Romance: In Love With A Billionaire (5 page)

I was nervous and upset at myself, and going home was the last thing I wanted to do right after I got screwed by a man I barely knew. My stepbrother.

I wanted to forget everything.

Maybe I’ll wake up in the morning fresh.

Maybe I won’t be so wretched by him and the rest of the world, both of which seem to have something against me.

And there is no way I can face my father again for a while.

That relationship will just have to rest while I get my head around what I have just done.

What could I do best in that moment?

Well there was nothing I enjoyed more than drinking a bottle of wine with Madeleine, who would never back down from these kinds of tasks.

She always understood and supported no matter what happened to me, and no matter what hour I called her, she’d be there for me.

A true BFF!

Seeing as it’s the middle of the night and I was alone and raging, I picked up my cell phone and dialed her number.

As usual, she wasn’t sleeping because she was that type who sleeps four hours a night and in the morning has the energy of two horses.

I never knew how she could do it, but I loved her for her energy!

“Hi there, I hope I didn’t wake you up,” I told her as she picked up the phone.

“Me, sleep? At this hour? You must’ve lost your mind. Spit it: what happened to you, that you’re calling this time at night?”

“Wine, that’s what,” I replied.

“Now you’re speaking my language. How long till you get here?”

“Fifteen minutes give or take.”

Then I hung up knowing she would be expecting me right on her front door.

I bought three huge bottles of the finest wine I could get, because that night I wanted to get wasted…and nothing and no one would stand in front of my endeavor!

“What’s with that face?” Madeleine asked as I got off the car.

She’s standing right in front of her apartment.

“Let’s have a glass and then I’ll tell you everything. I don’t want to start before that because I’m afraid I’ll break all the bottles before getting to drink any of it,” I replied.

“Girl, you’re talking dangerously! Let’s go inside then.”

I threw my coat on her messy couch and went straight for the opener. I opened the first bottle of wine then poured in both of our glasses until the wine was almost spilled over.

“Calm down, Clara. What happened to you? What’s so bad you can’t even pour the wine properly?”

After I drank everything in my glass, I told her about my little adventure.

“You remember Blake, right? You know, the man who came to my office, my stepbrother I told you about…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know about him. You told me the following day how a jerk he was to you and the rest of it. What about him?” she asked.

“Well you see, tonight I was supposed to stay behind and finish some work before the weekend came, because my boss kept telling me to do so. I don’t know how he wanted me to finish because if I let him do it, it would take him a whole year. But that’s not important!”

“Then what happened that’s more important than that?” She sipped from her glass that was still full—mine already needed a refill. “I know you’re a freaking workaholic.”

“Well you see, as I was working there alone—because absolutely everyone had left—around ten I hear a knock on the door…”

“Get out! It’s just like in those horror movies when out of nowhere a freak comes in and butchers everyone.” Madeleine laughed.

“I wish it were like that, but my story took another turn,” I continued. “After the first knock, I thought it was just my imagination. But soon after came the second one…then I got real scared. I had no idea who that could be and what I was supposed to do, because I was sure the office was empty. As I was hoping that the creature behind the door would go—no matter who or what it was—all of a sudden I heard my name. In that moment I thought, ‘Who the fuck is looking for me this late?’ None of my friends knew I was there, and the people I work with care about my fate.”

“So who was that? Who was behind the locked door?”

“When I opened the door I saw Blake standing tall in front of me, smiling as if I had begged to see him years in a row.”

“It gets more and more interesting,” said Madeleine, rubbing her hands.

“He came into my office and started talking about having fun and all that. But I really had to work, so he offered to help me with it.”

“And you accepted, I suppose.”

“Of course I accepted. On one hand I couldn’t let him sit there and distract me, and on the other, on my own I would have finished next Thursday. Anyway, we finished really soon, sooner than I expected.”

“And?”

I was expensive with my words that night, for whatever reason.

I guess I didn’t have enough wine, so I poured again another one.

“And then he started talking about my ass, how fine it is and how sexy I am…stuff like that.”

“And?” she asked again, annoyed. “I’m going to punch you straight in the face if you keep me asking!”

“And we had sex! Happy now?” I said, rolling my eyes.

“That’s my girl! Was he any good?”

“He was amazing,” I replied. “Probably the best sex I ever had in my life. But it’s not the thing; what annoyed me has to do with what he did after we finished!”

“He ditched you, huh?” said Madeleine, disappointed. “I know how demoralizing it can be—after you gave them the best of you, they run like cowards!”

“Well, yes…but when I asked him why he was leaving, he told me that I’ll figure it out someday. As if my life’s some sort of fucking puzzle. Idiot!

“Well, dear Clara, what he did in the end renders his extraordinary sex to nothing. No one needs a walking dick! Stuff him; there are a lot of amazing guys in the world just waiting for your attention.”

“I hope you’re right, but I still can’t stop thinking why he really came to my office at that hour and why he needed to find out where I was. There has to be more to it than meets the eye.”

We moved to the next bottle of wine because the first one we finished instantly. By the end of that night, we were both wasted but happy, and it seemed that nothing bad could touch us.

Chapter Twelve

Waking up in the morning, I could feel how my head was about to explode from all the booze.

But I didn’t regret a thing: I had sex, I drank, and I couldn’t care less of what others would say.

My happiness was soon terminated by a phone call.

On the line was a lady, whose words I was trying to make sense of because my head was killing me.

“Miss Clara?”

“This is she.”

“Miss Clara, I’m from the local planning office. We realized there were some inaccuracies regarding the stadium, inaccuracies you’ll have to repair. I called to inform you that you have to redesign the sports stadium you’re currently building.”

“What the? This must be a mistake. I already have all the licenses and approvals for constructing the stadium, and we’ve started the work a couple of weeks ago. You checked our project several times and said everything’s okay. What has changed?”

“Well, we realized the design is not proper for the region and the surrounding buildings,” said the lady.

“Which building, if you could be more specific? Because there are dozens of them—I can’t look at every single one,” I asked in return, waiting for a straight answer because I felt like going there and killing someone just to release the stress!

“It’s not an existing building, but one that’s going to be right next to the stadium really soon. The sunlight to it is going to be blocked by your project if it’s going to be built in the current manner.”

Hearing those words, I finally understood the purpose of Blake’s visit to my office and why he left in such a hurry.

Bastard.

He didn’t want sex.

He wanted the plans.

The plans to the new building.

His actions hit me like a hammer in the head.

That prick came to my office and had sex with me just to fool me and look at my blueprints!

His sole purpose from the first day was to sabotage me so that he could have his office building the way he wanted.

What a prick.

“Thank you, madam,” I told the lady on the phone. “I’ll sort things out my own way.”

“Good,” she replied. “We need to clear the situation before both projects go on, because later, it’ll be much more difficult to do something about it. Have a nice day.”

My blood pressure must have risen somewhere around twenty points after she hung up.

I’ve worked a lot on this project, and now a prick came from God knows where and stuffed it up entirely.

I knew my papers are all okay, so he must’ve bribed someone at the planning office to have his own way.

But I wasn’t going to let him win without a fight—this, I learned from being raised without a father.

I’m going to bite the flesh out of Blake’s bones, if necessary!

I decided to call him before I do anything else, because I wanted to hear it from his mouth.

I wanted to hear those words that would say he’s to blame for all this mess.

He didn’t answer the first time I called, but I persisted until finally he picked up the third time.

He answered with an abhorred voice, as if I had disturbed him from the most important meeting of his life!

“Why did you mess with my project? Wasn’t it enough that you came to my city and I let you screw me? And now you thought to screw me in other ways too? You know this means war, and you are not going to like it!” I yelled at him through the phone.

I was pretty sure that if he were in front of me, I would break that pretty nose of his.

“Hold on…and stop yelling in my ear. Do you want to break my eardrum? What is wrong with you?” he asked, as if he had no idea what was happening.

“What is wrong with me? What is wrong with me? You dare ask that? You’re lucky I’m not in front of you right now, because I’d take one of your eyes out!”

“Calm down, Clara. Your threats and warrior spirit aren’t helping. I don’t have time for this shit, really.”

I couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth.

What a bastard.

He’s acting like a jerk; everything he says is only meant to serve his purposes, and he doesn’t care if he hurts anyone in the process.

A narcissist bastard, that’s what he is.

But I was going to put an end to it and wipe that smile out of his face.

I knew he was smiling—I could feel it!

“Call the people from the planning office and tell them to unblock my project. I haven’t busted my ass with this stadium just for you to come and mess it up right now!”

But he didn’t listen to my request.

“You call that a stadium?” he argued. “A bird’s nest is better looking and more resilient than that thing you call a stadium. I told you, women should mind their business and take care of shopping, stewing pans, and whatever it is women do to not get bored. Leave the more important things for men: that’s just the way it is.”

Hearing his audacity and sexism made me go crazy—I simply threw my thousand-dollar phone into the wall, tearing it to pieces.

This was the last shit I was going to take from someone who thinks himself the most important person in the world.

I’m going to prove to him that he’s just a lame piece of shit, like many other similar to him!

I started looking for the files to prove that I was right and that my construction project could continue.

Chapter Thirteen

For the rest of the day, I gathered all the documents and materials for proof.

I just couldn’t sit and watch as someone mocks me and my efforts. I’m a fighter, and it means I’m going to give him the fight of his life.

By the end of the day, I had everything I needed. The result was a one-foot pile of papers—papers given by the same office that asked me to redesign the project.

I barely slept, due to stress and thousands of thoughts that crossed my mind.

All I wanted is for time to pass as fast as possible so that I can go to the planning office and smash them in the face with the same papers they gave me, attesting the validity of the project.

First thing in the morning, I took one of my assistants to help me carry the huge load of papers and went straight to the planning office, as I wanted it to be the first thing to deal with that day.

I knew that they always found excuses not to do things.

They immediately recognized me when I entered.

But I didn’t go in with my assistant or my evidence yet, because I wanted to see their reaction and how they’ll act when a person simply asks them to do something without having anything to “blackmail” them with.

I was sure they’ll consider this blackmail, when in fact it was my right and legitimacy to ask for the unblocking of my project.

“Good morning,” I bypassed the secretary and stormed into the head planning manager’s office.

“Um… hi? May I help you?”

“We spoke on the phone yesterday.”

“Oh… You’re the stadium girl I talked with yesterday. Have you come with the required modifications?” he asked so nicely and relaxed, but I could barely hold my nerves together.

“No, I haven’t come with any modification. I’ve come to tell you to give me a break and put the project back on track, because my designs are okay and you were the ones who gave me the permit to build just a few months ago. Back then the project was good, and now it isn’t anymore? Is that what you’re telling me?” I asked her quite nervously.

Seeing how the blood rushed to my face, he backed her chair off a little bit. He’s probably afraid I would attack him, but that thought never crossed my mind.

“We told you yesterday what the problem is, and there is simply nothing we can do for you. Either you modify the designs or your project is put on hold. You’ve now chosen how you want things to get going.”

He gave me a straight face that said, I just don’t give a damn about you and your projects.

“Was the bribe good at least?” I asked him, letting my nerves and frustration out in the open.

“How can you talk like that? Don’t make me call security.”

“Well it seems that’s the case. He came here with his project months after we started the procedures, and then I find my project blocked just for those people to have their shitty office building. Let them go to the beach if they wanna see the sun!”

Then I smashed my fist into the wall.

The planning manager, clearly a bit scared, tried to get me to leave.

“Lady, please go,” said another who just came into the room. “There is nothing we can do to help. Is that hard to understand?”

“I won’t leave until justice is made and my project is back on track,” I said.

The manager started laughing. “If justice is what you want, then build a court.”

Seeing their attitude, I went out and returned with Sally, my assistant, and with my huge pile of documents.

I threw it right on the manager’s desk, almost hitting her in the face.

“What about now?” I argued. “Do you have the same opinion regarding my project?”

“What are these?” he asked, confused by the amount of papers in front of him.

He probably forgot they were the ones who approved them months ago.

The poor people must all have Alzheimer’s, but I was okay with that—I can make them remember every single thing they’ve forgotten!

“These are all the licenses and legal approvals from your office that state my stadium is both legal and feasible, thus there is no reason for me to change either the schematics or the design of the building. And if you think you’re going to fool me just because a prick gave or promised you something, you’re completely wrong. You’ll see that, eventually—I’ll make you see!”

He checked the documents, then called two other employees to help him with his efforts.

As they went through those files, they got more and more embarrassed by the fact that they didn’t manage to fool me.

Now I’m about to show them how corrupt they really were when they struck that deal with Blake.

After two hours or so of waiting, the men at the office apologized, admitting that I was completely right about the feasibility of my project and that they’ve been fooled by Blake.

He had come to them, requesting that my project be terminated in order for him to get his ‘precious sunlight.’

“Miss Clara, you were completely right about your claims. Therefore, our office asks for your apologies. We also want to excuse our attitude toward you earlier this day,” said one of them while arranging my files.

“It’s okay,” I replied. “All I wanted was justice and nothing more, because I’ve put a lot of effort into this project. This stadium is my baby, and I don’t want it to be ruined by someone who knows nothing about it and has no right to interfere with my business!”

“Thus, madam,” said another—I guess the one in charge, but I couldn’t care less about their hierarchy; all I wanted was to go home knowing that my stadium was being built the way it was supposed to from the beginning. “You can continue building the structure with the original design, and you can be fairly sure nothing will interfere with your activities from now on.”

“Yes, victory!” I whispered to Sally. Now I could finally show that prick who I really was. And if he still kept that superiority, it will only mean that he’s either crazy or a mad.

They told me that Blake would be contacted later that day to be informed that his application was rejected.

“C’mon, Sally, let’s go,” I told my assistant. “It’s time for us to celebrate.”

What did we do? We went to have some shots at the first bar we encountered.

“Girl, it’s party time!” I yelled outside the building so that everyone could hear me—I just didn’t give a care.

Soon enough, I finished my shots with Sally, and she got tipsy after just a couple of rounds.

She didn’t have the training, poor her, and I had dragged her to such a despicable place.

I felt bad about that…