Under The Billionaire's Terms

Valerian Devereaux

Umalingawngaw ang matalim na tunog ng mga sapatos ko sa marble floor. Malaki ang bawat hakbang ko dahil kakagaling ko lang sa isang meeting sa labas at patungo na sa susunod. Andrew, my secretary, tried his best to keep pace with me.

Ang mga empleyadong nakakasalubong namin ay agad na umiiwas makita pa lang ang tuktok ng ulo ko. Some of them would lower their heads, while others suddenly found something very interesting on their phones.

I guess they were too scared to make eye contact with me. I didn't care.

Hindi ko naman kailangan na magustuhan nila. All I needed was for them to do their jobs properly.

We stopped in front of one of the elevators. Agad na nanlaki ang mga mata ng mga empleyado na nasa loob na nang makita ako.

Mabilis pa sa alas-kuwatro silang lumabas lahat. Hindi na sila kailangan pang sabihan. They knew better than to inconvenience me when I was on my way to a meeting.

"Good morning, Sir," nakayukong bati nila.

Pumasok ako sa elevator. Andrew followed and pressed the button for the boardroom floor.

As the doors slowly closed, I caught my reflection in the polished metal.

Cold expression. Straight posture. Not a trace of emotion.

Exactly how I preferred it.

"Kumpleto na ba ang lahat?"

I glanced at my watch and tilted my head. I still have five Minutes.

Andrew cleared his throat, glancing at me through the reflection. "Yes, sir. Mr. Salazar is also already inside. Everyone has been waiting for almost fifteen minutes."

"As they should," I replied, adjusting the cuff of my shirt.

Bumukas nang dahan-dahan ang elevator doors, and I stepped out without sparing it another glance.

I hated being late.

Ayokong pinaghihintay ang mga tao. But I hated it even more when people didn't respect my time, especially when it came to work.

My time was valuable, and I expected everyone around me to understand that. Kung kaya kong dumating nang maaga sa kabila ng punong-puno kong scehedule, there was no excuse for anyone else to keep me waiting.

We were approaching the boardroom when I heard footsteps behind us. Hindi ko na kailangang lumingon para malaman kung kanino ang mga iyon.

"Valerian..."

Huminto ako sa paglalakad. My uncle, Victor Devereaux, my father's younger brother and the Vice Chairman of Devereaux Holdings, was walking toward me. His son, Ethan Devereaux, was a few steps behind him.

Uncle Victor wore an expensive navy suit, a Rolex on his wrist, and a smile that was just a little too pleased for my liking. Sa mata ng ibang tao, aakalain mong masaya itong makita ang nag-iisa niyang pamangkin.

But I knew better.

"Uncle, Ethan." I gave them a brief nod.

Uncle Victor's gaze traveled over me before settling on my face.

"We hardly see you these days, Valerian." Lumawak ang pagkakangiti niya. "Aside from these meetings, of course. You're always buried in work."

Huminto siya sa harapan ko. Pinigilan ko ang pagkunot ng aking noo. Most of the time, we simply ignored each other. It was unusual for him to initiate a conversation.

"That's because some of us actually have work to do," saad ko at nilipat ang tingin sa pinsan ko.

Ethan had always been the perfect example of what happened when a man was born into privilege and never had to earn anything for himself. He had no ambition. No discipline. And, as far as I could tell, no useful skills.

Kung hindi niya dala-dala ang apelyidong Devereaux, he would probably be living on the street by now. Yet there he was, handed the position of Executive Director and dressed in a suit that probably cost more than the monthly salary of most of the people who worked harder than him.

Pinatong ni Uncle Victor ang kamay sa balikat ng kanyang anak.

"My son will be joining us today."

I kept my eyes on Ethan, not even batting an eye.

"Will he?"

Bahagyang kumunot ang noo ni Ethan, ngunit nanatili ang ngisi sa labi ni Uncle Victor.

"Yes. It's time he learned more about the family business. He needs to start taking on more responsibilities." Bumaling siya sa anak. "Right, son?"

And Ethan, like the obedient fucking dog he was, immediately nodded.

"Yes, Dad. I've been looking forward to taking on more responsibilities. Gusto kong mapatunayan na mayroon akong maiaambag na higit pa para sa kumpanya."

Muntik na akong mapahagalpak ng tawa. The confidence was almost admirable. Three years in the company, at ipupusta ko ang kahit anong halaga na hindi pa rin alam ni Ethan ang pagkakaiba sa pagitan ng balance sheet and a profit-and-loss statement nang hindi ito ipinapaliwanag sa kanya ng kanyang assistant.

"Good for you. I hope you really learn something and become useful to the company.”

Tumalikod na ako bago pa man sila makasagot. Wala na akong oras upang magpakitang-tao sa mag-ama.

Agad akong sinundan ni Andrew at siya na rin ang nagbukas ng pintuan ng boardroom. Every conversation inside the room stopped. Tumayo silang lahat upang batiin ako. I gave them a brief nod as I walked toward my seat.

My gaze swept across the room. The board members, senior executives, at legal advisers are present here today. Nakaupo sa pinakadulo si Mr. Salazar, my father's lawyer.

There was a thick leather folder resting in front of him.

Naglakad ako palapit sa kanya.

"Mr. Salazar."

"Mr. Devereaux."

We shook hands. I've known him for half my life. He was one of the few people I couldn't intimidate, no matter how hard I tried.

I noticed that his grip was unusually firm, and his expression remained solemn. Then I remember my uncle, who was far too happy for my liking. Something was definitely wrong.

Alam ko na agad na hindi ko magugustuhan ang anumang pag-uusapan namin ngayon.

I released his hand and took my seat at the head of the table. Everyone else followed. Uncle Victor sat across from me, with Ethan beside him.

I leaned back in my chair. "Let's get this over with."

Kinuha ni Mr. Salazar ang makapal na leather folder mula sa ibabaw ng mesa at binuklat ito.

"This meeting concerns the last will and testament of the former CEO of Devereaux Holdings, Edmund Devereaux."

Napukaw agad noon ang atensyon ng lahat. It had been three years since my father died of complications from coronary artery disease. Three years since I took control of Devereaux Holdings as his only son. And three years since I buried the man who had spent his entire life building an empire and, apparently, spent his final years figuring out how to make sure I couldn't simply inherit it.

I still remembered the reading of his will. I remembered every word and every fucking detail.

My foot began tapping beneath the table.

"Three years ago, Mr. Edmund Devereaux stipulated that his controlling shares in Devereaux Holdings would remain under his sole heir, Valerian Devereaux, on one condition..."

My fingers tapped once against the armrest. I already knew what was coming.

"Valerian must enter into a legal marriage before his thirty-fifth birthday," Mr. Salazar paused, his expression turning more serious as he glanced at me. "And the marriage must be genuine. A marriage entered into solely for the purpose of satisfying the conditions of the will, with no intention of maintaining a real marital relationship, will not be considered valid under the terms of the agreement."

I clenched my jaw. Putangina.

Sinubukan kong kalimutan iyon for the past three years because I wanted to convince myself that it wasn't real. That my father couldn't possibly have been serious.

Sa dinami-dami ng puwedeng gawing kondisyon ng aking ama para tiyaking mananatili sa akin ang kumpanya, marriage pa talaga?

Marriage had absolutely nothing to do with running a business.

Tangina lang talaga ng ama ko.

Ramdam ko ang ilang nagnanakaw ng sulyap sa akin, probably waiting to see how I would react. I looked at my watch instead.

I was thirty-four now. And my thirty-fifth birthday was exactly three months away.

"If the condition is not fulfilled by the specified date, control of the company will be transferred to the Devereaux Family Trust," Mr. Salazar continued.

My eyes moved toward Uncle Victor. He was already looking at me.

The trust, which is controlled by my uncle. Fucking great.

Lakas din talaga ng amats ng ama ko. He knew exactly how power-hungry and money-hungry his brother was.

He knew even if I were his only nephew and spent the last three years keeping this company alive, Uncle Victor would gladly take everything he could get his hands on. And yet, my father had still left him a fucking opening.

Sumandal si Uncle Victor Victor sa upuan niya. Kahit anong kontrol niya sa emosyon, hindi niya maitatago ang kinang sa kanyang mga mata.

Ethan copied his father's posture, a smug smirk appearing on his lips. These two fucking vultures.

Nanatili akong tahimik habang patuloy na ipinapaliwanag ni Mr. Salazar ang mga natitirang probisyon ng testamento.

"The transfer will take effect immediately upon the expiration of the deadline. Until then, Valerian, you will retain full executive authority over Devereaux Holdings, provided that you remain in compliance with the terms of your father's will."

Mr. Salazar continued talking about the legal process, the transfer of voting rights, and the structure of the family trust. He also explained the board's responsibilities should the condition remain unfulfilled.

Narinig ko siyang nagsasalita, pero wala na sa kanya ang atensyon ko.

Three months. Ninety days. That was all the time I had left.

For three years, I had ignored the condition. I had buried it somewhere in the back of my mind and convinced myself that I would deal with it when the time came. Apparently, the time had come.

Hindi ako kailanman naging interesado sa mga babae at pakikipag-date. I believed there were more important things in life than having a relationship.

My father had always wanted a big family, but my parents had only managed to have me. Now, he was forcing me to create one. Marriage was never supposed to be one of my problems.

Most people saw me as heartless. Boring. Unapproachable. Saan naman ako hahanap ng babaeng gugustuhing pakasalan ako?

I'm sure I could find a woman willing to marry me for money. Money could make almost anyone agreeable. But that wasn't the only problem.

Saan ako hahanap ng babaeng kaya kong pagkatiwalaan?

Lahat ng mga babaeng nagpakita ng interes sa akin noon ay nadiskubre ko na inutusan sila ni Uncle Victor para mapalapit sa akin at makahanap ng magagamit nila laban sa akin. Paniguradong alam ni Uncle Victor na wala akong karelasyon ngayon na maari kong pakasalan.

But if I failed to do this, everything my father had built from the ground would belong to the one man I trusted least.

My uncle's lips lifted into a smile across the table as he pretended to listen to whatever Mr. Salazar was discussing. The possibility of my company falling into his hands was enough to put a smile on my uncle's face.

I held his gaze.

Let him smile.

Let him think he had already won.

I would never let him, or his son, touch the company, much less ruin everything my father and I had built.

I had ninety days to find a wife.

And I had never been more determined to win.