The Billionaire’s vengeful desire

Four Years AgoZaria. 21 years old. The Los Angeles sun is unbearably hot today. The streets buzz with activity, a never-ending symphony of car horns, chatter, and hurried footsteps. Everyone seems to be struggling to shield themselves from the oppressive heat, darting between shaded areas and fanning themselves uselessly. I wince as I squint against the blinding glare, cursing the relentless sun.Outside the school, the world is always noisy, always moving. The bustling streets of Los Angeles never rest, people are always coming and going, a tradition as old as the city itself.I have never been fond of the heat. I despise anything remotely warm, let alone scorching. Even my meals have to be lukewarm at best. I much prefer the crisp, controlled coolness of an air-conditioned room.“Why did you drag me out here, Sam? This sun is unbearable!” I grumble as my older sister—older by just a year and a few months—practically drags me across the busy street outside our school hostel. I have

ZariaJoe stands behind her in the doorway, shirtless, sweatpants hanging low on his hips. His hair is damp, pushed back, his chest rising and falling like he just ran a marathon, or did something else that required a lot of energy.When his eyes land on me, he freezes. “Za…ria?” he breathes.Here it is. The moment. The one everyone talks about. The cliché scene in movies where the girl walks in and catches her boyfriend cheating. Except this is not a movie. This is actually real life and it’s currently happening to me. Jesus Christ. Please let this be a dream.The woman slowly looks between us, then snorts. “Oh. So this is the one?”Joe flinches. “Lola, don’t.”She ignores him, takes a step forward, and shoves my shoulder with the tips of her fingers, like I’m blocking her light. “Listen, bitch, this is not a viewing center. If you don’t have business here, get the fuck out.”The shove isn’t that hard, but I’m so stunned I stumble back a little.“Bitch?” I repeat. Did she seriously j

TristanI stare at the numerous faces across the board table. Each one of them looks terrified and curious at the same time. It is amusing to me really. They all look like they have something to say, but fear of the uncertain has them as quiet as a lost puppy. The only person who does not look terrified is sitting right next to me. Shane McCall. My friend and business associate.He is the reason I was able to take over half of the company, The infamous Buckley enterprise. Two years ago, I went to him and asked him to infiltrate the company for me. I knew that David Buckley would rather die than sell his company’s shares to me, so I sent someone else instead. Shane is a well-known international investor. I knew David Buckley wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to have him as a major shareholder. Unknown to him, David has been working for me. He collected the majority of the company’s shares on my behalf and now, more than half of Buckley enterprise belongs to me.I smile at the people loo

Zaria “What…what did he say he wanted to see me for?” Sam fixes with a deadpanned look. "Take a guess, smart ass. What do you think? He knows about what happened four years ago. Mum told him the second he opened his eyes."My eyes narrow at her. Is she really going to let our parents think that this is all my fault? that Isomehow caused this to happen because they already see me as a problematic person? “And what did you tell him?” I ask quietly.“That you’ll fix all of this, of course. I also told him note to be too hard on you"For a few moments, I just stay silent, watching my sister and shaking my head slowly in disbelief. Ever since we were younger, Sam had no problem with making me take all the blame if we did something bad together. Sometimes, she'd even have me lie on her behalf if she did something bad. I never saw it as a problem those times because we were kids and Sam has always been my best friend and sister. But we're grown up now. It's no longer the same. I love S

Zaria“What the fuck are you doing with my sister??”My voice slices through the hallway, sharper than I intend, but I don’t care. Samantha jerks back, stumbling a little as she wipes her lipstick-stained mouth with the back of her hand, pretending she wasn’t just grinding on Tristan like a shameless parasite. Has she forgotten about her man so fast? Tristan doesn’t say a word at first. He just stands there, his chest rising and falling calmly, eyes half-lidded as if he’s bored.As if I’m the one being unreasonable.His gaze drifts from Samantha’s flushed face to mine, slowly and deliberately like he’s savoring the chaos he just created. Samantha is the first to speak, her voice way too breathy.“Z–Zaria… it’s not what it looks like,” she stammers, flipping her hair uselessly. “Tristan just…he just couldn’t help himself—”Tristan lets out a low laugh. Cold and Mocking. It echoes in the hallway like a slap.“Couldn’t help myself?” he repeats lazily. “Samantha, don’t embarrass yourself