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Thirty-six
El allowed me to come to work today. It took a lot of convincing. A lot of kisses, cajoling, a food flask, a promise and a swear on the kids lives to call her if I feel the slightest bit dizzy. I also have to check in every few hours with her so she can be sure I’m alive. Her words, not mine. I love that crazy woman.
The telephone rings, I pick the receiver and Ed says, “Sir, Miss Sophia is here to see you.”
Shoving files to a part of my table to create space, I reply, “Send her in. Thank you.”
I roll a pen between my fingers, a small smile curves my lips. For once, everything is working out for me. I have El, I have my girls and I have my assistant. Jei and I are in the processing of concluding, once we have his signature on the contract, then project El will be ready. I sit up at the knock on the door. Maybe I deserve some of the finest things in life. Maybe I am not so unworthy of love. I deserve happiness too.
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Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Thirty-seven
Our dinner doesn’t happen. El sends another message to let me know she will be late. Late eventually turns to 8 pm without a text from my wife. I stop checking when she misses all my calls.The girls munch their dinner, I drag my spoon through my plate, shoving rice that already lost its taste into my mouth. Maybe she ran into T and they decided to have lunch. I might have done the same if it was Sophia.Err... No. I would never go on a date with another woman except if it was for business purposes.“Where’s Mummy?” one of them asks, I am not sure who because I am too focused on my plate.“She went out, she will be late.”I push my barely touched plate aside, earning glares from two of them. Their plates are empty, their glasses too. The rules are simple, no one wastes food. But I’m their father, I can get away with it today.We shuffle to the kitchen to drop our plates,
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Thirty-eight
In the morning, we take the kids to school together. After the girls dash to their classes, I corner Annie’s mum, knowing we are in El’s line of sight. She flashes me a smile I am forced to reciprocate, I shove my hands into my jacket as my insides knot from trying too hard to stop from cackling. This will be fun.With Ed back to work, I don’t have to resume early. I can start the day at ten, rest assured Ed will handle everything in my absence. Buy me more time to annoy Wifey who froze the moment she saw both of us.“I didn’t get your name,” I tell her.Her blue eyes crinkle with delight, her mouth moves in the shape of an O. “Elena.”The missing band on her ring finger doesn’t escape me. I take another step back to create a reasonable distance between us. I might be an ass but I don’t want my wife to be too upset. “Mrs Elena, thank–”“Oh, stop it.” She
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Thirty-nine
I wait. One minute. Two minute. El doesn’t speak. Her face is still in that frozen state of shock as she processes my words. Was this how she felt months ago when she confessed her feelings? It’s almost laughable how times have changed. I am the one begging her to love me. The therapy sessions with Ava must be working. Constant communication.Enzo honks twice, breaking El from her trance. “Where to, Sir? Ma?” I look to the madam, she tells him our next location. A supermarket. I bury my fingers in her scalp. She moans softly and her breathing grows heavy. I cup her breasts but she grabs my hands above my head, seducing me with her wicked smile.A brow jerks up as she slides to her knees, I am a goner when she bats those lashes at me. This view of her between my legs, those innocent eyes centred on me is what I want to see every day. My belt comes off first, she pulls the zipper down so slowly I nearly come in my pants from the anticipation
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty
El’s protests fall on deaf ears, I step out of the car and make my way to the door she stepped out from. Someone in that supermarket upset my wife. I need to have a conversation with that fucking someone.The chill air hits first, my hands slide into my pockets for warmth. Haven’t they heard of heaters? I take a tentative step forward, scanning the row of shelves holding groceries and other food items. The inside is smaller than outside, the place is empty except for the lady behind the counter chewing gum like a fool.Turning on my charm, I walk over to her and smile. Her cheeks pink, I fight the urge to roll my eyes as my hands rest on the flat surface. If she was my staff, she would be fired for her lack of professionalism.“Hey,” I say, finger tracing a line on the wooden surface.“Heyyy,” she replies, “what can I do for you today?”Her tone is suggestive, her accent is sim
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-one
Jei Clementine is stalling. I don’t know why. Ed passes me another file to append my signature, I do that and return it to him. We continue this in silence that’s interrupted by the growl of a stomach. A guilty smile spreads on his lips, I peek at my wristwatch. 6:30 pm. Way past lunch time and closing hours.“Have you eaten?” I ask.He adjusts in his seat, touching his tie as if to receive strength from it. “No.”I push the rest of the files aside. “We will continue tomorrow. You can leave.”An uncomfortable pause passes between us. He sets his pen on the desk. “I am fine.” His stomach disagrees, growling embarrassingly loud and Ed’s cheeks redden. “We can continue, I will eat later.”“You can go, Ed. We will continue this tomorrow.” But he doesn’t stand. His lips twitch like he is holding back his words. I sigh. These guys act like I
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-two
She is not joking. I wait and wait for El to laugh but she doesn’t. Her words sink into my chest, dragging my heart to my stomach. She returns to work and my lips pull into a line as her head hunches over the sheets strewn across her desk. I think I have been dismissed. That too by my wife. She doesn’t want more kids.El doesn’t notice how I sigh with my whole body or when I bring out my phone to check on our girls. Lydia is with them. I place a hand on the small of her back, loving and hating the feel of her body against mine. We are so close yet so far.I shoot a text to Lydia to let her know we would be home soon. I don’t want to be here anymore but one look at El stops me from standing. She’s too invested in the portraits. It reminds me of Bri’s sketch that used to be in the hall. It’s the only thing I have from her. Something she made for her dad, to gift her dad but never got to do.Uncomfortable with the sil
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-three
El is awake before me again. It has become the new routine. She sleeps late, wakes early. I prop myself on my elbows, watching my wife labour over an illustration on her iPad. Without makeup, the dark circles around her eyes are more prominent and her collarbone pokes at her flesh. She is skipping meals.Her brows furrow in concentration, she folds her legs underneath her and reclines on the couch. I stalk towards the couch, snatching her iPad which I push to the side stool so I can hoist her on my legs.I pinch her cheeks. “Time out.”“Time out?” The back of her hand goes over her mouth to stifle another yawn, confirming her need for a break. “But I just started.” I press a finger to her lower back, working the tension up to her spine and her body sags in relief. She reaches for the iPad again, I hold it above our heads. “Baby, I need to finish up.”“You need to take a break.”&
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Forty-four
The DNA result is the same. 99.9% and my heart is threatening to explode. It shouldn’t fucking matter but it does. That 0.1% makes all the difference. I curl against the window, eyes closed as the car glides out of the parking lot. She must be mine. She has to be my daughter. We have the same nose, his nose. “Thanks,” I hear myself say to Enzo once the car stops. I am home. My heart beats in my throat, I jog up the stairs and pause in front of the door. I run a hand over my face and hair to appear cool. I have been away from them all day, the best I can do is look okay for their sake. The door opens before my fist connects with it to reveal the girls dressed in black tuxedos and matching blue bow ties. They don’t appear fazed or excited by my appearance and their expression worries me. Today is Friday, nothing special about it. Bren steps forward to collect my briefcase, Wyn opens the door wider and flashes me
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