BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Valerie’s POV

Realizing that I left my phone in Ryan’s car is one great mistake I have made today. If only I wasn’t so bent on questioning Ryan after making the call to Mom, maybe I wouldn’t have kept it in the car.

The more I think about what would happen to my phone, the more I want to start all over again with my questions of why he didn’t tell me we were being followed but I see no good in doing that.

The deed is done already. I just hope those idiots won’t get their hands on it.

Ryan on the other hand was prepared for this rush. I never had a reason to use the back door of my parent’s room but I discovered it when I was little. I have no idea why that door is there and why it leads to a bushy area like this.

It took almost an hour before we could get to the main road and get a cab. I don’t know the address Ryan is giving the cab man but I hop in with him nevertheless.

I sit comfortably, letting my weak limbs get relaxed from today’s stress. I haven’t had any rest since I left home this morning. I was bored at home so I had to start checking out job vacancies for my course of study.

I applied for two and I was invited for an interview today. I don’t know if I did well or not but I hope to get the job.

I don’t know if the mansion will remain the same now that those thugs are in there. Mom and I as well as Dad can’t go to the house at the moment.

After making sure that the police friend had asked some of his men to guard my Dad at the hospital, I made sure Ryan did the same for his mother.

At first, he was nonchalant about it and I wonder if something is guarding her there. It looks like it.

“Aren’t you going to ask me where we are going?” His breath fans my ears, making me open my eyes to see his face a few inches away from mine.

He is fully clothed now.

“No”, I replied indifferently.

Actually, I am not curious about where we are going, but I am supposed to be curious, right?

“Wow! This is so unlike my wife. The Valerie I know would have bombarded me with thousands of questions about where I am taking her to or still arguing with me about not telling her…”

“I don’t hold grudges, Ryan”, I cut him short, opening my eyes again with my arms folded around my bosom.

“Not anymore”, he grins, making me wonder what he finds funny in this situation.

We just narrowly escaped death and I am scared shit for our parents. I ignore him. I don’t have time to bicker words with him when I have other things to be worried about.

He sighs deeply and silence ensues.

Suddenly, the cab driver turns on the FM, and loud music blasted from his board.

I open my eyes and groan in irritation. He is interrupting my meditation but I can’t complain. Ryan notices my discomfort and then tells him to reduce the volume of the FM which he does with an apology.

I spare him a glance and catch him staring. Quickly, I avert my gaze away from him and he chuckles.

“I am more worried than you are, Val. I’m just trying to hide it. I wonder what more harm this man would do”, he utters firmly, adjusting the big shirt he has on. It belongs to my Dad and I was trying so hard earlier not to laugh at how he looked.

Despite the situation, now it seems impossible not to laugh.

“I still can’t wrap my head around everything happening. Everything is happening so fast that it feels like I am dreaming or something.”

If I was in his shoes too, I would think I was in a dreamland too.

I seriously understand how it feels to be kept in the dark for years. I understand how it feels for him to feel Fatherly love from a man who isn’t his biological. I believe I know what it feels like to wake up one day and realize the man you have known all your life as your Father isn’t your Father.

I wish I can tell him this. At least to console him. Or make him feel he isn’t alone but words fail me.

I suddenly feel the urge to lighten the mood. If I had known this was what he was dreading; this discussion, I would have let him keep up with teasing me.

“You look so big in that outfit, you know?” I smile lightly. “It reminds me of my childhood and how big my Dad’s clothes used to look on him. But funnily, those days, he was cute in the big clothes but I don’t find you cute at the moment. You look ridiculous.”

He doesn’t laugh. He is just watching me with his mouth parted lightly.

“Is that a joke?” he demands and I roll my eyes dramatically. I guess that came out wrong.

He laughs and then raises the hem of the shirt from the shoulder which makes me laugh too.

Silence falls again till we get to our destination.

My curiosity kicks in instantly as we come down from the cab and stand in front of a huge gate. Before we got a cab, Ryan made a few calls but I was too preoccupied to listen to his conversation.

“Where are we?” I finally ask him as we stand next to each other.

“A friend’s place. Let’s go in”, he entwines his hands with mine as the gate opens automatically and we walk in.

The house is big but not as big as his parent’s home. There is a beautiful fountain in the middle of the courtyard with water flowing from every angle.

Before I can ask him any more questions, someone appears. A young handsome dude with a butterfly tattoo on his arm. His long sleeve shirt is folded, giving me a view of the small tattoo.

He shakes hands with Ryan and then flashes me a cute smile in greeting. Before I can begin to look around awkwardly, he invites us in.

The interior design is beautiful as well. The living room is full of beautiful artistic paintings, making me conclude that these people are lovers of the arts.

He leads us to the dining area where his parents are seated. The old man stands up immediately as we appear.

His wife smiles at me and hugs Ryan. Ryan shakes hands with the man while his friend disappears.

The man leads us to another area where there are several white couches.

“You can sit”, he points to one of the couches for me to settle in. Ryan sits on the next couch beside me.

My curiosity is at its peak now. What exactly are we doing here? Are we here to hide for a few days? What about our parents? Who are these people? That guy looks too young to be Ryan’s friend, is he lying to me?

“Ryan Lorenzo, it’s been a while”, the old man flashes us quick smiles and Ryan nods. The man clears his throat, leans forward and looks serious all of a sudden. “Who is this man?”

“My Father”, Ryan replies sharply, as if expecting the question.

The man’s eyes go wide in surprise. “Your Father?”

“Yes, Mr. Lewis. He is the man I have called Father for years but then I discovered he isn’t my biological father a few days ago.”

Now, I get it. We are here because of Mr. Lorenzo. We are here to get help. But how can we get help from this man?

A maid appears with a tray of two glasses of fruit juice. While she serves us, I whisper into Ryan’s ears. “Who is he?”

“The Police Commissioner”, he replies in the same hush tone, making relief and excitement wash down my spine immediately.

“Do you have evidence?” he questions as the maid disappears the way she came.

Ryan shares a knowing look with me before turning to the man. “Yes, Mr. Lewis. We are here with the evidence.”

“Is it a witness or what?” he says with curiosity, skating his expression.

I decide to answer. “I am a witness but I believe it won’t be enough to help us which is why we brought this”, I present the neatly folded clothes where I wrapped the camera. “It’s a camera.”

“A camera?” a disapproving look fills his expression. “What is in there? How he killed someone?”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

My heart skips a beat suddenly.

Realizing that we didn’t watch the video because we were in a rush to escape those men following us, my mouth drops open and I turn to Ryan

What if the video isn’t here? What if someone had tampered with it?

Ryan must be thinking the exact thing I am thinking as well because the next thing he does is to grab the camera from me.

He presses the button and a video pops up.