could you? No, you had to go and save a king."
Chris gave a small, exhausted huff of laughter despite himself. "You’re a delight," he said dryly. "Do you know that?"
"Little sisters are supposed to be a delight." She swung her legs a little, eyes still sparkling. "Okay, but seriously, are you okay? Has he hurt you? Did he tell you what is coming?"
"Easy, drill sergeant." Chris raised his hands, trying to stop the flood of questions. "I’m fine. He hasn’t tried to hurt me or make me uncomfortable." He thought briefly about the other night, how they’d slept in the same bed, how it hadn’t felt threatening at all, and how that unsettled him more than the act itself. "He’s... polite, but intense. Exactly what you’d expect from someone like him."
Mia tilted her head. "And what’s coming?"
"He’ll take me to Saha," Chris said, then hesitated. The words felt heavy in his mouth.
"And?" Mia pressed, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
Chris let out a slow breath, shoulders sagging. "And he wants me as his queen."
Mia’s jaw dropped. "Queen of Saha?" she echoed, almost a squeak. Then, softer, "Chris..."
He rubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah. I didn’t exactly see that one coming either."
For a heartbeat she was silent, then she gave a low whistle. "Only you," she muttered, shaking her head. "You go to cover my shift, save a king from being poisoned, and end up engaged. Mom would say you’re showing off."
"He won’t budge about it," Chris said, staring at the table. "The flight is in two days."
"Of course he won’t." Mia leaned forward, elbows on her knees, eyes glittering. "He’s a dominant alpha in his early thirties and not bonded. He needs you."
Chris gave her a look. "I’m not a missing puzzle piece for some dynasty."
"I’m not saying you are," Mia said quickly, lifting her hands. "I’m saying he probably thinks you are. That’s what men like him do; they see something rare and grab it with both hands."
Chris exhaled through his nose, slumping back a little. "Yeah. Well, I’ve spent years making sure no one could grab me. Guess I blinked."
"Then you blinked at the right time," Mia said, sprawling onto her seat without shame. "Take the chance, be royalty, and screw the rest of the Maleks."
"Mia, this isn’t funny." Chris shot her a pointed look that could kill.
"It’s a little funny..." She grinned, eyes dancing. "And the fact you’ve got blisters on your feet and can’t run is the cherry on top."
Chris groaned and covered his face with one hand. "You’re impossible."
"I’m supportive," Mia corrected, leaning back with a smirk. "And I’m telling you, don’t let them decide everything for you. If you’re going to get swept into a palace, make it your palace too."
Chris peeked at her between his fingers. "You sound like Andrew."
"Andrew gives lectures," she said breezily. "I give bad ideas that sometimes work. Big difference."
That drew a reluctant, crooked smile from Chris, a small crack in the tension that had been sitting between his shoulders since breakfast. Outside, the gulls wheeled over the breakwater, and for a moment the villa felt less like a cage and more like a chance.