BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Valerie’s POV

His annoying optimism for the topic is irking. Not just the way he shows his disbelief in me but the fact that he keeps hoping and thinking it is nothing but a framed up story.

I might be a bad person and a rebel but I would definitely not come up with a story like that just for me to achieve something.

Ryan is an idiot.

I meant what I said when I told him I was leaving but my heart irks so badly that I almost changed my mind and go back inside to tell him it was just a joke.

But it is impossible. He would never take me seriously if I did that.

I don’t want to leave because I know how worried about him I would be. But I have no choice.

With his lack of trust in me, I really do not know what else to do anymore. I don’t know if I should just give up on this issue and begin to pretend like it never happened as he suggested.

As the cab stops right in front of my parent’s house, I catch a glimpse of a huge car right in front of the gate.

Before I can get down from the cab, the car horns and the gate is thrown open. I watch the car drive in.

Curiosity suddenly replaces my worry and deep thoughts.

Without hesitation, I move swiftly towards the gate so I can enter before the gate is closed. I see a man right behind the gate when I enter. He is wearing a security uniform just like the guard we had before everything crumbled.

I raise a suspicious brow at him and he smiles. “Good day, ma’am.”

Someone gets down from the car and walks to the front door, with a briefcase swinging beside him.

The gait looks just like Father’s.

Instead of replying to his greeting, my curiosity runs to its peak.

Dad? I almost say out loud. What the hell is happening? Does he have a car now? Has he started going to work now? Is that why I never met him at home all this while? Even when he promised to meet up with me at the avenue so he could tell me all that I needed to know about Ryan’s father, he didn’t show up and I haven’t seen him ever since then.

My legs begin to move toward the car. His figure has already disappeared into the house.

When I am close, I examine the car to see if it is brand new. This is because he recently got the car.

What is happening? My legs begin to move again, this time more quickly in restless anticipation to get my answers.

I enter the house and almost bump into Mother who is wearing a fancy dinner gown with elaborate makeup on her face.

“Mom?” I call out, expressing my surprise at her appearance and everything else.

There is something else about the house. Something is missing. Or something which is lacking is back.

Not just the car. The interiors of the house and almost everything is present now. It is now brimming with life unlike how quiet and cold it has been for months.

“Valerie, what are you doing here by this time of the night?” she grabs my hand, with wide eyes. Her reaction makes me wonder if she is shocked to see me here this late or if she is shocked to go see me here when she doesn’t want me to have an idea of what is going on.

“What is happening? Where are you going?” I ignore her question and ask mine.

“We have a party tonight…”

“A party?” I cut her short with furrowed brows. “With who?”

She smiles brightly and drops her hands off my shoulder, then asks again. “Why are you here?”

Her gaze leaves my face and settles on my dress. I am not properly dressed and that is not the issue now. I just want to go to bed and drown in my sorrows till God knows when.

Everything can only come back to normal when Ryan sees things from my perspective and I hope that happens soon.

If it doesn’t, then it means we are going to be getting a divorce soon. Our parents can’t be at loggerheads and then we are also not on good terms too. Our marriage can’t work this way.

I guess this is what it was meant to be anyways. After all, the marriage was supposed to be for a few months and not forever.

With a sigh of defeat, I resolve to take whatever happens in a good way. I won’t get hurt if we don’t get back together. I can easily go back to my former life and do things that bring me butterflies.

“Valerie?” Mother shakes me again to remind me of her question.

“Ryan and I broke up”, I declare openly without shame and she gasps loudly, her eyes almost popping out of her socket.

“What?!”

I thought the exclamation would never come but here it is.

“Yes, I need to go to bed”, I say, and want to walk past her when she blocks my way. “Where is Dad?”

Then I remember the car outside and the man who walked in a minute ago with a familiar gait like my Dad’s.

“He is inside”, she answers, then holds my face in between her two hands. “What happened, dear? Did you two fight?”

I really do not feel like saying anything about what transpired between us. Not now. Maybe later. Or tomorrow.

I am in a shit mood right now and all I want is to sleep it out.

“Yes, mom. Can we talk tomorrow, please?”

She does not look like she is ready to let me go but after a while, without tearing my gaze away from her, she nods.

“Whose car is that outside, mom?” I mention it so I won’t forget to ask her before going into my room.

The party she is going to is the least of my problems. This has always been her type of life. My father’s financial situation made her stop going to parties every week.

The smile on her face widens. “Your Dad’s.”

I watch blankly for a while before asking to be sure I heard right. “Dad?”

“Yes. He got it two days ago…”

“What? How? Where did he get the money from? Did you make him do this instead of sorting out the company’s issues first?”

I know this is what Mother can do. Material things come first on her priority list.

Her smile turns gradually into a grin. “I had the intention of visiting you tomorrow. Everything has been sorted out so you have nothing to worry about anymore.”

I blink.

Everything has been sorted out? How?

“If that is why you and Ryan fought, I think you should resolve it as soon as you can.”

Ryan? Is this about Ryan?

“Ryan did this?” I ask suddenly, my heart thumping wildly in my ribcage.

She does not answer but from the expression, it is obvious this is Ryan’s doing.

Before I can ask her if this is Ryan’s work, Father appears. “Val?”

“Dad?” I shift my gaze away from Mom to meet him.

“What are you doing here at this time…”

“She broke up with Ryan”, Mother replies to him before I can do that.

His eyes bulge open too just like hers. He was the one who asked me to leave Ryan so I can be safe but here he is acting like he never said that.

Maybe if he didn’t tell me that, I wouldn’t have thought of leaving this night after the argument with him.

His words were hurting me.

Just then, my phone rings. I bring it out of my bag to see Ryan’s name flashing across the screen.

I exchange glances with Mom and Dad, thinking of what to do.

“Is that Ryan? You should pick. Your Dad and I will be back in an hour”, Mother moves back to entwine hands with Dad.

With reluctance in his expression, he moves closer to me and pecks my forehead before walking out.

My phone continues to ring, making me feel a sudden headache.

I don’t feel like talking to him so I reject the call and begin to take the stairs up in weariness. The past few weeks have been stressful and exhausting for me. I wish I could just sleep it out and wake up tomorrow to realize it is all a dream.

My phone rings again but this time, it is Mrs. Lorenzo calling.

Why is she calling me at this time of the night? Did Ryan visit her to tell them what happened between us? Did she visit us and realize I am not home?

I pick up immediately with little interest in what she has to say to me.

“Valerie”, Ryan’s loud voice booms into my ears. There are loud background voices, making me take the phone off my ears for a while.

I was right. Ryan is with her. But why is there so much noise?

“Valerie”, he calls again but this time with a crying voice. I stop on the last staircase, my heart racing with fear of the unknown, my head spinning with questions. “Mom…It’s mom.”

What the hell happened? Has Lorenzo succeeded in his plans of killing her?

Oh, shit!

I turn back abruptly, almost losing my footing as I take the staircase down.

“What happened? Where are you? Where is Mom?”

I bombard him with questions but instead of answering me, all I hear is low sobs and heavy breathing from the other side.

“Ryan, where the hell are you guys?!” I shout in frustration.

“I’m sorry, Val. I’m sorry. Mom is dying, I’m sorry…”

“Where the hell are you?!” I interrupt him from going further. This is no time for apologies. We need to save her first.

“We are at the hospital”, he answers, then remains silent as I run out of the house to see the courtyard empty.

My parents are gone.

“Mom is in the ICU.”

“What?!” I exclaim. “What the hell happened to her?”

“She was poisoned”, he responds and disconnects the call.

I stumble backward in agitation as the reality dawns on me that I am right all along and I don’t need to doubt myself and any of the words I have been saying to Ryan or anyone else.

I am right about her poisoning. This means I am also right about Mr. Lorenzo being the one behind it all.