BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Valerie’s POV

Fred is blackmailing me to have lunch with him because I bumped into his car. I’ve spent two hours with him already and it’s noon.

Determined to piss me off, he asked that I take his car to a mechanic. Fortunately, I found some notes in Ryan’s car and after getting the car fixed, he demanded to have lunch with me.

I know I am not supposed to agree to have lunch with my ex-boyfriend. I am supposed to hate him and spite him so much for trying to hurt Ryan but Fred has become so unfamiliar to me and I guess my curiosity made me give in.

“You still look beautiful”, he comments, making me take the straw away from my mouth as I stare at him.

I didn’t have breakfast this morning before going out. By the time we were done fixing his car, my stomach was already rumbling and that was why he suggested we grab lunch nearby.

With a proud smirk, I remark. “Just like Brenda.”

He turns his face away and curses under his breath. “Brenda is nowhere close to your beauty, Val and you know it.”

“Don’t call me that ever again”, I warn him, adrenaline shooting up my spine. “You think I’m here with you because I want to? Do you think I’m here so we can discuss the bullshit you did? Don’t get me started, Fred.”

I take a drag of the milk shade, turning my face away from him.

“Hey, come on. I already told you Brenda and I are not together. What happened was a mistake that I will continue to regret for the rest of my life.”

A short laugh escapes my mouth, not because I find him funny but because he thinks I am a fool and I will fall for this again.

Asshole!

I should finish up and get out of here.

“You don’t believe me, right?” He points to his chest. “What do I have to do to prove to you that we are not together?”

“Get lost! Never show your face to me again! That’s the only thing I need from you, can you do that?”

My interest in knowing about Celina whom I saw with him at my dinner date with Ryan last night is beginning to go down drastically.

She is the reason why I am here because I thought I would find my answer since Ryan isn’t ready to tell me who she is.

“Brenda was your friend, Val…”

“Who you cheated on me with”, I yell with annoyance, grabbing the attention of others. Trying to calm my nerves, I warn again. “Don’t get me mad, Fred, and don’t call me Val.”

Ryan now calls me that. It should be exclusive to him because Fred doesn’t deserve that honor.

He falls silent and we continue to eat. When I am almost done, my phone begins to ring and I pick up to see Ryan’s mom’s name flashing across the screen.

“Valerie”, she calls out with a sharp voice.

Feeling guilty for not showing up yet, I shut my eyes. “Mom, I’m sorry I haven’t shown up yet. I am…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t be home today. Can you come tomorrow or next? I want you to meet someone.”

“Ok?” I say, expecting her to reveal more about this person’s identity.

“See you tomorrow, ok?”

“Ok,” I say and she hangs up immediately. She doesn’t sound depressed or sad and it reminds me of the fact that I am claiming pregnancy. I claim to be pregnant and it is also reminding me that I am married.

Not to this jerk in front of me but someone else worthy to be called a man who respects me despite my childishness and stubbornness.

The very day Ryan asked me if he could have a sex partner outside our marriage was the day my respect for him increased tenfolds.

It indicates how much he respects me. Other men won’t bother to ask a woman for such permission. Men who cheat don’t need permission to go out to cheat. Ryan came out clean and told me what he wanted.

I understood him and gave him the go-ahead. Just because we are married doesn’t mean I should let him stick to me without sex for 20 months. He is a man and men can barely hold up for so long.

Brenda used to tell me that sex is addictive and I shouldn’t blame her for wanting to have sex almost every week. She said if I wasn’t a virgin, I was going to crave it more than she was.

I wasn’t being judgmental but I wanted her to settle with one man. I wanted her to have a boyfriend. I never knew she had eyes for my boyfriend.

Even though I haven’t had first-hand experience yet, I believe I know a lot about it. I am not totally naive in that aspect. It’s just because I am not mentally ready for it.

Besides, I rarely feel the urge. But when it comes, Fred is always away and maybe we would have had sex if only he was around on two occasions when I had to leave home because I was craving for something more from him, more than just mere kisses and cuddles.

I left home and went to his apartment. I waited all night but he never came home.

“Ryan Lorenzo”, Fred mentions and scoffs, grabbing my attention and making me lift my head to meet his intense gaze. “You married him for his money, Valerie ”

I do not reply to him. I just want to finish up and leave.

“I know you don’t care about money but when did you change within a space…”

“You know what? I’m done here”, I interrupt him from going further as I drop the burger in my hand and stand up abruptly from the chair.

His hand grabs mine as he blocks my way from going out. “I’m sorry, finish up.”

That stare isn’t doing anything to me. That puppy look he used to give me.

Am I getting over him already?

My heart isn’t beating erratically in my ribcage, probably because I spite him so much now and I wish he would never show his face to me ever again. Can’t he just vanish into thin air so I don’t have to see him and be reminded of our past?

I have nothing to do at home now that my meeting with Ryan’s mother has been canceled.

With a deep sigh and a renewed interest in knowing about Celina, I flop back on the seat.

Without waiting any more time, I fold my arms around my bosom and ask. “Who is Celina?”

His brows crease for a while before it turns into a smile. “Are you jealous?”

“What?!” He thinks I am asking about her because I saw her with him that night.

What a crazy fool! He thinks I am still head over heels for him. I might not have forgotten everything that happened between us, both the good and the bad memories but I am sure that I don’t love him anymore.

I just keep seeing all those underlined arrogance I never saw in him and all those hidden flaws that I never knew he had.

“Ryan knows Celina, that’s why I am interested in knowing who she is.”

His smirk gradually turns into a smile. “Celina is….”

I pay attention to him, waiting anxiously for him to spill. If he hates Ryan that much, then he will know the relationship he had with the woman we saw him with.

That might be right, but it wasn’t just for one reason.

“She is what?!” I ask impatiently, wishing he will just spill the beans so I can go.

He drops his hand on the table, leans forward, and whispers. “I will tell you everything about her if you agree to meet up with me next time. You choose the date and time.”

“Are you insane?!” I am surprised that I am still sitting still and not throwing any curse words at him.

What a flirt!

How come I never knew he was such a big flirt? I always thought it was the girls coming to him because of his looks but now I know he is a flirt and it is the other way around.

“Come on, Val. I know you don’t love Ryan. I’ve been observing you two and I see the way you look at him. You don’t look at him the way you do with me. Mind you, I was at your wedding too, I saw how you evaded his kiss.”

At the last statement, my heart begins to race as my mouth hangs open.

I wanted to shout at him and tell him that I love my husband but he got me. I thought no one noticed how I didn’t allow Ryan to kiss me on our wedding day because I didn’t want it.

“What…the…the hell are you talking about?” I find myself stuttering.

“You don’t love him. He doesn’t love you either.”

I shoot to my feet so I won’t end up saying what will implicate me. Fred has the foresight and can figure things out if I say more than necessary.

Picking up my phone and purse, I try to step away when he blocks me again.

“He can’t love or kiss you the way I do”, his breath fans my face, and the next minute, his lips are on mine.

It makes me lose my willpower because of the scenes racing through my head; how these kisses used to mean a lot to me and how they used to produce lots of butterflies in my belly.

Frankly, that spark is no longer there and it means one thing.

I am over him.

This realization brings tears to my eyes as I try to push him away but he doesn’t budge.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

With all my strength, I push him away and he stumbles backward. I take a step towards him, uncaring about who is watching. Raising my hand in the air, I strike him across his cheeks.

“I am a married woman. Don’t you ever try this shit with me again!”

His mouth hangs open as his chest heaves up and down.

Then, my phone rings. I step away from him and walk out with my phone glued to my ears.

“Where the hell are you? I have been calling you”, Ryan’s voice booms into the phone. I was too distracted to check the caller before picking up.

“Come to the hospital right now. Your father lost consciousness.”

I stop in my tracks as his words process slowly into my brain and I exclaim loudly. “What?!”