Chapter 14 Be My Wife

• Julian was at the front of the waiting car. He showed the demeanor of a professional personal assistant awaiting the arrival of his boss, with a calm and patient face. His posture was slightly bent forward, ready to open the car door when his boss arrived.
• James was already in front of the car, and Julian immediately moved to open the door. Mia, however, remained silent. She felt embarrassed, worried that James' offer of help was just a game. Hence, she was still hesitant.
• James again invited, "Come in, I'll take you to my apartment. There we will begin your treatment."
• Mia pondered for a moment, feeling ashamed if she had to go back to her father after choosing to be with James for her treatment. She finally decided to go in, and soon James followed suit. They sat side by side.
• Mia felt a little panicked to be honest, she knew that her skin disease was probably disgusting. She was worried that James might be able to smell the foul scent from her body. Even so, she had decided to accept James' help and was now on her way to his apartment.
• Julian also followed them into the car. The sound of the car door closing was heard, and the car engine was started. Julian, as the driver, confirmed that they would be leaving soon.
• Their journey lasted for quite some time. The night had turned darker with a star-studded sky and deserted streets. Streetlights cast shadows that moved along the road. The sound of car engines and soft songs from the radio accompanied their journey. Occasionally, another car would speed by, leaving a trail of light behind it.
• After some time, they reached the apartment where James lived. The apartment looked luxurious with a modern design. The tall building stood majestically with the lights on giving a warm atmosphere. Inside, the interior of the apartment was dominated by white and gray colors, giving a minimalist and elegant impression. Julian stopped the car in the parking area located on the lower floor of the building. The place was quite spacious and well maintained.
• Julian opened the car door for James and Mia. James got out of the car, but Mia was still sitting quietly in the car. "Come on out!" James called back to Mia, hoping she would soon follow.
• Mia caught her breath for a moment before finally deciding to get out of the car. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she still felt embarrassed, thinking about the possibility that all this effort would be in vain.
• James could sense Mia's hesitation. For now, he chose to remain silent as he knew she would later look for a cure with the help of her system. Julian stood in front of James, in a respectful manner he asked, "Sir, is there anything else you need?"
• "Nothing," James replied.
• "Alright, I'm going back to my apartment, if you need my help I'll be on standby at the apartment," Julian said. James didn't need to worry, Julian would always be ready, because he was a 24-hour assistant.
• James refocused his attention on Mia. "Let's go to my apartment unit."
• "Wait a minute!" Mia was still holding her pace, even though they were ready to walk. She really wanted to go, at all costs, to get rid of this skin disease.
• James folded his arms, waiting for Mia to finish her own thoughts. He knew that Mia needed time to accept all of this, so he chose to give her space.
• Mia returned her attention to the surroundings, doubts returning. "Are you sure you want to take me to your apartment?" she asked. She understood that her skin disease was disgusting. What if James couldn't stand being around her?
• "Come on!" James couldn't wait anymore and finally pulled Mia's hand.
• Mia felt panicked, her heart beating fast. She couldn't believe a man would hold her hand even though he knew she had a skin disease. They both took the elevator, James pressed the button for the destination floor. In the elevator, they were both silent. James even forgot that he was still holding Mia's hand. When he realized, he immediately released his grip.
• The atmosphere became a bit awkward, but Mia and James tried to act as if everything was normal. "Actually, I'm not sure if this is going to work," Mia opened up again after the awkward atmosphere died down. James just listened to her talk. He also couldn't possibly say that he had system power. "To be honest, I deliberately said that I wanted to come with you because I had given up hope with my father and brother. I just needed a way to escape from them."
• James didn't make any comments, he just listened. He understood that when a woman was feeling trapped, all she needed was someone who would listen and let her express her feelings.
• "It's been three years and no one can cure this skin disease," Mia said, wanting to remind herself how hard she was struggling with her skin disease.
• The clanking sound of the elevator lights told them that they had reached their destination floor. James signaled for Mia to get out first. Mia stepped out and James followed her. In response to everything Mia had revealed, James simply said, "Trust me, I will cure you of your skin disease."
• Mia was speechless, between amazement and shock at James' belief that he could cure her skin disease. She still found it hard to believe, but in her heart, she felt a new hope beginning to grow.
• Mia followed James until they arrived in front of his apartment unit. James pulled an access card from his pocket and placed it in front of the sensor. After a 'beep' sounded, the apartment door opened. He signaled again for Mia to come in, but she stood still in front of the door.
• Inside the apartment, Freya was already there, looking very excited to welcome James. "Welcome, Sir-" Her sentence was cut short when she saw James carrying a red-robed woman with her face covered. She looked confused, as if James had brought an alien.
• "Mia, come in!" said James.
• Freya looked at the woman, and her demeanor changed drastically. She looked scared and curious. "Sir, who is she?" she asked Mia with a sharp look.
• "Mia Peeter," James replied. "My acquaintance." Since Mia still didn't dare to enter, James ended up pulling her in again. Although it was a bit rough, the important thing was that she could get into his apartment.
• Once Mia was inside the apartment, Freya analyzed the situation. She got the information that Mia was suffering from a rare skin disease.
• "Sir!" Freya immediately ran towards James and pulled the man away from Mia. Freya was immediately on alert, she didn't want Mia to spread her disease in this house, especially to James.
• "Hey, what the hell are you doing!" James looked rather annoyed at Freya's attitude that could offend Mia.
• Freya went back to re-analyzing to reassure herself and make 100% sure that Mia was dangerous. "She has a rare skin disease!"
• "I know." James nearly pinned the head of his know-it-all female assistant. Compared to Freya's analysis, James' analysis was much sharper and more in-depth. He knew what he was doing, and he had considered all the risks.
• Mia, who realized that she was perceived as a threat, didn't want to burden James further with her. "Then, I'd better go," she said, ready to leave again.
• "Lousy girl!" James was annoyed that Mia, who he wanted to help, gave up so easily.
• James managed to get Mia to not leave and she felt embarrassed after being insulted like that. Now James turned to scold Freya. "I brought her here because I'm going to treat her. There's nothing to worry about."
• Freya could feel James' slightly unsteady heartbeat. In her judgment, Mia had drained a lot of James' energy, and that was rather annoying to her.
• "Prepare the room for Mia," James ordered while Freya was still engrossed in her own thoughts.
• Freya looked sullen, "Huh!" She instead glanced at Mia with an annoyed look. "Why should I?"
• "Because you are the assistant assigned to help me," James replied, explaining to Freya about his main function. "Or do you want me to deactivate it again?"
• "Tsk!" Freya couldn't make a move. If she was deactivated, it meant she would no longer be able to access the real world as she was now.
• "Alright!" Although still annoyed, she finally agreed to carry out James' order. There happened to be an empty room there and she quickly prepared sheets, pillows, and more so Mia could sleep comfortably.
• James went to his room while Freya was still busy preparing the room. He returned with a pajamas of his own for Mia. In the meantime, until tomorrow, he could buy Mia some clothes of her own to wear. "For now, you can wear my pajamas tomorrow I'll buy it for you."
• "Thank you," Mia said. She accepted the clothes and felt a little worried that James' clothes would become very disgusting after she used them.
• Freya who had finished preparing the room finally returned to report to James. "I've prepared the room for her!"
• James thanked Freya. However, the work for Freya wasn't done yet. "Now prepare the water for Mia's bath and add Centella Asiatica Extract," James said. Centella Asiatica is a plant known to have properties for treating skin, including skin diseases. Although it is expensive and rare, it is very effective in helping cure skin diseases.
• "I also have to prepare the bath water?" Freya seemed unaccepting of having to prepare everything for a woman she didn't know.
• "That's your job!" James replied in a flat tone.
• Freya couldn't argue because it was her duty. Reluctantly, she went to prepare the bath water.
• A few minutes later, he returned. "The water's ready!"
• James rolled his eyes, astonished by Freya's childish behavior.
• "You, take a soak first," James said to Mia. "I'll prepare some medicinal herbs for you."
• "Okay." This time Mia didn't say much and went straight to the bathroom to soak in water that had been added with Centella Asiatica Extract.
• While Mia was soaking, James activated his system. "System, give me the medicine that can cure Mia's illness." The system analyzed in seconds, then a panel appeared for James to choose from. In return, he would lose his balance of 100,000 dollars.
• Although it was a considerable amount for James, the medicine provided by the system was indeed high-priced.
• James chose the panel that displayed the medicine. It was an ointment made from the extract of a rare and highly effective skin-healing plant, Madecassol. The transaction was completed not long after Mia finished soaking.
• "I'm done," Mia said while still covering her face. "Now what do I do?"
• "This is for you," James said, handing Mia the Madecassol ointment. "Put this on when you go to bed and in the morning."
• Mia took the ointment and looked at it for a long time, as if afraid. "Don't worry," James said. "It's safe for you to use."
• "I'll try it," Mia said.
• James began to see hope in her. Mia went to her room because she couldn't wait to try James' medicine. She had only one hope, that she would get better.
• In her room, Mia tried the ointment. After one use, she felt the cold effect on her skin and slowly her ulcers seemed to start drying. Although the effect was good, she didn't dare to be confident that it would really heal her.
• The night had passed, and in the morning James brought several sets of clothes for Mia. The man seemed very kind and sincere. Over time, Mia began to believe that she would be fine receiving treatment here.
• Day after day passed. Mia still always covered her body with a robe and mask. She didn't want James to see. Until the 15th day, James began to wonder how Mia was doing, whether the medicine he gave her and the soaking technique he recommended could cure her or not.
• However, on that morning, after James asked how Mia's skin was doing, the woman asked James a question. "James, I'll show you what the results look like. But, there's something I need you to answer first."
• James nodded, showing his willingness to answer. "Tell me what you want from all this effort," Mia asked, looking at James with a curious gaze.
• "Umh, I don't have any ideas for that yet," James said casually.
• Mia sighed. She had been thinking about this all night and was prepared for the risk. "James, since you've done your best for me, I'm willing to do whatever you want in return."
• "Really?" asked James, looking surprised.
• "I'll do anything you ask," Mia said firmly.
• James seemed to think for a moment. "I'll make sure I ask for something out of the ordinary."
• Mia believed that James would ask for something reasonable. Now, she slowly pulled back her face covering and removed the robe that had been covering her body. She showed James the results of their treatment.
• James was gaping. He looked shocked and couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was completely beyond his expectation. It was like magic.
• Mia smiled. "James, here I am, I'm healed now. Thank you, James."
• James gulped. He really couldn't believe this was the result. "I know what I want."
• "What?" asked Mia, the look in her eyes making James even more unable to think.
• James without hesitation said, "I want you to be my wife!"