02: Multi-Million Dollar Debt

CHRISTY:

Runaway bride. Billionaire jilted groom. 

Yes. I was Everette Watson's runaway bride. A billionaire and owned a multi-billion company where my father was also an investor. 

Our marriage was about a potential business marriage, but since I was a romantic fool who believed in love, I did not accept the marriage and ran away even if I risked my parent's wrath. 

My parents disowned me, but did not care about it thinking this was my life and I was the only one who could decide for me.

"You look lovely in that dress, by the way," Everette commented while devouring me. 

It was an overlapped v-neck red dress which I had been saving for occasions like this. The fit was perfect for my size. 

If he was the Rett I chatted with three months ago, I would be happy by now. But seeing him made me look like a fool.

Did he even know it was me behind the screen name? Did he know it was me replying to his messages? 

Did I fall into Everette's trap?

But I never noticed any signs that he knew me. The Rett I chatted with was even sweet, always reminding me to take my breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We even slept late because we enjoyed each other's company. 

"Thank you, but your sweet words do not make my heart flutter. I have to go. You wasted so much of my time, Mr. Watson."

"I wasted your time? This is not even enough for the waste of resources I expelled after you ran away from our wedding, Christina. I spent millions on that wedding. And did you imagine the embarrassment it brought to our family?"

I did not, that was why I ran away and never returned to my parent's house and hid from Everette.  

"Five years have passed and you haven't moved on, yet?" I asked, sounding nonchalant. 

"I made myself clear I do not want to be married to anyone else. Not even you. You never listened, Mr. Watson."

Everette lifted his eyebrows while a sickening smile was plastered on his face. 

"You don't want to marry the man you met, but you wanted to marry someone whom you have not met?"

My cheeks flashed. 

He was referring to our chats. I was quite vocal to him because I believed it was no longer necessary to hide anything if I could say it now. 

"That's my preference but after knowing it was you, I never wanted both."

Everette clicked his tongue. 

"Why don't you take a seat first before you? We have a lot of things to patch up, Christina for the last five years."

Ugh.

Not my full name. I hated hearing someone say my full name. And because Everette about that, he kept on repeatedly saying my full name.

"I have no business left for you. The business marriage was already null and void."

"I'm excited to see you. Maybe you are so handsome, my dear Rett. Can I marry you, Rett? Your voice is sexy," he declared, uttering the words I told him when we were chatting for the past three months. 

I bit the inside of my cheeks. "Shut up!"

He lifted his gaze and looked at me while motioning for the chair opposite to him. "The list goes on."

I clenched my fist. "Do you know it's me you've been messaging? Is that why you specifically wasted your time to reply to my messages?"

Everette was busy. So busy that when we were nearly getting married, he never even saw me. Just once. Only when our parents agreed to marry us. 

But for the past three months, he always replied to my messages as if he was not busy, making me feel extra special. It was embarrassing to know that I fell into his trap without even knowing it. 

And if I was given the chance to erase everything, I would do it. 

Everette shrugged off. "I actually did not know it was you. We both agreed not to see each other's faces until we met."

"What a load of lies. Do you want me to believe that? You asked someone and hired him to look for me. Didn't you receive my letter before? I want you to forget me."

We only called each other but never video-called.

Damn.

If only I remembered his voice, I would have long ghosted him. This would never happen. 

"So, what do we have to talk about? That's the least I can do for you so that we won't be wasting our time."

"You want me, Christina. At least you wanted the Rett I showed you. And I am that man," Everette stated, full of confidence. "You're quite outspoken every time we chat. But now, you've been quiet. You're usually chatty, Christina. I must admit that you got my interest."

"I stay quiet with people I don't like," I hissed. 

"Ah. But you've been saying how much you like me when we chatted."

I slapped the table angrily..the people looked in our direction, but I didn't care right now. 

"Why are you pushing me to my limits?"

Everette's expression turned serious.

"Sit and we will talk. Do not run away. I have someone who's been watching you right now. I've been looking for you for five years, Christina. And now that I found you, I won't allow you will slip into my fingers again. Sit, before I am still in a good mood 'cause whenever I thought about how you embarrassed our family, I wanted you to pay all the damages right now."

The damages. 

How could I pay it when I was also struggling?

I folded my arms in front of my chest. "I don't want to."

"You don't want to? Or do you want me to ask you to pay for all the food I ordered? Believe me, these foods are expensive. Could you afford them?"

My eyes darted to his table. Indeed, he had already ordered and everything was expensive. There was a lobster. A steak and many more. 

"You don't still change, Mr. Watson."

"Everette is fine. Or you can call me Rett like you used to when we were still chatting."

My hands trembled. Can I punch him? It would be satisfying to punch a billionaire like him. 

Those damn messages exchanged between me and him...those sweet messages I sent thinking he was someone else. I poured my heart into those messages.  I poured my feelings into those damn messages, and now Everette was using those to embarrass me? I was always looking forward to every reply because I thought he was someone else!

I was glad I ran away from our wedding or else, I would have stuck with this man who did not even know how to respect a woman's feelings.

"You are still an asshole the first time I saw you."

"And you never hesitated to tell me what's running in your mind," he shot back. "I admire your courage, Christina."

"What do you want?"

"I was supposed to be seeing my date, only to find it's you. The company is doing fine and I need an outlet to destress myself. And I met you on an online dating app. You should be honored because a busy man like me has wasted my time for you."

I grabbed the napkin and played it with my fingers. "Far from it. You're running in circles, Mr. Watson. If you're busy, I am too."

"I like your outfit today. It showed all your delicious curves."

My heart skipped a bit. 

What the. 

You should not be reacting to him!

"Sorry, but I don't fuck men on first dates."

I had a couple of one-night stands, and each time I did it, I wore protection. But this Everette. I would never allow him to touch even the strands of my hair.

Everette laughed.  "Really?" he asked, sounding amused. "I had no idea it was you, Christina. This is all a coincidence and I loved it."

"Same." I pretended to yawn. "I'm getting bored, Mr. Watson. Tell me what you want and let's end this date."

Then, I will uninstall my Swiped account and will no longer look for a man using an online dating app. What if it was him I would be chatting again. l?

A shiver ran down my spine.

After this, I had to stay low. 

Damn.

"Do you even know what happened to your parents?" he asked out of the blue.

I put my hands down and watched him. "Don't drag my family into this." 

I did not have the most loving family, though.

"You don't know what happened to them, do you?"

My heart raced wildly against my chest as my hands got clammy.

What the heck was this man trying to say? That something happened to Mom and Dad? Yes. It was wrong to run away from my wedding, but I thought they would understand what I did. At that time, I did not want anyone to decide for my life whether it was my family or not. 

I decide my own life.

"Don't beat around the bush, Mr. Watson." I disconnected from my family thinking they were angry at me. 

"Your father had a mild stroke while your Mom had to take over your company. But shit happened and wanting to save the company where they worked so much, your Dad was forced to work even if he was not feeling well. The investors slowly doubted if he could serve the company. They started pulling their investments until..."

Breathing became ragged.

The company whom they almost treated like their own daughter was on the verge of failing.

"What?"

A smirk formed on Everette's face. 

This ruthless behavior was enough reason why I opted to run away from him and I did a fine job of running, but then he had to register in Swiped, and now...we met.

"They asked for my help. I had given them a multi-million dollar to start again."

No, freaking way.

What my parents did was like a deal with the demon. Everette was considered ruthless in the business world. He would take everything which he believed was his. He was nothing like Sebastian Evans, Poppy's husband. The latter had more soul compared to Everette who was soulless. 

"In exchange for what?"

"The most important thing for them, of course."

"The company? You're going to buy it? I don't care about the company." It only mattered to my parents.

"Silly." He put his hands on the table. "A daughter in exchange for helping them. You are their most precious daughter. You will be marrying me in exchange for the multi-million dollar debt. And the damage you did to our family after jilting me five years ago."