Claimed By The Billioniare I Once Rejected

I couldn’t focus on work ever since the driver showed up.My eyes kept looking at the clock, waiting for it to turn to the tenth hour.Ryan arrived at ten on the dot.I talked with Lucia, and she gave me 500 dollars. She had given me this job when I told her I had nowhere to go. So I have worked here since then even though I was offered higher prices per hour at other cafes. I couldn’t leave Lucia who was like a sister to me.Ryan held the door open for me as we left the café, grinning like this was the first time we were going out.“You look prettier when you’re working hard,” he commented.I smiled somewhat, wiping the sweat off my face. “Stop it. I’ve been working for three years. I look and smell bad.”He nudged my shoulder. “Come on, girl. Let me spoil you a little.”Spoil.The word sat strangely in my chest.Ryan wasn’t the type to spend on things he didn’t consider “necessary.” But today his mood glowed with something too bright to be normal.Is he taking our relationship to th

Adrian’s POV:Last night, I was at Miracle Club, with a mask and goggles covering my face.While I was sipping on a cocktail, the waitress on the other side of the table kept asking if I had any special plans for the night.I ignored her and waited until one man came and sat next to me.He was not as tall as me. Not as rich or handsome, either.But he had somehow captured the heart of the girl I had longed for.He was Ryan Miller.He saw the cocktail glasses in front of me and said, “Can I take one?”I nodded.He finished it one go and ticked his tongue a few times. “Tomorrow is going to be a big day in my life.”“Why?” I calmly asked, taking a sip of alcohol.“I’m going to get a promotion and become the vice manager of the company,” he smiled. “My salary is going to go from 70K to 115K. Can you imagine that?”“That’s a big jump.”“It wasn’t easy. I had to sleep with my boss’ wife whenever she wanted,” he responded.I was surprised enough that I wasn't able to swallow the wine for a f

Later that evening.I was checking Vivian’s profile on my mobile.She was a well-known fashion designer and made millions every year. But her father was a big real estate dealer with a net worth over 900 million dollars.“She’s a big deal. No wonder Ryan chose her over me…”I wasn’t even that hurt, not because I found some logic in what Ryan did, but because I couldn’t care about Ryan’s choices anymore.My phone snapped me out of my slumbering thoughts.The peaceful ringtone made me want to hear it until the end.But it was Lucia calling, so I answered it in ten seconds.“E-Elena, an excavator came to my cafe and completely razed it to the ground,” Lucia was crying hard, panic filling her voice. “I don’t know what to do.”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.Lucia had bought the cafe over four years ago. Why would someone suddenly destroy her cafe?“W-Who did it?” I quickly asked. “Did they tell you the reason?”“There were police officers, and they said the property legally belongs

Elena’s POV:Lucia opened the gift boxes and was shell-shocked, in a good way, from seeing all the top-class kitchen equipment with which her job at the cafe would be a lot easier.“This ultra high-end espresso machine is worth over 20,000 dollars,” Lucia was gasping. “And it’s fully automatic! These coffee grinder and blender are close to 3000 dollars each.”There were also fridges and freezers, which cost tens of thousands more.“Just who is this friend of yours?” Lucia asked me. A hint of worry could be felt in her voice. “You didn’t sell your body to this rich friend or something, did you?”“It’s nothing like that. He’s a childhood friend,” I told her.“Oh, but still… friend or not, no one would do this much help unless they really love or respect you,” Lucia said. “In your case, I think it’s love.”I wasn’t surprised that Lucia was able to figure out everything without even me telling anything. She was a pretty realistic woman who had been through a lot in her life.“Are you goin

The car stopped outside Lucia’s cafe.It was time for me to step out, but I realized that I was yet to properly thank Adrian for everything he did.If it wasn’t for him, I would still be crying over how Ryan cheated me and wouldn’t have been able to do against Vivian’s bullying.I looked at him, fighting my lips to utter the words, “Thank you.”Not gonna lie. It sounded a bit awkward.Adrian’s expression didn’t change.WAs he expecting more?“You don’t have to thank me for something so small,” Adrian said. “It’s not like we just met each other.”“U-Uh, you’re right, but…” I scratched my cheek, trying to stop myself from smiling. “Your help wasn’t small. You saved Lucia’s career. Her dream.”By rebuilding the cafe overnight, Adrian had also made it very clear just how serious he wanted me.“Lucia is a responsible woman,” Adrian replied. “Otherwise, I might not have so readily rebuilt her cafe. It felt good watching her let you cut the ribbon with you.”“Why didn’t you come out?” I asked