THE BILLIONAIRE'S GEMS

Dane Diam could only do so much as wait after he pressed the doorbell.

The cold breeze hovering over the suburb swept through him. It was something he'd gotten familiar with. The cold breeze. The serenity. The faint rhythm from the windmill. The endless meowing cats in the next building. Distant chattering. The old couple always on the patio of the house across the road. He was familiar with just...everything.

His constant visit these two months was enough to get him familiar with the place. 

His last visit here had been terrible. He'd caught a cold from the chilly breeze. Baby had sensed his agony and threw him out drenched in cold water.

He caught the bad flu that had him bedridden for weeks. Stupid that he had sought for her again once he recuperated.

Diam Dane shuddered. This time, It wasn't because of the breeze. It was the awful fate awaiting him behind the closed door. 

He reached for the doorbell again, but the door flew open immediately.

He froze, gulping at the sight of her. "Baby...Hi". He attempted a weak smile. 

"Get lost!" She was gonna slam the door on his face again. That has always been her reaction to all his visits. She detested him so much she wouldn't hear him out.

This time, he stuck a foot on the threshold. The door stopped midway. Fury flashed in her cold eyes as she pushed harder to shut the door.

Diam was forced to employ his macho side. He pushed back the door and forced himself in.

Baby pulled out a dagger from her pocket and aimed it at him. Her insane reaction was shocking enough to bring him to a halt.

”Please Baby. Just one minute, a second. That's all I ask. I just wanna talk. I missed you.“ Diam pleaded. 

Four years later he was back to a love story that was left unfinished. A love story that had nothing but tears and heartbreaks. A love story that never had a closure. They'd just broken apart like they never happened.

Standing in front of her again was an opportunity he'd prayed for all these years. Here it was. A thousand things he wanted to say. But it all started and ended with ”I'm sorry, Baby. I never meant to hurt you as I did."

It's been a rollercoaster of emotions these past four years.

The anger that twitched his nerves at the fact that she'd betrayed him. Yes, she was hurting, but he thought their love was strong enough to overcome whatever obstacles they had. How stupid he'd felt for thinking she loved him so. 

The pains that wrecked his heart when she fled. The anguish that clouded his being at the reality that she was never gonna come back to him. The misery he was plunged into each second his heart craved for her. 

The regrets that crumbled his world when he found out she'd never betrayed him. She'd been a victim of a conspiracy and he never believed her innocence. Never gave her the benefit of the doubt.

It's been the most painful years of his life. Nothing else mattered anymore. Nothing excited him anymore. She was all he craved for. All he cried for.

Time –they say– heals all wounds. But not Diam's wounds. The severe mar in his heart didn't heal up with time. With each fleeting day, he fell deeper into his agony.

Diam's depression made him shut everyone out. It was a drastic move as he was a public figure.

Dane Diam was the first child of the Dane Family. CEO of the Green-Grass corporation, with branches and offices worldwide and headquarters here in the United States. Diam was an aristocrat. A renowned billionaire.

Diam was every girl's dream man. His tall physique, well-built biceps, and face well-sculptured made him somewhat irresistible.

His green eyes synced harmoniously with his black, curly hair. He was without any facial flaws.

His father was Japanese and his mother was an American. They resided here in America –Carlifonia to be precise– more than other countries they had been to. The Dane family traveled a lot but decided to stay longer in America.

Dane Diam was a hottie, but ruthless. He was known for his terrifying wrath. No one ever got close enough to understand the real him. He wouldn't let anyone close. Just her.

Phillips Baby was a young and vibrant girl who was also naturally shy. She was a fragile being who didn't like trouble. Though from a poor home, she still maintained her beautiful features.

Her skin had a natural glow. Her silky-like brown hair fell freely to her waist. Her turquoise eyes were alluring with a mystic depth. She was Japanese but lived all her life here in California.

She was innocent and naive. Most of all, she was exceptionally beautiful.

He'd fallen for her at the wrong time, for all the wrong reasons.

But he couldn't undo it. She was already engraved into the walls of his heart.

Four years have already gone by. She wasn't so fragile anymore. On the contrary, she'd grown stoic. Her long hair was now a short, straight blonde. Her eyes bore so many pains and resentments.

“You should leave, Diam. Leave and never come back here." Baby spattered out, firmly pointing the dagger at him.

Diam could hear the collapsing of the walls of his heart. It wasn't the first time she was throwing him out. He just wishes she wouldn't anymore.

Diam dared to move an inch closer but Baby halted him with a glare. "Not another move, Diam. Get out!"

"I know I hurt you, Baby. I know I was an idiot. My love wasn't strong enough..." Diam trailed off as tears clogged his vision. Gradually, they made their way down his face. "I've been through hell these years, Baby. I deserved it all. It was my retribution for throwing away what we had."

"Whatever you went through isn't enough to make up for all the pains you caused me. Nothing would be enough, not even death. Get out!"

"But Baby..."

"Get the fuck out!"

"At least, let me see my daughter!" Diam snapped dejectedly. Her decision to keep his daughter away from him was a callous move on her side. He only earned the tag of a bad lover. He wasn't a bad Dad, yet. She had no reason to keep his daughter from him.

"I'm gonna say this for the last time, she is not your daughter." Baby said furiously. "The next time you come in here making such claims, I'll make sure you don't leave in one piece."

Just then, a girl ran into the house with her backpack and hugged Baby. 

"Mummy"

Baby quickly stuffed the dagger into her pocket. She squatted and adorned her daughter's forehead with a kiss.

Diam could feel the tears drop at the sight of the little girl. But God, she looks just like her Mum! A small bundle of beauty.

"Sweetie, you're back early." Baby smiled at her daughter.

“Yes, Mummy. My class teacher said all the teachers needed to discuss something alone. So all the students had to leave early.“

“Alright, sweetie. Go wait in your room. Mummy has a visitor."

"Sure, Mummy." The girl cooed, kissed her cheek, and ran off.

"Baby, you gotta let me get to know my daughter. I know I hurt you but she's my daughter. Please." Watching the bond between the mother and daughter, Diam realized just how much he was missing out on.

The girl was his daughter. It was a fact. He needed to create some bond with her.

"You're gonna get the hell out and never show up here again. Or I'm gonna sue you for being such a nuisance."

"Please. Just how long are you gonna keep sending me away?" Diam was in another fit of tears. Nothing he wouldn't give to put an end to this nightmare and have her in his arms again.

"Till you learn to accept that whatever we had is over. Right now, we're just strangers with memories."

"No." It was faint, but it conveyed the sorrow his heart had sunk into. "No, Baby. What we had, what we shared, it was–" he trailed off, running a hand through his hair, desperately searching for the right word. "–beautiful." In reality, no word could describe it. No word came close to.

"Was it? Maybe, to you. But to me, it was a nightmare. A sickening, frightening nightmare."

Diam was speechless. There was no reasoning with Baby. Her mind was made up. She wanted him gone for real.

Baby gave him a firm push, and he was out the door. 

On impulse, he held the door before she could slam it. The look in her turquoise eyes was cold. But he had to get these words out. "I can't let you go." He husked out, soothingly.

For a second, she hesitated. Her eyes quivered, her resolve seemed to have cracked.

"Sorry, Diam. But you got no choice." One last, long glare before she slammed the door.

With him gone, Baby was alone in her thoughts. Then she let the tears flow freely. It was one Herculean task, holding them in for as long as she did. She stared longer at the closed door, with Diam pictured in her mind.

A part of her wanted to comfort him. Kiss away his pains. Ease his sorrows. Make him happy. Like old times.

But once again, she filled her heart with so much anger by going down that painful memory lane, remembering just how it all started.