The Wife of the Billionaire

Adele heaved out a heavy sigh as she stepped out of her black Audi and gazed up at the villa standing tall before her. That was the residence of the Dominick’s, who happened to be the wealthiest family in the nation. They owned the largest business conglomerate in the country Dominick Co.

Adele had been adopted by the mother of the man, Mr. Michael Dominick, who owned this company when she was five years old and she was raised by that woman even though in a different country. It wasn't until she had her college degree that her adoptive mother forced her to come and live in the family residence, which she did not want to because she knew she wasn't welcome there. However, she did not want to disappoint the old woman, so she decided to come and live in the family residence, making sure to mind her business.

"Good evening to you, Brand," she greeted with a cheerful smile as she playfully threw her car keys to the parking valet and made her way into the luxurious living room.

It was almost dinner time, so she was not surprised to see servants in their uniforms, walking helter-skelter around, trying to organize places, especially the mighty dining because dinner at that household every day looked like a banquet.

They were rich people and they did not fail to flaunt their wealth everywhere they went or in everything they did, even at dinner.

"Good evening to you, Kain," she greeted the butler who approached her to take the thick winter coat she had on. The freezing weather left her no choice but to always have it on, especially as she was cold intolerant.

"Good evening, Miss Mackenzie, I will take your coat," the butler replied with a smile and without resisting, Adele quietly took off her winter coat and handed it over to the butler who quietly nodded his head and walked away. The aroma of the food coming from the kitchen made her intestines grumble, but a sudden wave of sadness overcame her when she thought back to the fact that she would be eating dinner with the entire family that seemed to despise her.

When she had been adopted by the old woman eighteen years ago, there was a big fight in the house. The wife of the old lady's son, Mrs. Aliya Dominick, was very angry and that woman still despised her and even her daughter, Shannelle, had joined her mother in the hating game.

"Adele!" she heard a familiar voice call as she was ascending the staircase leading to her princess bedroom upstairs. She turned around and a wide smile formed on her face when she saw grandma Devon standing in the living room. She immediately swiveled around and descended the staircase to go and greet her properly.

That woman was the most important person in her entire life and she loved and respected her very much.

"Good evening, Grandma," she greeted as she hugged her grandma.

"How was your day at work?" Grandma Devon asked concerned and Adele playfully rolled her eyes as she scoffed.

"Terrible, Grandma, terrible. I just want to go upstairs and have a shower so I can calm my nerves," she spoke eloquently with her rich British accent.

"Yes, you should do just that. And I want to let you know that after dinner, there will be a family meeting in my private library, I have a very important piece of information to pass on to you all"

"As in, all of us? Including me?" Adele asked, disturbed.

"Especially to you" She stressed and walked away and the mischievous smile on her face did not go unnoticed by Adele.

She could feel that grandma Devon was up to something and she knew what she was about to announce was going to take her off guard.

She went into deep thought as she lifelessly ascended the staircase and when she got into her bedroom, she threw herself on the bed with her arms and legs spread wide on it.

"Grandma, what are you up to this time around?" she asked rhetorically as she tried to figure out what the announcement would be about.

Grandma Devon was a very ambitious woman who was more than capable of getting anyone to do anything she wanted.

When Adele turned ten years old, she sent her out of the country to live with her sister in England and study and the moment she had her college degree, grandma found her a job back there in the country and called her to come back home. The night of her return, there was a heated argument in the house between grandma and the wife of her son, Aliya, about Adele's stay, but Aliya stood no chance against the influential women, so she stayed.

Ever since she got to the house, Aliya and her daughter, Shannelle have not failed to make her feel unwelcome. She has begged grandma time and again to let her go stay somewhere else, but grandma turned a deaf ear to her pleas over and over again, so she stopped asking.

She could only pray and hope that whatever announcement she was about to make would not be something that would make her life take a drastic turn.

****

After dinner, which was silent as usual, Adele went straight into her bedroom to put on another sweater. The house had a sophisticated heating system, but her cold intolerance made her feel like there was no heating system in the house. If they had to adjust the temperature of the thermostat to her taste, then everyone else was going to die of heat, so she always made sure to double sweaters to keep herself warm.

Once she wore the sweater, she exited her bedroom and descended the flight of stairs that led to the third and second floor which happened to beGrandma'ss chambers. The villa they lived in had six stories. The first floor had the largest living room, kitchen, dining and other rooms. The second floor was Grandma Devon's chambers, the third floor was for Mr. and Mrs. Dominick, the fourth floor was for the children (Adele, Shannel and Jamal) the fifth and the sixth floor were for guests.

When she arrived at Grandma Devon's private study, he let out an enormous sigh before stretching her hand forward to knock. When she did and the reply came, she softly creaked open the door and froze on her tracks when she saw the numerous pairs of eyes staring at her.

Everyone else was already present, and it looked like they were all waiting for her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she apologized as she closed the door behind her.

"You dare keep your elders waiting, how mannerless!" Aliya grumbled.

"Aliya, leave her be, it's not like you have been here for long. Take a seat dear" Grandma Devon defended her and she quietly nodded her head as she scanned around the room for an empty seat, but to her greatest dismay, there was none, the only empty seat was the space beside Jamal and that was the last person she wanted to seat close to.

Jamal hardly spoke to anyone at home, not to talk of her. He was the first son of the household and he was the future CEO of his father's conglomerate. Ever since she got back home from England, he had spoken just once to her and what he had said was:

"Welcome home."

That was one year ago and since then she and Jamal had never said anything to each other. They hardly even ever saw each other. She had no idea whether he hated her like his mother and sister did, but… even if that was the case, it would not be strange because Jamal didn't seem to like anybody. Not even his own mother and father.

"Go on, take the seat beside Jamal" Grandma Devon urged when she sensed Adele's hesitation. Adele quietly walked over to the couch and lifelessly lowered herself beside Jamal, making sure to leave ample space between them. To say that the man intimidated her was an understatement.

She feared the man!

"Good evening once more," Grandma greeted as she looked at them. "I know this meeting was called on a very short notice, I apologize for that. However, it was urgent that I called this meeting, that is why you all are seating her."

"Will you just go straight to the point?" Aliya asked in a bored tone.

"Will you not talk to my mother like that?" Mr. Dominick intervened, shooting his wife a scowl that caused her to shut her mouth and stay quiet.

Grandma dismissed her rude comment and rode on.

"I have called you all today to make a special announcement that involves Jamal and Adele," Grandma explained, looking from Jamal to Adele and she could see the uncertainty on Adele's face. She smiled in satisfaction as she sat upright on her chair.

"And what is that announcement, mum?" Mr. Dominick inquired, causing grandma to smile even wider.

"Adele and Jamal are going to get married!" she announced in a firm tone and the moment her words stroked Adele's eardrums, she choked on her saliva.

Adele coughed hard as she struggled to breathe and Jamal patiently rubbed her back to calm her down.

When she was calm again, she looked up at Grandma with a baffled expression plastered on her face.

"What?" she asked afraid and Grandma just smiled. At that moment, she was hyperventilating and her heart was beating at an increasingly fast pace. She feared that it would hop out of her chest. She was so startled at the news that her ears began to itch and her body suddenly grew hot. She had on two sweaters and her body temperature elevated so much that she began suffocating in the sweaters.

She hastily took off her sweaters as she began fanning herself with her hands.

Everything seemed so hot and uncomfortable at the moment.

"I object to this marriage arrangement! My son is not going to marry someone he does not love, he is not going to marry an adopted lowlife!" Aliya retorted in anger as she cast a furious glance at Grandma. "Dominick!" she called as she averted her gaze to her husband. "Don't just sit there, tell this woman that plan is not going to work!" She fumed in anger but Mr. Dominick did not move an inch from his spot or utter a single word.

"Aliya, will you stop embarrassing yourself and stay calm?" Grandma asked in a bored tone.

"Grandma, what is going on? Jamal and I can't get married, we hardly even know each other. I don't love him and I'm sure he doesn't love me too!" Adele objected and that got Jamal's attention.

He looked at Adele who had a terrified look on her face and clenched his fists.

"Jamal, please tell grandma this is impossible" Adele pleaded as she looked at Jamal. She wondered why had not said a word till that moment. She knew in her mind that Jamal did not want to marry her either so she wondered why he had not said a word or walked out like he always did when he disagreed on something.

"Adele, I know this is sudden, but this is my last wish. Please, marry him." Grandma pleaded.

"But, Grandma, Jamal …"

"This is preposterous! They are practically siblings!" Aliya shouted again.

"Siblings? Aliya, you have never treated this child like a daughter, how can you open your mouth and declare such foolishness?"

"But she was raised in this house, she is…"

"Jamal" Grandma cut her off and turned to face Jamal who had his gaze plastered on the floor. "Are you okay with this arrangement?" Grandma asked Jamal and the entire room fell in dead silence as they all turned to look at Jamal who had not uttered a single word the entire time.

He had an indifferent look and no one could tell if he was happy or disappointed about the arrangement.

"Finally, some peace and quiet," he whispered as he averted his gaze from the floor to them. "If it's grandma's wish that I marry Adele, then I will honor it. Let me know when the wedding date is set." He said as rose from the chair and stood straight tall before all of them. "Since the announcement has been made, I will retire to my bedroom now. I have some work to round off with" Then he majestically walked out of the study room, leaving everyone thunderstruck.

Adele kept looking at the door he just exited with her eyes and mouth wide open.

Never in her life had she imagined that something like this was going to happen to her.

Adele was restless the entire morning at work. The announcement that had been made the previous night was beyond shocking and what mortified her the most was Jamal's response.

"If it's grandma's wish that I marry Adele, then I will honor it. Let me know when the wedding date is set."

His words replayed on her mind like music and every time it did, her heart missed a bit.

She and Jamal were complete strangers and the man's entire existence intimidated her. He wasn't only rich, but he was the most famous bachelor in the entire country.

Not a day passed without him appearing in the newspapers. He went to public places with guards because of the multitude of paparazzi that flocked around him wherever he showed up and above all, he was a workaholic.

Jamal's entire life centered around his work. He didn't have time for anything else in his life. Adele didn't want to marry a man who would not give her the attention she needed.

She didn't want to marry Jamal King Dominick.

She was terrified of the man and his entire existence.

She was not even able to have a single conversation with the man, not to talk of sharing the same bedroom with him and having sex with him. The thought sent chills down her spine and she immediately shot her eyes wide open and shook her head.

"Gahhhh!" She screamed, shaking her head violently. "That cannot happen" She said as she picked up her cell phone and scrolled through her contact list.

Before she left that morning, Grandma had shown up from nowhere in her bedroom and saved Jamal's contact in her phone. She had instructed her to call him if she needed anything. She did not object, but deep in her heart, she knew she would have to die before she called Jamal to ask him for anything!

When she found Jamal's contact, she stared at him for a whole lot of seconds as she contemplated on whether to call him or not. She wanted them to meet and talk, probably talk him out of the marriage. She knew he had more influence over grandma than she did and that if he told Grandma he did not want to marry her, then grandma would let the matter go.

After a few moments of contemplating, she dialed the number and waited patiently for the phone to ring. She held the phone over her ear and paced about her desk as she waited for him to pick the call. After several rings, the call was finally answered.

"Jamal King's office, how may I help you?" a female voice came through and Adele was astonished but she immediately understood it was his secretary.

"Of course, it's his secretary. All calls are forwarded to her desk" She thought in her mind and cleared her throat.

"I will like to speak with Mr. Dominick if he is not busy"

"And you are?" The secretary interrogated and Adele could feel the rudeness in her voice.

"Just tell him Adele Mackenzie will like to talk to him." She instructed as she waited patiently for the secretary to forward the call to Jamal.

"Adele" Jamal's deep voice came through, causing Adele to stop on her tracks. The voice came like a smooth baritone.

Clear and calm. Certainly intelligent.

Reasonable.

"Jamal… uh… hello. I'm sorry for calling so abruptly"

"Do you need anything?" he asked calmly and Adele could sense a hint of concern in his voice.

"Umm… not… n…" she stammered nervously and at that moment, she wondered whether to pose the invitation or not.

They were just talking over the phone and she had already lost her calm and was blabbering like an idiot. She wondered what would happen to her if she talked to him in person.

"Adele, are you there?" Jamal's voice came through again, snapping Adele out of her thoughts.

"Yes, yes, I am… I I just wanted to ask if we can meet … you know. To talk about this whole issue, that is if you are not busy, of course… but if you are busy, then it's fine… you…"

"When do you want us to meet?" Jamal cut her off.

"Oh… ok…. Um… by one pm." she blabbered.

"And where will that be?" he asked curtly.

"At Wangis restaurant. "

"Alright then, see you at Wangis restaurant in two hours’ time." Then the line went dead.

Adele let out a heavy breath as she tiredly slumped on her office chair. She could feel sweat forming on her forehead.

How was she supposed to marry and live with that man when she couldn't even talk to him?

"Miss Mackenzie," a man called as he walked into his office and immediately, Adele sat upright to address the man properly because that was her superior at her work place.

She worked as an editor in a famous publishing company in the city and her grandma was the one who had gotten her the job.

"Yes, Mr. Franck"

"Kayla took a sick leave so I need you to fill in for her for a few hours."

"Oh… okay. What do I need to do?"

"Jamal King Dominick was spotted at Vegas restaurant yesterday. So, I called their manager and asked if they would like to do an interview about their restaurant that would be published in the newspapers and he was more than delighted to oblige. I need you to go there with Ciara and interview the manager. Ask him a few questions about Mr. Dominick's visit" he explained with all seriousness and Adele just kept looking up at him as if he had lost his mind. "Adele, have you heard a single word I just said?" he asked after noticing Adele's lost gaze.

"Yes, I have. I'm just, you know wondering… you want to interview the restaurant just because Jamal… I mean… Mr. Dominick went there to have lunch?" she asked in a state of surprise and the middle-aged man nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah. That's a big deal. Now, get the questions prepared, you leave at one pm"

"One pm!" Adele asked aghast.

Her meeting with Jamal was at one pm.

"Yes, I know it's your break time, but I'll compensate for that. After the interview, all you have to do is come back here and hand me the final draft of the article to be published tomorrow and then you can retire home for the day."

"Mr. Franco, I have made an appointment with someone at one pm. I can't fail him"

"Reschedule!"

"I can't… I really can't"

"Whoever it is, I'm sure he will understand when you tell him it's about work, just reschedule. It can't be that hard!" Mr. Franck proclaimed carelessly as he swaddled out of the office, leaving Adele totally dumbfounded.

"I really can't reschedule " She whispered breathlessly as she covered her face with her hands and groaned in frustration.

Where would she get the audacity to call Jamal and reschedule their meeting?

How would she call a man who even his choice of place for lunch mattered so much that it had to go in the newspapers and cancel a meeting she herself arranged?

Then a brilliant idea came to her mind.

"Yes!"