🌹 IN THE BILLIONAIRE’S be-d. đź’”
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© ✏ Wunmi Ade ✅
#EPISODE_36
Emeliano’s POV ✔
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“Another one plea-se.” My voice slurred out, as I dropped the sh0t glas-s on the table, dismissing the third bottle for the night.
“That’s beyond the limits si-”
“Do you love your job?” I gritted out, glaring fire into the lanky guy… He nodded quic-kly.
“Yes sir- that is why you nee-d to slow down… I could get you a glas-s of wat-”
He was unable to complete his s£ntence when I drew him by his shi-t f0rç£fully, shoving a hand full of money into his mouth.
“Another. Glas-s.” I gritted out again.
He did as told immediately.
“Emeliano.”
I turned to the voice of the very familiar person, who was actually one of the last person I wanted to be communicating with.
What was she doing in Orlando anyways?
“April.” I said with utter distaste.
She sat on a stool beside me. “I heard, I’m really sorry Emeliano.”
I scoffed. “Sorry? Why are you sorry?” I took another sh0t of the drink. “You didn’t betray me… Did you?” I said with a humorless laugh. “plea-se just leave me alone.”
“I didn’t know Rebecca-”
“Don’t… I don’t wanna hear her name… She’s as good as dead to me. All of you… I don’t wanna have anything to do with any one with the name Lewis. Or at least anyone who has that bastard’s blood running throu-gh their withered veins.”
April sighed. “Drinking won’t solve anything. You’ll only get sick.” She tried to pu-ll the bottle from me, but I moved it before she could reach it.
“Why do you care?”
“Cause I care about you, and I know that you’ve got to kick start your as-s off that stool… You’ve been abs£nt from work for over three days, you look like cra-p and you’re giving my father the chance to trample all over you… You have to get re-ady for court.”
“F–k them! F–k court…”
“Seriously? You’ve worked so ha-rd for your company, and you’re just gonna let Rafael get his hands on it? Really?”
“What do you want me to do? They fooled me… Twice… And… I can’t even… Why?”
April straightened up. “There’s a reason for everything, Emeliano. And I- I don’t know why Rebecca wou-”
“Don’t say her name, I beg you.”
“I’m sorry… Look, I just nee-d you stand back up… Show them that you’re no fool. Okay?”
I gave another humorless laugh.
“How?”
“Let’s start by getting you off this bar and after that, shave your awful looking face hair.”
“Is it just me or did you really say face hair?”
“It’s just you… Come on.”
_______
“What are you even doing in Orlando?” I said from the other side of the room as I put on fresh clothes.
“Nothing really, I just heard about Rebecca’s- sorry, your ex girlfriends engagement… So I uh… Decided to see how you were taking the issue.” April said.
With furrowed brows, I walked out, staring at April. “How did you know I was at that bar?”
“Traced you with your number.”
“Oh.” I sighed. “So, what now?”
“What now, is going to be you… Talking about how you feel about all this.”
“I can’t.”
That was the fact, I couldn’t talk about it… No, it was still like a fresh cut to my skin… It was still not believable. But it was so f—–g real…
Returning home to find all her bags and things gone? It was a complete reminder of how foolish and gullible I was.
But still- this was all driving mad, I couldn’t believe it and that was exactly why it felt like my br@in was about to go dead.
The drinking started that very day, the day I saw her at the p@rty, the things she said to me, the way she reacted to her father.
I couldn’t bring myself to get that scene out of my mind.
It has been three days, three good freaking days since the last time I saw Rebecca Lewis. The last time I heard her voice, the last time she broke me.
This couldn’t be a joke? She wouldn’t just do this to me, and even if she was doing this $h!t for a reason, she would let me know, she wouldn’t just want to drive me to the extreme end. No.
It was real, she meant everything she said to me and, there was actually nothing i could have done to change her mind, or was there?
Shaking my head off the thought, I concentrated on April.
“You have to, you can’t bottle it up in Emeliano, don’t do what you did with Camilla… Don’t let history fully repeat itself… Gather your strength and fight for what is yours.”
“She took it, she took everything… I trusted her and she betrayed me. I signed it all to her, I trusted her too much to re-ad throu-gh. All she nee-ds now, to take over my company is the courts approval.”
“Are you gonna let her get it? For Rafael? You’ve worked too ha-rd to fail now. You have to fight for what is right… Get a lawyer, you don’t even nee-d a lawyer, cause you’ve got me.”
I raked my hands throu-gh my hair.
“Listen Emeliano… Things are bound to happen, and whatever is happening now, there’s a reason for it… I believe that.”
“So, do you think Rebecca’s just acting? Do you think she really cares for me?”
April bit her lowerl-ip. “I can’t say about that… We don’t un-derstand what goes about in that woman’s mind. But we have to go with it.”
“Go with what?” I asked.
“I don’t know, whatever it is that happens later on… But for now,
I suggest you try to move on.”
“By forgetting her.” I stated.
“I never said-”
I straightened up. “If, I am to fight for my company, get things back on track… I’ll have to turn it all off… Forget her, never talk about her betrayal. Turn whatever it was between us, to hate. ”
“You can’t solve anything like that. No one solves things like that.”
“That’s the only way to move on April..
She betrayed me, just like Camilla did, just like Rafael… I was right from the start, she was no different from them… I’ll move on… And I’ll get my company from their greedy hand’s. But I will start off by hating Rebecca Lewis. I can only hate her to face her.”
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✏ Week 3
My f!ngerstyped away on my l@pt©p’s keyboard. Work had piled up for me, the stupid break I took, almost cost me a fortune… But thanks to Piper and Diego always having my back, I was still okay. But throu-gh the past week, I had occu-pied myself with work.
It was the only way to st©p myself from thinking about her. I tried to hate her, to feel the intense wave of hatred when I hear her name of even think of her, but it wasn’t working- this was different from Camilla’s case…
It still felt weird to be without Rebecca, it still hurts to think about her betrayal or whatever it was, happened between the both of us… If there was ever a both of us.
You’re doing it again Emeliano… Focus…
My f!ngerstapped on the backspace key, erasing the ru-bbish I typed.
I got distracted when I heard a knock on my office door.
Why the hell was Piper knocking? Did she forget about the office line?
“Yes, come in.”
My eyes moved up briefly, “Piper, you know I’m busy-”
“You have a visitor.” Piper Said.
.There was an edge to her voice.
“I’m busy.”
When no movement was heard, I looked up at Piper’s pale face.
“What’s wrong?”
“She’s here.”
A sharp pain sliced throu-gh my che-st. I knew it was only a matter of time before- before I see her again- but-
“Emeliano?”
“s£nd her in.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah…”
You’ve got this… You’ve got this. I chanted in my head, over and over again.
My palms started to tear up, my breathing bec@mÂŁ uneven and it almost felt like I was hyperventilating.
Shortly after Piper left, someone else c@m£ in… I couldn’t bring myself to look up, but I would recognize the lovely scent of that rose like perfume anywhere anytime.
“Sit.” I said, still not looking up. It was her. It was Rebecca, I knew it… The tense silence in the office could be felt from every angle.
My f!ngersrefused to st©p typing ru-bbish, I nee-ded something else to concentrate on. something except Rebecca… The new version of Rebecca.
“I’m beginning to think you’re not actually doing anything on that l@pt©p.” Her voice halted my stupid attempt to not look at her, my f!ngerspaused, my whole b©dy went stiff. I gulped down, fighting the urge to not let my eyes move to her direction.
Come on Emeliano… You can only hate her to face her… But how the hell is that possible? I can’t even- I can’t-
“Emeliano?”
“Stick to the last names plea-se. Miss Lewis.”
Lewis! She was one of them… As evil as they all are! She betrayed me, used me… Just like Camilla did, just like Rafael. She- she lied to me- but- I can’t- arghhhhh….
To hell with this! I f0rç£d my eyes to focus on her.
Big mistake.
It all c@m£ running back to me… The memories, that night… Everything.
It was that moment I realized I was done for. It was that moment I knew I wouldn’t be able to hate this woman in front of me… She had eaten her way too de-ep into my heart, it was going to be difficult to hate her, it would be difficult to pretend to hate her. I knew it.
She looked different, just like she did that night. With clas-sy make up and styled hair.
Her eyes wasn’t giving away any emotions whatsoever. It was just blank. Empty of anything. Of everything.
“Now that I’ve got your attention.” She said, reaching into her purse and bringing out a file. “We have a meeting with the overseer of this case, tomorrow… It’s like a dinner meeting, he wanted it to be a peaceful one. I guess it was because of the history-”
“It can never be a peaceful meeting, Miss Lewis. Your family is trying to steal my company, give me a reason why I shouldn’t hire a very good as-sas-sin to finish this rivalry once and for all.”
A sly smile kicked up at the corner of herl-ips, the kind I’d never seen before. “You can’t do that… No violence… It was all in the paper I made you sign… You try anything? You’re leaving with absolutely nothing.”
“This is outrageous.”
“Yeah, you should have re-ad the file before signing. Mr. Alfredo.”
She glared, throwing the file on the table. “I expect you to be early… If you want this case to be in your favor. which I know, it won’t. ” She closed her purse.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Do I really have to explain that to you now? Can’t your dumb br@in pick up what really is going on here?”
“No it can’t, cause my dumb br@in can’t help but want to strangle the life out of you right here.”
She chuckled, one that didn’t reach her eyes. “Well, you can only imagine. You never really learn. Not everything you see is what it is.” She stood up. “It was nice having this agonizing conversation with you… Hope you make it to the dinner on time… The address is all in there.”
“What makes you think I’ll come?”
She paused. “I know you will.” Her eyes lingered on mine a little too long before she finally looked away. Walking out of my office.
She was right… That was really an agonizing conversation.
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“I seriously still can’t believe it… I refuse to believe it.” Diego said, taking a swig if his beer.
“Me too… It just feels so sudden. Don’t you think? I mean… It could all be some kind of plan to get Rafael out of the picture.” Piper added.
“Plan? If it was really a plan, she’d have told me, at least… Maybe an hint or something. I don’t think it’s a plan.” I said.
“Well, I for one, don’t think Rebecca would hurt you this way… She’s not evil… And she really didn’t have any connection with Rafael, it she had, I would have known you kidnapped the girl I went to college with.” Diego said.
“Yeah, and it could also mean that she only befriended you because she knew you were friends with me… She didn’t tell you anything because it was all planned by her and her f—-d up family.” I suggested.
“No… I know Rebecca. Listen to me Emeliano. She’s nothing like what she is now… I’m betting a hundred percent that she is trying to permanently take Rafael out of the picture.” Diego said.
“Me too.” Piper nodded. “Yeah, I spoke to Rebecca few days before the p@rty… I told her that Rafael c@m£ to see you… And she told me she had a plan. I’m guessing this is the plan.”
“So why didn’t she tell me? Why is Mason here? Why is she acting like Marcos and Camilla are the only ones she has ever cared about? Huh?”
“I don’t have a theory for that.” Diego murmured.
“It could as well be a p@rt of the plan.” Piper suggested.
“No, that’s just stupid… If this was really planned by her? Then it’s absolutely stupid… you can’t just do that to someone.” I said.
“I agree with you on that. But- you have to have a little faith… Don’t you think?” Piper asked.
“Faith? I don’t think I can. She has broken me to the last, and I seriously don’t want to keep thinking of her… I nee-d to find a way to save my company.”
“I’ve got an idea.” Diego said. “I know Rebecca. she might put up a strong front to get her message pas-s… But- if there’s something I know quite well, then it’s the fact that, she hates when things backfires at her. There’s only one way to find out if this is really an act.”
“What are you insinuating?” I asked, not getting his point.
Diego smiled before speaking.
“You, my friend are going to get a d@t£ to that dinner meeting.”
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#To_be_Continued