The Billionaire's Fake Wife

A year before the main story…

Third Person’s Point of View

“What the hell, bro? You look like crap,” Kaizer remarked, snatching the rum from Louis's hand. His cousin had been in this state for days.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll pay for all of this,” Louis said, lighting a cigarette.

“Yeah, you’ll pay, but if Uncle Izaak knew you were just holed up here, he'd cause a whole scene at my bar. I’m not up for that, so how about you head home for now?” Kaizer suggested, irritation evident in his voice. Louis shot him a look as though Kaizer had crossed a line.

“Stop bossing me around, Kai. I’m still a shareholder here. Besides, I don’t want to go home,” Louis muttered, standing up to grab the rum from Kaizer.

“Alright, but why? Did something happen? You don’t have to tell me everything, just the basics. Maybe I can give you some advice since I’m older. Could help you get out of this rut,” Kaizer offered, but Louis ignored him and plopped down on the couch, lying down.

“Didn’t know you cared so much. Should I be touched?” Louis replied, raising an eyebrow, which made Kaizer look at him.

“Is that a joke? If you don’t want my advice, fine. I’ll leave,” Kaizer said, starting to walk away.

But Louis called after him, “She broke up with me. I knew something was off. I was waiting for her to say it, but she never did. I think she doesn’t trust me enough.”

“Who’s ‘she’?” Kaizer asked, feigning ignorance, though he knew exactly who Louis meant.

“Damn it, I shouldn’t have told you,” Louis yelled, throwing the rum bottle.

Kaizer just laughed.

**

“Let’s break up,” Mariella said, pulling Louis’s hand off her waist.

“What? What did you say?” Louis asked, his mind struggling to process her words.

“I want to be free of you, Louis. Can you let me go?” Mariella pleaded. Louis stood there, stunned, as she acted so differently from the woman he knew.

“Did my parents say something to you? Please tell me why, and I’ll fix it. There’s no need for this,” Louis urged, but Mariella took a step back.

“You can’t fix everything, Louis. I want to end this relationship,” Mariella said, but Louis didn’t believe her. There had to be a deeper reason.

“You want to end it? Why? We loved each other. I can—”

Mariella cut him off, shouting, “Stop! Want to know the reason? Fine. But after this, I never want to see you again. I found someone else. He makes me feel like I belong to his world. I don’t have to fight for his love because his parents accept us. You’re too much for me, Louis. Please, forget about me. Move on. You should marry someone your parents chose for you.”

With that, Mariella got in her car and drove off, leaving Louis frozen in disbelief.

**

“Maybe you loved her too much,” Kaizer suggested. “Look at the bright side: you don’t need to get emotionally invested. You’re destined to marry, after all.”

Louis stood up and grabbed Kaizer by the collar.

“Do I look like someone who wants to marry a stranger?” Louis growled. Kaizer raised his hands in defense.

“Then why not get to know your future wife? Maybe you’ll learn to love her. Easy peasy,” Kaizer said with a shrug.

Louis smirked. “You’re the last person to give relationship advice. Why don’t you marry Avery first? Then I’ll consider your idea,” he said.

Kaizer clenched his jaw. “Our situation is different.”

“Ha. That’s nonsense. Our situations are exactly the same.”

After leaving the bar, Louis ran into Tyron. “Got any updates?”

“Yeah, I followed her like you asked. Mariella’s with someone now, and they’re heading to Florida,” Tyron reported. Louis, seething with anger, punched a nearby tree.

“Keep following her,” Louis ordered, and Tyron nodded. After Tyron left, Louis lit a cigarette.

Kaizer’s words echoed in his mind—part of him knew they made sense, but another part dismissed them as nonsense.

Louis called his father. “Louis, where are you? Your mother’s worried.”

“What’s her name?” Louis asked bluntly.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The woman I’m marrying. Where does she live?” Louis asked.

“What are you planning? Don’t even think about it.”

“Relax, Dad. I want to know more about my future wife. Maybe I’ll consider your offer.”

“Her name is Elaine Natividad.”

After the call, Louis decided to follow Elaine. He was curious—what made her so special? Her family owed them money, but why did he have to marry her?

After following her for a few days, he figured out her routine. Every time she went to school, she stopped to feed some children. She was kind but clearly did not fit into their mafia world.

Louis stopped following her and planned to tell his father to call off the marriage. But then, as luck would have it, he was running—trying to escape some enemies. Louis hid in the alley where she always passed by. He couldn’t fight anymore—he was injured, a bullet wound in his thigh.

“Ah!”

Louis quickly grabbed Elaine’s hand, covering her mouth. He couldn’t fully see her face, but he knew she had black wavy hair and glasses. He smiled faintly. After following her for days, he was close enough to reach her.

“Don’t scream. They’re still around,” he whispered, feeling faint.

Elaine didn’t speak, but he could hear her heart racing. Who wouldn’t be scared in this situation?

“I’m harmless. They’re looking for me. Just don’t tell them where I am. After that, you can leave. Just an hour,” Louis said. To his surprise, Elaine reached into her bag and pulled a cloth.

“An hour, sir? But you’re bleeding. You could die if we don’t get you to a hospital,” Elaine said, tying up his wound. Louis was impressed by her calmness.

He cupped her cheek. “I knew it. You’re so kind. You don’t belong in our world.”

“Can you handle a gun?” Louis asked, but Elaine shook her head. “I’ll try,” she replied.

Louis handed her a gun and cocked it. “Just pull the trigger. It’s loaded.” Then, his eyes became blurry, and he didn’t know what happened next.

When Louis woke up, he found himself under a white ceiling, with Elaine sitting beside him. It seemed they had made it to the hospital without being followed. The gun was still on the table, fully loaded.

He carefully got up, not wanting to wake her. It was better if she didn’t recognize him.

When Louis returned home, his father was waiting for him.

“I heard someone ambushed you. Glad to see you’re still alive. What do you want to talk about? If it’s about your fiancée, you’re still marrying Elaine,” Izaak said, his gaze fixed on Louis.

“Yeah. I’ll marry Elaine, but I want to do it my way, Dad,” Louis replied.