The Daring Billionaire’s Wife by Lypstical

Vanessa

It's been a few hours since I left the alley and I can't stop thinking about that kiss and confession from Patrick. No matter how I look at it, it still feels like there was something he was hiding from me behind that sudden cocky attitude of his when he scoffed at me, but what could it possibly be?

Forgetting all about it is harder than I thought, which is why even as I spent time with my father, Patrick's still running through my mind. It must be the combination of it all, including his unapologetic attitude. With nothing important to do back home, I plan to spend the whole day with my father and after having lunch together, I'm accompanying him to go shopping for a new suit.

Before taking a sip from his glass of juice, he says. "In only an hour, Dominic and Patrick will be having their match."

It takes me a moment to respond as I wonder if that'll actually happen, considering the state Patrick was in.

"You're right," I say to him. "I didn't even realize that."

"How do you feel about this?" He leans back, his expression thoughtful.

"To be honest, I don't mind."

"And Dominic's obviously not on bad terms with Patrick and that's why they're spending the afternoon together. I rarely hear of such things happening and that just goes to show how good of a man Dominic is. He's an amazing son-in-law."

As he goes on to further praise Dominic, he continues to smile and all I want to do is add to the conversation, but I can't. It's because of something that's been on my mind for a few days now. Unable to take it anymore, I put down my fork.

"Dad, I know something has changed ever since Uncle Jerry was here."

His smile instantly fades. "I thought we wouldn't have to talk about that."

"We should. Let's not avoid it."

"Oh, my child, I was hurt by my brother's interest when he was here. I thought we could move past our differences but it just didn't happen. I haven't even spoken to him since that day."

"I'm glad you haven't. If he wants to talk, he'll be the first to reach out and only with an apology."

"Vanessa-"

"No. I know you'll easily forgive him, but I won't. I hope he stays away."

He chuckles and his face brightens up a little, making me realize I've put him in a better mood.

He even goes on to talk about the specific destinations he wants to go to and it makes me smile seeing him like this even though he's doing it all because he's running out of time.

One thing I haven't yet told anyone is that I want to go with him. I can only imagine how Dominic will react. So far, he's given me everything that I want, but I'm not so confident when it comes to this. He wouldn't want me out of his sight now that I'm pregnant.

While my father goes up to his room to change his shoes so we can leave, I call Dominic and it takes a while for him to pick up.

"What?" he says from the other end of the line, his tone a little harsh.

"Excuse me?" I narrow my eyes in disbelief.

"That wasn't for you. I was talking to someone else here."

I nod in understanding. "I was just checking on you. Have you already started playing?"

"No. I just arrived."

"Will it just be the two of you?"

"Isn't that obvious? Who else will I be playing against?"

"Is everything okay?" I ask, concerned.

"Everything's fine."

"It sounds like-"

"I said everything's fine."

Telling myself he might be stressed with work, I nod in understanding. "In that case, I hope Patrick's ready."

"He better be ready."

"That almost sounds like you're going hard on him."

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Uhm... no."

"Good, because I have to go."

Before I can say anything more, he cuts the call, making my jaw drop in surprise at how hostile he was with me, but why now?

DominicText property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

The nerve Vanessa has to call me just to find out if I'm already teaching her boyfriend how to play tennis is unbelievable.

The more time I spent with her while on the phone, the more I got irritated just by the sound of her voice.

She can do whatever the fuck she wants, but why lie to me about it? I even thought she would mention. that she was with Patrick earlier, but she chose to say nothing, which just goes to prove that there's something going on. I don't even have to make the assumption. I saw them kissing. What more proof do I need?

With my racket in one hand, I look down at my wristwatch, wondering where Patrick is. I paid for the entire premises just so we could have it to ourselves and he hasn't even shown up yet. He's probably standing somewhere still thinking about how great it felt to kiss Vanessa.

The more I think about it, the more I tighten my grip on the racket.

"Hey, man," he says from behind me.

Just hearing his voice makes me poke my cheek.

I turn around to face him, unable to even fake a smile. "You're finally here. I thought you wouldn't show up."

"How could I miss this?" He swings his racket a few times. "I've been watching a few videos online before I even learn from you."

With a subtle but intimidating gaze, I say, "Are you ready to lose?"

He scoffs. "No. I'm just ready to learn."

I clench my jaw once again, leading the way as I think of asking him something.

"How's your day so far?"

He chuckles. "It's one of the best days of my life, especially in recent times."

"Did anything special happen?"

"Oh yeah, something special definitely happened."

He chuckles again and that only angers me. He's obviously making fun of me right now, like I'm an idiot or something because he's kissing my fucking wife, probably even fucking her but I hope not. The thought of it only fuels my rage even more.

"Let's begin," I say to him, my tone serious.

I suppress my rage while I teach him the basics when all I want is to swing my racket in his face, but I can't.

Whatever he was watching didn't help him in any way because he's absolute shit.

"There's something important I need to mention," I say to him. "You need to always make sure you have your eyes on the ball. Otherwise, you'll end up in situations like this."

I hit the ball with the racket and it hits his forehead. He grunts with his eyes shut, massaging the area.

"You could've told me that part without doing that," he says.

"I told you to keep your eyes on the ball." I shrug.

"I know, but-"

"Enough. Listen to me. You need sharp focus. You can't miss a single movement or else you'll end up paying for it."

He nods in understanding, still massaging his forehead and it makes me smirk a little.

I show him a few more times how it's done, trying so hard not to hit him again.

After practicing for a while, I nod confidently. "It looks like you're ready for a match," I say to him. "It's time to teach you a lesson."

"What?"

"It's time to put what you've learned to the test," I rephrase my statement.

As we begin, I take it slow with him but the longer we play, the more the image of him kissing Vanessa flashes in my mind and I lose it, hitting the ball so hard that it hits his nose. He falls to the ground and I jus tilt my head to the side without moving from my spot.

"Are you okay?" I ask, barely concerned.

"Yeah," he groans, getting up while massaging his nose.

"Want to stop?"

"No."

I scoff at his determination to compete with me.

"Remember what I said. Eyes on the ball," I remind him.

He nods and give him a few minutes, then we continue with the match. Though I try to control it, I only end up hitting him again and again

ninth

the face with perfect aim until he can't get up. It's only now that I notice how red his face looks and I realize I went too far.

The scene of Vanessa and him kissing bothers me more than it should and I find myself wondering why I had to go this far for her. Failing to find an answer only leaves me frustrated as I wipe the sweat off my forehead.

"That's enough for today." I turn around to leave, not even helping him get up.

"It almost feels like you were trying to hurt me on purpose," he says.

"Don't be ridiculous." I roll my eyes as I walk away, my tone dismissive. "Let's just face it. You did this to me because of Vanessa, right?"