Chapter 1: The Billionaire

Elijah Theodore Martinez

“Sir, Mr. Martinez called earlier. He said that you need to go home tonight. And if you don’t come home, today will supposedly be your last day in the company,” my secretary, Miko, said fearfully after relaying Dad’s message.

What’s new? No matter what decision I make regarding Dad’s order, I’m doomed either way. If I don’t go back to the mansion, Miko will surely lose his job tomorrow—or worse, maybe even me. But if I do go home, I’ll probably spend another whole week in a bad mood.

I don’t know why my Dad is so pressured for me to have a child. The old man practically sells me off to all his friends and business partners just so I might take interest in their daughters. As if I’m going to run out of women in the world and never have children.

“I will give him a call, you may go now,” I calmly but firmly instructed Miko, who immediately obeyed.

As soon as I was left alone in my office, I called Dad. I just hoped he would still accept my reasons for not going to his place tonight.

“Hello, Dad. How are you?” I said in a tired voice, hoping he would notice. Besides, I wasn’t lying—I really was exhausted from all the meetings and work throughout the day.

“I’m all good, son. It’s good that you called. I tried contacting you earlier, but it was Miko who answered,” he replied with slight disappointment.

I leaned back in my swivel chair. Talking to our new investors earlier had really drained all my energy. “Sorry, Dad. You know I’ve been quite busy these past few days. Next week is the opening of our new hotel and resort in Palawan, and I want everything to be perfect like you told me,” I apologized.

“I know, Elijah, and I am very proud of you, you know that…” Dad said gently from the other line.

A smile immediately appeared on my face. Looks like my acting is working today, I thought to myself.

“…but that act will not work on me anymore, my dear son. You’re coming home tonight, or you’ll lose everything you have now. That’s the only option you have, Elijah, and I hope you make the right choice,” Dad added before hanging up, instantly wiping the smile off my face.

What the f*ck? It was basically his way of saying I had no choice but to obey him. I unconsciously massaged my temples as a throbbing headache suddenly hit me.

It was already past ten in the evening when I decided to stop by our house. Dad never specified what time I had to come home, so hopefully, if he had guests over, they’d already left.

I parked my Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail in the empty parking space in front of our house. I sighed in relief when I noticed there were no other cars in the driveway except for Dad’s collection.

But the relief on my face immediately disappeared the moment I entered the house and was greeted by a woman wearing a tight red dress. Even while seated, I could tell it was short from the amount of thigh she was showing, while her parents happily chatted with Dad.

“Oh, Elijah. Good thing you still came home. I was already planning to call Attorney Diaz,” Dad joked with a laugh, though the triumph on his face was obvious after successfully forcing me to come home.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I just had a lot to finish at the office,” I apologized again as I walked toward the living room where they were gathered.

“Your son is very hardworking, Elias. No wonder your family keeps getting richer,” the man speaking to Dad praised me.

I quietly sat beside my father while observing the guests.

“I won’t disagree with you there. I really can’t complain about my son. He’s hardworking and intelligent. I’m truly grateful to this kid because thanks to him, I’m enjoying early retirement without any worries,” Dad proudly boasted about me, which genuinely made me happy.

Even though it had only been the two of us since I was young, Dad never lacked in giving me care and love. That’s why no matter what he asks of me, I can never bring myself to refuse him.

“It must be wonderful to have your son as a son-in-law. If our only daughter ended up with someone like Elijah, I’d finally feel at ease—especially when it comes to business,” Mr. Sanchez, one of our new business partners whom Dad personally negotiated with, said with a smile.

“Oh, absolutely. In fact, I’ve already been trying to get him married. We’re getting older too, and I want to play with my future grandchild while I still can,” Dad teased again as he looked at Rachel, the Sanchez couple’s only daughter. “How about you, hija? Do you already have a boyfriend? My Elijah here doesn’t have a girlfriend,” Dad continued shamelessly advertising me.

“Dad, come on. Aren’t you embarrassed?” I whispered while rubbing the back of my neck. Even if I didn’t have high blood pressure, whenever I talked to Dad, I felt like my blood pressure shot up.

Rachel shyly smiled while sneaking glances at me. “I don’t have a boyfriend, Mr. Martinez,” she said modestly, though every glance she threw was directed at me.

I already knew how these situations went. Surely, this woman only wanted one thing from me. Just like the other girls Dad introduced to me, she probably only wanted my body.

Well, who was I to deny her wish?

I gave her a gentle smile before signaling for her to follow me to my room while our parents remained busy talking among themselves. And just as I expected, at the very first test, the woman standing before me already failed.