Betrothed to the Billionaire

I get butterflies in my stomach a lot. In fact, there are a lot of things that give me butterflies. It doesn't have to be love or sex that gives me that.

Clubbing does. Being with my best friend does. Being happy does.

But this news before me is definitely one of the things that doesn't give me those butterflies in my stomach, that makes me excited about something I haven't done before or something that is about to happen to me.

I never saw this coming. I never envisioned my life to be going along this path and I still find it very hard to believe because my jaws are still dropped open in shock.

"Val, we know this is coming as a shock to you but it's for the best", Mother begins, her hands touching my thighs, jerking me back to reality. Father is sitting opposite me, his face in a deep frown. He looks frailer than ever before.

"We need to save your father's dying business. We talked about it at length and we thought it's high time you knew. I think now is the time for you two to meet so you can get to know each other better."

Now I can't take it anymore. Not because I have a boyfriend. But because I don't want anyone to interfere with my life or make decisions for me.

"No, mother,” I say sharply, startling her. I turn to face her squarely. "I am not meeting anyone and that is final."

"Valerie", Father calls with a harsh tone. This isn't about them, this is about me.

I am 23 years old. How can I be betrothed to some guy all my life without even knowing about it? I have a boyfriend. I have a life that I love. A life that gives me the right butterflies.

I am not doing this.

"Dad, I am not doing this", I voice out sincerely. "This is my life and I can choose to get to meet my so-called betrothed or not. I have a boyfriend for crying out loud!"

I didn't mean for my voice to be raised at my father but here I am doing that.

"I won't let you speak of my husband that way, you silly girl", Mother scolds me harshly, her hands leaving my thighs.

Did she just defend her husband? Last night, they were at each other's throats and I didn't even bother to ask what the problem was.

That is their shit, not mine and I have no reason to interfere in their affairs.

Ever since Father's company went bankrupt, he has been having issues with my Mother. Mother is finding it very hard to get accustomed to this new lifestyle he is offering us.

It was hard for me at first but I get used to new things or new places easily. Getting myself accustomed to being middle class is one of the easiest things for me.

"Really?" I peer down at her with a scoff.

"Really. Is this the lifestyle you want for yourself? When was the last time we went shopping, uhn? When was the last time we threw a huge party like we used to? I know this isn't what you want…"

"No", I laugh. This is definitely not what I want. This is what my Mother wants and she wants to use me to continue living that life.

What I want are butterflies. Always being present.

What I want is for Fred to stop cheating on me. Getting married at this age and to some strangers is not one of the things I want.

"You need to help your father, princess", she begins to use that tone on me. That soft, alluring tone she always uses whenever she wants me to comply. "Your father needs this help. The Lorenzos won't help us until we fulfill our promise of having you married to their son. You will like him, just try…"

"I have a BOYFRIEND, mother!" I shout, rising from the sofa in anger, my chest heaving up and down. "I have a boyfriend, for Goodness sake."

"The same one who is always cheating on you with other girls?" She retorts back sharply, standing up to my height.

What? How did she know about Fred's cheating?

He promised to change and I gave him another chance but I caught him again, two nights ago but this time it was with someone I know. She is one of those who give me those butterflies and who makes me happy.

She was fucking my boyfriend. I caught them in the act at a party I was invited to by the same girl who I caught with my boyfriend.

I told them I was running late and I guess they took the clue to get to the act before I was around. They must have been doing this for a very long time.

It broke me.

I cried.

But I am a strong girl. Fred always comes back to apologize and I was waiting all night for his calls. It never came until yesterday morning when his text came in.

He apologized for his mistake.

Brenda has always been a seductress and I am sure she seduced him. I don't want to have anything to do with Brenda ever again but I will make sure she regrets having sex with my boyfriend.

Fred is still my boyfriend. What happened two nights ago didn't change that fact. Because he was with my best friend doesn't mean I will let him go. I won't let her have him. Fred and I are still a thing and I am patiently waiting for him to summon up the courage to come to beg me.

Here.

"That idiot that keeps hurting you?" My mother's voice is raised. "Do you even know what you are doing? He always cheats on you yet you keep accepting him back?"

Who told her this? I ask within me, tears threatening to fall down my eyes.

Was it Brenda? Brenda is my best friend but she is close to my mother too and they talk about everything and anything.

Did she tell my mother about Fred's cheating? She had always condemned him and wanted me to leave him but now I know why she is so enthusiastic about me leaving Fred.

She wants him for herself and that won't be happening.

"This is a good life we are offering you", she is still talking. "This guy is handsome and wealthy. He is the younger billionaire in New York. What more do you want?"

"What do I want?" I ask back, then point my index finger at her. "What I want is for you two to stop interfering with my life."

She is surprised that I am talking to her this way. Father is silently watching us. Sparing him a glance, I move past Mother to leave when her voice stops me.

"You are getting married to Ryan whether you like it or not, Valerie. You two were betrothed to each other since you were still a child and I won't have you make a wrong decision when he is obviously better than your cheating boyfriend."

I am tempted to go back to her and tell her how Fred makes me feel. This is not just about the butterflies. There is more to it.

I want to shout out how much I love Fred and how much of a real man he is. He might not be as wealthy as this so-called billionaire but he is a real man.

Instead of doing what I have in mind, I walk out of the living room to the front door with one intention in mind.

I am going to have him back.

Brenda won't.

I am having ambivalent feelings about what happened tonight. That doesn't stop me from smiling at the thought of seeing Fred.

Hugging my jacket to myself, I step out of the car and begin to walk towards his apartment.

Now that I think of it, I don't really know if Mother doesn't want to support my relationship with Fred because he is not as rich as the man they want me to be married to or because he is cheating on me.

Fred cheated only twice.

If Brenda doesn't have eyes for him, then maybe he wouldn't have cheated on me yet again. Brenda is a bitch and I am going to prove to her that she is nothing but a bitch.

Fred and I love each other. He loves me a lot and I feel the same way. He is a passionate and kind lover. He cares for and adores me.

The love I stopped receiving from home for years since we have been struggling to maintain our status, Fred was able to bring it back. He showed me so much love and I couldn't help but fall so deeply for him.

Fred didn't give up on me when I thought he would. I thought he was going to get tired of me but he didn't. He kept coming back. He kept loving me.

How then can I give up suddenly when this is what Brenda wants? She wants us to be apart so she can have him to herself.

I won't let that happen. Fred is mine.

The atmosphere is unusually quiet and it dawns on me that I must have spent a lot of time at the clubhouse thinking about everything before I decided to come here.

Well, I thought Fred would be there too but he wasn't. I didn't take any alcohol because I knew I was going to drive to his place if he didn't show up.

I need him. I need someone to talk to.

If he hadn't cheated on me with Brenda, she would have been the person I would go to, to confide in him but Brenda is no longer a friend. She is nothing but a betrayer.

I already miss our friendship but that doesn't mean I will accept her back as a friend.

I have been out of the house since noon when mother broke the news of my betrothal to me, expecting me to jump up in excitement for being betrothed to some fucking billionaire and rush to my room to get ready to meet him.

I am not a kid for God's sake. I am an adult.

Why would she even think I would be excited about the news?

I step on the porch and take my hand out of the jacket pocket to knock on Fred's door.

After knocking, I dip my hand back into the jacket, waiting.

There is no response and I wonder if he isn't home yet. He usually closes from work at 9 pm and this is 11 pm already. I was at the club from 8 pm waiting for him to show up. I left the club a little after 10 pm.

I remove my hand and knock again. I am met with silence.

I sigh deeply and take out my phone to give him a call. It rings for a while but he doesn't pick either.

Feeling sudden anger, I knock more loudly and aggressively on the door and it is thrown open immediately.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been…"

"Hey, babe", he is shirtless as he pulls me into a quick hug.

When he releases me from the hug, I raise a suspicious brow at him. I have been knocking for over five minutes and there was no reply. But after calling his phone and knocking again, he came to the door.

Shirtless!

What is happening?

"Fred?" I call him when I notice him avoiding my gaze. Leaning his side to the doorframe, as though to block me from entering his apartment, I know something is up.

This is unlike Fred. He loves it when I come to visit. He loves to cuddle with me.

I am planning to spend the night out and this is the only place I wish to spend the night.

With him.

In his arms. To console me and assure me that everything is going to be fine.

"Babe, what are you doing here? I was just about to give you a call", he stares up at me with a huge smile on his face.

I take out my hands and fold them around my bosom.

My heart is sinking. Fred is at it again. He is acting strange because he must have done something bad again.

Without replying to him, I push him back and enter the apartment. I shouldn't give his betrayal any thought at the moment. What should be my major concern is to spend the night here? I can't go home tonight. I want my mother to realize her mistake and change her mind about this betrothal shit.

It isn't for me.

"Babe", Fred calls behind me and grabs my arm, spinning me to face him.

"Fred?" I can't believe he is doing this. Is he stopping me from spending the night here?

He does not say anything so I wrench my hand from his hold and turn back. This is when I see the reason for his action.

There are clothes sprawled on the floor in the living room. There are about five pieces of clothing on the floor and a pair of high heels.

A low gasp escapes my mouth as my gaze shifts instinctively to the staircase leading to the room upstairs, where Fred and I usually cuddle till dawn.

"Val, it's not what you think", he shows up in front of me, trying to defend himself.

"Fred." No word is forming in my mouth. I don't know what to think of this. I don't know how to react to this.

I can't believe Fred is cheating on me again. After two nights of catching him with my best friend. He isn't bothering to come to check up on me to know how I am doing. He has been at home having sex with another woman.

Is this because I told him I wasn't ready for sex? Is he finding it hard to control his urges? Why didn't he talk to me about it?

Just before a tear could roll down my eyes, he pulls me into an embrace.

"I love you, Val. Believe me. This is just a misunderstanding…"

At this point, I can no longer hold my anger in anymore. When I caught him with Brenda, I didn't shout or slap any of them. I left quietly. None of them ran after me and it broke me that they might actually go back to doing what they were doing before I interrupted.

"Misunderstanding?" My numb arm pushes him away. The push is hard because he lands on the sofa. "You call this a misunderstanding? Are you crazy? What exactly do you take me for, uhn?!" I find myself shouting and crying and also picking up each piece of cloth to throw in his face.

This shouldn't be happening. Nothing seems to be going the way I want or plan anymore.

This night isn't supposed to be this way. I am supposed to be warmly welcomed by Fred. I am supposed to be in the kitchen with him right now, watching him cook dinner for me because I am damn hungry.

After eating, we ought to be either kissing or playing a game. We ought to cuddle to sleep too but none of this is happening.

Fred is a lying and cheating bastard.

Picking up the heels from the floor, I throw them at him in a fit of anger but he dodges them as he jumps over the sofa.

Just then, I see someone from my peripheral view appear from the staircase.

Realizing that it must be the bitch he is cheating on me with, I force myself not to look, pushing back my curiosity to see the face.

I grab my phone from the table where I dropped it and walk to the door, hugging my jacket to myself and not bothering to clean the tears on my face.

Before I can turn the doorknob to go out, a voice stops me.

"Hello, Valerie", a familiar calls out to me and I turn slowly to see the smile of victory on her face.

Brenda? I almost call out with a shout. Brenda again? How long has this been going on?

I shift my gaze to Fred but he isn't looking at me. His gaze is on the floor and he is not man enough to look at me.

I made the wrong choice by dating him. I thought I could win him over and not give Brenda the pleasure of losing him to her but now I know I have lost this battle.

I can never win this because Fred doesn't even deserve it. He has the opportunity to choose me over her right this minute but he isn't doing any of that.

For me to win this, there is a different approach to apply. For me to have the last laugh, I should probably meet up with this so-called billionaire and have my revenge back at these two people who used to mean so much to me.

Without a word, I open the door and dash out with tears streaming down my eyes.